food agression just showing up am i doing this right?

[missythemom]

Hi again,I sure hope you guys don't get sick of me and all my questions.lol.anyway I put Hondas food bowl down on the floor and a piece of food fell out so my eight year old went to put it back in the bowl and Honda snapped ot her with a bite and a growl he didn't connect (thank goodness my daughter is quick) but it of course bothers me.I went to see if she was ok and he did it to me too.So I got his bowl of food and made him eat out of our hands for the rest of his meal which he did with no problem and would even obey the sit command before each bite of food.I am intending on having him eat out of our hands for a bit to see if that helps him associate our hands with him getting his food.do you think that is the right course of action for us to take?any input would be appreciated.thanks in advance.

[mamamia1]

You'll probably get a split decision on this, at least I did when I asked about food aggression. Some say to leave the dog alone. Some say otherwise. My girl is aggressive with her bone, but not with her food bowl. She does kinda guard it though, and eats crazy fast. I've been feeding 2 out of 3 of her meals from my hand for about a month. About half way through I put a good portion of food in her dish and ask her to wait until I give her the release. [I only wait a few seconds.] Then while she's eating, I ask her to leave it and put out my hand with a good hand full of food. I've done this very gradually, but now she comes very freely and her guarding has diminished significantly. IMO this shows her that good things come from me, not the bowl.

[gmo1379]

I stick my hand in my pups food while shes eating... not everytime but enough for her to remember and I take her food away as she eats. I'll also sit or stand next to her and pet her, pet her paws, etc. Just incase a situation like this happens, because I don't want her to be over protective of her food. So far so good, she just wags her tail.

Sure in theory a dog should'nt be bothered while eating but life happens and I don't want to see someone bit because my dog is use to be left alone while eating.

[Anne]

Originally Posted by gmo1379

I stick my hand in my pups food while shes eating... not everytime but enough for her to remember and I take her food away as she eats. I'll also sit or stand next to her and pet her, pet her paws, etc. Just incase a situation like this happens, because I don't want her to be over protective of her food. So far so good, she just wags her tail.

Sure in theory a dog should'nt be bothered while eating but life happens and I don't want to see someone bit because my dog is use to be left alone while eating.

Not having ever had dog who guards food I don't speak from that particular experience. However my dogs have always been allowed to eat in peace with no one interfering with their food. They do not interfere with eachothers food either though they eat virtually side by side.

I can see value in hand feeding a food agressive dog so they realise that the food comes from you and that the bowl doesn't magically produce it. I can't see any value at all in taking the food away from a dog in the middle of its meal. This is exactly what worries food aggressive dogs. They think someone will steal their food and by taking the food away from them you are confirming that their suspicions are correct.

[Nishasmom]

What was recommended to me, was to feed your dog in her crate (or any 'safe place' where she is not bothered or intimidated).

Taking food away from your dog increases the aggression. Lets say your dog growls at you, and you take his food away...all you tought him was that growling didn't work, next time he may 'up the ante' and snarl or bite.

Another way to combat food aggression or really any recourse guarding (bones, toys, food) is to 'trade up'. Give your dog a food bowl, or bone....offer him something better or equal in value (cheese, hot dog, chicken) in exchange for the item he has. This way he learns if he gives up something to you, he gets something better.

A lot of people walk by their dogs food bowl and toss in tasty treats. If your dog is really bad, start tossing from far away...as he gets more used to the idea (when people approach his bowl they throw good treats into it), you can move closer and closer to his bowl.

I use all these techniques randomly. I don't do it every feeding, maybe 2-3 times a week. Hand feeding is also great...when I hand feed, I turn meal time into training time. We do tricks, stays, leave-its, really anything....it is important for your dog to know he has to work for what he wants. Good luck!

After following this advice (thank you RDN) I got the a wonderful surprise . Nisha wasn't bad about guarding food...she mainly guards 'high value' items (bones). We hadn't given her one for a few months...well, I decided she was ready for the "challenge". I put her outside with a knuckle bone and left her outside to enjoy it. I went out to check on her and she immediately rolled over for a belly rub! I was shocked that she had changed so much. You really can fix it...but gaining trust is the way to go. Before RDN I would take stuff away after she growled, and she only got worse. Now, she is a changed doggie . But I will continue to work with her forever...as with any training, you have to reinforce good habits or else they get replaced with bad ones.

