# Food Aggression



## Boxers&Pom's Mom (Jan 17, 2011)

I been offered a Westie, but he has food aggression and he is been returned twice for that issue.
My Pomeranian also have a kind of food aggression, but it is not an issue to me, because I just crate her when I am feeding her and after she is done eating, she cry and I let her out of her crate. I kind of believer, that is not need to play with the dog when he is eating. I am sure, that if I ever need I can take it away from her, maybe she will growl, but at the end I am not afraid of her.
Now, getting a stranger dog with the issue, is something different. Any suggestions?


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## katies mum (May 8, 2012)

I do exactly what you do with any visitor dog for food time.Put them in a crate and leave them alone while they are eating.My older male malinois was extremely food aggressive at 10 weeks of age when i got him.I used to put him on a lead and tie him up while he ate his food.I would then sit on a chair near him but not really close and gradually he would allow me to be closer and closer.I then introduced the other dogs eating their food around him while he was eating and slowly slowly his food aggression completely disapeared.None of the other dogs are food aggressive so this was a big help.He now eats with them without having to be tied up or put in a crate.I have 7-10 dogs that all eat calmly together(supervised obviously)This may not work for every dog but it has worked for several dogs that i have either owned or dealt with.I never touch a dog while it is eating unless it is for some kind of emergency,i can recall having to do this on 2 occasions only.Good luck with your new dog.


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## Love my lab (Dec 9, 2010)

when I got my puppy he had this issue but he was a baby and that was from the environment he was brought up in befor I brought him home. It has taken me a long time to work with him, but because of his issues when he was young I was scared he would never change and I brought an animal behaviorlist into my home. She gave me tricks to work with him about his other issues (he is my slight dominant dog who needs constant reminding I am in control not him) but for the food aggression part she told me to drop very yummy things into his bowl...never ever taking the bowl away for a growl because just reinforces the dogs thought process to "protect" the food. So for me I ended up putting his food on a cookie sheet so it gave me some space to have my hands down there with out him feeling like I was right near his face. I did what she said each and every feeding and of course I worked my dominance drills with him as well and slowly he began to realize I was not there to take away but to give him good things. That is the point of putting yummy things in so the dog eventually knows that human hands mean good things. I feed my dogs side by side with a water bowl in between them and one day Reahven was done eating and decided to see why Drake was not done yet and Drake got snappy with her and she backed away immediatly, I corrected him right away and we have never had a problem with that since. I do believe you should not mess with a dog while they are eating, but I also wont tolerate any aggression while eating. Two big dogs, grandbabies some day...just not having it.

Good luck with your decision and dog if you get it.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Boxers I would do exactly as you said crate while eating without interruptions. I do not think that messing with dogs around their food is ever smart. I know some dogs don't care but I always err on the side of caution. My dog will always be crated to eat and while I know he would most likely tolerate me touching his food I usually don't tempt him or I offer him a trade for what he has...but if another dog were to come near his food he would definitely guard it..


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

You don't need to play with the dog while eating but you should be able to go up and grab something they shouldn't have or if they choke or whatever. It's pretty simple to train a dog that you being around their food is a good thing, unfortunately most people go at it all Cesar Millan and dominance crap and create or worsen a food aggressive dog. Jean Donaldson has a little booklet called Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding that is excellent to walk you through the steps. We did it with our male and he is fine with people around his food now. That said I don't expect my dogs to share food or eat by each other.


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## Georgiapeach (Jan 24, 2011)

Definitely crate the dog while he's eating. As you walk by the crate, no eye contact, no talking, but drop a treat into the crate while he's eating-keep walking. Do this everytime he eats, so that he associates good things with you being nearby. Eventually work your way up to stopping at the crate when you drop a treat in, but I don't think I'd ever mess with this dog while eating. I'd also make sure the dog comes out of the crate (make sure all your other dogs have finished eating, too!) before you go to touch his bowl. Throw a treat away from the crate at first to get him to leave the area. Again, good things happen when you're around. Keep your other dogs away during this time, as well (maybe crate them during feedings, too). He obviously doesn't feel safe while eating, and thinks he has to defend his food.

I wouldn't give any treats to all the dogs at once - that could cause a fighting frenzy, with the westie starting it. You're going to have to think at least 3 steps ahead of this dog - if I do this, what will be his reaction type of thing. With time, hopefully he'll settle in and relax a little, but then again, maybe not...Are you willing to be ultra careful forever?


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## flashyfawn (Mar 8, 2012)

One of my dogs came to me with a lot of issues, and resource guarding was one of them. She was pretty serious about guarding from people and other dogs. I totally agree with what everyone else said about crating when you're feeding and all that. My dog guarded her food and also treats, toys, etc. She would actually guard the spot on the floor where something "important" used to be but no longer was, and she would guard an item that was across the room from her. Of course there was a lot of management that had to go on with not leaving stuff out for her to guard, but I also taught her to redirect her focus on me no matter what else was happening. I taught her that the word "look" meant to look at me and treats would basically be shoveled into her mouth. She was so heavily rewarded for looking at me that it made guarding an imaginary object pretty boring. This even worked if all the dogs got treats and someone dropped theirs, or basically anytime there was food on the floor and more than one dog was in the vicinity. My dog was a puppy when all that was happening. She is 7 now and I can't remember the last time she guarded anything from anyone, human or dog, and I no longer worry about bones and toys being left out. It's really not an issue at this point.

But in the end, I think it just depends on how much training you want to have to do. I don't think there is any right or wrong answer to that, it's different for everyone.


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