eating: The Walking Stomach

Question
My husband and i have had an argument over our labs' desire to not stop eating.  We have the food in a sealed container, which they have lifted the lid from time to time to chow down.  I personally wait for them to finish before moving them from the "eating room".  My husband finds it hard to believe that they won't just "stop eating" once the bowl is empty.  I've had 6 labs and they all have had to be "cut off".  I've tried to explain that it is their nature.  It's their breed.  But he thinks they should be trainable.  They are 1 year and 9 months old.  He thinks this should stop, and I think we need to take control of the food and give up on expecting them to know when "enough is enough".  What advice can you give us?

Answer
I personally keep our food containers for our 5 labs in our utility room.  At meal times, I take the bowls into the room, fill them, and then go back to the kitchen where I feed them.  The door to the utility room is closed so that they can't go in there.  WHY?  Because you are right (much to your husband's dismay I am afraid) the dogs will eat more if they have the opportunity.  

It's a Dog thing, not just a lab thing.  Dogs, by nature, are used to feast or famine.  Just like wolves may get a kill one day, and they might not find anything else to eat for the next 3 days.  They gorge when the opportunity arises.  I am sure they'll stop eventually, but probably not before you've lost half a bag of food.  And let me also mention the medical reason behind not wanting to give them the chance to gorge on kibble...because if they drink and the kibble expands too much, they can get gastric tortion or bloat and die.  

I have left bags of kibble opened when I haven't had a chance to dump them into the container, and every time the dogs have had a chance to sneak an extra meal, they do.  Even my obedience titled dog that is the MOST well-behaved dog we have.  If I CATCH her, she'll leave with her head hung low, but it certainly won't stop her from going back if I turn my head.

You are the leaders of the pack, YOU control the food.  Don't set the dogs up for failure by expecting them to have the human trait of constraint.