getting agressive??? pls help?

Question

i have rottie name chelsie and shes 8 months old... today she growled at me when i touched her food inside her bowl... thats the second time she did something like that. the first time was when my bro dropped his "pandesal" a kind of bread here in the philippines, and chels grabbed it (being her favorite food) and ran. i was worried that she might choke coz she has this thing swallowing without chewing.... somethimes.. anyway when i tried to grab it back she growled at me.... darn... if she wasnt that big, i wont be this worried... so pls help me ppl!!!

Answer 1

the problem is, your dog is starting to enter into adolescence and is testing boundaries, including dominance. Food is a protected commodity in the dog world and the boss of the family, the alpha always gets to eat first and no one is allowed to touch that food while the alpha is eating. you MUST re-establish dominance and continue to assert dominance. most importantly, if you're unsure about anything or don't quite know how to handle anything, talk to a dog behaviorist and get them to help you establish leadership over her. think about how mamma dog would teach an insolent puppy manners and that should be your guide. first she'll stare down a pup, which escalates to a quick "wuff!" or growl if the puppy is still misbehaving, which then escalates to a knock on the side and a stare down, which is then escalated to, as a last resort a scruff shake and a pin down followed by a stare down and walking away. both wild and feral dogs also behave in the same way and an alpha dog treats his subordinates in this manner. he loves every member of his pack but if they misbehave by trying to take over, he lets them know, first by staring down and showing teeth, then by cuffing them with his teeth. they're never hurt but they know who is boss. in order to start establishing leadership, you must stop letting her have full run of the house and establish a routine that she must follow. rottweilers are working dogs and as such, need exercise, every day. you have to first establish a pattern of walking her for at least an hour at least once to twice daily. it also sometimes helps to put a doggie backpack and let her carry stuff, like water for her walk or any of your stuff (let someone try to mug you and steal your wallet now!!!) in order to make her feel like she's working. for the walk, she has to come to you for the leash and the leash can only go on when she's calm and submissive to you. make her come to you, make her sit and once she calms down and sits there patiently, give her the leash. then she has to follow you AT ALL TIMES, most importantly, out of the door. if she gets up and starts walking, give her a quick short correction by a short, quick, but strong tug to either side (never pull back! as she'll pull forward and you don't want to get into a tug-o-war), wait until she calms down again and start again. she MUST follow you out of the door. that means she's not allowed NEAR the door unless YOU say it's ok. and you'll say it's ok by your body language and nothing else. while, you're walking her, it must be in that same regimented manner, she must follow you and your direction at all times, including where she's allowed to pee or do her other business. when you come back home, you must come back in the same way you left. she is to follow you in the door, as you're establishing that this is YOUR house, not hers. after you come back, you can feed her but feeding must also be a ritual as well. she has to wait for it calmly and in a submissive manner just like she waited for her leash. give your self some food first and let her watch you eat it. if she stares at you or the food too hard or if she barks for food, get up, face her in an assertive, dominant, but calm manner, stare her down and back her off. if you need to, a quick, short, tough "no!" or something like that should suffice... remember for dogs, it's all in the attitude and behavior; pleading, begging, getting angry or upset and yelling or hitting them to hurt them will never work but might have the opposite effect of what you're trying to accomplish. if you think you're the boss and act like you're the boss, you'll be the boss in their minds. after she's calmed down, and accepted that you eat first, give her meal and mix it with your hands so you get your scent in there. let her watch you put the food down. if she approaches before you put the food down, back her down like you did before, face her, stare her down and a quick, stern "no!". once she calms down and submits to you, put her food down again and see if she approaches. if you ever give her a treat, she has to come to you and ask for it in a calm manner, she CANNOT demand it. if she does, you must not give it to her until she calms down and patiently wait for it. this could be a good way to start the feeding ritual as well as she must request food from you. in your house, she must always approach you and you must always initiate play or any other interaction. when you come home or into any room she's in, ignore her at first, ALL THE TIME. if she comes up to you, pet her but calmly and don't get her too excited. if she doesn't come to you, turn around and walk away from her (you can stay in the room but don't acknowledge her). never sit on the floor with her. she must get out of your way when you approach her and when you two are entering into a new room, she must let you in first. if she doesn't, get in front of her and back her away or call her to you and make her come to you. when you are feeding her if she growls at you for any reason, stare her down, back her down and take her food right away. if she ever growls at you, for any other reason, same thing. a quick, commanding, stern. "no!" or "stop!" or something like that, follow her around the house, herd her and don't let her past you, then make her submit. the exercise and the feeding are the most important things. during your family meal time, if she begs or barks for food, back her down with a quick correction. if she growls and has no intention of backing down, make your hands into a little "claw", and cuff her at the side of her neck, under her jaw, or at her muzzle in a quick and commanding manner to snap her attention back to you and not escalate into dominance fighting mode and then face her, and back her down. if after you back her down, she shows you her belly to rub, stand over her, kneel down and give her a belly rub, but maintain your dominant position. don't get into a tug of war with your dog as she's probably stronger and will win, rather, she must learn to drop whatever is in her mouth for you when you ask for it. everyone in the house must take part in these rituals as she must learn that she's lowest on the totem pole. it's not that you guys don't love her but your dog needs to understand that she has a place in your family and it's family pet, not family leader. when she's a good dog and does the things you ask of her and is a calm, submissive, non-threatening dog, you can give her affection, but until then you must provide the rules of your pack and what boundaries and limits she must adhere to. i urge you not to give up on her as quickly as some others may suggest and give her away or try to have her euthanized. she's still young and learning and she's testing boundaries and limits, just like human adolescents. there's no such thing as an aggressive breed as others have suggested. a dog is a dog is a dog is a dog and a chihuahua or a yorkie can become as aggressive, territorial, dominant or fearful and nippy as a rottweiler, german shephard or pit bull. the problem is that pit bulls and rottweilers had the media spotlight and some bad breeders, handlers and owners that have cause them to get the label of "aggressive dog" whereas smaller dogs don't cause as much damage when they're mishandled and have had no media spotlight. it's the owners who don't properly establish the rules of living in the human family or human society that create overly aggressive dogs. if a child or a teenager did the same behavior, no one would expect you to give in so easily but to teach them manners and it is the same for your dog. you must teach her manners by your behavior and direction that let's the dog know what is and what is not acceptable. you must be her pack leader (her confident, calm, strong assertive "alpha") and not let her take over. she'll learn and then she'll be the best dog you can have and you won't be sorry you kept her. it will take a lot of work and discipline but it will be worth it in the end. good luck! and once again, i urge you to contact a dog behaviorist if you're unsure about anything.
p.s. barebackrider's advice about cesar milan is good advice, as i'd recommend it as well, if you notice, a lot of what i said is the same as what cesar milan teaches. also check out canismajor.com and dogbreedinfo.com and their articles on establishing and keeping the alpha position and being top dog

