I have a wonderful chi who will be a year old on Christmas Eve. Her name is Cocoa (as in Christmas cocoa). She is getting chubby! I know this is my fault but I need advice. I try to feed her twice a day, 1/8 cup of dry Science Diet kibble plus 1 tablespoon of wet food (no more because of her snacks). The problem is that she begs all day! I tried upping the amount of food I was feeding her twice a day, but she gained weight, and begged just as much. She still begs, very vocally, so when it reaches the point I cannot stand to hear her cry one minute longer, I give her a tiny snack of kibble. Obviously, this is too much. Can I give her carrots or something else as her begging snack?

I would actually start with feeding her a higher quality food. I do not know which Science Diet you feed but it is a very low quality food. She is getting full on fillers not the meat she really needs.

This site will help you see the quality of the specific version you feed. I'd strive for a 4-5 star food. You will be able to search that way.
Search Results science Diet

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Carrots and green beans are great snacks. My Jaxx loves them. I usually give them to him after I have froze them because they seem to last a little longer that way and he seems to like them better.

Personally I would also look into another dog food. Science Diet is not a quality brand dog food and I think of it like giving a child McDonalds for every meal (basically junk food.)

There are some great top quality dog foods out there. Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor is a great site that gives ratings on dog food. I would personally look for a 4 star food at least and try to go for a 5 star.

I would recommend Acana, Orijen, or Fromms. If you buy your food at Petsmart (or a similar pet store) I would go with Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Wellness Core, or Innova Prime. There is also a great food called Ziwipeak that is freeze dried raw food that looks like jerky.

It sounds like she is not getting enough nutritious food and the fillers in Science Diet are just not enough to fill her up.

Dog Food Calculator is also a great tool to give you a basis on how much you should be feeding her with the food you have. When you put in the weight don't put in her weight now but what should be her ideal weight.

Personally if I knew she was getting enough food and that there was nothing medically wrong with her I would try my best to ignore her begging for food. It is not the easiest thing to do but it is what I would do because in the end she is putting on weight that is not good for her and she knows now if she begs for food she will get it. They are really smart and know how to get what they want and sometimes we just have to ignore them for their own good.

It is great that you are looking for healthy snacks! Dog treats mostly are just empty calories that have to be included in a chis diet when considering how much food they are getting. I would rather give food rather than empty calories but I do give carrots and green beans as treats occasionally.

Good luck! I am sure you can get her on the right track!

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I would research higher quality foods. The feeding guidelines on the package are always too much. Everyone does things different, but I don't feed my pups any table food or snacks. They get 2 meals a day. My boy is on daily steroid treatment, so he is always hungry. But mean ole' Mama stands firm that he's healthier if I don't give in with extra food or snacks. Portion control, high quality food, daily walks and minimal snacks should work. Best of luck.

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If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Welcome to the forum!

You got awesome advice from three knowledgeable ladies.
I think step one is a vet check up to get the healthy thumbs up.
Next switch for a higher quality diet. And last but definitely not
least is EXERCISE, several on-leash walks per day, with interactive
playtime at home. As for the whining, unless your dog is in need of
medical assistance, there is no reason for it, and imo should not be
tolerated and definitely should not be rewarded with treats. Your
pup has you well trained, she whines, you give treat. You have to
put an end to it. Ignore her while she begs, and if she has too much
energy and is getting too vocal, take her out for a fast pace walk.
I would also cut out all treats. My pack are fed twice per day, no
human food, no treats. They get a very rare, miniature sized treat
for training, once in a blue moon, but definitely not daily. Normally
for positive reinforcement training I simply use praise. It works
wonders!

Good luck! And don't be shy to ask for anything at all.

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I agree with the others. Switch the food ASAP, science diet is crap. The more high quality protein they get the less hungry they are.

I personally feed grain free kibble, only small amounts twice daily. I do give the occasional healthy people food (like scraps of meat) and I use meat based, wet treats for training. Sometimes just raw meat for training sessions.

Walk daily, and don't tolerate whimpering and badgering behaviors. A firm NO and a time out for begging should do the trick. I have chosen with my dog to train him to stay on the floor in a sit, no whining allowed, while we eat. However he has never had any problems with it so I would be stricter with your dog.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I was already planning to switch her to Blue Buffalo WilIderness, which is what I feed my cockapoo. I put her on the Science Diet Low Fat after a bout with pancreatitis that I caused with the wrong treats. She is good about her crate...I will try putting her in time out when she won't stop begging. She goes in for each meal that we (her people) eat, as does the other dog. No begging at the table allowed!! I'll just have to be firmer with her, but she is so darn cute!