Daniel,
I think you're right that there is some genetic stuff going on here, but I don't think that means it's totally hopeless. He might not be "fixable" but it's probably possible to see *some* improvement.

Because the dog is willing to do damage in order to protect his food, I'd definitely put this in a more serious category. My first instinct is to question whether this home is appropriate for this dog, considering there is a five year old child in the home, but I'm not sure how helpful that is to the owner in solving the problem.

The most important thing is to make it safe for everyone, especially the child. Feeding should be done in such a way that there is no possibility of harm coming to anyone.

I agree with hand feeding, but due to the intensity of the dog's behavior, I would back up to hand tossing meals, one kibble at a time, from a safe distance, having the dog work for each bite. For example, I might have the dog on a six foot tiedown while holding his meal in a plastic baggie while standing out of leash range (do away with the food bowl for a while), have him sit, then praise and release, then toss a piece of dinner. Repeat. Maybe have him down next time, then praise, relase, and toss the food. Alternate different commands so that he's not predicting and offering behaviors, but instead is following direction.

I'd also, separate from feeding, work on reinforcing deferential behavior. The dog should learn that the only way to get what he wants is to show deference to the human, by following a command first, and also by reinforcing any submissive body language.

Hmm, 5 year old child...food aggressive dominant( ie handler aggressive) dog........

Get rid of the dog.

Certainly w/ alot of work this dog can most likely learn to have better manners, but this dog should not be around a child. It only takes ONE TIME for a disaster.

Let someone w/out kids deal with it.

Just my not so humble opinion..........

John and Lisa, both good points.
I have approached this as an obedience issue, not an aggression issue. I think food aggression (which I do consider a type of handler aggression) is an obedience issue. An obedient dog by definition cannot demand or covet from that person to whom he is obedient. I spent three sessions working the dog (mostly treats) to refresh his work and to find out what he knows. Day four I used a couple of treats then dropped them expecting the dog to fight, which he did. To be honest I was suprised by the level of contention/aggression this pup was able to display, simply because he had to "down" without a treat. He also tried to correct me. This set the dog to lose his first fight, which I immediately followed by allowing the dog to have a "win" with something easy. What I was aiming for was to access his aggression through obedience and work backwards to the food issue. This was done by raising the standards, faster compliance, rapid succession until the dog simply refused and decided to fight instead. I met this challenge with a physical response that the owner did not have the heart to deliver(she had tried scruff shaking and firm corrections, but just couldn't make it effective). At our last (5th) session the owner was able to command both the take it, out and leave it with a hand-held piece of hot dog (unheard of with this pup), which was immediately rewarded with a large treat. Since the obedience issue had been addressed, this exercise was done with very little physical force on the owner's part, no hanging or choking out, just quiet compliance. The plan is to begin supervised bowl feedings and slowly add freedom until the relationship settles into a positive routine. The reasons I didn't advise her to give the dog up are: one, she has gone this long without her son being bitten, so she is reasonably able to avoid this and two, since this is a young dog I feel that this behavior can be altered with a reasonable degree of certainty.

Gotta add my two cents here on this idea of scruff shaking an 8-9 month old dog. This is nuts! Scruff shaking can be effective on little puppies, but this is an adolescent. You will NEVER see a dog or a wolf scruff shake an animal so old. You'll only be effective with this if you're dealing with an incredibly submissive, timid dog (in which case you probably didn't need to get physical in the first place).

Being able to alter this dog's behavior to a reasonable degree, is simply not good enough, when there is a 5 year old child in the picture. Daniel, it sounds as if you are making good progress with this dog, and he definitely sounds workable, but in another home without kids. In this throwaway society , the owner should be commended for attempting to work with this aggressive dog, however, the dog's welfare is being put ahead of the child in this case. Read the dog bite statistics in children under 12. Most childhood victims of dog bites have serious facial injuries and scarring that they must carry for the rest of their lives, in addition to the extreme emotional trauma they experience. The average pet owner does not have the time, knowledge, or physical ability to effectively deal with an issue of this seriousness, and a dog of this size and temperament. Scruff shaking is not going to work. Having a 5 year old in the household is a recipe for disaster. Just because the dog has not (yet) bitten the child, wouldn't do a whle lot for my comfort level.