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Food Aggression Trainer

10K views 90 replies 19 participants last post by  Heartandsoul 
#1 ·
Hi,

My puppy started displaying food aggression a month+ ago and I've been trying to train her to accept that she can be touched while she ate and the food wasn't going to disappear besides into her own mouth and tummy. Things seemed to improve as she stopped growling much although she continued to vacuum her food as if she hasn't eaten in months or she's afraid the food will disappear. I allowed her to chomp away and I've probably been doing it wrong because today, she got worse.

She kept growling at me while licking her food, then suddenly bared her teeth, snarled and took a huge bite. If the bowl was plastic, I think she would've attempted to eat the bowl in that bite. I don't know what to do now and obviously, I need help. This is my first bully breed and I'm not sure I'll be safe if I allowed this to escalate as she grows older. At 4 months old, she is still young and small enough to handle, so I would really like to nip this in the bud before I get hurt.

My husband thinks a trainer is not necessary and I'm guessing that is because they're not cheap at all. Can anyone recommend trainers in the vicinity of Macomb County, Michigan whose prices are not going to burn the wallet?

(Really wishing Cesar Milan was not in LA and was nearer... lol)
 
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#2 ·
You are creating the problem inadvertently by making your puppy anxious about her food.Leave her alone to eat in peace.After a couple of weeks of completing ignoring her at mealtime and you are sure she's feeling more comfortable,walk by her at mealtime and drop a tasty treat into her dish and move on.She can become reconditioned to expect food is always given and never taken from her.

Training Leave It and Take it can be done with treats in a different context,never at mealtime.For the time being if she has something you need to get away from her - trade her for something more valuable.She snatches the tv remote,you counter offer with a squeaky toy or a delicious treat.
 
#3 ·
people please let your dogs eat in peace .

do not create a problem .

do not tease , harass , aggravate , bother, worry, maul, stimulate , challenge or compete with your dog -- you are setting a tone and impression in how the dog considers you ---- not a team mate , not a partner -- but a competitor, adversary , not a great pathway to being trustworthy

as a leader you are supposed protect the best interests of your dog

-- so speaking of Cesar Milan there is some youtubey of what happens when a dog -- who is showing lots and lots of appeasement gestures -- is processed with all of the above things of what not to do ----
 
#4 ·
What in the world? He's lucky he didn't lose his hand...or worse.

Speaking of food aggression, I don't know if this is accurate information so please tell me if it is a correct training method. I haven't asked my trainer (will ask tomorrow when I see her), but I have read that you can help over come this by hand feeding an entire meal a few pieces at a time. Luckily, none of my dogs are food aggressive. Sometimes they might get a little snippy with each other, but that is rare because we have them all separated during meal time.
 
#5 ·
I have a resource guarder - food in particular. It's great to use their food as training treats when they are young. We would have our little training session, but I then gave what remained in his bowl.

The best thing you can do for a food guarder is let them eat in peace. After repeated feedings over time, as they mature (and aren't quite so voracious all the time), they realize that you give food, you don't take it. You're a positive in the area, not a negative. I give extra bits occasionally while he's eating, either calling his name and handing it to him, or putting it in his bowl.
 
#6 · (Edited)
1. Your pup looks like a GSD in the picture, not a bully breed. Is it a mix? Or do you have two dogs? If you have a multi-dog household, that could be a big contributor --feeding in a crate is very important in that circumstance. Dogs eat in the crate, safe and sound, and no one bothers them at meal time -- not other dogs, and not people!

2. You are over-estimating your training needs, I think. Instead of focusing on how expensive private sessions are, focus on the cost of a novice group class. I think probably just need a basic, novice obedience class to get started working with your dog and teach you elementary skills and timing. Your pup is old enough for a good group obedience class--not a puppy play class, but a class that teaching basic skills. This isn't optional for novice owners--it trains the owners, not the dog. A basic course costs about $100-$150 for 5-6 weeks. Sometimes you can find classes for less money through a city park & rec service, or a local AKC obedience club chapter. If there's an AKC obedience club near you, that's a really good place to start!

AVOID classes at "Big Box" stores though (they're sometimes taught by cashiers who went to a weekend seminar and know very little about dog training).

IMHO, completing at least one basic obedience class is ESSENTIAL dog ownership for people who aren't experts. It's every bit as essential as vet care and food. It's basic, responsible dog ownership. I've told people who balk at the cost of a training class that they can't afford a dog if they can't afford a novice class. Please share that with your hub.