[debbiej]

the question of whether food aggression is provoked/prevented by messing with the dish has been discussed many, many times. I am not an expert by any means, but I've thought about it a lot. before I adopted Boris from the shelter, I took some dog biscuits along. I'd give him one, then pet his head, and although I didn't try to take it away, he didn't seem to mind me being near him while he ate. later, when we got him home, he was growly with his food. at one point (after his neuter) my husband came out on the patio while he was eating, and as he walked past, Boris left his dish to keep him away from it. it was a pretty serious action. (no bite)

now we think he was about 18 months old at that time. he had been a stray for a long time, finding his own food and pretty serious about meals. I would never have taken his dish away to get him used to people around him while he was eating. now that he is secure, trusts and obeys us, I feel there is no danger of him snapping at someone if they ventured too close. I think that sort of sums up my thoughts, a dog that trusts and is secure in your leadership is the key to this. I don't have children at home anymore, if I did, perhaps I would have had a different way of dealing with his behavior, crating or kenneling him for meals.

there are other situations though, and a puppy might very well benefit from hand feeding and/or seeing the "hand" drop goodies in the bowl.

a dog that is "high strung" or not wired right may never come to the place of trusting the owner or an owner who is confusing to the dog may never gain a good dog's trust if they keep messing with the food.

so IMO, the answer to this question may very well depend on the dog and the people involved and not have one absolute answer.

[TravisBlanchard]

I've read that you should occasionally move around your dogs food bowl so he/she doesn't get too set and territorial, same with the crate, also, while it is eating sometimes you should go and take it from him/her, even if they growl or snap, yell a firm NO and don't give it back until he/she behaves. This shows that you are in control of his/her food and she/he will only be fed when you say so. Also, you should try to put their dish in an off corner so that people are not passing by while the dog is eating or he/she will try to eat fast to prevent someone from taking it. Hope this helped.

[Zumie05]

My technique with Gary has been to make sure he does not feel threatened at all while he is eating. One day I noticed that he was eating a little bit faster than normal, and I think that was a sign that he was uncomfortable with something going on. It continued for a few weeks, and I didn't want him to get to the point where he would scarf his food down and forget about even chewing it (like the other dogs here do). I couldn't figure out what was making him uncomfortable, because I make sure no other dogs are around while he eats and he is in a safe area he likes to hang out in all day. I wanted to have him take his time to eat, nice and slowly, crunching up every bite. Eating this way is a sign of being comfortable.

What I did first off was start giving him more food for his meals to help him feel more full. The first time I kept feeding him as much as he would eat until he decided to leave his dish with food still in it. I wanted to show him that he doesn't have to worry about not getting enough food, that there is always plenty of it. I would not recommend this for every dog, as some dogs who have had this behavior for a long time will NOT stop eating and will make themselves quite sick by over eating. My puppy was 6 months old when I did this.

In addition to giving him extra, I would also pick up his bowl, add yummy treats into it, then put the bowl back down, or just walk by and toss treats into his bowl. He got to the point where if I came near him while eating he would stop and look at me and wag his tail, anticipating something tasty!

Now at nearly 9 months old he eats super slow, and he only eats as much as he feels he needs. I feed him a total of 3 cups a day, and some meals he will leave a couple of kibble behind. To me, he is the most perfect eater I could ever ask for!

Good luck with your pup.

[Anne]

Originally Posted by TravisBlanchard

I've read that you should occasionally move around your dogs food bowl so he/she doesn't get too set and territorial, same with the crate, also, while it is eating sometimes you should go and take it from him/her, even if they growl or snap, yell a firm NO and don't give it back until he/she behaves. This shows that you are in control of his/her food and she/he will only be fed when you say so. Also, you should try to put their dish in an off corner so that people are not passing by while the dog is eating or he/she will try to eat fast to prevent someone from taking it. Hope this helped.

I agree with being able to move around the dogs while they're eating. They eat in the kitchen so I'm always around at their meal times. From day one they've each been fed in their own place. They sit patiently in their place whilst I prepare their food. When I put their bowls down they stay seated and look intently at me waiting for the ok to eat.

Your other suggestions I disagree with. I have never taken a food bowl away while they are eating and I've never had a food aggressive dog. They trust their food is safe around me.

I can touch my dogs and put something in their bowl while they're eating and they'll move sideways out of my way if need be. They don't gobble their food, they eat at their own pace and the faster eater doesn't hassle the slower one. I believe there is no issue with food because they're left to eat in peace and don't need to stress about their food being taken from them.

My Cavaliers eat in their crates. The Rottweilers eat side by side as their crates are no longer in use.

[Gmagee]

I have always pet my dogs from puppies, lifted their paws slightly, lightly tugged on their tail or ears. Nothing to move them from their food or to hurt them, both would trigger red alerts either saying "Oh no I'm being pulled away from my food, or Ow stop that". Just something to get them used to the fact that this is okay behavior for people to do while they are eating. I don't give them treats while I'm doing it, the food applies itself as a treat as they learn no matter what the people do to them they won't lose their food. Now I wouldn't use the same method for a dog that already is food aggressive, if that happens I think using a treat and petting them at the same time while they are eating would work so it would condition them to expect something good rather than something bad whenever anyone comes near them or pets them while they are eating. Its almost like treat training, you don't give them a treat every time, maybe every time to start, then as they get used to it up the ante by spacing out the treats, thats how I was taught to treat train as well.