Answer 2

My first question is, are you the alpha of the pack?
You should be and it sounds like the dog is pressing the issue. If you don't control it now while she's young, you could have serious problems when she matures and becomes an adult.
I suggest that if you're afraid of the dog then get rid of her now while she's still young and fairly adoptable, some one not afraid of her can break the food aggression she has developed.
If you insist on keeping her, you need to work with her to get her past this idea that she's the alpha.
Obedience classes will help and lot of pet stores offer them. Or talk to a vet and tell him what she's doing and ask how you can stop it. I'd go with the obedience classes even if the vet offers suggestions.
There's also a TV show called the dog whisperer, if you can, try watching that, the fellow offers good tips about training dogs. You can also try researching the info on the net, just enter dog training in the search window and it should offer sites you can visit.

Answer 3

I would recomend buying a book on training dogs. Dog wisperer Cesar Millan has alot of very good advice on all kinds of dog behaviour. Get his book, I have headr alot of good things about it ( am hoping to get this book for Christmas!) But I will take the time to explane why your dog is behaving this way. First lets understand that a dog does not think the same way we do, a dogs closest relative is the wolf. Wolves and dogs share the same instincs and behaviors, so we can trace back our dogs behaviors to wolves. In every wolf family pack there is a alpha male and alpha female, an alpha wolf's job is to lead the pack, make the rules, teach and correct the young ones, be the one that the others can turn to if there is danger or a threat. They establish who is alpha by, wrestling, fighting over food and who is smartest. The other wolves may try and chalenge the alpha members if they sense weakness, lack of confidence, over agresiveness, lack of experiance. So if the leaders are doing a good job leading, the other members are not gonna want to try and chalenge them.

The problem you are having with your dog is, that he knows he is alpha over you, a growl is a warning a dog/wolf gives another member, the next step would be to bite. He is saying in dog/wolf language
("I am warning you! this is my food, respect you alpha member please!") This is a huge no no! it can lead to even worse behaviour, you need to get some help quick. Your dog needs to understand that the alpha position in your family pack is yours NOT his! I have always taught my puppies right from the beginning, using kind but firm techniques to get your puppy to want you to be leader. Cesar Millan has realy awsome advice for these all too common and dangerouse problems. I could offer you a few methods I would use, but it is much easyer if someone shows you and teaches you how to become a good leader for your dog, one who your dog respects, admires and wants to please!

For now I would get reading, and researching!
Hope it works out (=
want more info? e-mail [e-mail]

Answer 4

I accept as true with different posters, you're coping with a severe situation. yet, in case you're prepared to settle for risks, you ought to get stated and in contact plenty greater with this canines beginning with some actual-existence specialists and not YA advises. Frankly, even the quantity of information you have given contained in the positioned up is in simple terms too minor to somebody who're able that could be useful you, i think there is plenty greater into this. maximum mandatory question could be: what do you do whilst he gets aggressive, precisely how do you take care of that? i'm particular you do no longer purely walk faraway from the scene, you incredibly do something. the sole good tip you've right here is that occurring your knees and "babying" an aggressive canines who's making waiting for a combat is an exceedingly undesirable concept. it incredibly is beneficial which you believe the canines yet you would be able to desire to be sensible. it incredibly is an equivalent of residing with a convicted assassin and asking him "what's incorrect toddler?" whilst he's available on your mattress room retaining a kitchen knife.

