RileyPants Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 hi. i have a husky puppy who is about 15 weeks old. he has begun to show food aggression. we can take any toy away from him and he does not have a problem with it, but whenever we try to put a hand in his food bowl, he chomps down harder and will growl. he bit my boyfriend today when he tried to remove the bowl. also, we got him a new chewy bone and when trying to take that away he growled. we took a treat and told him to 'drop it.', then took it away while giving him the treat. he was fine with this. any ideas on how to stop his food aggression??? we both take turns feeding him. we pour his food and make him wait and then tell him it is ok to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Hi, welcome to the pack Look forward to getting to know you and your sibe and seeing lots of pics How old was he when you got him? He's only young yet and you're doing the right things - keep it up he will learn don't worry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damrod Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Try: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/aggression.html Causes of Food Aggression In Dogs Most of us think a puppy aggressively guarding his food is cute. Don’t do it! This is a serious training mistake many dog owners make. Instead of encouraging this kind of canine possession aggression, you need to nip this problem in the bud. In your dog’s mind, he’s confused about who the pack leader is. If you don’t take the role of the alpha male (even if you’re female), there’s a leadership vacuum, to your dog’s way of thinking. If you don’t step into the role, he will. And he won’t be nice about enforcing his position in your household. In his mind, he’s the top dog, so he can take whatever he wants from anyone in the pack who ranks lower than him. The reality is that the family dog should be at the bottom of the heap, not the top. Anyone in the household should be able to take anything away from him, even his food. Of course, you’re not really going to do this, but he needs to know where he stands in your household pack. Dog Food Aggression Training With a puppy, you’ll make it clear that having people or other animals around when he’s eating is OK. Do this right from the beginning, and you’ll probably never have a problem with this type of aggressive dog behavior. Anyone in the family should be able to safely stand right next to him at any time while he’s eating.If not, you should take control of his food. It’s always a good idea to feed your dog after you and your family have finished eating. Your dog will instinctively understand that the alpha dog always eats first.This reinforces in your dog’s mind exactly where he is in the famly heirarchy. Require that your dog sit and stay quietly while you’re fixing his food. If he whines and jumps around and demands food, don’t give in. He needs to earn his food by behaving in a non-aggressive manner. Don’t ever give your dog food if he’s growling at you. This only rewards his bad dog behavior. If food aggression in dogs is already a serious problem in your household, a dog behavior course may be your next step. Look for a course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer , and that has a forum where you can get advice from other dog owners. Now that you know what to do, don’t delay in taking steps to control dog food aggression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice and Cripton Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Excellent reply..added to rep..cant really add on this:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ade hill Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 if he will eat gently from your hands, this can also help let him learn that the food is YOURS, and you allow him to eat it, maintaining the alpha role, its a step backwards, but it does work. start feeding by hand, then introduce an empty bowl over time, then after a couple more days drop the some of the food into the bowl, and hold it as you do so, and so on its a gradual process, but ive had big success with it in the past with other breeds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Resource guarding is actually not always about the pup thinking it's more dominant than you - even pups who are at the bottom litter pecking order will show food aggression to dogs who are of a higher ranking. Possessiveness and resource guarding is a very instinctive trait. The best way to handle a pup who is resource guarding is to do two things: - Let the pup know that food is a resource you control - Teach the pup to feel comfortable around you when they have something the value like food, so you remove that feeling they have that they need to guard food around you - teach them that it's no big deal. The routine you have when you feed your dogs is quite important and can either create or worsen a dog who resource guards, or it can build the respect the dog has for you. When I feed my dogs they have to stay for their food, but once I put the bowl down they have learnt to look at me and not the food. They maintain eye contact with me while they are staying (they look at me, not the food bowl) because they have learnt to look to me for permission to eat - because food is a resource I control and they can only have it on my say so. They don't break the stay until I say 'ok' and then they race to their bowls and eat their dinner. Once I give the ok, I leave them in peace to eat. Some people will tell you to take food from their bowl, or put your hands in the bowl, or generally annoy the dog when they are eating. I don't do any of that, when I say ok that means ok and I don't tease them by taking the food off them - this can actually make a dog resource guard because they learn whenever you approach them when they have food that you are going to take it off them. However, I can take food of any of my dogs at any time and they will happily give it to me. Once my dogs have built up a good, solid stay and focus on me, not the food bowl, when they are in that stay then I might sometimes do things like calling them when they are eating and giving them a really great high value streak (like a piece of steak or chicken or sausage) so they learn that obeying me when they have food is fun and rewarding. If they have a bone, I might go out and ask them to give, then give them a high value piece of food as reward, and give their bone back to them. I don't do this often, but I reinforce to them that giving me their food is only good for them, and that having me near their food is nothing to stress about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex T Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Welcome to the pack - great advice already posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbb23 Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Hey ya, Welcome to the site!!!! there are many threads & posts other members have posted on their Sibes showing some aggression(Husky questions). When we first got Grey he showed some agression over toys but with a bit of training and firm no he soon learnt that we was boss over him nd not the other way around! Great answers & links guys added to Reps!! Hope you manage to sort it out. Good luck x x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 shadow is 8 weeks old and is food aggresive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bec Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 shadow is 8 weeks old and is food aggresive Don't be upset - it's very common for young pups to resource guard. It won't be hard to fix if you do the right things now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 great advice already posted so cnt add anymore welcome to the site hope u enjoy it here cnt w8 2 see sum pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Welcome. Smeagle knows what she's talking about. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkyries Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 not alot to say as already been said so welcome to the site and enjoy xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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