Food Aggression

[Brenda]

My 9 month old Mini Aussie had developed some food aggression towards my other dogs. If she has a rawhide she mostly just lays on it and growls and if the closet door (where the kibble is kept) is left ajar she will stand by it and guard it. She has jumped on my sheltie as she passes by and pins her down, she doesn't bite her but it is startling non the less. I feed the new puppy (12 weeks old) by herself but if she leaves anything in her bowl and I leave it sitting on the counter top Tib can smell it and she paces around under it until I put it away someplace. Generally Tib is a submissive type of dog towards most other dogs (although she and the sheltie haven't yet decided who is actually running the show) and of course submissive to people. I can take food away from her easily(of course I don't make a habit of this). Tib is clearly not starving and it isn't really a huge problem because I can just keep things out of 'smell' but now even when people are eating she positions herself to be in the ideal 'begging position' and she occasionaly growls at the other dogs. I usually scold her for the aggressive behaviour but as I said she is submissive towards me so I think she is missing the point about not being aggressive to the other dogs. Should I be worried about the progression of this problem or just continue to scold her and monitor where the food is?

[Dobified]

Do not allow your puppy to continue with this type of aggression. It can and will develope to the point where the pup is aggressive to you.

When you catch the puppy showing aggression put him into a down position and firmly say " No, Bad dog" and make him stay there for a minute or two. Do this everytime to establish you are boss and the behaviour is unacceptable.

A food aggressive dog can be very dangerous, to people and otehr dogs. Nip the problem in the bud now.

[Dax]

Personally I don’t allow any food aggression in my house. I know it’s very normal for dogs to do this but it bugs me as my dogs are very well fed. Ariel is capable of taking all the food in the house if we allowed it. I do allow warning growls once in a while but that is all. I feed my two in the same room. They get meat bones, pig ears, rawhides, etc. Each gets one and then they usually separate themselves by going to different parts of the room or one going outside.

Here is a true sign that they know I’m the boss. If Dax steals Ariel’s bone, she comes to me and “tells” me so I can get it back for her.

If you took away the food after 10-15 minutes allowing them to eat there’d be nothing to guard. Firm corrections for bad behavior including you taking away whatever she’s guarding (after all everything belongs to you – you only allow them access because you’re the alpha).

[Dobified]

Originally Posted by DaxAriel's Toy

Here is a true sign that they know I’m the boss. If Dax steals Ariel’s bone, she comes to me and “tells” me so I can get it back for her.

Rudy does the same thing if Jenna takes his bone!!! LOL!!!!! But even if she doesn't Rudy wants her's so he sits in front of me and whines. Drives me crazy. he can have one of his own but wants her's. Just like a little kid. LOL!!!!

[sheplovr]

I am with you Dax and the others that food agression should not be tolerated with more than one dog or just one dog. If it bites the hand that feeds him/her, that is truly bad.
It needs to be corrected before getting any worse. You have to become this Dog or Pups Boss or Leader. To teach it right from wrong. How I might correct one of my big girls that bicker like kids, I grab the hair on the back of her neck, lift up and while lifting I pinch some and shake it back and forth saying louder than No No More, Hear Me!!! It gets her attention.
I set down the dog dishe with food, name the dog and point where it is to eat. That is how they are fed, same as toys, if one has a toy, the others lets it alone. You must be in total charge of a dog or dogs.

[Brenda]

I guess my question wasn't well worded. Tib knows that I am the boss, if I approach her while she is eating she backs away from it, she is submissive to me and other people. I do use the dominate messages (rolling her over and pinning her down) when I correct her aggressive behaviour towards the other dogs but my question is...I want to change her behaviour towards the other dogs and I wonder if she will figure out that my discipline is for her behaviour towards them, not me. Would you recommend that I try feeding them in the same room at the same time so I can make it abundantly clear to Tib that my discipline is for her growling at the other dogs?

[doglovin]

King is a TERRIBLE hog. He always has been. When he was younger he would eat the other dogs food, go HIDE their bowls, and then growl over his FULL bowl all day. This was not good for the other dogs who were TRAINED NOT to hord food or anything, so they would give it up to him. At eight years old, it was my job to watch the three dogs eat. King was so sneaky, but the minute you yelled at him, he would go back to his own food and nibble. Soon i would be practising my reading, or doing my math while they ate, I didn't even have to watch the dogs, i just had to yell "KING!" every few minutes.lol. But it wasn't unusual to see a black streak running in our back acres with a found object in his mouth.lol!

Now, he still steals from the other dogs, but he is very sweet about it.

Stealing from Sadie- King will just walk up to Sadie where she is chewing a bone and grab it. If she is not paying attention, then King just stole the bone. He will then take it back to HIS couch, and start chewing it, but their is Sadie kissing him all over the face so he doesn't even have time to eat it. The whole time he is growling like a grizzly bear. So viciously, yet she pays him no mind. When he finnaly gets soo fed up with it, he sort of snaps at her. This is JUST what she is waiting for, from the time he lunges forward in a harmless snap, she has already snuck under his chin, grabbed the bone and is halfway back to her "own spot" to finish. King gives up.

