I have a fifteen month old male shepherd that did the same thing when he was about the same age.
At that time, I chose to ignore it and go on about my business. Maybe that was a bad idea, now he is a monster, not in size but in spirit. He will guard his bowl for a long time after he eats and is unapproachable.
In your case you could go up and correct him for growling. But, I do not think that is fair.
You gave him the food and in his view by nudging him you are trying to take the food back, very unfair.
In my case, hand feeding when he first started to display the growling, etc. probably would have helped.
I suggest you do the same (hand feeding, to develop trust) otherwise you could end up in a pickle.
I would try to feed at the same time every day and give him NOTHING for nothing (NILIF some people call it here).
Try to always make your dog work for food from you hand then slowly introduce the food back to the bowl (days rather than weeks I think), sitting with the dog and remove peices of food from the bowl and let him eat from your hand.
It's basically about letting him know that YOU provide his food and he doesn't need to / shouldn't, compete with you for it.
I should also mention that I beleive you should NEVER take the food away in this case as it may make him MORE food aggresive.
Also NEVER correct him for it especially at this age.
For 2-4 weeks, feed that pup from your own hand, one bite at a time -- If he already knows the Sit command (or even better yet, the Down command) have him do a Sit or Down every time BEFORE you give him each bite...
This routine will teach the puppy that it's YOUR food & you GIVE it to him -- After a few weeks, hold his bowl of food in your lap & let him eat his meals from there, but don't bother the dog by petting him while he's eating...
At the end of a month, his food aggression problem will most likely be solved, but if he still exhibits possessiveness around his bowl, just feed him in the dog crate -- That will insure peace & safety at mealtimes <:-)
I experienced the same thing. My chow started growling at 3 mo old. We tried many things to include feeding by hand for 2 solid months. We wound up in a behaviorists office who told us to move his food to a different room and leave him alone, not go into that room while he ate. He just wound up guarding the new room. Ed's advice, as I understand it, was an aggressive dog should eat in his crate period. We now do this and have had no trouble. He goes in the crate and sits, then we lay the food bowl in the crate and close the door. This has laid to rest his food aggression and any issues with him gaurding the kitchen.
When purchasing any product from Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. it is understood
that any and all products sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. are sold in Dunn
County Wisconsin, USA. Any and all legal action taken against Leerburg Enterprises,
Inc. concerning the purchase or use of these products must take place in Dunn
County, Wisconsin. If customers do not agree with this policy they should not
purchase Leerburg Ent. Inc. products.
Dog Training is never without risk of injury. Do not use any of the products
sold by Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. without consulting a local professional.
The training methods shown in the Leerburg Ent. Inc. DVD’s are meant
to be used with a local instructor or trainer. Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. cannot
be held responsible for accidents or injuries to humans and/or animals.
Copyright 2010 Leerburg® Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. All photos and content on leerburg.com are part of a registered copyright owned by Leerburg Enterprise, Inc.
By accessing any information within Leerburg.com, you agree to abide by the
Leerburg.com Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Growling Puppy
#107314 - 05/26/2006 01:34 PM 
Top
Previous Topic
Index
Next Topic
.jpg)