I've had many GSDs in my life, gone through many classes, and I still take my new dogs through at least class sequence whenever I adopt another one. I learn something new about myself or the dog in every class I've ever taken. There's something about having an expert watching your technique and timing that helps to really perfect that. Having to work toward a "graduation day" test when you'll have to perform a bunch of skills in front of the group also forces you to have to do "homework" with the dog every day to build the skills in time for the test. The tests tend to have a long sit, long down (often with distraction), send away, recall, and leash work. Good trainers fail you and have you retake the class if you can't demonstrate those things. Working towards all that at the beginning of your relationship with your dog ends up doing great things for how you and the dog communicate, in a short amount of time. There's something that happens during this first month and half of training -- the impact of a single class sequence on the dog-human relationship can last for the whole rest of the dog's life. And maybe you'll enjoy it so much that you'll want to work toward an advanced class.

What do those skills have to do with your pup's food behavior? Everything. The dog stops viewing the human as someone it bosses around, and NOT because you overpower the dog (what CM does -- I know people who've claim to have seen him cause dogs to pee and poop themselves off camera....not good!). Rather, this happens because you develop a productive relationship and communication style that the dog understands, through repetition, rewards, and corrections in a time-tested manner that uses the canine thought process to accomplish good things together. You develop a working partnership and communication style that flows in a lovely way that's satisfying to both ends of the leash.

There are people who are religious about what kind of trainer is best. I'm not. I've worked with great balanced trainers who use prong collars, old-school Koehler trainers who use choke chains, positive clicker trainers who use treats and clicks, and more. They ALL can be effective with the right dog, and someone who is excellent with the method. They all can suck with the wrong dog, and someone who isn't excellent with the method. People here who claim any one of those methods is ineffective are usually people who've never actually done a real class with an expert using the method they're harshing on, or who've only trained one kind of dog (a hard one, a soft one, whatever). My dogs have loved every class, with every method because it was all about our relationship, and fun. We're there with an open mind to see what we can do together. The best trainers have a big bag of tricks and can train across multiple modalities, adjusting to the dog --- trainers I most adore aren't one-trick ponies and will use ANY method that works for the right dog, and they can adjust on the fly bringing in different methods to get the job done in a way that fun and engaging for the human and the dog.

3. While you are looking for a class to sign up for, do a search on the forum for "NILF" (nothing in life is free). Practice it and live it with this pup. Get your hub on board too.

4. Hand feed the pup the whole meal for a while, a few kibbles at a time, if you can't force yourself to let the pup eat in peace in the crate -- wear leather garden gloves, if needed. If you feel teeth, don't give it a morsel and mark it with a firm-but-calm "no". Nudging softly I would allow. Mark good behavior with a "yes" or "good" as you give the handful of kibble. Try to make it DO something to get a handful of kibble (a sit, a down, a little trick). It is old enough it should already know sit and down, at least! Just measure out the full day's food ration, and give it out while you work with the pup. Once you start your training class, you can build your feeding sessions around long downs and long sits, adding a few seconds of time (and thus patience) each day. Food becomes about interacting with YOU, and praise for doing the right thing. That's what nearly every GSD wants more than anything.

Remind yourself that a food-motivated dog is super-easy to train because they'll work so very hard for their reward. Use that to your advantage! This is the only way I "mess with" dogs when eating. It's either part of training and working together, or the dog eats in peace. One or the other --- but not taking food away, sticking my hand in their bowl, or otherwise aggravating the dog eating from a bowl.

5. I've previously (recently!) posted about how to do Classical Counter Conditioning for food aggression, using a wire crate and really high value, meaty treats. It honestly works. I've rehabilitated adult foster dogs big enough to take a hand off with food aggression. I view it as the easiest thing to fix in them -- in a pup, it's a breeze. I've posted the step by step before. It just takes consistency, time, and commitment.

Patricia McConnell has a good explanation of the principles of CCC with resource guarding here:
Resource Guarding: Treatment and Prevention
 
#8 ·
some very good advice from Magwart .

read it once , and then again .
Galathiel said
"they realize that you give food, you don't take it. You're a positive in the area, not a negative."

absolutely --- you don't want their food, you don't care about it -- no competition - no need to guard

dog gets to eat in peace -- which is better for digestion and health -- bonus !
 
#10 ·
When it comes to finding a trainer, don't be afraid to talk to people either. I met our trainer by pure coincidence at the park. I saw her very well behaved GSD and started asking her questions. Turns out she has 20+ years experience training GSDs specifically. It ended with her coming to our house to train my entire family for $10/session.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Thanks for the replies, guys.

I have done one session where I fed her a whole dinner by hand while attempting to train "leave it". I don't consider it a full success yet as she can't wait very long and she still lunges for anything that drops on the ground. I also think she doesn't know the words just yet, more of the tone of voice, which is the same voice I use for "no", so... I haven't gotten round to doing more of these sessions, sadly.

