My dog as she has gotten older has become very greedy for food and is very hard to stop from eating food she's not allowed. How can I stop her?
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Sudden behavior changes in older dogs always warrant a checkup exam at the vet to rule out health issues, so if you haven't done that yet it's a good first step.
The next step is to make sure food is out of reach such as store in a pantry or cupboard, or on a high shelf. Be sure not to leave food out or unattended where it can be easy "prey" for your dog to get!
Next is to practice the "leave it" command which can help prevent your dog from eating things she shouldn't. Do note, that even the best trained dog may forget her manners if something in front of her is more enticing than not eating it! You can practice leave it with two treats, one of medium value and one high value. Place the medium value treat in your hand and close it when she attempts to get it, along with saying "leave it", it may take a few minutes, but once she ignores the treat, immediately praise her with the high value treat you had hidden. Make sure not to give her the treat from your hand as you don't want to encourage that it is OK to take the treat once you stop telling her to! Once she gets the hang of it, you can expand on leave it with training on different objects, locations of the treat and more.
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