Answer 5

Your dog feels she is the pack leader.

You need to get her spayed.

You need to adopt some new rules in the house.

Make sure you eat something, even if it's just a cracker, in front of her before giving her food. Also, mix her food in her bowl with your hand to put your scent on it, further emphasizing that you are the leader...not her.

There are many other things that need to be done. I have helped others with food aggression. Read the testimonials on my web site.

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

Answer 6

her size doesn't matter. you have to be the alpha or she will run you. test her. put a leash on her and give her a favorite treat. have someone take a stick and put it in her bowl while she eats. You or someone else has to keep holding the leash in case she lunges at you. dont back off when she growls and snaps, keep touching her face with the stick until she stops. do this every time she eats until she gets use to it. If you give up on her she will get worse, hurt someone and you will have to put her down. i have 3 wolves they have the strongest jaw pressure of any other breed, this is how i trained them. i and anyone else can take their food away as much as they want and my dogs just sit there and patiently wait.

Answer 7

Food agression is a very serious condition. If your dog hasn't displayed this in the past, you don't mistreat him, and there is no history of inbreeding in the dog's family, than it's possible you just have a grumpy puppy.

However, as I said, food agression is pretty serious. I don't feel confident enough to give you more information than that and I feel as though you should ask a professional on this matter. = ) I'm sure Chetco will say something.


EDIT: LONGVIEW: HER DOG IS EIGHT MONTHS OLD.

PLEASE READ THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU ANSWER.

Answer 8

Sounds like the pack order is not in your favor. You need to let Chels know that you are the alpha before you have serious problems (not that you don't already). You should make her work for her meal. Never just set her food down. Make her sit and stay while you place it down and then don't allow her to eat it until you give he a command that it is of.
Ritualistic aggression is used to maintain the pack hierarchy and is an inherent part of the dog’s psyche. What we view as canine aggression is in fact a natural competition within the pack for resources such as food, pack rank, the right to breed, or even what a canine might perceive as its very survival
The best way to avoid dominance aggression is for all family members to be above the dog in the pack hierarchy. Those gentle soles that try to make sure their dog knows he is loved often do things that in the dog’s mind make him believe he is above his owner in rank. A few of the ways we can avoid this happening are as follows:

Do not feed a dog until all family members have finished their meal. This does not mean that one cannot share their dinner with their pet, but that special treats should only be given after the family has finished their meal.
If an animal is setting in your favorite spot, do not set elsewhere and allow the dog to remain comfortable where he is.
When going through a door with you, you should go first or have him to sit and earn the right to pass through the door. If one is having problems with dominance, it is not a good idea to let the dog dictate when he is to be petted or play time. Again, it is a good idea to teach your dog to sit and have him do so before giving attention.
In other words, any time we show our dogs that we are reacting to what they want, they can perceive it as an assertion of their dominance over us. With dogs that are born with a predisposition to be “alpha,” winning these subtle challenges can and often does encourage them to try more intense challenges in an effort to achieve the alpha status within their pack.

The best rule of thumb is that we do not do anything for our dog before they do something for us. For instance, one can have a dog sit before petting it, or being fed. Basic obedience training is a good idea for all canines, but is especially useful for those with dominant personalities.
Good Luck!!

Answer 9

Sounds like your teenager is trying out new behaviors to see what works. Unfortunately, she learned if she growls over food, she gets it.
Back to beginnings, start hand feeding her. You hold the food bowl and dole the food out to her. This reminds her that YOU supply the food, and helps teach her that your hands are allowed anywhere near her food.
Use her food for training. Ask her to sit, when she does, feed her a handful of food. Ask her to lie down, then feed her. Ask her to stand, then feed her.

Alpha, in dog terms, really refers to the one who controls the resources. She needs to be reminded.

Also, never let yourself get sucked into the idea of even attempting to physically dominate her. Studies of domesticated dogs indicate using force causes loss of status. Only bullies have to dominate physically. True leaders seldom have to issue physical corrections.

Most Rotties are wonderfully sweet dogs.

Answer 10

You should really seek professional help with her. It's not too late, rotties have a bad rep but I can wholeheartedly tell you that mine was the best dog I ever had and will ever have, and others that I have met were nothing but big babies. It's all how you raise them. This can be fixed!!! Just hop to it!

Answer 11

I strongly advise you to speak with Rspca or Your local Animal Shelter people. They will offer you best advice.

I know though that it will go from her food to her toys etc. This problem is likely to esculate. If you have children you owe it to them to think about giving to Animal Charity and getting another one.

Rottweillers are a breed that has been over bred. You might have a bad one. I'm not sayiing you do but maybe you should think seriously about letting this dog go to the charity and purchase another one from a reputable dealer. I know you love your dog and have a bond with it but do you really want a Rottweiller attacking you or your family. I own a Japanese Akita so I am not against big dogs. I am against aggressive big dogs regardless of reason.