I wonder does their brain connect with their belly? They steal food when they can get to it. They beg at family mealtimes. It seems they are never satisfied
they live in the moment on the basis there may be no food tomorrow
the same applies to when you leave them they get upset because they think you are never coming back
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To break them of that, give them all the food they can eat and keep making food available. It will get them sick a few times then they learn food is always available and will stop wanting/begging and will only eat when they are hungry.
I think the breed makes a difference. My kids have two dogs who would eat anything all the time, just a stomach on legs, one of them eats so fast I doubt it tastes the food at all. Their diet has to be strictly controlled.
The third dog on the other hand just eats what it needs and leaves food in it’s bowl, my Border Collie was the same. Neither get fat.
II agree with you Mr Bruce. My Collie was that way and so is the wee Springer Spaniel. In fact the Spaniel is just more more of an attention seeker.
I think it might have something to do with the way they are trained, they are given a little treat when they are good, that teaches them to be greedy. Probably doesn’t teach them to be good.
They shouldn’t be in the same room at mealtimes. But dog owners are weak, tell them off one minute, feed them the next.
Same can apply to folks!
I’ve got a little black book with my poems in
Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in
When I’m a good dog they sometimes throw me a bone in 
Obvoiusly Robin has never heard of “bloat”
quote " Dog bloat, or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), is a fatal medical emergency. It happens when the stomach fills with gas, food, or fluid and twists around. This traps gas, cuts off blood flow, and causes severe shock. You must take your dog to an emergency vet clinic right away", unquote
Yes, the idea of letting a dog eat its way out of wanting to excessively eat is a very bad idea. If you’ve ever seen an excessively fat spaniel or retriever then you’d understand the most likely outcome. Most often you just need to control the food available and rule out snacking, except fro training rewards. And as has been noted, not all dogs are the same. Our spaniel would eat everything. Our setter-spaniel cross loves wet food but is often indifferent to dry food. Neither dog pesters for food at our meal times - they have never been given anything during our meal so they have zero expectation. No begging.
And I’d also note that I do not think dogs steal food. What they do is note food that is available to them, perhaps a sausage roll carelessly left on a low table, and then take it as the gift that it clearly is intended to be. That’s not stealing.
I was just thinking that dogs have a myriad of personalities just as humans do.
My beloved doggy can smell that humans keep the good stuff to themselves. I’ve tried to explain the vet’s advice about “human food” but he raises a hypothetical eyebrow at that. They are cursed with an astonishing sense of smell, but unable to eat the most delicious foods.
I think that I read somewhere that dogs lack some of our taste abilities. One specific difference is sensing the heat from chili. Something about not having the same receptors on their tongues that we have. Certainly dogs are capable of eating things we’d consider revolting.