Scavenging related to overfeeding??

My dogs are prize scavengers... they need asbo's!
A short list of bad food related behaviour includes:

• Emptying park bins, eating the edible and leaving the rubbish around the park
• Stealing from picnics
• Stealing any food anyone has
• Running out of the park and back up the road to food they saw on the way
• Scavenging bread left for birds

And much, much more.

These dogs are actually fed more than the recommended daily allowance because otherwise they grumble they're hungry but because they're very lean, I don't mind giving them more food - they also get regular training treats and cheese for particularly strong recalls.

Now the question:
I heard a rather bizarre explanation for their scavenging recently and whilst I can't see the logic, thought I'd find out if it's true... the scavenging and stealing is getting to be a worry now. Eddy ran into the road this morning to get some food someone had dropped (thankfully it's a quiet lane right outside the park but it could have been much worse).

I was told it was because they're fed too much, he said they get used to having more to eat. I don't really know the logic - whether he meant because they're used to getting treats when they're out and about they steal food rather than learning food only comes from their food bowl I don't know...

Is there any truth in the idea that perhaps I'm feeding them too much? I thought they'd be more likely to scavenge if fed less...

I know this sounds really thick but the scavenging is so bad I thought it best to find out!

Scavaging is bad, they may eat something that is harmful to them, to be honest if the dogs are that bad when you take them out, I would keep them on a lead so that you can prevent them doing this, it sounds like they are a little out of control from the list you made, especially the running out of the park to get food they have seen on the way? this could be distastous, many dogs will scavage if they are given the chance, its up to us not to give them that chance. wasnt there someone some time ago that was posioning dogs by leaving tidbits lay about in a park knowing that owners allow their dogs to scavage?

as for the question, maybe the dogs food is not satisfying it? it may give a quick fill, but not as lasting? I suppose if someone eats a lot they do want more, otherwise fat people wouldnt get fat it may be the same with dogs, the more they eat the more they get used to eating?

Mo

I thought this was normal for dalmatians? I know of half a dozen that are exactly the same, they will steal anything that isn't nailed down and then some.

Hi Lottie
Interestingly when we first got Hoki (who was extremely overweight) she would scavenge every chance she would get including going up to people eating (though she would never actually steal something from their hands).

I have worked really hard on the 'leave' command for food and it is now paying off. she knows if she leaves food when I tell her she will still get food (and quite often something more tasty than the thing she had to leave).

Mind you, there may be something in what the guy said because I have noticed that over the past few months, now she is more used to her diet, she isn't nearly as food oriented as she was - she much prefers playing with her ball. I don't have to fear walking past picnicers anymore
though she very ocassionally still finds the odd carcus interesting (but will even leave this almost everytime I tell her to).

She also knows that I always have food on me, so if she is really hungry, she will come to me instead of looking for her own.

Good luck getting it sorted, I know how scavening can spoil a good walk (even without the potential health risks others have pointed out).

I dont know, It maybe in some dogs but I always thought dallys were close to lab league in the scav stakes. My lot have always scaved (and done everything you listed)and are not overfed, Jakes fed the same and does not really scav unless its meat or fish or curry.

I have a book on labs that says the scaving goes back to when first bred, they would be fed fish in the summer while out with the fishermen but left to fend for themselves in the winter.

lol lottie sorry I just re read my first post and it looked like I was having a go at you lol. didnt mean for it to come across like that, so my apologies. lol.

Mo

My experience of this which is not huge has been this. The dalmatian I knew was exactly like yours except it was overweight. It even ate stones and had to be operated on twice! Then there was the lab I knew who would behave exactly like yours(run away on walks to get food previously spotted while on lead etc etc) and it had been overweight but this behaviour only developed once it was put on a diet and had lost some weight. So two conflicting pieces of anecdotal info.

I know dallies are bad for it anyway... so I was expecting that. Just not quite this bad!

I don't want you think I'm not trying to sort it - Eddy's kept on a lead until we get into the middle of nowhere now after he's 'done a runner' and made his own way home when out on walks and he's only actually left the park for food previously spotted on two occassions (two too many I know). Takara has only ever done it once and she was following Eddy

I take them to places where I hope there will be the least food and during the summer they are kept on leads in busy places because of food left around but I can't keep them onlead all the time - they just have too much energy for that (plus, it's detrimental to Takara's behaviour around other dogs, as I've found out.)

I am also taking Takara around parks where I know there will be food while she is on the lead in an attempt to train her out of it so I'm putting the time in.

Hali, thanks for that - I think I will try only feeding Takara if we're inside and using a ball for outdoor training (upto recently I couldn't do this as we lost every single ball!) but keep something in my pocket so she knows she gets food if she's really good and leaves other food. We have been training more and more with a ball so hopefully I can get her more focussed on that than food.

Stormey - I'd say dals are certainly on a par with labs! Like I said, they're fed more than recommended but they are both very lean, even Eddy who is 12 1/2 is his ideal weight and Takara's only just started putting on a bit of weight (and lost it again since we started training with a ball rather than food!) so although they're 'overfed' strictly speaking, I'm reluctant to reduce their intake because they are so slim and Takara's so bloody grumpy when hungry!!

Eddy doesn't steal from people but Takara does, she'll take the sandwich out of their hands if she can...
Takara's got a fantastic 'leave' at home but if it's something she knows she won't be allowed once she's left it, she'll just scoff the lot.

I did know when I chose the breed that they were scavengers but they're scavengers with a lot of energy and it's unfair to them to keep them leashed at all times particularly as both dogs are understandably more confident with other dogs when they are offlead.

Typical dallies!!!!

My Staffs a bit of a scavanger, the puppy training I recieved encouraged me to take treats out and give her a treat when ever she was near me ( a bit like clicker training) I was also told to scatter titbits on the floor if I needed to distract her, its interesting to hear about being over fed, and now it makes sence all those times I've been chucking food on the floor to distract her I've probably encouraged her to scavange without realizing it, it's not until you hear someone else's problem you realize where you went wrong