Food Aggression?

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Mbronze

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It seems I have created a 15wk old monster!

A couple of days ago I went to take a chew off her, and she let out a very loud snarl at me, I instantly told her off (clipped her on the ear to snap her out of it) and took it anyway.

I don't want her to be food aggressive, its entirely my fault for just giving her food and leaving her to it. So over the past 2 days I have been giving her breakfast, lunch and tea by holding her bowl and every so often lifting it up so she can't reach it, I then ask her to sit and then give the food back. Problem is every 1 in 3 trys she gives a very loud growl.

Is there anything else I should be doing? I was also wondering whether she should be having so many treats now, as she has little chews scattered around the house at her disposal, now I'm thinking perhaps they should be more of a reward for good behaviour than just lying around at her convenience?
 
The first trick is don't be scared of her - any whiff of a back down from you now and its game over! It has never been an issue in my house luckilly, every bit of food I give my dogs is MINE, in fact everything in the house is - and if I want it, I take it. Simples!

But having been around food aggressive dogs its something I understand needs nipping in the bud!

Personally I would ONLY feed her by hand for a wee while and I would really drive into her the motto - everything is MINE (yours) give her a chew, take it back, give her a chew, take it back - if that means you have to scruff her 100 times a day I would, until she learns that you are the top of her pack and she sits under you and has the scraps of what you don't want!

At the moment you are the top of the chain because she's 15 weeks old, make sure it stays that way as a possessive dog is not much fun when they're grown!
 
Thank you for the advice Kitsune, I wasn't scared of her, although I would rather she keep her sharp baby teeth to herself.

At first I was surprised, then I just said in my most angry voice 'no' and clipped her ear.

She was startled I had done this, but thinking about what a big dog she will be I would like to nip it in the bud. Lots of give and take, whats mine is mine, whats yours is mine etc
 
That's what I would do yeah. Be very strict and mean it and follow through with a scruff or shake if she tries to keep you away from her food or toys etc. Thats how her mother would reprimand her. She's learning so much now, and any nick of weakness from you and she'll remember it!
For the time being also I wouldn't engage in any teasing games, or tugs of war etc - give her her toys at a specific time and let her play and then take them away, keep it all low key and matter of fact, you are pack leader and you control everything for her.
For my two I use something like Caesar Milan's snap of fingers and "shush" noise accompanied with a little touch to the side, the shock takes their mind off the growl etc and enables you to take something off them in that split second without too much fuss, if she puts up an argument.
In the meantime the constant repetition of taking and giving back means she doesn't always associate taking something away with it being taken away permanently, therefore meaning you taking a toy away means end of the game = ****! :(
 
I personally would no tackle food aggression issues with scruffing, clipping around the ear or shaking, this will only make her associate your hand/you with 1, the person who takes the food away and 2, the person who smacks her when she has food and 3, you are basically the person who takes the food and hands out the smacks:p
I would tackle this in a positive manor and keep the bowl in your hand, then place it within her reach and let her take some (still in your hand) and then raise it a little and tell her to sit, then lower it and allow her to take, then raise and tell her to sit before lowering to allow her some, this way you control the food (when she gets it and what she has to do to get it) but she also associates you with a positive.
With treats, have something at the ready to swap her, so again she gives the treat when asked and is offered a positive in return, so if she has a bone, swap her a piece of chicken and give a command "give" this way it not all about confrontation, I have seen and dealt with food aggressive dogs where physical reprimand went badly wrong. (we also have dogs handed into resue for this ommonly)
Don't allow her/him to have treats/toys sprawled all over, have a toy/treat box and offer one at a time on your terms and take them away and put them back in the box on your terms but always make a positive training session/game of it and swap her and use an appropriate command.
Just my way though, obs go with what you feel right.
 
CAYLA said:
I personally would no tackle food aggression issues with scruffing, clipping around the ear or shaking, this will only make her associate your hand/you with 1, the person who takes the food away and 2, the person who smacks her when she has food and 3, you are basically the person who takes the food and hands out the smacks:p
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Well I may be new to the forum, but thank goodness there is someone who talks some common sense here! I couldnt agree more with you Cayla
 
You could also use the empy bowl method and basically put the bowl down empty and you place the food in the bowl bit by bit, making him look up to u for the refill, move the bowl around near you and around you and dropping small amounts in until the whole meal is gone and make him sit inbetween with a piece in your hand to offer when he does sit, if he shows any aggression with the bowl raising and lowering then remove it for a stipulated amount of time or raise it really high and wait until you are ready to try again, until he associates impatience and growling with the bowl being removed higher/out of reach.

But def box all of the toys and treats and as u already suggest make games and training session with them.
 
CAYLA said:
the person who smacks her when she has food and 3,
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Now I was taught that a dog associates action with reaction. The action here being growling or biting, the reaction being a scruff/shake. By no means was I suggesting smack or reprimand the dog just for having food. However I think aggressive behaviour to an owner is behviour punishable by a scruff/shake. And just to clarify this by no means suggests you wring your dog out like a dusty towel, but picking a puppy up and giving it a shake for biting you/growling(!) at you, is totally acceptable in my eyes.

