food aggression, kind of

[kmtell]

My boyfriend and I got a 3 year old Chesapeake about 3 weeks ago. We took him from a family who needed to part with him because he was showing signs of food aggression and they worried with his rough play around their toddler. The dog has been passed around from family to family (we suspect abuse from his previous family who was using him as a hunting dog). I think at one point he was also at a shelter. Apparently, he has had anxiety issues and submissive urination, also, but he's been okay with us for the most part on these issues. Anyway, up until this weekend, we saw no signs of food aggression at all! We make him sit and wait before he eats and he watches us play in his food, he eats out of our hands, we can play in his food while he eats, he lays down while we eat, etc. We thought he was cured!

This past weekend, he wasn't showing food aggression signs, per se. But, he just would seem to get grumpy and growly after his dinner. As soon as we would tell him to quit it, he would be all tail waggy and happy, but would just remain in his bad mood for the rest of the night. The next day, all was fine until after he would eat.

My thought is that he might be feeling ill after dinner and that makes him unhappy, but we can't ignore his food aggression past. Any ideas what the cause might be?

[fullhouse9873]

I don't think it sounds like food aggresion - since he's done eating. I think you might be on the right track with an upset tummy. Are you feeding him the same kind of food he had before? Also - my dogs have to go potty as soon as they are done eating - that might be it too.

As for the food aggression - keep working with him like you are. Sounds like things are going good. Since my dogs have been pups - I will come up behind them and pet them. I also got them used to me having my hands by their mouth when they're eating. If your dog has shown signs of aggression - I wouldn't stick my hand by his mouth - but try stroking his back - and praise him for not growling or snapping.

My dogs will let my 1 year old come and play with their food while they're eating. If only my kids were as easy to train as the dogs!!!

[kmtell]

We switched the brand of food, but it's the same ingredients and smell of the previous food. We're going to try switching back to the other food this weekend and see what happens. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

[Dawn]

Did you do a sudden switch or gradual. Even switching back, do it gradually, or you'll make the problem even worse.

[kmtell]

It was a gradual switch. In fact, I think some of his old food is still mixed in the big tub of food we feed him from...but it's probably about 100/1 at this point.

[lou3]

It may be something to do with his old routine as well as his food type.
Its possible he is used to a walk, or even bed immediately after eating so any variation on this could cause him to be grumpy. Give him a little while to settle in and then start worrying, get him into a routine (meals and walk etc at identical times every day) and if he doesnt settle down take him to a vet to get his stomach problem theory investigated.
Chesapeakes need a lot of exercise and very firm and regular obediance training to make them happy and amenable members of society so check his training routine as well.
Lou

[kmtell]

Well, here's a quick update: Took him to he vet recently just to be sure everything was in order since we were unsure of what his previous vet records looked like. He's in perfect health and the vet did tell us that "There's no such thing as too much exercise for this type of dog", which is something we knew since my boyfriend grew up with 2 chesapeakes. Anyway, he's sometimes growly after dinner, but now...growly during dinner too. Before he eats, we still play in his food, pretend that we're eating it, make him wait, and he's fine...but once he starts eating, he gets growly when we touch him, or talk to him, or approach him, and actually came close to biting my boyfriend last week (he does a similar production when we give him this one particular toy). The thing is that he had no signs at all of food aggresion when we first got him, so we think it might be something to do with the bowl because he'll eat out of our hands very gently. So, we're trying to brainstorm ideas to deal with this. Of course, I want to take him to get some additional obedience training because he has selective hearing, especially with me.

[LTdog]

about the bowl Idea its been shown that animals with natural instincts (such as dogs) like it better when they must look or their food it stimulates their natural habit and somehow makes them happier! At the barn My instructor sprinkles their food out on the barn floor,my dogs dont have bowls we feed them in the garage where they sleep and every day I find a new place to put it like in a corner or even out in the middle of the floor (we dont use our garage, even for storage so all that is in their is their dog crates water bowls toys and my bike)And they have lots of fun looking for it I let them out for a quick run around the back yard and then sprinkle it on the floor and they love it My dos when they had bowls would grap mouthfuls of their food and spit it out on the gravel by the garae and tramp useed to get all sorts of parasites but since we started hiding their food tramp doesnt do that and lucy is looking her young self again! [img]smile.gif[/img] Oh well good luck!

[kmtell]

That's a pretty good idea, actually...our dog does usually take mouthfulls of food and drop them on the floor next to his bowl and then eats from the floor...that that would go hand-in-hand with your idea. Thanks!

[fullhouse9873]

When you get your dog into obedience lessons - ask the trainer about the food aggresssion. He or she might be able to offer some more insight on it (especially if they know the dog one on one). Our dogs have a tendency to take their food and odrop it on the carpeting and eat it. I got sick of finding kibble all over the didng room (only room with carpeting - the rest is hardwood) - so I bought little area rugs to go in front of their dishes. This way they don't forget they have food on the floor - and I don't mush pieces of food into the floor when I step on them.