Why is my older dog suddenly stealing food and eating paper?

I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for an exam, as there are definitely some medical conditions that can cause a dramatic increase in appetite like this. Some possibilities would include Cushing's disease, diabetes, a thyroid tumor, or a problem with absorbing nutrients from the GI tract. Your veterinarian can do blood work or other testing if needed to help determine what may be causing this.

Hello, Dogs that know where food may be, will indeed take advantage of any opportunity they get to steal some food. It may be best to keep him in a separate room when you will be having food out, otherwise, you may be dealing with this behavior issue often. This will hopefully buy you some time to adjust him to only being exposed to his own food, and desensitize him from knowing that there is food on the table. As a golden rule, don't eat around your pet because they will likely want to eat your food as well. Sorry about Murphy and hope this helps.

Some dogs experiment around this age and if you continue to correct him when he jumps on the counter he may 'grow out of it'. Other dogs are just too tempted by food on counters and tables and will continue to counter surf. Unfortunately it can be a hard habit to break since you rarely catch them in the act. The best way to prevent this behavior is to make sure no food is left unattended on the counters or to prevent Koda's access to areas where food is unattended.

Toga might be a dog that prefers many meals instead of 2 or 3 "big ones". I would suggest to try to split his daily food intakes in 4 or 5 small meals or try to give him toys with hidden food inside that can keep him busy as well (https://www.kongcompany.com/products/for-dogs/interactive/ballistic-hide-n-treat/ballistic-hide-n-treat-purple/). Last but not least, go back to the previous food flavor and monitor for any change. Keep us informed and to not hesitate to contact us again if anything changes!

There are some disease processes in dogs that can cause an increased appetite. Most notably is an endocrine disorder called Cushing's Disease and the appetite is the result of excessive steroid production in the body. A pet taking steroid medication could also have increased appetite. There are other possible diagnoses as well so if the change is significant a good place to start would be an exam and bloodwork with your family vet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

That could be actually not a behavioural problem but due to a metabolic/endocrine disease especially if the weight is constant or decreased. I would recommend a check up at your local vets to determine and eventually rule out any possible disease.

Ginger is adorable! Thanks for including pictures. I have a few thoughts. If Ginger is stealing food, her appetite or weight have changed, or there any other abnormal signs, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine her to make sure there isn't a medical cause for the change in her behavior. It says that you are in Canada. Are Ginger's activities different in the winter? Certainly cabin fever can affect our dogs as well as us. If so, I would be creative about finding ways to keep her busy inside. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for her to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. You can keep her mentally and physically busy during meal times using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps my dog busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires him to work. And speaking of working. I have found that my dog is the most tired after we have done a good round of training. Even thought you have done training with Ginger, you could consider trying an advanced class, a nose work class, a tricks class, etc. And if taking a class isn't an option right now, you can work on training some new tricks at home. Mental stimulation can go a long way. Playing with other dogs is also a great outlet for energy. If you haven't tried it yet, look into your local doggy daycare center. Sending my youngest dog to daycare once a week has made a huge difference. There are also a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I have not tried the Clever Pet yet, but it is an electronic interactive toy that I am intrigued about. clever.pet So, regardless of the cause of Ginger's bad behavior, I think the key the a well behaved dog is to vary their activities daily and include a wide range of physical and mental stimulation. Be sure to be creative to tire her out on a regular basis and help everyone keep their sanity. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.