Food issues

[rottnshepard04]

Hi everyone!
I am new to the list and kinda new to owning a rottie. My dog is a rottie german shepard mix with lots of rottie behavior. We do have one issue that is really prevalent. I wasn't sure whether to post this under behavior or training...I would welcome any training advice you can offer. Franco is very possessive of his food/treats. Usually if he has a treat and someone comes too close for comfort, he will just move away. But with his food if he even thinks you might take it away he does not hesitate to bite. Unfortunately he has gotten my daughter twice ( no major damage though) and now we just do not let him have his meals while she is awake or not confined. But we would like to work with him on this problem so that he understand that we are not going to take his food away and not give it back. From the little bit I have read, I understand this is also a dominance issue and some might be because we had him for a while before I had my daughter...so there are issues there too. Please, any advice would be much appreciated.

[Bec]

OOH that's a toughy! There are tons of things that I've heard. When Jena was little I would give her some pieces by hand and then stick my hands in her food and mess with it for a second. I also make her sit and wait for her food until I say "ok". I've also done the taking it away and making her sit again for it. We started it because I could see her starting to get an attitude about her food. The taking away thing worked wonderfully with bones and toys too, I just made sure that if she acted appropriately that she got her bone back right away. You would have to judge the situation for yourself but do you think it would be safe to have your daughter hand feed him? I've heard this may help. It seems like it would help with dominance because your daughter would be "allowing" him to eat. Just some ideas that I've heard may help. Hope so because I'm sure this is very stressful for you.

[Storm]

Make feeding time the dog's time, there is no reason why everyone should be hovering around the dog at this time. If you persist with bothering him you will dig an even deeper hole for yourself creating an unpleasant little pass time every food sessios. Alternatively you can feed the dog from your hand but then again you are isolating one individual where your dog probably lives in a household of people, from food from the hand you could have bowl in one hand and food in the other, slowly adding aportion of the dogs food into the bowl, letting him eat and then slowly throwing in the reamaining food and eventually work towards putting the bowl on the floor adding food, then bowl on floor with food and adding food and then portion in bowl on floor adding minimal just as an action. All the time maybe stroking as you add food, all quick non agrevating actions. Confine this approach to persons capable and not kids or people who will just cause more aggrevation.

[LavenderRott]

My beagle mix has some resource guarding issues. She is crated when she is given something she feels the need to protect. While the humans in the house don't bother her, the kitten sometimes like to get a good sniff.

My 5 year old son knows about the issue. Any time I give Missy a bone, I tell him she has one. This way he knows, without any arguement, that he is to leave her alone. Usually when I tell him he says "I know mom, leave her be, she is guarding her resources."

[rottnshepard04]

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. This has been stressful because my daughter is only 19 months so she doesn't really understand yet. I do want to teach her not to bother our dog or any dog for that matter when they are eating for her safety. We are trying to work with Franco with this issue and others mainly to reteach him that the humans are the boss, not him. just doing little things mainly like making him wiat for his food and water and during play sessions he has to drop the toy or we do not play anymore....he would rather play tug of war.

Thanks again for all your advice.

[Judi W]

Do not use dinner to prove you are in charge of the dog. What you too often end up proving is that the dog is perfectly capable of defending its survival and that is exactly what meals represent.

Please close the door to the eating area so that your child cannot near the dog. First threat, let alone bite, should have giving you that idea.

Not all dogs guard their food but those that do so engage because they believe they might lose it. This can go all the way back to the way they were handled in the whelping box or during weaning and can be intensified by owners who mistakenly believe they will teach the dog not to guard its food by taking the food away. That concept confuses me so I am sure it confuses the dogs who are subjected to it.

Storm gave you some ideas. They might help, but don't count on them to make your child safe. You must do that by keeping her away from the dog during mealtime. I don't know what kind of treat is not simply gulped down by a dog and anything else should not be given to him at this time. Reduce the opportunities for him to even think he has something to guard. Generally, the guarding decreases as the dog realizes it has no need to guard the food. If you wish to walk by and drop something very tasty into the bowl and keep on going, that should help desensitize him to someone passing near his food bowl. 6 months or a year of that and he'll forget about guarding it and start looking expectantly up when someone nears. Messing with him and his food is simply going to convince him that his dinner is in danger.

