DaisyBasset

Okay, so, Daisy has been with us for a week. She is so obsessed with finding food. It's all she does except sleep lol. Now, I know bassets love their food but I'm wondering at what point it should be concerning. She seeks out and devours anything she can find within seconds. She is constantly trying to break in our newly gated kitchen to get to the trash can. The last two mornings she got on the coffee table and drank my coffee (cardinal sin!!). We have been really good at keeping any and all food out of her reach but that doesn't stop her from her constant search.

We feed her a cup of high quality food twice a day but the last two nights we have had to give her an extra 1/2 cup of food. Last night she hopped out of bed and tried to jump the gate at the top of the stairs to go down and hunt out food. Tonight she can't settle because her belly is growling.

She also gets treats all day long as we are encouraging good potty behavior. I don't want her to become overweight and have health problems but she is really good at making me feel like she's starved...either that or she really is just that hungry.

I know she was treated for worms at the shelter and her stool isn't showing any signs of worms. She does have a vet appointment tomorrow but I thought I'd ask some experienced owners.

Thanks!

Mikey T

scent hounds in general are like that alway hungry. they are only truely sated when their feet no longer touch the ground. If you feed a scent hound all they desire it will be obese not simply over weight.

IMHO there is strong support for this actual being a selectively bred trait in the past. Which dog is more likely to be the more persistent hunter of game/food? The dog that is alway hungery or the one easily sated? In selective breeding for hunting persistence on can easily see where you end up getting a dog that is always hungery.

jaleely

My beagle, conveniently also named Daisy....is exactly the same way. We got her when she was about a year and half or maybe 2 years old. I'm going to agree with another post on here that was talking about socialization issues that said that dogs learn how to behave when they are puppies. If she was with another pack of dogs all her life and had to fight for food, ...or not really fight but "be the first one to get some, or get none" then she's going to be crazy for food. Females tend to be more interested in food anyway due to the mother instinct that wants them to eat and eat to provide for their pups...but i know my beagle is insane for food. We joke that she loves food more than us, but sadly it's probably not a joke *lol*
Anyway, it's just a habit that you may not break her of. I noticed that bowser didn't care about food, and would often even leave it if he didn't want it....but then as he got older he would scarf his food down even if he didn't really like it that much because he didn't want daisy to get it. And now he's just as beggy for treats as she is. He (thank god!) is no where near her level though.
She drives me NUTS! lol she even eats so fast she doesn't chew.

Anyway, i guess i'm just offering support saying that i understand, that you can live with it if you can teach them to stay out of the trash and off the counters (negative reinforcement is the only thing that works for daisy to learn this...though she knows many tricks since she's so food oriented and positive reinforcement works there!) and that she really can't help but be the way she is since she's lived her whole life probably like that.

My point is it's a learned behavior and it's going to be tough to get her to stop in certain situations (it will never truly stop) but you can manage it. Daisy no longer steals off the table, steals the trash, pulls things off the counters and i can even leave a plate of food in my chair and she will leave it alone. BUT she scarfs her food, and if you drop something it's instantly gone in her mouth, and she BEGS all the time. Even with just her eyes..lol and is constantly sniffing things out for food, and being silly by checking her food bowl, Just in case! everytime she walks by it!
So, there's hope..it just takes a while *lol*

Must be in the name!!! ; )

LY909

My Porter is the same way. He would eat and eat and eat some more if I let him. I think he just likes to eat and not because he is hungry because I know he gets plenty of good food.

DaisyBasset

Thanks all! I'm not so worried about the behavioral aspect of it. That will have to be about our patience, consistancy, and time, and perhaps eventually just acceptance lol. I have a kong that she already loves to work on to get peanut butter and food pieces out of. It allows her to do what she loves but without getting in trouble.

But, last night when I actually heard her belly growling I thought there may be more to it and wanted to check with some other basset owners. The belly growling was worrying me considering the rescue situation she just came from.

Tuesday

Her belly growling could have possibly been gas. Gwen gets that "growling" belly sometimes because she eats too fast. Try getting her to eat slower. Also, maybe she is really into "finding" food as you say. You can play games with her, hide her dinner or put them into puzzles. This way her eating is more exciting, she is able to "find" her food, and it makes her eat slower.

DaisyBasset

We got a slow feeder bowl for her yesterday. It does slow her down which is good because I'm always concerned about bloat.

Lightning&Stomps

You can also give her carrots and apples as treats. During the summer, Lightning will eat probably four or five large apples a night (I have apple trees in my yard). It's never caused any kind of problem for him. He didn't seem to digest the carrots as well as the apples.

Esther

Dear Daisy,

Do you barf? I barf when I eat too fast. They got me that bowl. I don't barf after eating as much anymore. I do with water, but I clean it right up for them, because they get upset when I make messes.

This morning I woke up (I get to sleep in the big peoples bed now! ROCK!) and we went towards the door and I squatted right in the floor, five feet from the door.

BWAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA

DaisyBasset

I haven't barfed yet. I eat in my crate so I can stay as calm as possible about everything. Then I come out after about 10 minutes and get some water. My mom worries about me getting bloat.

I get to sleep in the big bed too now. I peed on the way out the first morning but I'm doing better now that I know if I can just wait for mom to get her jacket on I'll get to go outside. Besides, I know if I do everything right I get a cookie when I come in so I try my best