Golden retrievers are loyal, upbeat, and intelligent animals famously. Whether you want them as a companion or addition to your family for children, golden retrievers can be one of the top choices as a pet for millions of families all across the globe.
Golden Retrievers are always hungry because they are highly motivated by food. However, the type and quantity of food you are feeding your golden retrievers will impact their behavior, health, and well-being.
Here in this article, we will discuss the most common ones to better understand the things in this regard.
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Why are golden retrievers always hungry?
Do you want to know some of these common reasons that you must know in this regard? Well, these common reasons include:
Your dog hasn’t fed enough food.
The very first reason why your golden retriever behaves like he is hungry because he needs more food. Commonly, a sedentary golden retriever needs between 989 and 1,272 calories per day. However, for an active retriever, the range must be between 1,353 and 1,740 calories per day. It’s important to understand the age of your golden are they going through a growth spurt? Are they going through a super active stack of puppyhood? Tank into account that stage your dog is at in life and how active your dog is.
Are you sure your golden retriever is getting enough food per day or not? Discuss it with your vet to get help in this regard.
Probably, it isn’t getting sufficient nutrients from his diet.
In some cases, you might be offering plenty of food to your golden retriever, but still, it is hungry. That’s because your dog isn’t getting sufficient nutrients from its food. It’s important to feed your dog quality food like petplate. We choose petplate because it’s real food that is fresh. With the health problems golden retrievers are prone too we wanted to make sure we are putting in the freshest and most nutritious food we can.
It’s likely when you change your dog’s diet to a more nutritious food you will notice a difference in your dog. To address this problem, check the sources from where you are getting your dog’s food and check their offered nutrients for better health.
He is suffering from any illness.
Another common cause why your golden retriever is always hungry can be that your dog is ill. If your dog has started behaving like this suddenly, then this would be the reason more likely. So, notice if your dog is showing any other sign of illness as well.
If it seems ill, then it is always recommended to take it to the vet as soon as possible for a better diagnosis.
Your golden retriever is suffering from separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety is another common cause why your golden retriever has started to behave; he is always hungry. It would be more probably when you aren’t around your pet at home. In such a case avoiding your golden retriever alone for an extended period of time may help you. Even if you need to do so, then make sure to check up periodically whenever possible.
Even more, you can also make your golden retriever train to be less anxious when you are not around by following the tips below:
- Reward it for not being anxious when you are back and repeat it multiple times.
- Make your golden retriever feel like you will leave by doing actions like picking up your keys. Or open up the door and go outside for some time and come back.
- Repeat it by staying outside for a bit longer period of time.
He is bored or stressed
Your golden retriever might be bored, and it tries to stimulate itself by doing things just like eating things that it should be. This dog breed is meant to get exercise daily. Golden retrievers may start to behave abnormally when they aren’t getting enough exercise. So it could be your dog is your food to get attention because they are bored.
Stress is another common reason why golden retriever behave like they are hungry all the time. If your golden retriever has started to eat more than it should, then make sure to notice the things that can cause your dog to be stressed.
Golden retrievers are opportunists naturally.
It is likely for golden retrievers to be an opportunist. If your golden retriever tends to eat more food when you are not looking while preparing their food. It will be unusual only if it has started doing so suddenly or you have found anything wrong. Then it would be better to try to catch the root of this behavior as quickly as possible.
Undoubtedly, golden retrievers are loving family dogs and highly energetic. However, if you own a golden retriever, it is highly important to know about your dog’s special needs regarding food. It is highly important to keep them healthy and happy all the time.
However, here are some tips that you must consider to stop eating your golden retriever from everything:
- When you are feeding your golden retriever, then counting calories isn’t something that matters here. Rather it is the source of food. Therefore, it is highly important to ensure that the product is balanced and complete. It means the dog food must be tested for its offered nutrients essential for your golden retriever to be healthy.
- Golden retrievers are more obesity-prone. So, if he is demanding more food or give you feed me more tantrums, then make sure to develop a proper workout routine for him. It is recommended to let them do one hour of exercise regularly.
- Giving your golden retriever some distractions is important as well. Use puzzles, toys, and bones to keep him busy.
Final Thoughts
When my golden retriever was a puppy he went through a stage where is was starving eating up to 4 cups a day! We now realize he was just going through a growth spurt. Golden retrievers grow pretty fast and as puppies, they are quite active so it’s not unusual for them to eat a lot. Now he still loves food and will certainly ask for anything we are eating but he just the normal golden obsessed with food. It’s important to notice the difference and talk to your vet if you think they are just acting a little too hungry or if your dog is having weight issues.