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by rottnshepard04

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions. This has been stressful because my daughter is only 19 months so she doesn't really understand yet. I do want to teach her not to bother our dog or any dog for that matter when they are eating for her safety.
Thanks again for all your advice.

My daughter is eleven and still does not have the full understanding on dogs and the dangers. Children will always see them as the heros on TV and movies. How did your 19 month old ever even get close enough to the food to be bit twice,,,,,,,,

:sigh:

Sorry but I get very protective of the worlds children.

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by rottnshepard04

Hi everyone!
Unfortunately he has gotten my daughter twice ( no major damage though) and now we just do not let him have his meals while she is awake or not confined. .

I would NEVER leave a 19 month old child unsupervised around any dog - much less around an eating dog with food issues - I am glad to hear that NO MAJOR damage was done.
Is this a PUPPY or a full grown dog??

[rotts and roses]

I have always had dogs as young puppies and with both my 9 year old Rotti, and now starting with the puppy, I have made it a point for all of our family to feed, pet and stick our hands and face in their food while they are eating

You should go out and buy a lottery ticket, because you are LUCKY! Just because this may have worked for you ( so far) please do not recommend this sort of foolish behavior to others, especially new dog owners. sticking your FACE in a dogs dish while it's eating is not only a very BAD idea, You are only teaching the dog that he should be protective of his food because he can not eat in PEACE

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by dina211

I have made it a point for all of our family to feed, pet and stick our hands and face in their food while they are eating.....

Please tell me I read that wrong.......

[rotts and roses]

dina, what I would like to know is do you have kids and do you also encourage this behavior with them? Do you encourage your kids to put their face and hands in the dogs dish while eating?

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by dina211

No you did not read wrong, and no I am not asking anyone else to do this...I am saying that this is the way I worked with my elder and how I work with my younger and IT HAS WORKED for ME and MY dogs.

Well maybe it has worked for you but leave the kids out of that plan......

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by dina211

but they have never shown aggression around their bowl, and it's not done all the time, so what is the problem on how I raise my Rottis? But why on earth are you all chastizing me? Shouldn't you all be helping the person that requested help? The one that has the problem.

Because this behavior is very dangerouse.....VERY!!!!! And I myself can not read someone doing something this dangerous and just let it go because she is not the OP....and also hoping the OP doesn't See your post and think this will work for her dog. Especially since her child has been bit twice already and you should thank your lucky stars your dogs naturally didn't have food aggression or you children you taught this method to, could have been hurt very badly..... :(

[rotts and roses]

Originally Posted by dina211

Actually my son is 15 years old, he was 6 when when we had gotten our oldest puppy, and yes, he would pet at feeding time, as we all do with the puppy. Now, don't get me wrong...we don't make it to be a pain is the ass to the dogs, but they have never shown aggression around their bowl, and it's not done all the time, so what is the problem on how I raise my Rottis? But why on earth are you all chastizing me? Shouldn't you all be helping the person that requested help? The one that has the problem.

Helping the OP is exactly what I am trying to do. By letting them know that what you suggested although it has worked for you, is not a good idea. When someone posts and looks for suggestions, they read all the replies, They see " Oh I stick my face and hands in my dog's dish while it's eating and There have been no problems."
So the OP thinks hey I will try THAT. No, I'm sorry not a good idea. There was a 15 month old baby in my town 3 months ago that had half her face TORN OFF because she crawled NEAR a dog while he was eating. Low and behold the owners of the dog were shocked at this because" He never acted like that before when we messed with him while he ate" That's all I have to say on this subject

[Judi W]

How nice.

The issue on this thread however is with a dog who IS protective and willing to fight for his dinner. Although it is possible for a serious in charge person to impose a degree of compliance in the dog, that is in no way going to make the dog safe with those it does not consider capable of taking it down. (ie, the child). The goal I think then should be to add to the dog's comfort attitude about its food, not make it even more stressed however compliant it might appear to be. Since defending food is a life long attitude with this dog, it should be expected that it can take up to a year to erase those concerns the dog has (if it can be done). You do not convince the dog that it does not have to fight for its dinner by taking its dinner away or pretending to eat it! I've given what I consider the best method of making the dog more secure without anyone being bitten or causing a worse problem than now exists.