Food aggressive dog

sassandgroove

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So the new puppy, Garrus, is about 10 months now. He was a stray and is food aggressive. He fixates on his bowl and tenses and snarls if you get near him. The other day I got between him and a treat and he bit me. He lets me take the other dogs food if they happen to leave food and i forget to pick it up. heknows it isn't his i guess. Once leela laid the smack down when he tried to eat her food and he hasn't tried it since. Unfortunately Hoshi - the little black one- is all beta and she let him take her food. So I have to watch her/protect her. The vets office suggested we hand feed him but we've been doing that for over a week and I'm not sure it isn't making it worse. I didn't find any threads about it. Wondered if any one had advice/ thoughts. I can't have him biting. Other wise he is very sweet and a good boy. He is keeping my feet warm as I type this.
 

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I've heard that hand feeding can help a dog with the behaviors that you describe. The timeline would probably be longer than a week to see results, though. Or maybe it won't help him individually; every dog is different. Your guy is still young, and it is (I think) still possible to train it out of him. Do you crate your dogs? If you do, it might work for you to feed each of them separately, in their crates, that way there simply can't be a food stealing issue, in addition to allowing Garrus a space that is his, where he also knows his food is his.

Maybe you could find a board certified veterinary behavioralist in your area? Or even if there isn't one you can go see in person, I hear that they'll do a consult over the phone.

Jean Donaldson also has a book, Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding, which I have not read myself but have heard positive things about.
 

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Hand-feeding can work very well, but you have to hand-feed everything the dog eats for a while, so that he learns to associate your hands, and eating, as a good thing and a treat. Make it a positive, happy time for him.

I've seen a UK-based dog trainer deal with this very quickly and effectively: she had a TV series here called The Dog Whisperer, I think, before the US trainer of the same name surfaced.
 

regdog

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Hand feeding does work but it has to be consistent. You can combine it with clicker training but the dog must learn that you control the food and he eats and gets food because as pack leader you allow it.

What also might help is not allowing the dog is sit on your lap or sleep on the bed until he understand you are pack leader and he is subordinate.
 

backslashbaby

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Train the other dogs to stay away when he eats, for sure, imho. Separate bowls in different corners where they don't look at each other is good (at first, anyway :) ).

Can you stick him outside on a lead for 10 minutes or so where you are? If so, you might try banning him from the pack for 10 minute intervals after he does anything particularly aggressive. Don't bring his food out there, either! Tell him it's not allowed. When he comes back in, let him have his bowl and try again.

You might try taking his food away with a stick until he gets better at that. It's pretty hard-wired in some dogs, so don't expect great behavior in one go. Do that very calmly, slowly and firmly. If he's too bad, ban him for 10 minutes.

If the other dogs get near him while he eats right now, let them know they aren't allowed to do that, either. Take them back to their own food and make them aware that it's not communal at the moment. If they keep trying, get them out of there.

My big guy used to be bad about this, but he gets it now. Now they don't bother with whose is whose, but I didn't even let them try that for months, just in case. I'd casually move the little one away as time got on, and eventually I just let them do their own -- good -- thing.
 

sassandgroove

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I've heard that hand feeding can help a dog with the behaviors that you describe. The timeline would probably be longer than a week to see results, though. Or maybe it won't help him individually; every dog is different. Your guy is still young, and it is (I think) still possible to train it out of him. Do you crate your dogs? If you do, it might work for you to feed each of them separately, in their crates, that way there simply can't be a food stealing issue, in addition to allowing Garrus a space that is his, where he also knows his food is his.

Maybe you could find a board certified veterinary behavioralist in your area? Or even if there isn't one you can go see in person, I hear that they'll do a consult over the phone.

Jean Donaldson also has a book, Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding, which I have not read myself but have heard positive things about.
thanks I am getting the book on kindle.

Thanks everyone.
 

MaryMumsy

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Probably not helpful, given the size of your dog, but amusing none the less.

In late 1969 my Dad bought a beagle puppy, so Mom and me and brother would have a 'friend' while he was in Viet Nam for a year.

Thanks Dad, a not housebroken or trained in any way beagle puppy.

Mom is feeding puppy on back patio, squishing some kind of broth into the kibble with her hand. Puppy growls. Mom doesn't even look up, she backhanded her about 10 feet across the patio. After that Mom could take food out of the dog's mouth without any aggression.

MM
 

sassandgroove

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It sounds like she did it calmly which I am sure was part of it. I need to work on the calm part. Now that he's bitten me it isn't easy to be calm.
 

