[bcarlsen]

Our Rottie Girl is getting on in age and feels it from time to time but still ahs some funny habits. She too likes to take her food to the LR carpet. However we have done the same in redirecting her to her bowl. The funny thing now is we have made a special corner for her in the LR where she must retreat when we have food in the LR. it took us three days to train her to "rug". Now we say it once and she goes and stays there until we give the release or she sees us taking empty plates back to the kitchen 9she sometimes gets a scrap or two). we also give special cooked bones (raw bones in my house are just not a good thing!) at her "rug". In fact our second dog ( a Tibbetan Spanial -who is bossier than the Rott) must share the rug too during bone time or durning our eat time. We ahve not tolerated any fighting or other aggressive behavior from either of them during theses times and they both respect it.

One more thing, I think your Rottie, is just trying to be near you as it eats. I might even suggest that it could be a sign of submission? Think of how pack society works. Perhaps there is a clue here.

Our girl tries, every once in a while, to climb the social dog ladder, but we are supposed to be smarter than our dogs!...and she finds that she is indeed a good Rottie but that Mommy and Daddy are the BIG dogs! Still, its funny when "needs" to have mommy (me) in the same room with her, or least within eye-shot if she is going to eat. When we have had to board her, we have asked the kennel owner to stay near her or she will not eat...sometimes days at a time!

Try staying near your dog in the kitchen, or wherever. IF the dog is trying to take the food away from where its owner is, there may be more than just carpet preference going on here. Maybe pouch is afraid Big dog is going to take the food and trying to wolf it down, out of sight, before something happens to it? Hmm...just some thoughts.

love them Rotts!

Barbara