Misbehaving dog. Oy vey.

[O'GodHowGreatThouArt]

Ok, so long story short, one of our dogs (Jazz) has a stage 4 tumor just above her hip, that she got back in October. It's been stage 4 since then, so it's an amazement she is still around.

One of our other dogs has been misbehaving quite severely in the last few months. He's been driving Jazz insane (aka, won't stop licking her to death) the last few weeks, had a tendency to lick the other dogs' ears dry, and he has taken it upon himself since the beginning of the year to get himself a midnight snack regularly.

....at the expense of our cats' ability to eat overnight.

He's been busted twice by me for sneaking off their food overnight (I'm a nighthawk if that says anything), was just busted again about 30 minutes ago for sneaking off with their wet food (didn't work as planned for him), and there hasn't been a day since possibly early February he hasn't messed with Jazz.

The problem is is that he is not getting the picture that you cannot do these things. Dad and I have come down HARD on him with that (me more than dad), mom's a bit soft so he thinks he can get away with stuff around her....as does everyone else, and my brother practically wants nothing to do with it.

What can be done about this situation? In my eyes, it's got to end. Otherwise he will drive everyone through the roof.

 

[AThornquist]

Is there a Chinese restaurant nearby?

 

[Romans922]

You can not leave food out for him to eat. He may be really bored, which is why he is doing all these things. As for licking your other dogs, ???? Call the vet and see if there is anything wrong.

 

[ubermadchen]

Sounds like the dog may need some patio time. Whenever my dog misbehaves she gets my stern voice (you don't want to hear my stern voice!) and then has to stay out on the patio for a long time. Like an hour or so. Is it possible to put this dog into another room while the others eat? You may have to train the other animals to not be grazers and to eat what's in their bowl at that time. It's not difficult but it's not fun either. I'm sorry to hear about your other dog; I know how hard it is to want to make sure they're always comfortable.

 

[O'GodHowGreatThouArt]

For some reason, my parents are insistent on keeping the cat food on the ground. They claim that they don't want it on the kitchen counter since it could get into the food, but we hardly prepare food on that portion of the counter to begin with.

There aren't any issues when he gets his food, but the pooch thinks he has the right to all the food he sees (that includes the food we eat).

 

[coramdeo]

My dogs will steal cat food whenever they can, Solution, put it where they can't go ( in our case, on the stairway landing which is blocked at nite by a baby gate.) I think all dogs like cat food.

 

[jrdnoland]

Dogs can detect illness in each other and licking is their way to help the other dog get better.

If the dog hasn't been through some basic obedience training, I'd try some. The dog must learn what "NO" means. One good way is to give them a "time out" if they won't respond to no while at the same time rewarding them with a treat when they do listen to no.

I'd consider some crate training, letting them out for longer and longer periods once the dog becomes more obedient.

 

[Edward]

Put the cat food where the dogs can't get to it - block a door with a baby gate that the cat can go over (or if the dog is large, put the gate a little higher and let the cats squeeze under; up high on a counter where the cat can jump (on top of the refrigerator might be a possibility if there is a jumping path up that high) etc.

Most cats have sense enough to eat only when hungry. Dogs will eat themselves sick.

 

[Andres]

Everything I have ever learned about dog training is that in order to get them to not do certain things, you have to teach them what things are good/acceptable for them to do. So if he is eating food he isn't supposed to, scolding him will help some, but also try making a huge deal (praise) when he eats the food he is supposed to. Give him some type of reward that he loves when he eats his own food. Obviously, since he's eating, a treat might not have a huge impact, but food treats aren't they only reward. You might consider giving him his favorite toy or giving him a good belly rub when he obeys well and eat food he is supposed to. Also, you might double check that he is getting the proper amount of food for his breed/age/weight and that he is not hungry.

As for the licking the other dog constantly, I don't know much about that, but I second Andrew in that you should talk to the vet.

 

[SueS]

We have always allowed our dogs and cats to graze - it has never been a problem with our dogs who have always had the good sense to not over-eat. For simplicity sake we feed them dog food and they eat out of the same dish. I've never had a problem with our cats because they are indoor/outdoor cats and supplement the dog food with various wildlife. Our dog died last summer and we now only have a cat and I transferred over to cat food for her. She has been inside almost exclusively all winter and basically is on eat-n-sleep mode. Her name is "Miss Tubby" and I have never seen her so fat!!! Thankfully, it is almost spring and she will be put back onto her summer schedule of living outside, catching most of her own food, with only a small supplement of cat food.