I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this post, but I couldn't find anywhere else to stick it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Is it possible for a dog with no training to instinctively refuse food from a stranger??? I have seen a couple of examples of this.
One is several Rotts that belonged to an acquaintance of mine (who for 'chemical' reasons was very paranoid :rolleyes: ). These dogs very German imports, very beautiful, very intelligent, completely untrained (& uncontrolled),& very dangerous.(I'll touch more on these dogs some other time; I have a lot of questions concerning them) Anyway, if you didn't know them & you offered them food, they would quite literally try to kill you.

Another is my own dog, an aussie cross who has *very* strong defensive & prey drives.(I *believe* fight drive as well, but I'm not quite knowledgeable enough on that subject yet to say for sure <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) I have spent a long time 'defusing' this dog, even though she was well-socialized as a pup. She does not take well to strangers offering her food. At one point a UPS man offered her a biscuit & she nearly bit the poor guy! She refused to eat it even after he left, until I gave it to her. Even now she won't take anything from a stranger, simply backs away & growls.
Now, why would a dog do this instinctively??? Am I missing something here, or can you breed this into an animal? All in all, I feel that it is beneficial - it lessens the risk of them being poisoned, which happened to me once with another dog.

I had a dog that refused food from others too. However, I think a dog refusing food is not because of a "refusal drive" but is because of other underlying issues. For example, you talked about dogs that would get very aggressive when someone offered them food. I think, those dogs were suspicious of people and sticking anything out to them, would elicit that response.

My Mal was a weak nerved dog, and he wouldn't accept food because he was very nervous around people.

-Ugne

I think Ugne nailed it for the vast majority of dogs - they're afraid of the stranger. They're suspicious of anything proferred by the stranger. Weak nerves is all it boils down to.

I also think it's not only a matter of instinctively refusing food, but a matter of natural dog level of suspicion. Such a dog just wants to be left alone. It also tends to refuse actions like petting, grooming, paws control, ears cleaning, hair cutting, injections if they come from a stranger.

it is most deffinately a nerve issue.

Fear can be stronger than food drive, dependig on the individual dog's nerves.

I guess one could say suspicion, but only in the sense that the dog's suspicion is triggering its defense. Because a more evenly tempered dog, would drop his suspicion if offered food, assuming it had not been previously trained to refuse food from a stranger.

OK. So is suspicion always weak nerves, or would some suspicion go hand in hand with the defense drive?

It's only weak nerves if the dog is suspicious of things that do not warrant it. If someone approaches in a manner that is threatening, suspicion is appropriate. But a friendly or passive stranger is not cause for concern, suspicion, or avoidance.

If I look at my 2 dogs I can see where nerves come into play quite clearly for they differ like day and night. My GSD is very calm and affectionate around people and will be the friendliest dog on the planet unless when provoked he will become a raging bull. Ive done some food refusal with him but it was extremely difficult because he is so relaxed and trusting of people that even now he will let anyone non threatining feed him. My Belgian Shepherd on the other hand is the excact opposite. He is gunshy, nervy , distrustful of most outside the family circle and follows me whereever I go.
With him food refusal is almost "natural".