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The old cliché about dogs is sometimes true: they eat everything you will give to them. Dogs will eat even if they are not hungry. Not all dogs have this voracious appetite. Some dogs will stop eating after they have their fill. Most dogs, however, subscribe to this cliché. They eat so much that it is easy to imagine they will explode after a point in time. To any owner, it seems that the dog is always hungry.

Old instincts die hard

Like you, experts do not understand why a few dogs eat all the time. A popular explanation is that since the modern dog is a descendant of wolves first domesticated by humans, it continues to retain some of the old characteristics of its ancestors. The dog eats it before the food gets snatched away by other canines. The animals treat food as a scarce resource and follow a “take advantage of the food while you can” mentality. Such a mental makeup can continue even if you provide your dog three ample meals a day.

In case your dog is always hungry and is an overweight animal to boot, then it is vital that you take control as pack leader. Ask your veterinarian about your dog’s real needs every day and make a feeding ritual. Make a schedule of the times you will feed the dog and maintain it. Do not allow others to offer it scraps of food. Give treats only when your dog has accomplished something.

Inhibit the dog’s food intake

Slow your dog’s food intake rate by purchasing special bowls with walls that the canine is forced to eat around. If you cannot get such a bowl, put a tennis bowl on the food. The dog will be forced to eat around the ball and the intake speed will be much slower.

There could be a number of other reasons other than your dog being a voracious eater as to why it consumes huge quantities of food. This is a surety if your dog suddenly shows a change in its appetite. Both physiology and psychological reasons could be the cause. The list of psychological reasons includes environmental changes. This could be a change in the family pattern like a member moving out or a new one joining the household. Events like this lead to anxiety and insecurity, thus initiating a dog’s famine or feast mentality. If your normally docile dog suddenly exhibits food aggression, the changes are psychological.

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