Well, I was always afraid that my GSD puppy out of Czech lines was a little sharp. Most of the aggression that he's shown has been defensive in nature, and usually appropriate - sudden movement towards me or a direct challenge to him would result in a growl or lunge towards the offending person. My pup was kind enough to demonstrate this repeatedly at the last Flinks seminar, and Bernard and I worked on it until Bernhard could walk by and slap me on the back without Fetz lunging at him.

He has never challenged me over anything. I rarely train him in protection, and then only in prey drive. I do work him nearly everyday in tracking and Obd., and I socialize him to the max. In a situation that I'm relaxed in, he usually does great. He's thirteen months old now, and here was the situation that occured this evening...
I was feeding him and he was eating out of his bowl on the floor in the kitchen. My wife walked by him and he snarled at her. She was not making eye contact with him, she was just walking by in a relaxed manner. Fetz kept eating, but eyed her and continued a low growl. My wife called me but I had already heard it and moved towards them. I yelled at him and had her move away. I then yelled at him to plotz - he was very resentful, and I removed his food after he plotzed by me about 3 feet from the bowl. He tried to break the plotz to eat again and I slammed him over the head. He accepted the correction without any fight and was ok after the food was removed. I had my wife interact with him and he was fine with her. He sort of groveled to appease me and I replaced his food bowl, but I kept him in a plotz as an Obd. /control exercise for a moment, then let him eat again. I stroked him slowly while he ate, he didn't display any aggresion to me.

So...what to do now. I'm always of a mind to just let a dog eat in peace and not bother him- I like to save a battle for an important exercise, and I feel that feeding time control is just a pissing match. However, my wife's dog experience is with agility dogs and she has a minimal understanding of canine aggression. She does have to care for this beast sometimes. Plus...this is a very rank conscious animal - am I better off fighting him now and getting it over with and increasing the dominence level I have and waiting until it's really needed for something important.

Opinions? It'd be nice not to have to totally think this one out all by myself, like I usually do. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Awww Will,
We'll just let Buttercup handle it when he gets there!! (sorry, couldn't help myself)

Seriously, does your wife do any obedience training with him at all? that's where I would start, nothing major but maybe making him sit everytime she is around him, let her take him out and make him sit and stay while she goes thru the doorways first... I had to have one of my Dobermann puppy buyers do this with a rank male he got from me..worked very well.

Little Fetzy? Naaahhhh. . .really?

He he he. . .I can laugh only because I own this dog's sister and have had similar issues.

My girl tried to MOUNT me a few weeks after I got her, I didn't get angry just pushed her off. . .then she flared her gums and shot up into my chest to fight it out.

This was an 8 month old bitch. I know that the mother of this litter was also a dominate bitch and has tested her present owner often. I think "every six months" was the comment.

Todd?

I think Cindy is right, obedience training first, I might also have my wife be the one that feeds the dog for about a month or two. . .under supervision after she has done some obedience. Let her put the dog in a platz and then feed.

Try letting your wife hand-feed the dog (from the dog bowl) its food for a week in a down stay position...

good-luck..
anna*

I would also like to add that in addition to letting your wife feed him and work with him, if he EVER growls at your wife again with the food issue, take it away from him and he will have to wait until the next feeding (which she will do). Yes, play hardball with that little bugger.

I had to do this with a super rank dog at one time, it took a few lessons, but he learned respect. Alpha doles out the food! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Good Luck!

Hey Todd,
You're right about a growl in the past, it was over a rawhide....and he got a correction you'd be proud of, believe me. I think he groveled enough after my correction yesterday to show me that it was at a level that was sufficent.
I had Jamie feed him today with him being placed into a plotz and awaiting a release from her- worked great, she stroked him after he went to the bowl and then walked away...no aggression on his part. I'll have her start to do some of the on lease Obd for a while ( my knee is tore up bad anyhow, my ability to train is a mite compromised for the next few weeks anyhow <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )
Thanks ya'll for the words of wisdom!
And Todd, hurry up and repeat a breeding of Dar/Mara.....Bernhard would take a puppy from it, I bet <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Will,
Since you knew your pup's dam was a dominant bitch, were you looking for a more dominant temperament when you chose the pup? Were there any signs of dominance at a very early age. I have never owned a truly dominant/alpha dog, but the situation Will is describing seems to have a component of fear based aggression to it. It seems as though the dog is showing unprovoked aggression because he fears Will's wife might try to get his food. If the behavior is not fear based, then I have to assume that the dog is just pissed off/angry that someone would consider even getting close to his food. Either way, the behavior seems to reflect some instability regarding temperament.
What are the opinions on what is driving dominance aggression? Is it primarily that the dog has a need to display that it wants to be the pack leader and aggression is the only effective behavior to communicate to the rest of the pack? Or is there an element of thin nerves involved?
Are there any real advantages to an alpha dog in protection that aren't negated by the maintenance and potential liability they pose?

Uhhh. . . thats a lot of questions.

I think that food aggression in this case is dominance related, and the sharpness of the dog might have helped him along with his actions after he felt the challenge for the food.

If Will and been near the food, the dog wouldn't have growled I think. He certainly wouldn't have challenged the pack leader over food, that is a no no. Now another member. . .what the hell, might as well try? OOooopss. . .no go on that one either. When you have a dog that is rank he has this weird awareness to test his position in the pack and seek to climb the ladder. That isn't due to a weakness in nerve, IMO. He is just aware of the pack ranking system and has the drive to push it.

I don't think they will see this problem again as soon as they deal with it as mentioned.

These dogs also have an incredible food drive, at least my female does. . .that doesn't seem to help with food aggression and dominance issues.

I've had dogs that were confident and crystal clear. . .but still had dominance issues that showed themselves around food or toys.

I have seen scared wrecks that also have food/toy aggression, I have seen cared wrecks that didn't have food/toy aggression.

I don't know if you can connect dominance and nerve issues together to get a good answer that explains the behavior.

This is what Id have your wife do. First get two bowls. Set both bowls on the counter and have your wife prepare the one bowl for his feeding while he waites( in a platz or whatever) then have her set the other bowl down with one peice of food in it.After he eats this have her add food to that bowl a few pieces at at time. This will condition the dog to look forward to her being near or reaching for its food bowl. When the original bowl is gettin pretty low in food have her take the bowl up on the floor and set the bowl with the remainder of food left in it down on the floor(switch bowls). Have her continue feeding him this way until you think the problem is gone. The idea is for the dog to welcome you or your hand near his food because it only means more food.This is my suggestion but you get the idea of what Im saying.I thinks it works better than taking food away because that reinforces the idea that youve come to get its food so the dog will continue to want you to stay away from its food even if you train him to not tell you or not act on it.