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What OB have you done (and are doing) with the pup? This is the place to start.

I may not be able to help (internet diagnosis being questionable), but for the last twenty years I've taken in animals who weren't considered adoptable (unless the right person came along) and have turned them around.

Regardless of the past, respectful and consistent OB is where progress starts to happen.
 

sassandgroove

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OB?
We've been feeding him by hand. He focuses on the bowl so I've taken that out the equation for now by using a bag to hold his food. He is fine even with the other dogs getting dropped kibble off the floor though I've been keeping them separate. I'm reading that book suggested up thread but I want to read it all before I implement anything from it. It is a bit over my head, it is written assuming the reader is a trainer or vet that will be working with clients and their troubled dogs.
 

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Another trick that sometimes works (we did it a few times with our dog when he had issues) is to establish yourself more firmly as being 'in charge' and the supplier of the food. We did this by pretending to eat anything we gave him for a while so that he could see it (lifting the bowl up to your mouth while standing and pretending to eat). Hand feeding also works and part of that can be doing things like withdrawing the food if they show any aggression (our dog used to snap at any food held in your hand but if you pulled it back when he did that he soon stopped and now always takes food politely).
 

MeretSeger

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We did basic obedience training and I have found the best thing from it was the leave it/take it pair of commands. Now that it is ingrained in him I can press food to his lips and he won't open them until I say 'take it'. Now, he is food aggressive with my mother when she visits, but that is because she is and always has been the omega dog with every dog ever. She will not use commands. At all.
 

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The hand feeding is a really good tactic. You don't need to eat before them or anything. They understand that you're a human and not a dog.

Luckily resource guarding is easy to correct if you have some time to spend. Basically, you teach the dog that all good things belong to you and all good things come from you to them.

There's a training philosophy called Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF). It operates on the premise that the one in charge is the one that controls the resources. Resources can be anything the dog wants, like food, toys, comfy furniture, ear rubs and chest scritches, etc. It's very positive, disciplined, and doesn't involve punishing or intimidating the dog.

When I bring home a new puppy or foster dog, or have an older puppy going through the obnoxious teen phase, I'll put them through a strict regimen for a week or two (depending on the dog and what behaviors need establishing and modifying), then relax a bit and let them find their place. So far it's worked extremely well.

Basically you put his daily portion of food in a bag in your pocket. Then you put him on a leash and tie it around your waist. The dog must earn his food, kibble by kibble, throughout the day. That doesn't mean he has to sit 500 times a day. Just slip him a few kibbles every time he does something you like and want him to keep doing, whether you requested it or not. Stuff like, ignoring the other dogs eating, being nice to or ignoring cats, calmly watching children, sitting next to you on his own, looking at your face when you say his name, pottying outside, etc.

This teaches him what kinds of behaviors you like. It teaches him that all the food comes from you. It builds a strong bond between the two of you.

Teaching him the "trade" command is really good for resource guarding too. He's guarding it because he's afraid he's going to lose it. If you give him something low value, like a cool toy that he likes, then offer something fabulous like a hotdog and say, "Trade!" he has to release the toy to get the better thing. Then after he eats the hotdog, give the toy back. That way he learns that he's not losing it forever. When he understands that, you can increase the value of the trade objects. He'll get to the point where he'll willingly give you hotdogs from his mouth. I used a modified three way trading game to teach my two not to fight over food. Now they'll chew on the same bone together and eat out of the same bowl at the same time by choice.
 

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Teaching him the "trade" command is really good for resource guarding too. He's guarding it because he's afraid he's going to lose it. If you give him something low value, like a cool toy that he likes, then offer something fabulous like a hotdog and say, "Trade!" he has to release the toy to get the better thing. Then after he eats the hotdog, give the toy back. That way he learns that he's not losing it forever. When he understands that, you can increase the value of the trade objects. He'll get to the point where he'll willingly give you hotdogs from his mouth. I used a modified three way trading game to teach my two not to fight over food. Now they'll chew on the same bone together and eat out of the same bowl at the same time by choice.

We used a similar technique to teach "drop it." The dog has something in his mouth, then we say drop it and give a treat. The dog associates the dropping with getting a treat, and eventually you can say "drop it" and they'll drop it even if they aren't given a reward. This works well enough that I've had my dog pick up a chicken bone on the street and she dropped it when I told her to (thank goodness).

I mention this because one of our dogs gets nervous when we give her really good treats, like new bones or new food. We'll go to her and if she starts getting tense have her drop it, then we'll take it and pet her, give her snuggles and "good dog" and all that, and then give it back. It usually calms her down and after a couple of times you can walk up and touch the bone or pet her while she's chewing and she won't even make a sound. She does needs reminding sometimes, though.
 

