I'm dog sitting and need help

[Anonymous]

I am pet sitting by myself for a coworker of DH's. They left for a work conference early today. I volunteered for this. We don't have dogs, but I had a shih tzu growing up and I miss having a dog. When DH told me about the conference and that one of his coworkers needed a dog sitter, I volunteered.

His coworker brought the dog over this morning. It's adorable - it's a 2 year old lab. But the problem is this dog is constantly hungry. He was fed before he was dropped off and his owner said that he eats a cup of food, 2x day, and his last meal is usually in the late afternoon. I took the dog for a long walk this morning before it got too hot. Around noon this dog was getting restless and was staring at his container of food and drooling. So i gave him his food, probably way too early but he was hungry, so I thought I'd be nice and give it early. I made myself a sandwich and I accidentally dropped a piece of bread on the floor and the dog ate it. Oops. I just made dinner and the dog sat on his dog bed staring at me and drooling so I walked over and gave him a little piece of chicken. And he just wants more. At this point he had his dog food, a piece of bread and a little strip of chicken. Why does this dog want so much food?

Now it's getting near 6pm and he's back staring at his dog food container and drooling everywhere.

I think I got him off his routine now. Do I feed him again? Why is this dog so hungry?

[Anonymous]

Don’t feed him more than the owners schedule. And ask the owner.

[Anonymous]

Dogs like to eat all the time if you let them. You are in charge, not the dog.

You did not break the dog, but keep him on the schedule that the owners gave you from here on out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dogs like to eat all the time if you let them. You are in charge, not the dog.

You did not break the dog, but keep him on the schedule that the owners gave you from here on out.

And make sure he has access to plenty of water, it is hot out there today.

[Anonymous]

Some dogs are like that. We bought a gadget to track if the dog had been fed and the slogan in the box was “because dogs lie”.

The begging means the owner probably does give him additional food from the table.

[Anonymous]

Dogs will gorge themselves well past the point of reasonableness. Tomorrow give him his food at the regular time. If you can, put the dog food somewhere he can’t see it.

[Anonymous]

We feed our dog three times a day. And, they eat some of our food. Be careful with chicken as some dogs are allergic. Its also probably stressed.

[Anonymous]

Yes, move the dog food so he can't see it. Also, don't give him more. Dog's stomach's are very sensitive to something new added to their diet. You don't want a dog with diarrhea.

Our dog sit staring at us about 30 minutes before it's time to each. She will also sit and look cute, her version of begging, anytime she thinks she can get a treat. As a PP said, dogs lie about being starving. 😂

[Anonymous]

Agreed about the chicken. Some dogs are allergic. Ours is.

And agreed about the stress. It would be great if you could sit on the floor with him and stream something or work on our laptop so that he can lay near you and not have to worry about any changes. Hopefully he will relax and sleep for a bit.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a typical young lab. They will eat all day if you let them. Just get the dog back on schedule and stop telling yourself he's hungry. He's fine, his drooling is probably more about being stressed about being in a new house. Or he is just a dog that drools.

And yes, put his food away, out of sight.

[Anonymous]

My labs would love to have you as a dog sitter. They’d convince you they were hungry every minute they were awake. Set two times a day to feed the dog and stick to it. Labs are known for overeating. I have to work hard to keep mi e at a healthy weight because of how often they want to eat.

It’s really nice of you to be dog sitting.

[Anonymous]

How big is the dog. 2.cups of dry a day seems a little low unless the dog is generally not active.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How big is the dog. 2.cups of dry a day seems a little low unless the dog is generally not active.

This is not for anyone here to say. Owner gave instructions. Dog sitter follows instructions.

And agree, OP, super nice that you are dog sitting!

[Anonymous]

Labs love to eat and will eat a full meal anytime it’s offered. But as PP said, if overfed they risk bloat which can be dangerous. The best thing to do is feed him according to their schedule and do your best to ensure it gets plenty of exercise and play. He could be drooling from stress, or just wanting your food. That’s what they do.

If he’s just 2, make sure he’s well supervised because if he’s anxious he may chew or get into things your shi-tzu never did. They are pretty polar opposite for types of dogs and behaviors.

Hope you enjoy him. Labs are our favorite.

[Anonymous]

Did they leave treats? If not, I'd ask if they were OK with an occasional treat, and if so what kind.