My dog is always very friendly with the household family only. Today he had knocked off a plate from the table and started eating from it...when I took it away from him he growled, showed his teeth and bit me. What can I do to calm him down. He has a tendency to growl if you get near him while he is eating.
2007-11-27 09:06:25 · 10 answers · asked by Dude 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
No one here can help you without seeing the dog and evaluating his behavior so for this problem the only solution is to seek help from a professional trainer.
Please do not listen to anyone telling you to alpha roll the dog. You can get seriously hurt trying that.
2007-11-27 09:12:57 · answer #1 · answered by Shepherdgirl § 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like he has food aggression. You have to stop this immediatley especially if you have young children that could be wandering around with a biscuit in their hands.
Try hand feeding for a little while keeping him on a lead and if he growls or snaps pull him away from your hand. continue this until he no longer growls then feed him using a bowl but with your hand on the bowl - again on the lead so that if he growls or snaps he can be moved away. Once that improves put the bowl down and every so often remove it while he is eating. This may take weeks but I did it with a dog of mine and by the end he could quite safely take a treat from between my teeth.
2007-11-27 17:20:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My youngest of 3 dogs started being like this and in order to make her adoptable if something happened to me , I had to fix this food aggression problem.
What I did was take milkbones and hold them in a way that only a small part of it was sticking out. My dog would have to touch her mouth to my hand and gently pull the bone from my hand. Next, I would put her to bed and hold the bedtime bone in my hand while I put her covers on, then put the bone in her mouth and at the same time hold her face to give her-her nite nite kiss.
This dog now is the most gentle of the 3 dogs, when it comes to eating now and she`s a Pitbull.
I only mentioned the breed because Pit`s get such a bad rap.
2007-11-27 18:49:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some dogs do not like to be bothered when they are eating. It's pretty understandable sense most people are the same way; they do not want anyone to put their hand in their face while they are trying to eat. Try to understand it. My toy poodle is the same way so we don't bother him, and if he gets something he should have we try distracting him with something else, such as throwing a toy across the room, showing him one of his favorite dog treats and holding it away from the other piece of food (making him drop it and only pay attention to what is in my hand while I grab the other piece of food from him; after he has dropped it), opening the door that leads to the backyard, or while he is growling at me I use a broom or something to try to drag the item away from him and slide to a place he can't get it from (such as under our entertainment center or in another room).
And about him getting food from the table, you could either keep him on a leash or in another room, or just make sure that all the food is in the center of the table or anywhere else where he can't get to it.
2007-11-27 22:52:52 · answer #4 · answered by Gretchen 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Your dog right now is acting as if he is the alpha.
Take frequent walks with him, and have him walk next to you. Sounds simple but it works. Also, showing him you are alpha, and you are in control, he won't do that.
Your dog is food aggressive,
What not to do
Do not respond with punishment or it will most likely create more aggression. Attempting to punish Territorial aggression is most likely to elicit the addition of fear aggression. The result may be a bite.
Do not encourage aggressive behaviors. Playing tug-of-war encourages Dominance aggression. Encouraging a dog to become excited and bark at outside noises is encouraging Territorial and Possession aggressive reactions.
Do not encourage aggressive behaviors
They need to be taught from puppy ages.
2007-11-27 17:23:44 · answer #5 · answered by Jade28 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First how old is the dog? Do you like food to be taken from you while you are eaten or people in your personal space? Whenever my dog did this I would put him in his timeout crate and keep him there for 10 mins to let him know that I would not tolerate that, the saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you". It will take time.
2007-11-27 17:15:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Training.
2007-11-27 21:47:37 · answer #7 · answered by Freckles... 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you need to show this dog you are the alpha.
Flip the dog onto its back and put your hand on his chest to hold him down. His mother would do this out in the wild.
Also, obedience classes...not from a pet store, but from a real trainer!
BTW - if he isn't neutered, do so immediately!
2007-11-27 17:13:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
OK well u need to keep your distance from dogs when they are eating they have the tendency to protect food.
2007-11-27 17:19:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
http://www.ehow.com/Search.aspx?s=food+aggression+in+dogs&Options=
try this site
2007-11-27 17:13:13 · answer #10 · answered by Tammy2073 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