Stealing from Annie -

King sneaks up to Annie, but she is always to quick for him. If she is in a good mood, then she will snarl at him as a warning to "back off". If she is in a bad mood, she simply attacks his neck, and then goes back to chewing her bone as if nothing happend. King gives up.

Stealing from Ottis -

Ottis is picky, BUT he will still pretend he likes whatever you gave him. So when King comes up to Ottis, they simply have voice contests. King comes and growls at Ottis, Ottis snarls back. This can get sooo loud, that mom will have to get off the phone, so that she can take away the treasure. Once the treasure has been removed, the voice contest has still not ended, and so they will have to be split up, if the dim is to loud. When tey are brought back in together, they walk around all stiff, and Ottis will snarl at him, King just walks stiff. Soon they will both be cuddled up on the couch.

If You come up to King while he has a "stolen" object in his possesion, he will give you that EXACT look you see in my avator picture. If you see that look, find out what King has stolen. All you have to do is say his name like you are not happy with him, and he will pick up the "object" and slink towards you and lie it at your feet, then slink back, and look guilty!

SHARING IN THE KITCHEN

If we have so many problems with food, you probably think that we can't share left over food from one bowl, but that is where you are wrong. Amazingly, All four of them will lick off a pot or pan together in silence. If Annie feels like things are getting greedy, she will spazz out in snapping for about ten seconds, In that time all dogs have backed away for Annie to start licking, and then one by one they will all join her again in peace and silence.

Sorry this is so long, maybe i should just write a book about "feed time at the zoo"

[Dax]

Brenda – it’s good that there is no aggression to you. But it is still a nasty behavior. Let me ask you a question. Have you determined the pecking order of your dogs. In other words, you are top –who’s next, all the way to the dog with least status.

I have read & believe that dogs need that order. If you don’t establish it then they will try to fight to find it for themselves. As puppies – everyone is dominant but as they mature 7+ months they will actively try to find their place in the pack. They are happiest if they know exactly where they fit in. For my personally – the new dog (if bigger or equal size) is the lowest (I give the smallest that honor only to keep them safe). We can establish the peeking order by who gets food first, who gets attention first.

Since this pup is showing aggression towards other dogs in your house, I would put him to the bottom of the list. Feed everyone else (in the same room like shep’s picture) first. Say the dog’s name and give food. Feed him last. This shows him his place.

If you catch him guarding – growl NO at him and tell him to go laydown or go to another room. That is your territory and he has no right guarding it from anyone or anything. You own EVERYTHING!!!.

Be sure to praise him if he shows no reaction to sharing.

[doglovin]

Oh thought i should add.

Every dog we have had has been COMPLETLY non food aggresive with people. My dad does NOT allow that, and every dog knows that. Every one of our dogs has always been willing to give up any type of food to ANY human, wether they are a complete stranger or not. Kings mom,Sarah, [a rottwieler], had very firm submissive training from my dad when she was a puppy. When she was just a couple years old, my little brother would scramble after her bone [mom always fed the dogs in the kitchen so she could keep an eye on things]. Chad would grab the bone. This was like an immediate "paws off", Sarah would back off an inch or two and watch him, mom would scold Chad, and he would drop the bone, Sarah would then inch forward and take it. Once at two years old Chad got his hand smacked TEN TIMES IN A ROW, for stealing Sarahs bone, every time though, she would back off and let him have it, mom would give it back to her.

Their was only ONE dog dad never succesfully trained. That was our Golden Retriever named Sheena [or Sheba]. She was a foster dog that we adopted because we loved her so much, but once she decided a treat was hers she would NOT give it up. She NEVER showed aggresion or defience, she would jsut refuse to give up her treat. She wouldn't growl, she would just pick it up in her mouth, and REFUSE to let it go.She would placidly sit with a bone sticking out of her mouth, and apear sleeping.You could pull on that bone, or sit beside her and chew it [yes, i did that at 3, gross i know]. She died at 16 yrs old. We had her for ten years, and we never broke that habit. Otherwise she was completly tolerant. Mom had a daycare when i was little, and Sheba put up with ten kids every day, and LOVED IT!

[Brenda]

THANKS...I agree it is unpleasant and I don't want to be the peacekeeper. Maybe part of the problem is that Tib (pup) is trying to establish her dominance over Skye (older sheltie) and every time she does we chew her out. SOOO...they have not established their own heirarchy of power and I think this is a symptom. I like your idea of feeding them in the same room and feeding Tib last. I could also give her a rawhide while the others are around and get after her if she gets defensive. Do you think she will figure out that I am correcting her behavior toward the other dogs...not me?

It brings to mind that my show horse is a BOSS MARE, she is and always will be the boss of any pasture situation that she is in. I could no more convince her to 'play nice' than teach her to fly. When she is turned out now she goes with other horses that know that she is in charge and since they have established the heirarchy there are no problems...even with the most passive horses.

Is my correcting Tib's dominant behavior towards the other dogs just messing up their establishing a heirarchy?