I looked into a lot of the aspects of food aggression when training dogs because when I was 6 I went to pet a dog that was lying in its dog bed(Pomeranian) and it had its face buried in the bed. I thought it was just sleeping because it didn't seem to be making any movements but it turns out it had a bone. I wouldn't have done that to any dog that I knew had something, if its not your dog and you don't know how its trained I know its just not smart. Well the dog snapped on my finger and I needed stitches, a shot, and the knuckle of my finger swelled up bigger than a grape.

[jennC]

My husband and I are very conscience about bothering the dogs when they eat. We do not do it as much as we did when they were really young, but still will occasionally play with the food in their bowl while they are eating, pet them, grab the food and offer it to them from our hand, etc. We have not had any problems, the whole family including the kids can take whatever they have from them with no problems. The kids even hang all over them while they are chewing bones. They both are fine with all of it. The dogs are 13 months and 5 months old, my kids are 7, 8, and 15.

[missythemom]

Well, we are still having problems.I know I shouldn't expect it to just vanish but it makes me nervous.we have all been feeding him out of our hands (two year old included I hold his hand open so Honda doesn't accidently get his fingers) Since I posted this.I decided to let him eat out of his bowl this morning and my two year old almost lost a finger!The dog snarled and snapped at him all at once and scared the crap out of him and myself.My husband picked up the dog smacked him and put him outside.I am at a loss as to how to respond to dh about it and also why after feeding him out of our hands does he still feel like we are going to take his food away.I will not keep him if he doesn't learn to be calm with his food.Question is how long does it normally take and what other ways to break him of it are there.This is not a how to prevent it issue.he is already food aggressive so how do we break him of it?Thanks in advance.

[mamamia1]

Your pup is not showing aggression when you are feeding him from your hands right? So this is a guarding his bowl when there's food in it thing.

As I mentioned before, don't know if you tried it, I have been luring my girl from her bowl while she is eating with a hand full of kibble. [You may need to use something yummier, but kibble works for us.] When we first started, I was a good 2 to 3 feet away. Tell her "leave it" and show/lure her with the goodness in my hand. This way I'm not taking something away from her, I'm not messing with her bowl or her, I'm just letting her choose some thing extra good over something that's O.K. I gradually got closer, and had to say "leave it" less often. Now, whenever I get close when she's eating she knows that's a good thing and nothing at all to worry about, ie no reason to guard. I no longer have to tell her to leave it. The second she see me coming in close she comes over to check out what I have. I have worked on this over a period of a month or so, and it works well with guarding of high value things as well. [Pretty much my version of the trade method.]

Please give it a try, be patient and consistent. It's been under a week since you posted having a problem with this, and letting your food aggressive pup eat from his bowl unsupervised with a 2 year old in the house is just asking for trouble. I have a 5 year old, who uses this method with me as well, and it works wonderfully. But I never leave the two of them unsupervised [and I mean with me within a couple feet] when there is food involved.

[Anne]

Originally Posted by jennC

We have not had any problems, the whole family including the kids can take whatever they have from them with no problems. The kids even hang all over them while they are chewing bones. They both are fine with all of it. The dogs are 13 months and 5 months old, my kids are 7, 8, and 15.

I would not allow 7-8yo children to pester the dogs when they are eating, particularly high value items such as bones. All children in my house are taught to respect the dogs space when they're eating or sleeping. I'd think a 15yo would have more sense than to hang all over the dogs.

Your dogs are puppies. They may not be receptive to this behaviour from the children as they (the dogs) mature.

The time may come, for whatever reason, if a dog is feeling off colour or has some pain, that it will object to children hanging all over it. When and if that day comes, who will be held to blame? My guess is it will be the dogs who will pay the price.

Children must be taught how to properly interact with dogs, hanging all over them is not ok. I'm happy for children to pet my dogs and play with them under supervision but they are not allowed to 'hang all over' them both for the safety of the children and the dogs... and the reputation of the breed.

[natesmom14]

Originally Posted by Anne

I would not allow 7-8yo children to pester the dogs when they are eating, particularly high value items such as bones. All children in my house are taught to respect the dogs space when they're eating or sleeping. I'd think a 15yo would have more sense than to hang all over the dogs.

Your dogs are puppies. They may not be receptive to this behaviour from the children as they (the dogs) mature.

The time may come, for whatever reason, if a dog is feeling off colour or has some pain, that it will object to children hanging all over it. When and if that day comes, who will be held to blame? My guess is it will be the dogs who will pay the price.

Children must be taught how to properly interact with dogs, hanging all over them is not ok. I'm happy for children to pet my dogs and play with them under supervision but they are not allowed to 'hang all over' them both for the safety of the children and the dogs... and the reputation of the breed.

I have to agree. My kids are 10, 8 and 4 and we have taught them how to keep a respectful distance and not hassle them when the dogs are eating, playing with a bone, etc. They also are not allowed to "hang" on Nikki, sit on her back, etc. She is SO easygoing and has never once growled at them for any reason, but I just never want to take the chance.