Food aggression in puppies?

Kazuko · October 2010

Kira's started to show signs of being food aggressive/possessive. Last night it started with a bone I gave her (no meat on it, it was a clean pork rib bone. Don't tell me how horrible I am for giving her one. This is not the time, or place, and I don't really care if I'm a terrible person for it.). I walked over to her, and she started to hunch over it and growl. When I didn't back down, she barked and quickly rushed towards me, only getting a couple feet before turning back and hovering over the bone again. This morning I hand fed her, and then let her eat from the bowl with one hand in the dish. When she got close to my hand, she barked again, and went for me. She's a 4month old German Shepherd/Border Collie mix. I make her sit and lay down before I give her food, and then she has to wait until I tell her it's okay. This is a new behavior, the first time I saw any displays was last night. Vincent has already said he's not going to leave me alone with a dominant, food-aggressive dog, and that if we don't correct her behavior soon, we're going to have to get rid of her. Any advice on how to handle food aggression?

Maxxy · October 2010

We give my German Shepherd bones too, and he loves them, so no worries. I've never experienced food aggression, but there's some info on it online. I found this: "The best way to go about doing this is to conceal a small treat in one hand as you approach the food bowl during meal-time. Command him to sit. (If he doesnt know this command yet, gently push his head out of the bowl and push on his hindquarters until he sits, while repeating the command.) When he does so, take the food away for a few moments; hand over the treat as you do this and praise him lavishly. Return the food after a few moments and allow him to finish. You should repeat this procedure at least once or twice a week, but never more than once during a meal as he'll just get irritated (which will undermine the whole point of the procedure!)."

iluvdogs111 · October 2010

On an episode of It's Me or the Dog with Victoria Stillwell there was a dog with food aggression. She put an empty food bowl in front of the dog and told him to sit and wait. She then added a little bit of food to his bowl and allowed him to begin eating. Then, she praised him while adding a little more food to the bowl. She did that a few more times until the bowl was full. If you do this daily, hopefully Kira will see that you aren't trying to take her food from her, and it is a good thing when you come close to her while she's eating. Good luck!

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Food aggression in puppies?

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