Toby the Puppy Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Toby is 5 months old now and acts like he is absolutely starved by me. I feed him Canidae ALS. He gets one cup at 7am and one cup at 7pm plus a few treats throughout the day for training. According to the bag he should be getting 1 1/2 - 2 cups if he is between 20 - 50 lbs. He is 36 lbs. He wants to eat everything, including toilet paper, paper towel, Kleenex, any type of food that people are eating. Maybe it is just because he is a puppy but if I let him he would eat several full rolls of TP a day. He is also very sneaky about stealing food, especially from my 3yo who has a hard time keeping Toby away. I certainly don't allow Toby to behave this way but sometimes when my back is turned he will get up and steal food. He is so quick, he sneaks up and strikes like a snake to get what he wants. I am wondering if I am not feeding him enough or is this just normal puppy behaviour that will pass (with proper training of course). I have included some pictures below so you can get an idea of his body type, he isn't fat but he isn't exactly skinny either. He is a very big boy so maybe he just requires more food than normal?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Your pup looks great. Keep in mind he's 5months old. He could be 'chewing' more then really hungry. I feed my 33lb BC 1 cup twice a day of Canidae ALS and she's 16mo. I used to feed Blue Buffalo when she was younger and it was also about 1 cup twice a day. If you keep an hand on his ribs and watch his hips, that's your best judge of whether you should increase or cut back. And I think as a general rule BCs are on the lean side. That said, my 6yo GSD/Chow thinks I'm starving her and is constantly trying to eat anything she can. And she happens to be a bit overweight and used to be obese (by me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Mine is 11 months now, so yeah roughly 4 - 6 months he would try to eat everything in site...steal a toilet roll aswell and try get away with it, envelopes, crisps packets...anything he could reach basically! He tried stealing food from my 3 year old and after that we made sure he had full understanding of "take it" and "leave it" command and that stopped hium trying to take things from this hand. you can put meat right on his lips and he wont touch it if you say leave it! He still tries to get to the bins if he can smell some chicken or something in there, but a "go away" makes him go into another part of the house lol I was giving 3 meals a day still around that age, i think up to about 7- 9 months old he went onto 2 meals because he started to leave some food at meals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voices4animals Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Hi Robyn.. I'll jump in, but I'm sure there are others here who would be much more helpful than me on this topic.. it's been awhile since Murphy was a 5 mo. old! I do remember, tho, feeding Murphy about 3 times a day until he was about 7 mo or so (Give or take). This did not mean I fed him more.. it only meant I divided his daily food intake into thirds. I often fed him raw carrots (whenever he seemed hungry), apples, bananas.. whatever he seemed interested in that I knew would not put on the pounds and that was healthy. I took beef bones (cleaned, uncooked), and stuffed them with a mixture I made and then froze... (basically it was peanut butter, apple chunks, oats, yogurt, etc - found the recipe online). Murphy went CRAZY over this.. and it was a challenge for him to lick the bone clean, so it kept him out of trouble by keeping him busy! You can stuff a kong as well... but use healthy "stuffing"... or wipe a little peanut butter inside (not too much). Try dividing his total food into thirds, and feed him 3 times a day until his growth slows. Maybe that will help. Good luck! ~Kim in NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Sounds like normal dog/puppy behavior to me. You can never really go by how much food the DOG wants. If I did that Dazzle would be about 300 pounds. He looks fine to me. I don't think he needs anymore then he is getting now. Once he is an adult make sure you do cut back on how much you feed him though. He won't need as much food then. That is the main reason so many dogs are overweight - people feed them the same amount as they did when they were pups. Also, don't try to go by what the bag says - go by your dog. 20-50 pounds is a big difference! If you can easily feel ribs and find hip bones then that is perfect. This is what Dazzle looks like - she is very thin, but in fine condition for doing sports: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Yeah, our dogs will steal anything. Oreo, my previous dog, was pretty fat all her life and STILL acted like she is starving to death. She's the worst. She has to stay on a diet to keep slender, but she sure doesn't appreciate it. And yeah, puppies do tend to chew everything in sight. Zeeke (who is not a puppy) ate a bar of soap yesterday... and both dogs love to eat all manner of tissues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Oh yah, there was a thread regarding weight/sizes of BCs. Has photos too: http://www.bordercollie.org/cgi-bin/ultima...t=002630#000001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovesbc's Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Sport was the same way...all he wants is food. He is a year old now and still tries to take one of the other dog's food whenever my back is turned. If I supervise feeding, he's fine. I've worked and worked with him but not enough I guess. Any suggestions for a border collie with a bottomless pit stomach??