By Karen A. Soukiasian
Food aggression should NEVER be tolerated. Fact is that your dog does not respect you.
Your puppy or dog must recognize and respect ALL humans. As such, humans ALWAYS have the right to give and take away food.
If your puppy or dog growls or snaps at you while they are eating, he sees you as a subordinate, he is warning you to stay away from his food. It is an instinctive survival of the fittest behavior. This assertiveness may lead to aggression if tolerated, or if excuses are made.
The best way to establish your leadership, is to get your puppy or dog, into a positive reinforcement, punishment-free obedience program, where YOU will learn how to become ALPHA! You will elevate yourself in your dog’s mind.
While your puppy is still young and impressionable, establish and reinforce your Alpha status, by going near their food while they are eating. Mix their food by hand. By doing this, you are putting your scent on their food. You are showing them as Alpha, you have the right to first pick. Alpha always eats first. Pick up their bowls, put their bowls down. Make them “earn” their meal by following through on a command such as “SIT”, “DOWN”, “COME:, “STAY”, or “LEAVE IT!”
Should your puppy or dog shows signs of aggression, nip it in the bud IMMEDIATELY!
· Feed the most aggressive dog last.
· Feed him after YOU have eaten.
· Make them “earn” their meals by following a command before putting the food down.
· Mix their food by hand.
· Feed them by hand, chunk by chunk – so he associates yours is the hand that provides the food that feeds him – your scent on the food, will make him think you have eaten first.
· If they feed too aggressively, stop the feeding!
· Make them wait for each mouthful. Feed them slowly. Show them YOU are in control of the food.
· Praise them, when their behavior is appropriate. They respond to praise!
Once you are comfortable with your new ALPHA status, and your dog’s obedience level, BEFORE you put the food down, make your dog “SIT-STAY” or give the command “LEAVE IT!”
If he doesn’t follow your command, put the food up. Walk away. Come back in a few minutes, give the command again…Repeat as necessary. PUT THE FOOD DOWN, ONLY AFTER YOUR DOG FOLLOWS YOUR COMMAND.
While your dog is eating, every now and then, pass by and drop a tasty morsel of something they REALLY like, into their bowl. Even when they are not eating, toss a treat into their bowl, so he makes the association, people near his bowl, is a good thing.
BOTTOM LINE: Some dogs catch on quickly. Others are a bit slower. Eventually, they will make the association. Always praise your dog for appropriate behavior. They will never learn what pleases you, if you don’t show them.
Be fair, firm and consistent! Most importantly, be patient!
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Dear Karen , I will have to disagree with you on some of your word choices in the article.With your word choices in this article I feel you are encouraging the old “alpha leader” philosophy and myth, which has been debunked my scientist many years ago. When your dog growls at you, it has nothing to do with a lack of respect. It has to due with a lack of trust. And trust is something you have to earn!! He is simply telling you, that he is afraid of you taking his food away from him. According to even Karen Pryor “Making dogs go through doors or eat their dinners after you, not before, will not shape the dogs’ overall view of the relationship, but will only teach them what to expect in those situations”(see http://www.clickertraining.com/node/2297).
Yes, I can agree that you have to train your dog already as a puppy using positive reinforcement. And with the “Learn to Earn” program, where you hand feed your dog, but only when he is doing something for it, and with games like exchanging toys for treats, and by being a positive part their feeding experience ( as you described tossing treats in the food bowl), you can often nip this “food aggression” in the butt, so to speak. But please refer to not use the terminology as Alpha and subordinate, since I feel this is encouraging the type of handler behaviors, which positive dog trainers have been trying to get the handlers away from the last 10 years.
Thank you