actually this is the 3rd time.....it was bound to happen.

I gave him a chicken back and he took it out of the bowl and ate it in the corner. this is normal. then, I went to pick up his bowl of Embark to stir a little more and he growled a bit. I then went to rub his head and he growled a little more as if he was more irritated. funny thing is, he's only growled at me while eating a chicken back or neck. when its just his embark, he's very nice. the only other time I recall him growling was while he was chewing a bully stick I tried to take from him...

advice is always appreciated...

two different opinions on this...you can acclimate him by continuing to feed him and handle his food--even hand feeding him giving it to him so you teach him that you are the pack leader(I think most here would NOT agree with this approach!) or you can feed him in his crate, not bother him until he's through eating, and do not allow him to growl at you when you're picking up his bowl.

I'm sure many here will have some more ideas...my dog has never growled at me and I've always handfed her. I also don't let her keep her bowl after she's through eating.

keep watching the thread...more are bound to post their ideas

Collin,

Dogs are often more protective of items with bone/that require chewing, than a bowl of kibble or ground meat or some such thing.

There are two routes you can go here. You can work to desensitize you dog while eating, or you can leave your dog alone while eating. You will find differing opinions on which route to take, and this sometimes depends on just how food agressive a dog really is, it's age, how long you want to work on it....and so on.

well...he'll be 4 months on friday.

my other boy used to growl and we dont want that to happen here. if it were kibble I'd probably drop a few pieces in...but with chicken back and THK, its kinda hard. is it even ok to leave him alone while eating? with my other boy all I did was pass by one day and he went into full on GROWL and STARE mode...I wasnt all that close neither...

should I reprimand him if he growls?

At just 4 months, yes I would reprimand and try to work on this so it doesn't become an issue in the future when it could get out of hand.

how though? he usually lies on his belly and has the chicken between his front paws. is it a hit or a tug onhis collar? he IS a rottie so the correction should be a little hard I think...


my other male rottie actually got aggressive with me about 4 years ago. I was younger and wasnt about to back down so when he barked an "angry" bark and his head snapped at me, I wrestled him on the ground. (I know Im gonn catch heat for saying that!!). a 190lb filipino vs a 110lb rottie...hehe. there were 3 total incident like this and I dont want to use those methods anymore. now Imeducating myself about dogs rather than being a stereotypical dog owner who in the past might have either gotten myself or others hurt...

like mr pryor said, lets get this taken care of now at 4 months.... no more WWE for me...

I just tried really hard to find an old post I made on the subject. This is just a tiny bit of info.

I highly reccommend you read Jean Donaldsons book on resourse guarding. I can't remember what it is called.

I would try hand feeding the boney items to the dog for a while if you want to go the desensitizing route. The goal is that the dog does not see you as competition, but rather as a provider. Hold the chicken and have the dog chew peices off while you hold it. This works well with rec. bones as well and the dog can actually start to see you as a help to hold the bone to get to the juiciest bits

After the dog is comfortable with that, you can try holding some boney chicken and letting the dog bite of peices as in the past. Try pulling a switcheroo while you still have some neck or back in your hand and give the dog some ground meat as an immediate reward for letting you remove the boney item form the scene. The ground meat requires no chewing and the dog may see it as "better', (easier to gulp). Voila you have taken something away that the dog wants, but have provided something better.

Alternatively, you can just take something away, and condition the dog that you will just give it back to him right away. So in the end the dog thinks, "yeah, he might take it away, but he will give it right back".

Do that a few times so that the dog thinks that you make him stop eating one thing, but you the great provider will provide another.

Now on the side, away form meal time you will be working on a leave it or drop command. Eventually you will be able to tell the dog to drop a bone. Reward this by giving it back or feeding a treat (if there is anything dog likes better than that bone)

THis is examples of how to desensitize a dog positively. Others can give you advice on correcting a dog out of food aggression. i have no real experience there.

There is a fine line between bothering your dog when eating and being able to be comfortable around your dog if you NEED to take something out of his mouth. A really food aggressive dog is also a food gulper and will eat in an accelerated fashion if they think that their food is at risk of being taken away. This is a choking risk with raw food with bones. SO be careful.

Hope this gives you some food for thought Your dog is young and can probably get comfortable around you while eating. Do not allow your family to do this. Just you.

When we picked up our pup, the only thing that the breeder said was that she noticed that he had some food aggression. I didnt see this displayed much until later when he started feeling his oates a little. I figured out real quick that I was going to have to be proactive or I was going to have issues.

First of all, I fed him right next to me in the kitchen. I stood over him and stroked his back when he ate (kibble, mind you) when it was time to give him raw/bones I put him in his kennel and did not bother him, I just left him in peace to chew at his leasure. I can now take food from his bowl or pick up his bowl to move it while he is eating, he trusts me completely. I can even take food from his bowl and hand feed it to him (I think he prefers this,lol) Would I have one of my kids do it, no way! Do I allow the other dogs or the cat in the house when he is eating in the kitchen? No way! Some dogs just don't want their eating time to be bothered. Ed says that once you put the food down not to mess with the dog. A pack leader wouldn't mess with the other dogs food once he relinquished it so we shouldn't either. It all depends on the dog but for him to be so young, I would address the issue from a strong leader position, he needs to know that you are the boss. I'm curious..when you treat him does he grab it outa your hand like he's going to take a finger w/it? If so, you might want to work on an 'easy' command this has helped me in the past w/food aggression. If they trust that they will get it, most times they will calm down about it. JMO.

thanks for all the great replies....I just fed him about an hour ago so I've been monitoring this thread....

 Quote: jennifer coulter

There are two routes you can go here. You can work to desensitize you dog while eating, or you can leave your dog alone while eating. You will find differing opinions on which route to take, and this sometimes depends on just how food agressive a dog really is, it's age, how long you want to work on it....and so on.

While I agree with these two methods, I actually do both. As puppies (and new dogs that come in as well), if they are food aggressive, I will hand feed or desensitize until they are okay with me around food. As they get older, I taper off and soon enough, let them eat.

This way, I know I will be able to get something away that I may not want them to have without a big "to-do" over it.