Ravenous Puppy

Question
My 4.5 month old Black Lab has an issue with food. First of all, whenever I go to pour food into his bowl, he races through the house to his bowl, and jumps up on me like crazy, barely letting me get the food into his bowl. And when humans are eating in the dining room or den, he'll do whatever he can to get to the food and gobble it down, like jumping up on the couch or table or knocking down a table tray. Don't get me wrong-- I DO NOT starve or underfeed him; my puppy is healthy and at a normal weight for his size and age. What should I do to get him to control his impulses around food? I would really appreciate your advice.

Answer
Hi, Megan,

Let me ask you first, have you ever used a crate/kennel for this dog, for instance when you were housebreaking him?

A crate is a management tool that serves many purposes.  It aids in housebreaking, and it can be used as a safe place, like a playpen for a toddler, with a dog who is too immature or untrained to obey commands like "down, stay!"

If you used one then, get it back out and use it now.  If you never used one, give it strong consideration.  

My dogs use their crates all through their lives, even into their senior years.  It should NEVER be used as punishment, but used properly, dogs accept their crates as their "den" or "house."

If you crate your dog BEFORE you feed him, you eliminate his racing and jumping.

If you crate your dog WHILE people are eating, he cannot bother them (and your company will THANK you for it.)
Many people keep one or two "crate-time-only" toys that the dog only gets while he's in the crate.  

If you need information on how to crate-train a dog, let me know and I will send.