Pup ~ Food Agression

[Kay 3,709]

Never had a dog thats aggressive with food basically because i ensured the dog knew its place , i thought the idea was that its the pack leaders food , ie mine , so if i want to remove it i can do so without being grumbled at .

 

As pups i handled the food as it was being eaten & if there was any sign of possesiveness the dish was booted across the kitchen & the pup told to leave it sternly , and kept being told untill the pup lay flat to the floor where i then gathered the dish up & swept the contents up , then tried it again maybe half hour after & kept doing it untill the pup behaved properly

 

Worked for the pups i have had here with out having to use any physical punnishment

[Guest ESS]

From an early age you should put your hand in the food ,any signs of dominance aggression should be met with you picking the bowl up telling it no and making it sit...if it dont know the sit the dog will quickly get the idea because the dog will be focused on the food bowl in your hand repeat the sit command when the dog sits place the food bowl down ,work it over a couple of days untill till the dog will leave the food till you can leave the bowl and give the command ,it will soon get the idea that food is your control and you by controlling the food will soon stop the aggression..your teaching the dog two lessons how to sit and more important to listen too you

 

just an idea not rocket science

[Doglost Co-Ordinator 4]

I would nt recommend the pinning down- some dogs it may work on others has you found out turns quite the opposite. Watch his other behavavior & like others have basically go back to basics. Establish yourself as 'leader' & make him do as you want be it by command or reward. All mine have no interest whatsover if you take food off them. I have mixed bunch & ok they dont work but I do a lot of volunteering with rescue & they have allsorts of issues.

 

Some may say you dont need to take food off them & thats right normally you wouldnt but they day you do need to you dont want confrontation.

It wont take long most dogs are really quick to learn without been beaten or pinned down

[Pignut 4]

I don't make a big deal about it. I take bowls away when I feel like it on the basis that one day they might have something I want. I also use the command "dead" and the dog knows what is coming next, the thing be it toy, or bowl will be removed. I also praise afterwards. I use a low steady voice and I am consistent.

 

A well timed "ahem" or "oi" can also change a dog's mind before the shit happens.

 

I agree it has to be sorted and I was amazed when a terrified little girl came over with her mum the other day. She had been badly bitten by a collie and was very scared. My rescue Patt did his usual trick of bringing her a toy to have a good argument about. He is very vocal and can be nippy if you do not know the rules. I told her to say the word "dead" in a good strong voice so she whispered it and, bless him, he dropped the toy immediately. They played for hours and he knew exactly what she wanted.

 

So, moral of the story, get it sorted. You need to establish these rules. My rescue Patt is secure in his environment. He will let me take stuff away because sometimes he has small bone slivers that could get stuck (leftover bones).

 

I also have a Patt that growls when you move her off the sofa. She gets her arse launched into next year when she does that because she has learned that behaviour off the rescue Patt, who is always very vocal but never bites when asked to move. I have had her since a pup and the last time she answered back to my daughter, she got pinned to the floor and her arse kicked. She peed herself with misery and has never done it again.

 

You have to win. You have to make the dog know a) it is not negotiable and he will get praise or an alternative. He basically has to take responsibility for his actions.

 

Good luck - sorry to waffle!

[gnasher16 30,062]

Ive seen and had a lot of dogs like this i would say a lot of it depends whether the dog is indoors/outdoors and what the chances are of problems with other people/kids etc.

My experience is you often need to break a dog down to get it out of this and if its an outdoor dog where it wont cause problems i would let it go.....if not,the harsh truth is you will probably need to break the dogs will to get him out of it and with a bull terrier this is A,not an easy thing to do and B,is it something you would really want to do....

What i would say is give it a lot of thought no matter what and be careful.

[Attack Fell Terrier 864]

If he shows any aggression at all lash the dog shit out of him, Show him you are in charge and that you will give and take whatever and when ever you like.

 

Make sure he understands you are in charge and that you wont put up with him being aggressive, and if you set about doing something to train him, keep doing it until he starts doing as he is told, giving up half way through will only lead to problems and result in a massive waste of your time.

 

Best of luck.

[richard25 0]

Short answer Hand feed him from now on until you see a marked improvement in his behaviour, then slowly introduce him eating from the bowl again but really we should not mess around with the dogs food whilst its eating, alright kids will be kids but adults usually cause the problem in the first place not the confused dog

[azzaaah 0]

It always best to take time out at feed time, and go throught he routine with him, instead of giving him the food on the floor, make him come to u, feed him with the bowl in your hands, and raise it slighly, so he has to reach up a little to eat, then simply raise the bowl to a higher level, tell him to sit and wait, then lower the bowl again, for him to continue eating, this way he assosiates sharing the experience of eating, he must be in close proximity to you, to get what he wants (the food) and he will associate you in the equation in a positive manor, as the food is seemingly coming from you, and you control the bowl and therefor the giving, as opposed to you bending down and removing the bowl, which is a negative reinforcer.

 

 

This exercise, allows him to eat, but on your terms, being physically aggressive will only highten the problem, and he will begin to associate you in a negative manor, and food time will become a race to get the food down his face, and may even make him more aggressive, as he will become apprehensive of what is about to happen.

[Little Butch 16]

Cheers for the help guys, 'azzaah' I'll give that a go Tomorrow and let you know how It goes..

 

And when I talk about taking the Bowl I mean when It's empty!

 

Butch

[Pignut 4]

If the bowl is empty and he is having a go, I would definitely teach him the word "dead".

 

Start with a toy. Play a good tug of war and at a certain point, look him the eyes and stop pulling back and say firmly in a low voice "dead". Do not go on pulling the toy away, just act neutral with it, so the toy is no fun. If he drops the toy, reward with praise and give him back the toy at your speed, not his and resume the game. Play this game, with just you and him and no other dogs because they will make him aggressive. This is between him and you only.

 

Play this game every day for as long as it takes. He will soon cotton on that dropping the toy results in praise and the return of the toy but you are instigating the game and playing with him, not him with you.

 

Once you think he understands the word dead, use something else, like a ball. When he brings it back, say "dead" and take it. If this works, move onto the bowl. Once you say "dead", he has already learned to give up the item. You can reward him with a treat if you want but once you say "dead", there is no more discussion.

 

Also, don't fanny about, don't approach this with worry or nerves coz he will sense this. Remember you are not asking for rocket science, you are asking for good manners and you pay the bills, so it is the least he can do for you. He has food and water and everything he wants.

 

GOod luck.

 

Pignut

[Little Butch 16]

That 'dead' Idea sounds good, I'll give that a go aswell, even If It doesn't work with the food (no reason It shouldn't) It'll prove usefull..

Butch