You all are doing a wonderful job on this site.. one of few that I enjoy reading!! I love how you all handle the unwanted guests.. Quick and to the point.. There seems to be quite a bit of dog and even horse knowledge here so if I may ask a couple of questions....

I have 3 dogs.. Sadie(7 yr old boxer) Gabbie(1 yr Am. Bully) and her brother Tank. I have trained dogs since I could join 4-H.. Nothing big.. just Basic training for family and friends.. (Sadie know almost 20 hand signals) I have also raised pups from the same litter.. so I knew what I was getting into.. no worries there.. sorry this may be long.. but I realy need to paint a good picture.. The pups had to be taken from their mother early.. a couple of weeks because she wasn't letting them nurse anymore and was trying to wean them herself early.. Sadie took over as mother role.. (except for nursing.) From the very beginning I fed them in their crates.. they have never been starved for food.. (while in my care..) and never had to fight for it.. I do let all three dogs play together for a couple of hours a day now... and they are with me either alone or with Sadie and me the rest of the day.. I never let them out of my sight and they do very well.. I can give them toys and they will either play together or alone... outside and inside(i'm in alaska.. it is -22 so they dont get to go out for more than 30 min) they are always mannerly in the house.. I insist on that.. My question is about Tank.. he is neutered.. while out of his crate he is a perfect gentleman.. even if i give them a juicy meaty bone.. he will bring it to me everytime.. I have to tell him that it is ok that he eats it.. the other dogs can take it from him and he can go back and get it.. i can take it from him... no one growls or even raises one hair on their body.. in the house and outside..UNTIL I put them in their crates Tank gets food aggressive.. no one els does.. just Tank.. so far all he has done is growl at me or anyone that passes by his crate while there is food or a bone to chew on in with him.. I have tried feeding him by hand but all he does is hold it in his mouth until i go to give him another then he spits out the one in his mouth and takes the one in my hand.. he is standing and his head is very low to the floor and his tail and body is stiff.. I have tried a stern NO!! (he is very sensitive) no results.. still growling.. so.... this is what I am doing now.. everyone goes in their crate.. before they get food they must sit.. i will pour their food.. they are not allowed to move until I tell them "Eat Up" Everyone does this every time.. I have resorted to just letting Tank eat in peace.. I don't bother him until he is done eating.. after he is finished, he goes back to the perfect gentleman... Is this acceptable to continue this way? We do not have any worry about little fingers going into his kennel..

Thank you for your input!!!

Chrissie,
You've already touched on one of the first questions that you needed to ask yourself - is this really a problem? Letting a dog eat in peace without being bothered is usually no big deal. There are folks that demand the ability to take food from a dog at anytime under any circumstance ( which I think is silly when the dog has his dish and is crated to eat, as I do for my dogs ) but I see this far more often in pet owners that attribute human-like qualities to their dog, as opposed to dog trainers that have a more realistic view of dog behavior.

If the dog was outside of the crate and doing this type of behavior over toys and items, I would see it as "resource guarding" and probably intervene then, but a dog should have a area that is his, where he feels totally safe and in control ( his crate <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) which you're been wise enough to use. I'd let him just be for this situation.

If you've got the Leerburg tape Basic Dog Obedience video 302, pay close attention to the "leave it" exercise. I'd train that carefully with your boy in a neutral location with an item that he found interesting, but not too interesting. Having him trained on that command and responding to it as an obedience command may come in handy down the line.

Wil

Thanks for the input!! I feel better about just letting him be now.. I don't have the Basic Training video.. but all my dogs do know "leave it" "drop it" "bring it here" "outside" "off" and of course "sit, down, stay, and come" (incorporated with hand signals) quite well... I could have a pile of "cookies" on the floor if I tell them to leave it.. they will.. they know I will reward them greatly.. Tank get so excited when I give a command he dances and wiggles while trying to "sit" or "down" for me.. It is very funny to watch he is such a happy dog LOL I have a friend who is going to teach me how to ski so I can do some skijouring with them.. they love to run and have the basic understanding of pulling.. I think they would enjoy it Any suggestions?

Oh, great... you just set Will up for his FAVORITE TOPIC!

SNOW!

Snow.....that white stuff that I've read about?
Hey....I actually had to wear a long sleeve shirt today. Brrr........ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Sorry, it only snows here about once every two decades, and it's gone within six hours of hitting the ground, so my skijouring skills don't get much practice down here! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
But I'd make sure the dog was comfortable in the harness *before* I had him start pulling me.....that's just me, of course. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

LOL

Yeah with me not knowing how to ski.. I am enlisting the help of a dog sled trainer to make sure the dogs are safe and happy with the harness before I get behind them with stick on my feet!! LOL

Yeah Florida doesn't get too much snow If you feel the need to see some snow let me know I will send you some pics of our 3+ feet LOL