I found a stray dog with problems read on?

Question

I found a dog a a campgroud and i guess he had been there for awhile starving,so i brought him home with me and i would like to keep him but he is food aggressive. He is about 6 months old Do you think he will grow out of it? Or should I just give him away?

Ive only had him 3 days hes really sweet and hes not food aggressive around me only other animals and i have a chihuahua and this is a big dog so i worry about my chihuahuas safety

Answer 1

Bless your heart for bringing him home! Can you imagine what the past has been like for him? He is so lucky that you had compassion on him, and he will reward you for the rest of his life..

It may well be a temporary problems, and soon outgrown, as he becomes more secure.. However, it does need nipped in the bud..
It sounds awkward, but he needs to know that you are in control of the food..Until you get him trained to sit-stay..feed him in a separate area from the Chihuahua..and pick up food that is uneaten after 15 minutes.

Teach him the sit-stay, and only feed him when he has complied with the command.. I learned this from my dad when I was very young.. Our dog was super food aggressive..My dad taught him to sit-stay, and we were only allowed to feed him after he had complied with the command for 2 minutes..
SIT

Holding a treat in your left hand just above the pup's nose, gently rest your right hand on pup's rump.
Slowly move the treat in an upward motion while applying gentle pressure to the rump. ( you don't want to push hard because if you do the dog will sit every time someone touches him and this is not good for competitive obedience)
as soon as pup sits say in a very happy excited tone "GOOD SIT" and give the treat.
Repeat exercise 7x. then take a play break and move on to something else.
very young pups should not train for more than a half hour each day
every time you put food bowl down or give a treat give the sit command, and wait for the sit. then once pup sits give treat or food down.
DO NOT move on to something new until pup has the new command down pat.

STAY

Start pup in down position. say "STAY" in firm voice. walk to end of leash, backwards. if the pup moves say once only "AP" in a not pleased tone. go back do not say anything. put pup in down again repeat "STAY" walk backwards to end of leash.
pup does NOT get praise or treat until he stays for 30 seconds, then a minute, then 5 minutes. move times up each week.
after he can do a 5 minute down/stay every time. move on to a sit/stay doing exactly what you did for down/stay.
Once on leash sit and down/stays are reliable for 5 minutes each. drop the leash and walk away from your pup, your back to the pup. about 10 feet away. wait 5 min. recall your dog. with dog sitting in front of you once he reaches you. treat and praise.

Answer 2

If you have small children then you may have no choice but to give him away. If you have older children or no children, that may not ever be a real problem. If it is an issue when you are trying to fill his food bowl, shut him outside or in another room for that time and then let him in. Some of that aggressiveness may fade with time, once he understands that he is not starving but if you feel uncomfortable, you should maybe try to find a better home for him.

Also, watch carefully for other agressiveness and be very careful with the dog until there is a better understanding for both you and the dog. He may need an adjustment period or he may be too far gone to not have special treatment for his lifetime.

Answer 3

I don't think he will grow out of it but I don't think you should just give him away either. He is more than likely food aggressive because he was starved. Just keep your hands away from the food bowl when he is eating or feed him outside away from other pets. He will be fine. I've have a 3yr old Doberman that's always been food aggressive. I also have cats and another small dog. I don't separate my animals. The other animals know to stay away from his food and he has never bitten me or anyone in my family.

Answer 4

Giving him away will only make the dog feel less trusting of humans. You would be food agressive too if you had been starved. Make sure he has enough to eat everyday and he may relax around food. He is still just a pup, give him some time. And thank you for taking him home with you.

Answer 5

If he's been starving for a while, food aggression is not unusual. He doesn't yet trust you to be a reliable source of food and care. With care and training -- revolving mostly around being able to trust you as his alpha -- he can learn to relinquish control of the food to you. If you need assistance, there are dog trainers with skills specifically designed to deal with an issue like this.

If everything else about him is fine, and this is his only draw-back, don't "dump" him on someone else. You were responsible and caring enough to bring him into your home; be responsible and caring enough to get him through this issue.

Answer 6

He's just a pup -- he'll grow out of it. I actually picked up a 6 month old blue tick hound at a campground last year (really, no kidding). I have a smaller dog too -- it took about a week and a half of feeding them in separate rooms but he got used to the idea that food would be around. It'll work out - just be patient. Do be aware that he is accustomed to running free -- I had to give mine up because he wouldn't stay in the (fenced in) yard. Good luck to you!

Answer 7

He's probably aggressive because of the time hes been on the campground and having to fight off food and plus hes really hungry he wont really grow out of it hes gonna need ur help too i dont know how to do that but im sure if u just feed it and shush him everytime he growls or something over time hell stop being food aggreessive

Answer 8

Do you have food out all the time? If you feed 2-3x daily, you can seperate them while they are eating for the time being while you try to find a permanant solution.

He is not used to being fed on a regular basis, he doesnt know when he'll be able to eat again. It should get better once he realizes you = regular feedings.

Bless you for taking him in!

Answer 9

Being he was stray he may never get over food aggression.
You should get a behavioral trainer to work with him if you wnat to keep him.
It will take some work and time on your part and you will have to be careful about feeding him. But with work most likey the problem can be made better.
Find someone in your area that does behavioral training and work one on one with them.
Good luck.

Answer 10

For now, feed them separately so there are no opportunities for him to be protective.

What he is doing is called resource guarding, and it's perfectly natural, although undesireable. I recommend the book "MINE! A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS" by Jean Donaldson.

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB740

"A practical how-to guide on resource guarding/aggression - food bowl, object, bed, crate, owner, etc. - in dogs. Contents include: aggression basics, nature of resource guarding, kinds of resource guarding, Behaviorist vs. medical models, recognizing guarding, prognosis, safety tools, treatment overview, management, desensitization and counterconditioning, resource sample hierarchies, generalization, troubleshooting, body handling desensitization, operant conditioning. "

Good luck!