Hungry all the time?

Murphy seems to be hungry ALL the time... his appetite is like the traditional 'labrador' - he will eat anything, any time, anywhere.

He is fed twice a day, and has been eating Arden Grange Large Breed Chicken for about 3 months. This has agreed with him much more than previous foods.

However, when he finishes eating, he will sit and paw at his bowl. He does this at both meals. He will also sit in his place if there is food of any sort being made, even if his bowl isn't down, and whine horribly.

He constantly sharks for food of any sort. I've caught him pulling fruit off the fruit trees, and eating rotten plums from the ground (as I was clearing them up), as well as stealing the chickens food

I've even caught him drinking/licking red-hot olive oil from a baking tray on top of the hob

He is right at the top end of 'healthy' weight for his breed, so I'm careful with his food and any leftovers/scraps and treats (and always have been).

I've upped the amount of food he gets to 400g a day (over 2 meals), but that's coming to the top of what is recommended. It still doesn't seem to fill him up. I know that if I let him get access to where I keep the dog food, he would eat until he was physically sick.

He is due for his jabs/boosters next month, but it's just concerning me.
Is he just a greedy dog? Should I up his food until I find a level that agrees with him?

I'm not a canine nutritionist, but if I had a dog that behaves the way you describe Murphy's behaviour, the perptual hunger, scrounging etc but being at the top end of his weight, then I think I'd like to try to rethink how & what he's being fed.

Provided that he's fit & well & the vet says nothing is wrong, then maybe the Arden Grange is just not satisfying him? Maybe he hoovers it up so quickly that it doesn't have the chance to reach his stomach & turn off the "hungry" neurotransmitters?

I would suggest that you consider feeding via a kong maybe, or one of those interactive balls that you put food into? Anything that keeps him occupied for longer & makes him take a bit more time to eat his food.

Alternatively have you considered raw feeding & including raw meaty bones? Many dogs find this a very satisfying way to eat. BARF & Prey Model Diet have been discussed lots on here & there are Yahoo groups that provide lots of info if it's something you'd consider trying.

You could switch to Burns which has a lower fat content - so you can feed more without weight gain hopefully.
I used to give my dogs raw chicken wings in the morning - it seemed to last them longer than processed food.

Thanks - he has always been this way (no matter what we've fed). The large breed kibble size has slowed his eating down considerably, and we've tried feeding in other things. It keeps him occupied for longer, but doesn't seem to satiate him.

I should point out that Max is absolutely fine on AG, and eats approx 350g per day. He has no interest in Murphy's food, so I know it's not that Murphy feels threatened etc.

In terms of raw food, they do get the odd bit of raw - usually chicken wings etc. However, this is hoovered down just as quickly. He has swallowed chicken wings whole before, just in an attempt to get them eaten!

I don't think I could get away with feeding raw (as I'd have to do it for both). I don't have the freezer space to have enough in for 2 Boxers, as I'd have to buy their food monthly (to fit in with my budgeting). I'm also rubbish at getting our own food out to defrost, so I'd probably end up on kibble half the time anyway as their food would still be frozen solid. However, I will look further into this though!

Have you ruled out the simple things first ... Worms and such??

Not really, he has always been a scrounger!

I was hoping that by swapping to a better quality food (AG) that it would get rid of the constant scrounging...

How about adding some veg, carrots etc? OR try him on arden grange light, the pieces are smaller than the large breed but bigger than the normal adult

They were wormed last month, as routine, rather than cos they needed it

I think it is more of a personality thing than a hunger one. I have one of those 'traditional' Labradors who has been fed all sorts (various high quality dry and wet foods, as well as prey-model raw diet) who is still as you describe. My Slovakian is much the same, and she easily eats double what my Labrador gets in day. There is no easy answer IMO!

Agree with Labradork, my Pointer could eat and eat all day, she's still so slim, (lucky thing!! ) There is nothing wrong with her, just greedy!!