Food Aggression

[VegasMOM]

I have heard this term a lot but I am not sure exactly what it is. I have always heard that you never mess with a dog when they are eating their food and we had an incident with the consequences last night-- snarled, growled and attacked! Now both children have learned to leave her alone when she is eating. I just assumed it was because of the " messing with a dog eating his/her food" issue.

This morning I was telling my friend about it and she said her black lab, Siana, let's her son (same age as my Camden) play with the dog food and sit next to her while she is eating, no problem. My friend thought maybe it was a small dog thing or a pug thing?

So does Vegas have food aggression issues? Obviously both children will not ever bother her again so it should not be a problem but is it a lurking problem, something I need to address while she is young or is it because she is young?

I usually hear the term around PV in reference to rescues and it sounds like something that needs to be addressed, especially if we ever get another dog.

[TNPUGMOMOF2]

I can stick my hands in te pugs mouths or my masitff's mouth while they are eating. They would also all let each other steal food from each others bowls, but they know I don't allow that. Bella wouldn't allow it either. I think the dog should let any human do what they want with them or their food while they are eating, but realistically I know that isn't true. I have just tried to instill that in mine so there are no food agression issues.

[VegasMOM]

I can stick my hands in te pugs mouths or my masitff's mouth while they are eating. They would also all let each other steal food from each others bowls, but they know I don't allow that. Bella wouldn't allow it either. I think the dog should let any human do what they want with them or their food while they are eating, but realistically I know that isn't true. I have just tried to instill that in mine so there are no food agression issues.

So what is it that you do to prevent the aggression or is it just the dog's temperment?

[ViralMD]

You can train this. But it takes time and patience. Cyril is only food aggressive with other dogs, not with me. I can take his treats, his food, ANYTHING out of his mouth. Your children MUST leave your little girl alone right now while she's eating!

You start by feeding the dog by hand. Piece by piece. Then slowly switching to a bowl from which you take piece by piece and feed the dog. Then by lowering the bowl and taking it away and then putting it immediately back. This should occur over the course of a week or so. Continue to remove the bowl at intervals and put it back. Eventually the dog learns that, even if you take it away, that the food reappears. This can also happen with chewy treats, like bully sticks. So your kids should also NOT bother her when she's got one!

[Imon]

I've had Otto since he was a puppy, so I trained him to let us take his food away from him, move his dish while he's eating and put my hand in his dish while he's eating.

He's fine with this now.

Training a food-aggressive dog to tolerate this level of closeness takes time and patience. Go slowly. Better to go forward very slowly than to have her snap at you and have to go back to square one. Make sure that your dog is comfortable and reliable at one level of interaction before going on to the next one. Start with very non-threatening situations, like letting her take food from your hand, while you are close to her. Keep your hand open flat and don't use the other hand to hold her - she might see that as a threat or a dominance display. Praise her a lot and try to keep it very low-key.

Good luck. Do you have any idea why she is showing this behavior? If you do, that helps you work on eliminating it faster. But even if you don't know how she got to be this way, you should be able to work her out of it. Obviously, you won't let your children near her while she is eating until she's much more reliable, but I'm sure you know that already.

[Co-Pilot in Flight]

Val, I can't really say how to go about it, but it is something I would really look into training her out of. I know she is small, but you'd just hate to have one of their friends over and get bit because they messed with her food.

When Co-Pilot was a puppy I was worried about this so I would frequestly take her bowl away, give it back, she doens't even get excited about it. Just the other night she looked so cute with yogurt on her face and I wanted to get a picture so I poicked up her bowl to take the picture and then gave it back. There was NO problem.

Is she food agressive with you?

For now tell the kids to absolutely not bother her when eating, and you can work with her. If she is food agressive with you too, then I think the hand feeding is a really good idea.

Good luck and I am sure there are others with more specific advice.

[VegasMOM]

You know she is not that way with me, just the kids. Alexa got nipped a few months ago and she goes no where near her now. I just totally messed up last night and let Camden pour her food. I guess some spilled out and when he went to pick it up and put in in her bowl-- psycho dog appeared and nipped him pretty good. Hubby usually feeds her in the morning when he gets up and I usually feed her while we are all eating dinner (and the little guy is in his highchair) I will say I don't think he would ever go near her again when she is eating!

It makes me sad to think there are probably a lot people out there who would have gotten rid of the dog. As the adult, it was my fault not the dog's!

I will start working with her on this because it is not acceptable and she can beat it, I know!

[Imon]

That's interesting.

I recall reading something about a dog who was aggressive toward the child in the family - it was apparently a dominance thing. The suggestion was to have the child be the only person who put food in the dog's dish and then put the dish down. This was supposed to reinforce the child's superior pack position to the dog.

Don't know if you'd want to try this or not. Interesting that she doesn't show the behavior to you or your husband, and you are the two people who typically feed her.

Perhaps one of the trainers on the site will have some specific suggestions. Good luck.

[Pugsaunt]

... It makes me sad to think there are probably a lot people out there who would have gotten rid of the dog. As the adult, it was my fault not the dog's!

I will start working with her on this because it is not acceptable and she can beat it, I know!

Val, you have made my eyes leak. You are such a great pugmom!!!

Penny is not food aggressive with me. She is a little snappy with treats, and we are working on that. But she is very food aggressive with other dogs. I cannot give her a treat when there is another dog around. It will end badly.

[SairaLV]

I agree-I am so so happy Vegas has you!! I know she has been quite a little (but adorable) handful.

Indiana is a huge pain in the ass with other dogs-he is very food aggressive with them but he is ok with us. I think you have a good game plan-feeding her separate until you can work on it.

Val, you have made my eyes leak. You are such a great pugmom!!!

Penny is not food aggressive with me. She is a little snappy with treats, and we are working on that. But she is very food aggressive with other dogs. I cannot give her a treat when there is another dog around. It will end badly.