How do I cure food agressive dogs?

Question

My dog is about 9 months old and he is of the terrier breed.Which breed not too sure. He has the colorings and maybe markings of a pharaoh hound but is small like an italian greyhound. That's about it.

Answer 1

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/aggres1.html

Answer 2

It may be “normal” for some dogs to guard their food this way , but it is UNACCEPTABLE for ALL dogs.

You could try instituting the following changes.

Increase the number of meals (four to six a day) and randomize feeding times, so that your dog never knows when his next meal is coming. This will lessen the heightened peaks of excitement that often occur just before his expected meals.

Continually change the place where your dog eats (in different sections of the kitchen, for example, or in different rooms). This will diffuse any territorial guarding behavior.

Be sure that your dog earns his meals. Have your dog sit or lie down or follow some other command to earn his food. If he does not obey, he does not eat at this time. Leave the feeding area. Try again a few minutes later.

Getting him to obey your commands increases your control and his respect for you. Eventually, even the children (under adult supervision) should be able to do this.

If the behavior continues, get professional help. Often this type of food aggression indicates that a bigger problem exists.





try searching the net. There should be more info there.

Answer 3

It depends if the dog is agressive only to humans, other dogs, or both. I am fostering a dog that was food aggressive to only other dogs. She has been cured by free feeding her (I honestly think she was just hungry).

BUT....if the dog is aggressive to both humans and other dogs, you will have to take a different approach.

I had a dog that was food aggressive towards people too. This worked for me. I am assuming that the dog will threaten to bite or actually bite anybody that comes near their food bowl, correct? You have to make them understand that the food comes from YOU. Put an empty bowl down. Only give them a little (like a teaspoon) of food. Let them eat it and look to you for more. Gradually give them more so they understand that YOU control the food. This is not something that can be done in a day. It may take weeks or months as in any other training.

Gradually get to where you can pick up their bowl. Make sure to be watchful for signs of aggression. Eventually the dog should be able to be free fed and shouldn't be food aggressively towards other dogs as well.

Good luck!

Answer 4

How old is the dog? Some of the people who ask questions give us very little information to answer a question intelligently. What breed is the dog? Has it always been this way or did this behavior just start? Do you have small children?

Answer 5

Feed him on kibble and leave the bowl down all the time. Food then becomes less important in his eyes and not worth guarding. Add to that some basic training with him, and he should be fine.
I've done rescue/fostering for decades now and often get food obsessed dogs and can usually manage to cure them within a week.

Answer 6

First check with your veterinarian to rule out medical causes for the aggressive behavior.
Seek professional help. An aggression problem will not go away by itself. Working with aggression problems requires in-home help from an animal behavior specialist.
Take precautions. Your first priority is to keep everyone safe. Supervise, confine and/or restrict your dog's activities until you can obtain professional help. You're liable for your dog's behavior. If you must take your dog out in public, consider a cage-type muzzle as a temporary precaution, and keep in mind that some dogs can get a muzzle off.
Avoid exposing your dog to situations where he is more likely to show aggression. You may need to keep him confined to a safe room and limit his people-contact.
If your dog is possessive of food, treats or a certain place, don't allow him access to those items. In an emergency, bribe him with something better than what he has. For example, if he steals your shoe, trade him the shoe for a piece of chicken.
Spay or neuter your dog. Intact dogs are more likely to display dominance, territorial and protective aggressive behavior.
What Not To Do
Punishment won't help and, in fact, will make the problem worse. If the aggression is motivated by fear, punishment will make your dog more fearful, and therefore more aggressive. Attempting to punish or dominate a dominantly aggressive dog is likely to cause him to escalate his behavior in order to retain his dominant position. This is likely to result in a bite or a severe attack. Punishing territorial, possessive or protective aggression is likely to elicit additional defensive aggression.
Don't encourage aggressive behavior. Playing tug-of-war or wrestling games encourages your dog to attempt to "best" you or "win" over you, which can result in the beginning of a dominance aggression problem. When dogs are encouraged to "go get 'em" or to bark and dash about in response to outside noises or at the approach of a person, territorial and protective aggressive behavior may be the result.

Answer 7

I'd call a Vet and ask for a behaviorist.....