I don't torment my dogs with needless shows of bravado, but if there is a reason for me take away their food while they are eating they know well enough to let it be.

I always thought I was a tyrant about most things, food not being one of them, but man, Chris has me beat! Check it out.

Quote:Yes. I can take anything from my dogs' mouths, from in front of them, and away from their general area. I am in control of their entire world. I give when they deserve and take away when they do not. I am the giver of food and the taker away of food. The same goes true for their toys. In short I am their leader, and they do as I say

I have never had an interest in messing with a dogs food. I also have no interest in feeding my dog where a toddler can walk up and do stupid things, I also would not want to own a dog that would tolerate some dumb-ss human sticking a plastic hand in it's bowl. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Of course, I don't think I have a single dog that cares about any of it. I also can't remember ever having a dog, except a couple of rescues that had food agg., and it went away after time went by, and they realized that I don't have some rediculous Napolean complex that I need to bother a dog that is eating. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

So who wants to tell me what you are trying to accomplish, (besides some weird sort of control issue you might have)
by even thinking of bothering a dog that is eating out of his dish??????HMMMMMM???? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
And as an afterthought, why do you think this will have anything at all to do with taking something out of a dogs mouth in the livingroom??? I really would like to hear the answers to this one!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'm a little confused. To me, more than a few things can fall into a category that looks like control. I.E. going out a door before your dog, eating before your dog, not allowing to eat until you say "OK", etc.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with any of these things but doesn't being able to take the food away from your dog for an appropriate reason fall into this category? If anything, I would think taking the food away is a very important ability on the part of the dog owner seeing as dogs put EVERYTHING in their mouth??

Maybe once every couple of weeks or so I'll momentarily put my hand in my dog's dish or as he's eating I'll walk by and briefly pet him or I'll call him over to me and give him something additional to eat (maybe something better than what's in his bowl) all just to make sure that if I have to literally take something from him (something dangerous to him) that he'll not be taken aback and cause difficulty if and when I need to do this?

I should add that my house is a one-dog house. If he's called away from his food, he knows it will still be there when he returns to it. No cats, no reptiles, no birds, nothing. I also have no infants or toddlers in the house. Perhaps this makes it easier for him to relax during mealtimes. I don't know.

Shouldn't you have as much control as possible over your dog, who is potentially a very dangerous animal?

Just a thought.

Theoretically I could do whatever I want to my dog while he's eating, but why would I? I have a hard enough time getting him to eat without distracting him or messing with him. I put his food bowl down, I don't say anything, i walk away... if he's hungry he eats, if not, I'll throw one of his chicken flavored vitamins on there that he loves, if he still doesn't eat within 15-20 minutes his food goes in the trash. If I go n tug his tail n poke his nose n stick my hand in the food bowl he'd think I was weird n probably walk away thinking I'm claiming his food. This food bowl aggression thing is something shelters do because they think prospective adopters are stupid enough to stick their hands in the food bowl or let their kids around the dog when he's eating. I'm sure some very good dogs that are food aggressive have been deemed aggressive and unadoptable because they stick a plastic hand in the poor dogs food bowl... I mean, the dog doesn't know these people well enough to know they're not gonna take away his food, he certainly knows the hand isn't real, n they go and mess with the dogs food!

http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/showf...rue#Post4144841

Stephanie,

I agree with what Matt and Jeff said above.

The best way to think of it is from the dogs perspective. All of the toys are actually your toys that you let your dog play with. Therefore, you can take them whenever you choose.

Again, I'll qualify this by saying you shouldn't be Napoleonistic about it. Be fair, but always reserve the right.

Yea John, I definitely thought that was the goal <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> !!

I would add too Mike, that if I had any kind of trouble getting my dog to eat, I would not do any of the things I mentioned that I do w/my dog. You make a good point.

The food aggression thing is, to me, something that should be corrected if possible. From Day One (when he was 8 weeks) was just put myself in a postion that would allow for a great many things to be tolerated, brush his teeth, touch his food, clip his nails, examine his paws, groom him, etc. I'd love to say I'm a very smart dog owner <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> but that's not the case. I have a little bit (teeny weeny) bit of experience but my dog is also very relaxed too. I tend to be quite clueless about dog rearing and have grown to depend on this board for a lot of insight. Thank goodness my dog has you guys <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> to turn to!!