14 week Old Rottweiler (Female)

[Cappa]

Hello all,

New to the forums. Glad I have found you. I recently bought a female rottie which the tail was undocked and nobody knows where she came from, not even the owners. She is really sweet and loving almost 100% of the time with licks and kisses and likes to be near people. The problem is when I feed her she growls and even snaps if you touch her while she is eaten. She eats very fast too. She does not attack but if you touch her more then once she will turn around and snap. It is amazing because if you did not see her eaten you would not beleive she would do this, thats how sweet she is normaly. I do have a 3 year old daughter which is why I am wondering if this is normal puppy behaviror or not that she will "grow out of"? Do I correct her and how? We also have a year old airedale terrier (male) whom I remember use to growl when we first brought him home if you went near his food but never turned around and snapped. She also shows her teeth when "playing with our airedale terrier ranger but does not seem angry. why do they show teeth if they are playing? Is that a puppy thing? I am in the process of house breaking her now. I did not realize what a chore it would be with two dogs make it even harder seperating them, etc. But we love dogs and really heard they were good with kid if trained right. I hope it all pays off in the end. What do you guys think? Is there a at home temperment test to do besides the hand in food bowl test? Any help and suggestions appreciated! I know you are supposed to really buy off of a reputable breeder but she really seems docile and sweet except the food thing and we felt so bad, we bought her! Hopefully we made the right choice. I can put up with anything but snapping at a child which she has shown no aggresion torward what so ever thus far but then again we do not let our daughter near sister during feeding but hope that one day that will not be such a issue!

Here is a picture of sister!

Please do not post links to photo albums on the forums.


Kind Regards,
Cappa

[GypsysMom]

IMO its not normal behavior I can put my hand in my dogs bowls and play with their food even with meat in there, as for the showing teeth at your other dog Gypsy does that with my male but in a playing way they do not fight they play, I would get her in some puppy classes and speak to a trainer, do not let your 3yr old near her while she is eating, my kids can feed my dogs ie: make them sit while getting their food and putting food in their dish, but after that they are to go away and leave them to eat, it needs to be corrected NOW ASAP!! read up on the forums for some more advice from other members

[debbiej]

there is quite a bit of information on the resuts of messing with a dogs food, and such, archived in this forum. quite a bit of information about puppy behavior too. The advice given to start training your pup is good advice. When a pup begins training, they begin to get a new view of who is in charge, and what they can expect and do. they begin to get a confidence that comes from the understanding that they are not expected or supposed to decide such things.

[hokisteph5]

The problem is when I feed her she growls and even snaps if you touch her while she is eaten. She eats very fast too. She does not attack but if you touch her more then once she will turn around and snap.

When I got Samson I was determined to have a dog who allowed me to be around his food dish while he ate with no problems. I kept checking and Samson was fine, until a few months later when he tried growling and snapping.

I immediately took up his food dish and tried what my trainer had suggested to a fellow classmate - I fed him every piece of his food by hand. It took me a total of about three feedings, with me trying to let him eat out of his bowl by putting it back on the ground, until he was okay with me with me in and around his space.

Just yesterday I "tested" him and Gretchen (who's always been fine due to early training) and both were still okay.

[Sharon Marples]

Do not EVER leave this dog alone with your child and keep the child away from the dog when the dog has any high-value item she is playing with or eating.

You need to immediately get this dog into obedience classes.

[JuneyB]

Agree with Sharon.
No matter how bullet proof our dogs become thru training....they should NEVER NEVER NEVER be allowed to interact with a young child when dealing with things they treasure. Constant supervision is a must....and it is way easier to prevent anything from occuring than remedying it...it is up to the adults to manage the dogs interation with others. Having said that...get the pup into training; insititute NILF and you will have a pup you are proud of and can generally rely on.

My boy is 3, is a working therapy dog, works with children and adults LOTS...and is ALWAYS ALWAYS on a short lead when he does so because there is NO WAY a situation is ever going to develop and it is up to me to ensure that it never does. Any large breed of dog has the potential to cause harm, even if it is totally inadvertant. As rotti owners we have to be super viligant...especially with kids.

[AngelBunny]

Some dogs exhibit a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde persona around food and high value items. This can come as a big, unpleasant surprise to owners. There are ways to address this, but unless you’re an experienced owner--having a dog that is possessive of food and high value items can be dangerous and you have a very young child--my recommendation is to contact a behaviorist to help you.

Meanwhile, I suggest feeding your girl all her meals in her crate or otherwise making sure your daughter is nowhere near your dog when she’s fed. I also suggest you limit the treats your dog is fed to dog biscuits.

Obed classes for you and this dog (and probably your other dog, too) are essential—absolutely essential.

Originally Posted by Cappa

I did not realize what a chore it would be with two dogs make it even harder seperating them, etc.

Amen!

This is the very reason many of us strongly encourage owning only one dog at a time when the first dog is young. It’s an extraordinary amount of work to successfully raise, train, and socialize one young dog, never mind two. And, in your case, your second dog has issues.

[wm1977]

Hey Cappa,

I had the same problem with my 10 week old female the first night I had her and tried to take her food. She started growling then turned on me. Now I am a firm beleiver that a puppy will only do that if they think it's ok. The second she turned I calmly put my hands on her face and pet her some to calm her down. Then she started growling somemore so I picked her food up and made her sit until I gave it back. When she did start eating again I crumbled up a treat and showed it to her (she was still eating her food) and then started placing small pieces of treat into her bowl as she eat. Since that night I can take any and all of her food/toys away with out any fuss. Now my girlfrind did the same thing after I calmed her down and she did not growl at all. Then last night she tried to take it again for the first time in a week or so and Mika started growling. She instantly said "NO!" and picked up her food and made her sit before giving it back. Then did the same thing I did with a the treat, and added to her bowl as she ate. After that my girlfriend could pick up the bowl and Mika would just sit and not make a sound. I think the bottom line is when the dog realizes that you are not going to take their food and not give it back and maybe even add some goodies into it, the protective nature will be overrun by their love for treats ... or turkey hotdogs in our case :)

Good luck!

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by wm1977

Now I am a firm beleiver that a puppy will only do that if they think it's ok. The second she turned I calmly put my hands on her face and pet her some to calm her down.

Depending on its age and the feriocity with which the puppy guards its high value item, putting your hands on the dog's face might not be the best strategy to pursue.

[wm1977]

I agree that it is a litte more risky but I try to confront their aggression head on to show them that even though they are being defensive, it does not scare me and I am in no way going to let them dictate when and how they eat their food. Now I am in no way an expert at all, but it's just my opinion :)