Dog owners, how do you deal with a dog that is aggressive towards people (including me, who is certainly alpha to him) when it comes to food?

When I tell my dog to do something he does it.. that could be telling him "crate" and he will go in his dog house, or bed and he will go on his dog bed, or couch he goes on the couch.. or outside and he will sit there waiting patiently to go outside by the nearest door...

but lately I have noticed that when he has food he is very short tempered.. something I don't like. I came up to him to get him to move off my bed with his bone and make him go on his bed with it and I didn't even touch the bone all I did was sit next to him and he started to cover his bone with his snout and started growling very loudly. I then grabbed his snout and kept his moth shut in a firm manner and told him "no" very strongly. He then acted embarrassed and started to roll on his back.. but i know he was upset about me being near him with his treat.

How do you dog people deal with this? How can I prevent this aggressive attitude while sitting next to my dog while he has a treat? It's not like i made the dumb decision to reach in for an animal's food.. i merely sat there while he ate it... waiting for him to finish the last bit he had left of the part he was working on.

I don't want an aggressive animal as I don't want to worry about our kittens who have taken a huge liking to him.. and love to be around him while he is eating/sleeping/whatever he growls at them, and snaps at them while he eats (understandable, as he is an animal) but i would like to know what to do to keep this to a minimum.

 

Hmm never had this happen to me. I would of rolled him/her on their back and take their bone away. Then when they are calm I'd give it back to them. You should be able to take anything away without them growling at you.

I made sure to always touch my dogs and whatever they were eating when they were puppies to get used to it. My girl did growl when she was younger but she got over it.

 

Sounds like you have to re-establish dominance. Watch some dog whisperer video podcasts or get some DIY books. Otherwise drop him off with a trainer for a week or so. The last thing you want is your dog to bite someone.

 

LOL My dogs are just the opposite. The will let me take away their food without growling, but they give me the dumb look when I tell them to do anything.

Maybe you can help him by letting him see you eat all of your meals before he can have his. Dogs understand the pecking order. Top dog eats first.

 

the rolling on the back is a sign of submission, sounds like its taking a minute for it to click in his head that you're alpha. Does he do it with his breakfast/dinner too?

 

Or you can always cutt off his ***** =P j/k but what he said should work.

 

that something that should be done ASAP anyways if you're not a reputable and knowledgeable breeder...but that's a different subject

Here's what I'd suggest doing...
you'll need:
•one of those long claw/grabby things that people use to pick up trash (you can get them at old people pharamacies because old people use them to pick up stuff they drop)
•Empty spray bottle
•Citronella oil (available in small bottles at whole foods with all there other natual oils/hippy stuff)
•Small training treats

Here's what you do:
1) put about 40 drops of the citronella oil in the spray bottle and then fill it with warm water and the shake it up. Make sure it spray in a stream, mist won't work as well
2)give the dog a bone/food dish/whatever he is protective of and let him really get into it for a minute or so
3)use the trash grabber to take away the bone
4)when he growls/bites it say "no" once in a firm voice and spray him simultaniously
5)continue until he doesn't show any anger when you go to grab the bone and when you are able to take away the bone with no issues be sure to praise him and give him a small treat.

Another thing to expidite the process is to sit next to him when he has a bone and give him a small treats so he associates people next to him when he has a bone as a rewarding situation. This kind of training is much more successful because you're showing your dog what he can do rather than what he can't (when you tell a dog "no" he doesn't have the ability to reason like we do to figure out what to do instead, so you must teach him the preferred behavior rather than just scold the undesired one).

Also, when I'm playing with my dog and he gets too excited and too mouthy I put the toy on the counter where he can see it and I sit down until he calms down, then we play again


Sending the dog to a trainer for a week is overill for one issue.

"establishing dominance" is not he answer to every situation and that can easily push a dog to their breaking point...my dog still cowers when strangers lean over him to pet him because his previous owner decided it was neccessary to frequently establish his dominance. My dog definitely knows who's boss and it isn't from any rough and tough dominance

 

thanks for the info there VRT,
I will try that.


for the most part he is a super friendly dog and loves everything. But when it comes to food, he gets very very greedy.

 

have you had him his whole life? My boss has a rescue from the streets of tj, Mexico who was horrible with food for a while, but the positive reinforcement of good behavior helps a lot, as well as over time the realize "hey, no ones trying I steal my **** anymore"

 

My wife got a trainer that goes to your house. They teach how to walk without a leash and how to establish dominance. It cost $600, but it's a lifetime guarantee and you can call with questions for the life of the dog. I'll have to get the name of the company from her.

 

We had one of those for our Newfoundland when I was a kid...damn that dog behaved beautifully the moment he saw the trainer. Honestly, the biggest part of dog training is people training.

 

Greg if your position of dominance is clear to the dog, even if it growls at you, you should be able to take what you want,when you want, from the dog. The dog is just doing what a dog will do. It is growling at you with hopes that you will show fear and back away from him and the food. Apparently he is successful in his attempt to scare you into submission.
Don't be affraid of the growl. It there is something you want, don't ask for it, don't look him in the eye, just take it. If he snaps at you, immediately take the dog to the floor and lie it on it's side, prong shaped fingers to the throat area, hold until the dog calms. Do this with as little agression/force as possible. The more you force the issue the more the dog will fight. When you put him on his side, feel it out. If he lies there on his side with little fight you should respond with little fight. Keep him in this position until he relaxes. Many times you'll hear a sigh. A deep breath that's expelled. Don't shout, don't do this with anger, just do it. Put yourself in the position of the Alfa dog. The Alfa dog does not ask questions.
You can work on placing yourself between the object and the dog. Example: If the dog is on the floor with the item, slowly approach the the dog, no eye contact, and begin to positon yourself. If the dog begins to back away, you got 'em. Again alfa dog doesn't ask, cooperate, it just does and the submissive follows.
None of this requires agression on your part. Stay very calm, and make your intention clear.

 

First get him off you bed with his treats. He is in your space showing dominance to you.

You did good with what you did, you told him he was wrong and you are still in charge. If he does it again depending on the size and breed and shot to the ribs and a loud NO might be in order. Not too hard but hard enough to let him know you are not joking.

 

Dominance gets a bad wrap. It has nothing to do with, shouting, pain, abuse. It is a manner of establishing a pecking order. WHen done properly, calmly, with clear intentions, the dog will respect you as a superior.

 

good info man, as always.
Ya i wasn't really aggressive with him as the picture I painted might have shown. I just showed him not to **** with me.. but i like the idea of holding him on his side and kinda pronging the throat to show him who is boss.

well its a fold out bed on the couch we have for him at night because the ****er is so pampered. (i am such a wuss and feel bad with him on the floor... ya i know.. lol)

hes a good boy, but sometimes he tries to get tough but he has never bitten anyone or snapped at anyone unless on accident while playing and when he does he immediately acts upset and rolls on his back.. hes a really good (and surprisingly smart dog)