It does just go to show though that both methods work, as I have two of the best mannered little dogs who I have never had to smack in their lives and whom I could take a rump steak off and have no issue :D
 
Well - think of it in the sense that, if you were sitting down to dinner and someone keeps taking your food away. You're going to eventually start getting very pissed off! I bloody would! - and then getting punishment for reacting can go very wrong.
so ditto what Cayla said, otherwise it can get very nasty (I knew a rottie that actually got to the point she wouldn't allow people in the kitchen when she was eating)
So yes play swapsies with the food bowl something more delicious.
I really dont think shaking a puppy for growling at you is a good idea whatsoever! step back and think why was it growling? Why did it go to snap?
There are many warning signs a dog will give before it gets to the point where it snaps or bites. they are subtle, usually a look, a freeze. Then if that goes unnoticed they will growl... then what comes next? a bite. If you punish the growl enough times you will simply end up with a dog who no longer gives you the warning signs and goes straigh in for the bite.
 
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Kitsune said:
Now I was taught that a dog associates action with reaction. The action here being growling or biting, the reaction being a scruff/shake. By no means was I suggesting smack or reprimand the dog just for having food. However I think aggressive behaviour to an owner is behviour punishable by a scruff/shake. And just to clarify this by no means suggests you wring your dog out like a dusty towel, but picking a puppy up and giving it a shake for biting you/growling(!) at you, is totally acceptable in my eyes.

It does just go to show though that both methods work, as I have two of the best mannered little dogs who I have never had to smack in their lives and whom I could take a rump steak off and have no issue :D
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We will def have to agree to disagree there:p

Kitsune the example is therefor not proved re the smacking, you say you have the best behaved dogs in the world (and you have never had to smack them) so how do you know smacking/shaking will help with food aggression?, also food aggression/guarding is by no means a true action to be aggressive towards a human it's a natural means of protecting food.
Also in my experience not all action requires an reaction some behaviours require NO reaction at all to over come the problem.
There are so many ways to interprut aggression and it comes in many forms, you have to be very careful when dealing with aggression, I have 10 dogs all other peoples rejects with mild/moderate and severe issues, I have never had to smack them either and they are all impecably behaved (most of them large breed dogs) I doubt half of them would even react to a smack from me, my akita is hard as nails:D but then not everyone would train by my methods either.
As I suggested adivce is as it is, you just have to take what you want and different methods will work for different people, but from experience I would not tackle food guarding with human aggression/reprimand.
 
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I would never smack a dog, I think hitting has no purpose in the dog world really, but picking a dog up by its scruff and shaking it is something I read a mother would do to a pup. Or is that wrong/ I'm well happy to be wrong here!
Smacking we definitely agree on!
 
Kitsune said:
I would never smack a dog, I think hitting has no purpose in the dog world really, but picking a dog up by its scruff and shaking it is something I read a mother would do to a pup. Or is that wrong/ I'm well happy to be wrong here!
Smacking we definitely agree on!
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A mother wolf for instance if we are going by wolves will not physically harm her young, she will instead growl and bear teeth, they are very tolerant of their young and it would serve no purpose to harm them, I have covered this in my behavioural courses (but im by no means an expert in wild dogs) but again even with domestic dogs, I have never seen a female pick up and shake a puppy, unless they are trying to harm/kill them (which obs happens) but what u should witness is the mother being vocal and teeth bearing.
 
Ok, so we have just had tea :) and instead of the scruff shake. I decided vocal may be better. I kept my hand around the bowl and took it away from her three times and said 'leave' (in a very authoritative tone) and on the third try she left the food and sat waiting to eat some more. I think I'll keep going on this one just so she gets the idea that its not a punishment just that mummy can take it if she want too.
Thanks for your advice Kitsune and Cayla, I try to take bits out of both o your views so it can work for me :)
 
Agree with Cayla (sorry Kitsune) that you don't want to be getting into conflict with her at food time. You should always control their feeding, I put the food down in front of mine and tell them to wait, they then have to focus on me for a few seconds before I give them the command to eat. It sounds as if you have had some success tonight masterbronze, so hopefully she will soon learn.
 
Glad you're seeing results :)
And attitude change is all that's needed sometimes - from the owner :p

I'm not on here a lot at the mo because of work, training etc (trying to put another title on my fella and have just been asked to take another male by his owners, for his first obedience test, oh joy :p) but I would like to talk about my feelings on scruffing, slightly OT I know.

I've done it once, to prevent a traffic accident, and I doubt I will do it again (it was touch and go, whether I survived with my face) and I wouldn't do it on a puppy.

I know people who used to have a dog aggressive bitch. Through incorrect timing and inappropriate methods, they actually made her worse. They were TOLD multiple times.
They got a new puppy and intended to put manners on him from the start, they started off really well, focus, focus, focus, but the lack of understanding about the root causes behind basic dog behaviour (and the realisation of the potential from him to learn from their older bitch) just wasn't there.
As he grew, like any male teenager, he got bolshier.
Well that dog was poked, prodded, scruffed, yanked, NO'd - all at the wrong time all for silly reasons - basically display of normal dog behaviour that they had no idea (and would take no advice) on how to cope with it.

A few months ago, after one unfair and un-needed, conflicting lead-pop too many, well, that young dog reared up and nailed his owner on the arm. Owner popped him again and dog nailed him again.
And I am not sorry to say I nearly gave the poor thing a round of applause.
He's in a work situation now, thank God, rather than being given the needle for defending himself after an early life of constant conflicting messages.
So maybe people scruff and shake and poke, maybe it works, but please remember the method, the thinking, the why behind the what and how and remember that the dog is a living thing and has a limit, just like the rest of us!!!
 
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