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 This guy here (the big fellow) was always concerned about starving too. As you can see, he didn't have anything to worry about . (I am using the past tense because he died of old age, NOT starvation!!!). And he wasn't a puppy, either. I often took him home with me, and we had a mad race for the cat's bowl as soon as the door was open. He tried to run through furniture to get to the cat food. After Kessie moved in with me, he always did a house search in case she might have hidden any chewies. I guess some dogs just are like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Rivendell thinks she's starving as well. You cant go by how much food the bag says in most cases from what I understand. Riven gets 1 cup of Science diet (total) a day, plus 4 tbsp of canned pumpkin. Plus whatever variety I throw in for treats. Im about to make liver treats, she'll go crazy for those (hopefully lol). I think its normal for most dogs to act starving. Just to be safe, I would have her stool tested for worms. Likely would be overkill cause she looks fine, but I am always worrying too much lol Good luck, beautiful dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 My dog rarely acts hungry, but he is always starving for TP and napkins and paper products in general. No corelation to his calorie intake If one morning he would wake up and found his food bowl full with toilet paper instead of his own food, he would think he hit the jackpot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 LOL TP is definetly the Jack pot, I saw a roll sneaking behind the couch just yesterday. Ceana doesn't eat alot anymore (8 months)... but she always was a grazer. Granted though she will go to extrodinary leangths to get people food if she thinks no one is looking. (If shes hears you move she drops her conquest) I think she just likes things because she is not suppose to have them. Don't worry too much, he is probably just being a puppy. Ceana was a little chubby at 5 months and then thinned out like a rail at 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Zeb's appetite has varied a lot. He's always hungry for a treat, but he doesn't always eat his meals. At this age (5mo) he's easily distracted and if he thinks we're going to do someting fun, he won't eat. I think he just gets too excited to be hungry (at that moment). Of course, he's ravenous later. He's going through a ton of chewies right now. He's also discovering as he gets bigger that he can reach new areas of the house (think kitchen cabinets and counter) and that he can pick up and carry things that were too big before. My shoes are the latest. It sounds like your Toby is going through typical 5mo puppy behavior. The only thing that I think needs to be worked on is the stealing. He won't grow out of that - he has to be taught that it isn't acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meg's mum Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Meg eats 3 cups a day of wet food/snacks easy, at just 33 lbs and about 18-19". She likes canned/chub Natural Balance (and Evanger) with supplements of fresh fish, whole egg, cottage cheese, etc. Meg is an extremely active dog...or would be if I allowed it. She has been known to steal BUTTER, M&Ms!!!Toll House CHOCOLATE Morsels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DOTS!!!!!!!!!! On the other had at 14 months she's stopped eating shoes finally. But when she's feeling deprived for one reason or another she will steal something that she thinks she shouldn't have (oh she knows alright)...like my brush, daddy's socks, important papers, the edges of my stretched canvases, the corner of a pillow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby the Puppy Posted January 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Thanks everyone, for your replies. I guess it is just normal puppy behaviour. Our old BCx who died three years ago was a grazer so this wolfing down the food and always looking for more is new to me. I will definately be working on the not stealing food from the table or my ds. I am seeing some small progress in that area so I will just have to keep with it. I hope he eventually grows out of the TP eating, I am getting tired of always having to hide the stuff or keeping the bathroom doors closed (we have five! in our house so it is no easy chore). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voices4animals Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Originally posted by RaisingRiver:Oh yah, there was a thread regarding weight/sizes of BCs. Has photos too: http://www.bordercollie.org/cgi-bin/ultima...t=002630#000001 Great link.. Question though.. I noticed the photos of the dogs w/the fresh fruit and veggies in their bowls.. those are grapes in there, right? Aren't those toxic to dogs? Or is that only if the grapes have seeds in them? ~Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Kim, that's what my vet told me as well, when I looked at the link I was somewhat confused. Can BC's have grapes w/out seeds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 Kim, as far as I know grapes can be toxic for dogs. I know there are folks that give grapes regularly (and onions) with no problems, but I prefer NOT to risk it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted January 18, 2007 Report Share Posted January 18, 2007 If you read that thread w/ the grapes, I think they talk about that very thing as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voices4animals Posted January 19, 2007 Report Share Posted January 19, 2007 Originally posted by RaisingRiver:If you read that thread w/ the grapes, I think they talk about that very thing as well. You're right.. they do. I took some time to read further, and they do discuss it, and the gentleman (from Germany, I believe) thanks everyone for the info. Sounds like he doesn't give the grapes that often. I found it particularly interesting that it was suggested that he also puree the veggies/fruit so it can be digested. I had never heard about this before - good to know. ~kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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