No - Don't Eat That!!

[Mika's Dad]

Mika has been a wonderful dog for the nearly 3 years we have her -- easily trained, very obedient, and super eager to please us. But . . . recently, when she is left at home alone she has been eating things that she shouldn't -- going into the trash to get scraps, tissues, paper towels, plastic bags that held food, etc. Even more troublesome is that she has also eaten through the bag of bread and cookies on our bread rack and the ziploc of Valentine's candy treats the kids accidently left out. We came home to find the bag torn open and all the candy gone - wrappers and all!!!

Thankfully I've seen mostly everything pass in her stool, but I'm getting very nervous.

I know how to handle the trash issue (just remove it). We don't lock up all out food though, and I don't really want to corral her in a single room when we're gone like when she was a puppy.

Does anyone have any ideas why she might be doing this suddenly? And, what can I do to change her behavior before she really hurts herself? She gets plenty of food and treats everyday, and at least one 30 minute walk a day, if not two.

[deepnite10]

they don t get into stuff when your home..so i d just say they re bored..given the choice between a shoe or food, i think they d take the
food..whether garbage or candy..

one thing about candy though..dogs can easily get addicted to the surgar..this becomes increasingly dangerous should there be chocolate around the house..

in the past..it was difficult to keep my teen kids inline home alone..so you can see how difficult it would be for a dog to be alone..

but, i found that having 2 and eventually 3..they would keep each other company..true, at times the house would be disorder when i got home..but, they somehow knew better than get into food stuff..*cept the min-pin*

[lindamarie]

Well we have a case of counter surfing going on here.
Yes, we had to learn to always keep the garbage bags out of sightor in the garage until garbage pick up........but your 3 year old (Bogart's age) has now learned to counter surf.
We have trained Bogart for this, but I don't know how to explain it.
I'll see if there is anything on this when googled..........and try this yourself too. It's a habit that must be broke for soooooooo many reasons!

[lindamarie]

Do you happen to have a trainer? If not. I would find one and discuss this for the dogs safety.
But, you'll see that this is not an unusual habit.......I found one article that might help a bit.
Counter-Surfing Dog

[lindamarie]

I thought this picture was funny....wonder if it worked??
counter surfing dog - Bing Images&

[Mika's Dad]

Getting another dog(s) is definitely not an option. And, it's not so much the food that she steals that worries me, although it is a concern especially since she got some chocolate, it's the inedible stuff she's been grabbing -- like bags, wrappers and tissues, etc. that I'm worried about. And most of the time it's not even on the counters. She just finds stuff all around to grab and bring to her bed.

Maybe you guys are right and she's bored when she's alone. Any recommendations for some new toys would be welcome. I need to find a way to stop her behavior before she does damage to herself.