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We used a similar technique to teach "drop it." The dog has something in his mouth, then we say drop it and give a treat. The dog associates the dropping with getting a treat, and eventually you can say "drop it" and they'll drop it even if they aren't given a reward. This works well enough that I've had my dog pick up a chicken bone on the street and she dropped it when I told her to (thank goodness).
my problem with that is my first dog learned not so much to "drop it" as "if I pick up something they don't want me to, I get a treat" like a sock or whatever. She prances into the living room with said loot as if to say, "look what I have! la la la." but it is important they learn "drop it."
I mention this because one of our dogs gets nervous when we give her really good treats, like new bones or new food. We'll go to her and if she starts getting tense have her drop it, then we'll take it and pet her, give her snuggles and "good dog" and all that, and then give it back. It usually calms her down and after a couple of times you can walk up and touch the bone or pet her while she's chewing and she won't even make a sound. She does needs reminding sometimes, though.
yeah, my first two dogs do that. I've stopped buying busy bones and chews because they just carry them around whining looking for a place to hide them. what is that about? Garrus, however, chows down on them, so I've bought him some.
 

sassandgroove

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So I've been hand feeding him. He waits until I offer he doesn't just take the food in my hand, which is good. But if kibble is dropped, and I reach for it, he snaps. So now I am working on putting the food down and keeping my hand there while he eats it so he learns it is ok to have my hand there. Today I picked up a peice of kibble from the floor and he just waited for me to hand it to him. YAY!

Since he fixates on his bowl, i've been setting the empty bowl in front of him and telling him to stay. when he does stay, i reach for the bowl and put a treat in it then release him. That book up thread said it conditions the dog to learn that my reaching for the bowl means good things. It's going to take a while, but I am hopeful.
 

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It sounds like you're doing a really good job for him, Sass. He's very lucky to have found you.
 

kaitie

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my problem with that is my first dog learned not so much to "drop it" as "if I pick up something they don't want me to, I get a treat" like a sock or whatever. She prances into the living room with said loot as if to say, "look what I have! la la la." but it is important they learn "drop it."

Lol. This sounds like my attempt to systematically desensitize my dog from her fear of balloons. She figured out pretty quick that barking at balloons meant she got a treat. Training fail!
 

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That's one of the reasons I don't agree with treating as a reward. Most dogs are smart enough to use it against you!
 

sassandgroove

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we taught my middle dog Hoshi to shake and now she paws us when she wants a treat or even just attention until we comply, which wasn't our intention. usually when she is sitting on the couch, so she's clawing an arm.
 

kaitie

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My puppy paws us. He learned scratching the back door makes us open it, so he's just generalized it to everything else he wants. We've spent ages trying to teach him to use his voice instead and tell us, but he's just a quiet boy (as long as there aren't any squirrels around). The other one talks all the time, though.
 

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I don't have much advice, sounds like you have gotten some really good advice already, and things are going well. But one thing, I would really seperate the dogs for feedings (if you aren't doing that already). Food aggression can be common in strays. They had it ingrained for so long that they had to be possessive over all food, or they might not eat. It is a hard thing to untrain, so to speak.

I have seen some nasty dog fights over food. You don't want that to happen. We recently got a second dog, a 7 month old pup from my work (I am a vet tech at a humane society). He is a great guy, and not necessarily food aggressive, but you can tell it is an issue with him. He wasn't a stray, but was surrendered from a person who kept him outside 24/7 with another, older dog. Very little human contact. He was very thin when we got him.

When I go to feed him, he attacks the bowl like he hasn't eaten in days (I feed him 3x a day). And then would run over to the other dogs dish and try to steal her food. She is one of those dogs that will lazily eat, even leave some food for later. Right away we decided to feed him in the bathroom, with one of us in there praising him. We make him sit and wait for his dish to be given to him (same with treats), and he has calmed down a lot.

So in short, dogs just need consistency, lots of praise (positive reinforcement) and time to settle in. Being in a new home, new family, new pets, is very stressful for any animal. But it sounds like you are doing an amazing job, and he was lucky you found him. And as a shelter worker, I also want to say THANK YOU, for not immediately getting rid of the dog at the first sign of a problem. I see that every day. Some people think a shelter/stray or any dog really should be perfectly trained the day they bring them home, with no adjustment period or training from them whatsoever. *Sigh*

(Sorry, don't mean to take over your thread)