OK, well up until today he has had his times of aggression. No biggie. Correwct it and move on but this is a new one.

Basically tonight what happened is this.

I hadf his food ready, set it down as I told him to sit and to stay.

Well he did. But tonight I wanted him to go longer than normal. With extra distractions. The distractions being me walking around and dancing but still telling him to stay.

He did.

For the record he is a Mal and his age is 1yr 2mo.

Anyways, after a longer than normal sit (was for appx 3-5min). Then all of a sudden I went to pet him and tell him ,as I have been saying for the past time but without petting, he growls and his hair is standing and he slowly gets back up but still hunching almost like a cat creeps after a bird or something.

I then get a little ticked off. I have his good food ready and he's going to pick a time like now to gorwl at me.

I have read about others "letting the dog know" that growling at the alpha leader is a big no no. (which without them obviously knew that. Thanks to my parents.hhaha)

Well let him know and then have him sit and stay for a bit longer, then give him the okay after 5sec to go eat.


he ran over there and started scafing. I pet him and turns, completely stiff, and growling VERY quietly and I tell him he can kiss my butt and to keep eatring. I started petting and fondling his food. He WANTS to eat but can barely lick the food as he is so stiff. He's literally flexing his muscles as if he is on the virge of a battle of two bowed up male lions.

Well, I picked the food up and put it up opn the fridge/.

Well, after 1hr I put himn in a heel, a sit, a down, then stay, put the food down, and after 10sec said "ok" and he went to eat, I popped his ribs like always during playing and that's it.

So what shoudl I do to not assist him and discourage this behavior, etc.

What the hell is his problem?

also I wanted him to play tug o war where he'd win the sleeve to maybe cheer him up to keep going.

Well, he took it and set it down and when I went to grab it he growled.

WHat does he need done? what would you do?

I think this is an area that could be left alone. I don't see it hurting his training to eat his food and be left alone while doing it. Just not somewhere I want to go with a dog for no reason.

I agree with Jeff here..........Just let him eat and don't mess with him. There are enough things that can come up in training, and you don't need to add unnecessary stress.

Aaron,
It's one thing to ask for a polite behavior and then release the dog to his food, and another altogether to taunt it at mealtime. 3-5 minutes? C'mon now....an 8 year old human child would get pretty crabby too!

If you want to use meals for training, then use them for training. In other words, put the kibble in your pocket and use up his dinner rations one piece at a time during training. Otherwise, have the dog sit or down or whatever and just let him have his dinner.

There are differences of opinion about playing with a dog's food. I do it when they are tiny babies, but when I stick my hand in the food dish, it is *always* to deposit some savory morsel....good stuff. If I pick the bowl up, I always trade it for something else....a giant chunk of hotdog or something.

There is a difference between desensitizing a dog to hands near his dinner bowl and taunting it while trying to assert your role as 'alpha'. By your description, it sounds like sheer luck that you weren't bitten.

T

 Quote:

Aaron,
It's one thing to ask for a polite behavior and then release the dog to his food, and another altogether to taunt it at mealtime. 3-5 minutes? C'mon now....an 8 year old human child would get pretty crabby too!

If you want to use meals for training, then use them for training. In other words, put the kibble in your pocket and use up his dinner rations one piece at a time during training. Otherwise, have the dog sit or down or whatever and just let him have his dinner.

There are differences of opinion about playing with a dog's food. I do it when they are tiny babies, but when I stick my hand in the food dish, it is *always* to deposit some savory morsel....good stuff. If I pick the bowl up, I always trade it for something else....a giant chunk of hotdog or something.

There is a difference between desensitizing a dog to hands near his dinner bowl and taunting it while trying to assert your role as 'alpha'. By your description, it sounds like sheer luck that you weren't bitten.

T

Tracy is 100% correct.

Good pack leaders don't harrass their pack members.

You are actually giving the dog reasons to be aggressive by your unfair behavior.

I read an article somewhere about a couple that created food aggression in their dog by doing lengthy "training" around the food bowl. Making the dog "do something" for the food is one thing but prolonged harrassment is only going to make your dog nervous and edgy as you have already seen.

Don't create a problem. Be fair, would you want someone doing the same thing to you at your plate?

 Quote:

 Quote:

Aaron,
It's one thing to ask for a polite behavior and then release the dog to his food, and another altogether to taunt it at mealtime. 3-5 minutes? C'mon now....an 8 year old human child would get pretty crabby too!

If you want to use meals for training, then use them for training. In other words, put the kibble in your pocket and use up his dinner rations one piece at a time during training. Otherwise, have the dog sit or down or whatever and just let him have his dinner.

There are differences of opinion about playing with a dog's food. I do it when they are tiny babies, but when I stick my hand in the food dish, it is *always* to deposit some savory morsel....good stuff. If I pick the bowl up, I always trade it for something else....a giant chunk of hotdog or something.

There is a difference between desensitizing a dog to hands near his dinner bowl and taunting it while trying to assert your role as 'alpha'. By your description, it sounds like sheer luck that you weren't bitten.

T

Tracy is 100% correct.

Good pack leaders don't harrass their pack members.

You are actually giving the dog reasons to be aggressive by your unfair behavior.

I read an article somewhere about a couple that created food aggression in their dog by doing lengthy "training" around the food bowl. Making the dog "do something" for the food is one thing but prolonged harrassment is only going to make your dog nervous and edgy as you have already seen.

Don't create a problem. Be fair, would you want someone doing the same thing to you at your plate?

no but I can tell you one thing, if I was a kid and my dad wished to stick his hands in my food I bet I wouldn't say or defy it.

And yes, wolves DO torment the others. They go to eat the kill and if the others come up they lash out at the others until he is done. Thus making the others wait until hes had his fill...


Do you see what I am saying? The alpha pack leader wolf isn't going to say" he I am pack leader and its ok if you want to eat beforte me today, but just for today ok? Thanks"...

No that wolf doesn't negotiaite. You touch it before I do and you get attacked by me. Its that simple. Their minds are very simple.... They do not think like people, they are dogs....



ya follow me?

I don't think teasing a dog with his dinner and while he's eating is a good way for his handler to bond with the dog who's suppose to protect and defend him. And when your kid runs by the dog's dinner to retrieve his hotwheels car, what then?

Yes, as alpha, you technically can do whatever the heck you want with a dog and his dinner, but it's better for the overall relationship to be a fair and just leader rather than a leader that likes to throw his weight and rank around and make it known that "haha I'm #1 and you can't do squat about it NEENER!" A better suggestion would be to make the dog perform any number of commands BEFORE getting his food, and while eating only bother the dog to do good things such as scritching his favorite spots, bringing tastier morsels to the dish, etc. As Dennis says, you don't want to create a dog that "holds it in" whenever you pester him because you're alpha and suddenly has enough and lashes out. It's better to teach the dog that things happening to him and his food during mealtime only mean good things and sometimes more and tastier food.