What to do with a food anxious guest?
We have a regular German Shepherd mix guest who has plenty of issues, but only one that I'm not sure how to address. I would describe it as "food anxiety." He treats food like he is starving at all times. Of course, he is food guarded around dogs. Technically I can pick up his food, so he's not nearly as guarded with people, but he goes at his food so desperately that it's kind of scary to try and pick it up when he's eating (he doesn't growl, curl his lip, bare his teeth, or anything when I get close, I just don't want to push it). One time, his food spilled, and he went after our pup for leaning in to sniff it. We feed the dogs separately and are very careful keeping treats away and do not train them using food at the same time. Right now, I ask this guest to wait for his food (he whines and is very antsy) and pay attention to me in order to get it. Then I feed his meals out of a Kong or plastic bottle with holes so he has to work for it.
The owner says this dog has serious problems eating things - his most recent adventure being eating a metal scouring pad, for which he had to have surgery to remove it. He's also eaten Christmas lights, paper, etc, etc. We haven't seen any of these problems, except he inhales his food. That's the other part of the problem - I hear absolutely no chewing or crunching when he eats, he just inhales his food. His bowel movements are solid, but he has them 4+ times per day! Last time we had this dog, he was "quite lean," and now he is "quite skinny," and you can see a number of ribs, and his hips and shoulders to a moderate extent. (This may be due to his recent stomach problems and surgery). This is a highly exercised dog, fed about five cups of food per day over two meals. I'm wondering two things - how can I help the owners (via our own activities or giving them tips) to work on his food-related problems, and is it still okay to use food to train this dog or encourage good behavior (sit, down, etc)? I worry that I am encouraging his desperation for food.