Dogs are not the world’s most popular companion animals for nothing. A dog can be the most loving and devoted pet you can imagine. But this can also make it even more painful to deal with when your pet dog develops “problem” behaviors like begging at the table, staring at you while you eat and pestering guests for food. What else can you try when everything else you’ve tried fails? You can ask the animal communicator, of course!

Dear Shannon,

My dog, Maxie, is a seven-year-old Border Collie. She is a delightful companion – smart, sociable, and very gentle with our kids and their friends. There is just one problem. She is a bottomless pit. I swear she is never not hungry! We’ve had to dog-proof the refrigerator because Maxie figured out how to open it. We can’t store food in the bottom kitchen cupboards or the lower shelves of the pantry because Maxie will steal it and make such a mess. And when our family sits down for meals she paces and stares and whines and visits each of us, nudging us with her nose and paws and just generally being a pest. We don’t have people over that often, but when we do we have to confine Maxie to the bedroom to keep her away from the appetizers….and the guests. I’ve tried feeding Maxie more often (she gets a special kibble that her veterinarian recommends for her age and life stage) and we’ve tried using treat toys and slow feeders, but nothing works to take the edge off her hunger. Her vet says she is healthy and her latest labs look good. I don’t know what else to try.

Can you talk to her?

Polly, mom to Maxie, the all-you-can-eat dog

Shannon’s reply:

Hi Polly,

First things first – I want you to know I can personally relate to what you share. We have a dachshund who acts like we haven’t fed him in a week every time he eats….and every time we eat. Just so you know I get how irritating and frustrating your situation can feel!

It sounds like you have an excellent canine veterinarian who is doing all the right things to make sure Maxie’s constant hunger doesn’t point to an underlying health imbalance. I think when you hear what Maxie had to share with me, her behavior will make more sense and generate some new ideas you can try.

Maxie does come across as very intelligent, high energy and playful. She is a joyful being who loves her life and her family – you. But when I asked her about food, her energy turned chaotic. By that I mean – she showed me that she is clearly as frustrated by the situation as you are.

I asked Maxie what her favorite food is, and she showed me a big plate piled high with all kinds of different colorful foods. The platter was steaming hot and had the most enticing aromas. It definitely looked a lot more like “people” food than dog kibble. This food had a lot of different tastes and textures and she showed me herself sitting around the table eating with you just like she was a person instead of a dog.

When I showed her a mental picture of herself eating the kibble you described out of her dog bowl, her energy suddenly felt very subdued and sad. When I showed her a mental picture of the yummy platter again and her sitting at the table with you, her energy perked back up again.

Next, I used some applied kinesiology to ask Maxie if she would benefit from more of a home-cooked diet rather than dog kibble and got a strong “yes.” Of course you should talk with your veterinarian to choose the best fresh food diet, whether raw, reconstituted fresh or something in between. 

Then I asked Maxie to tell me about her begging behaviors and she showed me an image of a whole group of dogs gathered together having fun. Then off to the side, away from the happy group, she showed me herself looking sad and lonely. The feeling that came with this image was one of being left out rather than hungry. Maxie comes across as a dog who loves to be the life of the party and chairperson of the guest greeting committee. She wants to have a part to play in your family – it almost feels like she is asking for a job to do and a way to participate. You may want to brainstorm some special “jobs” Maxie could do when you have parties and even when you are preparing daily meals. For example, if she knows how to open the frig, perhaps this could be a job she does for you to “help” you as you are getting dinner ready.

Polly, I truly hope this information helps you to find some balance between mealtime harmony and meeting Maxie’s needs for meal variety and socialization. Please do keep in touch and let me know how it goes.

From my heart,

Shannon