Tasha has hunger problems

Question
My dogs name is Tasha and she is a 3 year old Lab/Newfy/Collie mix. She thinks she has to eat all the time. she only gets a cup of food a day and when she is tied outside she gets a rawhide bone. she goes into the garbage and when you try to take the food away she growls and tries to bite you, especially if she is in her kennel. we have 2 other dogs and if they get in her way when she has food she growls at them and runs at them, she doesn't bite them just scares them. She tries her hardest to get the other animals food and she 'searches' for food everywhere. its like she has some sort of eating disorder that makes her have to eat all the time. do you know what should i do about her hunger issues??

Answer
Labs are notorious for always being hungry.  I think I finally understood them once on a visit to the zoo.  At the seal exhibit, it dawned on me, they think they need the build of a seal for swimming in cold water.  A cup a day sounds low to me.  perhaps she does need more food.  Evaluate the dog as illustrated in this link, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx You may want the vet to confirm your judgment. Adjust the dogs food and exercise as needed to reach its ideal body condition.

Some of the behavior could be corrected by obedience training.    The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm