What do I do about my dog who has become aggressive if approached when eating! I am frightened.?

Question

Dog is 1 year old rescue pup lab/collie cross. We have had her since 13 weeks but she had already had 4 homes. She was originally from Ireland in a sack waiting to be drowned. She has always been a little growly when approached when eating but she has come back from a 2 night stay in kennels and went for me, snarling hissing and snapping when I went to change her water next to the food bowl. She did the same again tonight and it scared me. The rest of the time she is daft and gentle. What do i do?

Answer 1

I apologize for the rude and uninformed responses above! It is not a good idea to "leave her alone while shes eating" this will only cause future problems and could lead to her biting an innocent bystander who is merely walking by. Your dog has developed food aggression, and it is best to nip this in the bud before it escalates.... Try this training technique called NILF (Nothing in Life is Free) it can help alot go here to learn how to practice this training technique... http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-dog_nilf.htm

Also it seems that it would be a good idea for you to learn how to be the "alpha" in your family, go here for a lesson in being alpha... http://www.pets.ca/articles/article-alphadog.htm

Also here are some general tips on how to resolve the issue before it gets worse

Does your dog growl at when anyone comes near his food bowl while he is eating?

Does he snap and “grrr” when you try to take his chew toy?

If your dog is exhibiting these behaviors, he is suffering from canine possession aggression (CPA) also referred to as food guarding or object guarding.

Dog aggression should be dealt with immediately. The aggression is a red flag to deeper obedience issues. As the leader of your dog’s pack, nothing should be off limits to you. A dog with CPA has elevated its rank in the pack. The goal of training is to reestablish your leadership, and regain your dog’s trust.

For many years we were advised to stay away from a dog that is eating. This is great advice for small children or for anyone approaching strange dogs, but it is bad advice in dealing with your family dog. Dogs left alone while eating believe that they are now higher up in the pack.

As a puppy, your dog should be socialized to have the family present at mealtimes. The family should eat first and then feed the dog. It is also a good idea to get your dog accustomed to you touching the food bowl. These steps can prevent dog aggression from taking hold.

To resolve food guarding, you will follow many of the steps that are part of puppy training. Each step should be done for 10-14 days. Some experts recommend using a leash while retraining. If you do choose to use the leash, do not use it to correct your dog, unless you are in danger of being hurt.





Steps to Resolve Food Guarding Aggression



Remove your dog’s food bowl and feed from your hand instead. If your dog only exhibits food guarding toward one member of the family, this family member should do the feeding.



Once your dog has become accustomed to hand feeding, you will bring out the food bowl. However, do not fill it with food as you did in the past. Keep the bowl empty, and at meal time, pass by and drop a few kibbles into the bowl. Once eaten, continue dropping small handfuls of food in the bowl every two minutes until the dog has eaten his entire meal.



At the next phase of this retraining, you will place a semi-full food bowl on the floor. Pass by the bowl and drop in a little bit of a treat. Allow a few minutes to pass and then add the remaining food.


By now, you have desensitized your dog to your presence at mealtimes. He no longer sees you as a threat to his food, but as the provider. The next step will complete the trust training and reaffirm your position as leader. Give your dog a “sit-stay” command and then place his filled food bowl on the floor. Now release him with an upbeat “okay,” or other release command of your choosing. At each mealtime, the dog should be required to “sit-stay” before being fed. (This is a good habit to continue after the dog aggression retraining.) One to two times per week, call your dog while he is eating. When he comes, reward with a food treat.

Sorry I have to add something...DO NOT leave your dog alone when eating, as a solution to this problem!! That is the most uninformed and downright BAD advice anyone can give you!! This dog needs to know you are the master, and that it is NOT acceptable to attempt to attack you when you are feeding her. It may be because ahe was denied regular feeding in the past and it may just be becasue her previous owners "left her alone" while she was eating, but whatever the reason it is a dominance aggression issue and is NOT to be left alone to develop into a serious problem that could lead to your dog seriously injuring someone...like a child who is merely walking by her food. Follow the training technique above because it WILL work, but you have to learn how to re train her...please make sure to read the articles at the links provided above and you will see improvement in your dog almost instantly...Trust me, I have 2 dogs and I can pull thier tail, take thier food away or even stick my face in thier dishes and they will not react, in fact they wag thier tails! I can trust them around my little sister and my nieces and nephews because of the training I have given them...your dog will end up bitting someone if you do not deal with this issue and I doubt you want that to happen, so please follow the advice I have given and if it fails (which I doubt) consult a professional behaviourist but do not let your dog alone as a solution..it will only lead to grief!

Answer 2

Well.....this problem is common with animals, but there is a way to prevent it. However it's something you should start training them on when they are puppies. A friend of mine had a dog that she trained NOT to be that way while eating. Here's how she did it. While he was eating he had started showing signs of this, by growling when she would get close. You have to let the animal know you are the feeder, you provide it....but also let them know if you take it way, you will always give it back. Let them know you are not a threat. While the dog would eat, she would take the food away for a few minutes, then give it back. She continued this "training" until the dog learned. From then on, the dog didn't care if anyone was around him when he ate. He learned they were not a threat and would not take his food away without giving it back. But it's something that should be started when they are puppies.....

Answer 3

While in the kennel your dog must have had to fight for its food. The only reason why a dog would growl while eating is because it has to fight for it's food in some way or it might have starved for awhile. I think that the dog will get over it with time if you leave it's food bowl out. The dog should then notice that it's food is always available and isn't going anywhere, then it can eat whenever they want and won't feel a need to fight for it's food!

Answer 4

Most dogs are in some way territorial while eating, in the same way that most dogs will tend to eat everything that you put in front of them, even if it's more than they need (an instinctive response, as in the wild, they would not have known when their next opportunity to eat will come). However, as your dog has had a very unsettled start in life, it's possible that when you put her in the kennel, she thought that you were giving up on her too... I would suggest you give her space while eating her main meal, and maybe try hand-feeding her tit-bits to get her used to the fact that you GIVE her food, not take it away, but you may never totally cure her of this behaviour, and may just find that leaving her to eat in peace is the only way... but GOOD FOR YOU in taking on a rescue dog!

Answer 5

It is normal for a dog to be aggressive when you approach them while eating. Don't go near her while she is eating. If anything needs to be filled up, I would suggest filling both her food and water before she goes to eat. If she gets to the food and water before you're through and doesn't let you fill it, I would suggest putting her in another room until you have her bowls full. If she runs out of one thing before the other, just leave it until she leaves the bowls and then fill the water when she is not around.

You can also try being very stern with her and telling her "NO!" and making sure she knows you mean it... if she is being aggressive toward you in any other way. But, her food is her food. I just wouldn't bother her at that time.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Ok first that's not normal behavior for all you saying it is, i have 2 akitas(most food possessive dogs)and they dont do that cause i never allowed them to.Story:
i got a mixed breed from my sister a few years ago and it growled at me once when i walked by when he was eating, i was a little scared but then i was like,your a dog I feed you. i made him move from the bowl and took it away, about 2 hrs later i went outside to feed him again, i put the food by my feet and called him to me,he didn't come so i took the food up and went back inside,he didn't eat that night. Next morning i did the same thing food by my feet and called, he came i didn't move and told him to go ahead so he finally began to eat his food, i didn't move from there until he was finished and when he did i gave him a treat.i did this for about a week.then i started feeding him the treat when he was eating, I'll tell him sit and give him the treat then let him continue,i "broke" him in.Point is he understood i wasn't scared and that i wasn't backing off,the dog now lives with my mom and dad and they have no problem feeding him.Don't forget dogs can sense weakness so just be confident when your dealing with it.

Answer 7

Good question! I have a bull-mastiff and when he would growl at me when I'd get near his food bowl too. I asked my vet and the vet said to start putting my hands right in the bowl and if she is bad then take her food away. I know this sounds cruel but she will learn fast to not to growl or snap at you. You can try to give the food back to her -with your fingers in it again - sometime later. Get her used to having your hands in her food because you are the parent and she will obey. Be strong! It works! The reason she might be overprotective of her food is maybe she was around other dogs in the past that would get to close when she would eat. Good luck!

Answer 8

The very last thing you should be doing is showing fear. youve got 2 choices

A. Dont go Near the Dog while its eating.
B. Make sure it knows your the alpha dog not it.. showing that you are afraid wont help
Hold the dog down on its back... Do this for as long as it takes for the dog to stop squrming or fighting back. If she growls or snaps at you.. be somewhat agressive back without hurting the dog. Slap her rump with your hand (NEVER a newspaper) hard. If the Dog actually ever bites you .. im sorry but it would be time for doggie to go

Answer 9

You'll have to gain her trust again. She's trying to protect her food, which dogs normally do if they've been abused or neglected. For now, don't bother her while she's eating. You may need to take her to a dog trainer to try and build a trusting relationship between the two of you so she won't snap at you anymore. Be easy on her, she's been through a lot!

Answer 10

You're going to have to assert dominance. You're the pack leader, she's not. If she growls, tell her no and take the food away.

A really great idea would be to go to your local library and check out "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend" by the Monks of New Skete. They have tips on how to deal with a dog who becomes aggresive when you go near the food bowl.

Answer 11

Talk to an animal behavior specialist. It is possible that a more aggressive dog was kept in the kennel with your dog and because of this your dog has learned to be more protective of its food.