And yes, I've seen that video before. That is one of the reasons why I don't dare to tackle this by myself. I'm not exactly a big strong guy who can stand pain lol. Because of Cesar, I've always viewed food aggression or any kind of possessive behaviour to be a dangerous task to get rid of. So basically, I've just been over-worrying and causing her to be anxious? I'll try leaving her alone, see how that works out.

Magwart, she is a GSD yes. I dunno, I've been told that GSDs are part of the bully breed group. And anyway, I've never had a large dog besides a golden retriever, so you can see why I'm feeling a little nervous about any signs of aggression. The only other dogs who has been in my life was a miniature pincher and a telomian (Malaysian terrier sort of) and they're not food motivated. The golden is, but he's so lazy that he would just rather sit and wait than get riled up.

I've managed to train her to do sit, down, paw, sit pretty and rollover, with leave it being the latest. When hubby wanted the paw, sit pretty and rollover tricks, I was the one who manage to train her because I've been watching so many dog training videos. Perhaps that is another reason why hubby is not interested in a professional trainer... because I've been doing a good job according to him. I've trained her not to jump on me either, but she doesn't seem to understand that others are not jumpable because she jumps on the hubby and other people all the time. I've told hubby not to rile her up, but I guess he only sees the cute puppy and not the attack dog that she can become, like most people who end up throwing their dogs away do... He's a big guy and I don't think he has the same worries I do, me being 5"1 and petite.

She is very very food motivated, to the point where she just goes crazy. She's willing to do her tricks for like, 1 second, then you have to treat her or she starts bouncing around. With the hubby, she jumps at him. I still have not been able to stop her being a land shark. She's just too excited over food. Even the process of me OPENING her bag of dry food, she starts whining and whimpering. Try touching a bag of chips, she thinks it's her treat bag and again, goes crazy. I keep trying to calm her down, hubby riles her up again. He says it's because he's working so much and almost never sees her, so that bit of excitement cheers him up.

I no longer know how to deal with this, tbh. It's like, I need a Cesar Milan to smack my hubby into seeing sense. I'll see if I can convince him to enroll us in a class, I'll even give up getting myself a bike at this point! :| It's so hard not being able to earn income myself and having to totally depend on him urgh...

Cheffjapman, we're not really keen on dog parks atm tbh. So I haven't really been meeting people around here. I'm new to the country which makes it even harder to socialize myself, let alone the pup
 
#48 ·
My puppy started displaying food aggression a month+ ago and I've been trying to train her to accept that she can be touched while she ate and the food wasn't going to disappear besides into her own mouth and tummy. Things seemed to improve as she stopped growling much although she continued to vacuum her food as if she hasn't eaten in months or she's afraid the food will disappear. I allowed her to chomp away and I've probably been doing it wrong because today, she got worse.

She kept growling at me while licking her food, then suddenly bared her teeth, snarled and took a huge bite.
Definitely stop trying to train her to accept being touched while she eats. There is no need for that, and it's not going to help her learn that food isn't going to disappear. Clearly, it's making her nervous and if you continue down that path you could end up with a situation like the CM video that Carmspack posted, which is a sad case of well intentioned people following bad advise towards an easily predicted outcome. Dogs will not resource guard if they trust that you aren't going to start randomly yanking away valued things. Build trust. Be consistent, be fair. It truly is that simple.

I was very proactive when Halo was a puppy, more so than with any of our previous dogs. I taught her to bring me things, rewarded her with a treat, then gave her the thing back. We named all the toys, so I could ask her to bring me the _______ (whatever), happy praise, yummy treat, "okay, take it", and she got it back again. I did that every day with a variety of things. We played tug, I asked her to drop it, rewarded with a treat and we played tug some more. I held a bone while she chewed it, offered her a treat, marked it ("yes!" or with a clicker) when she let go of the bone and ate the treat, and released her to take the bone again. With a tug or a bone, I maintained ownership of the item by continuing to hold one end. When we were done I simply didn't give it back after rewarding her for letting go. For ball play, I taught her to drop the ball for a treat and then I threw the ball again. Eventually, resumption of play became the sole reward and I could fade out food rewards. It was all struggle free, and she learned that giving up something didn't mean she'd never get it back again, which built trust. So when she had something she wasn't supposed to have, she'd still bring it to me because of the large bank of trust. I'd thank and reward her, and put it away. At some point she could have decided it wasn't worth it to bring stuff to me anymore because I might not give it back, but that never happened due to the solid foundation of training I had done. It also helped prevent keep away games, where you end up chasing our dog all over the house to get something away from them. Instead she liked bringing me things so much that she made it a game. She will bring me an Orbee ball and I take it away and give it back a couple of times before she's satisfied and then she goes off and chews it. Or she brings me a bone to hold for her while she chews it:



Remind yourself that a food-motivated dog is super-easy to train because they'll work so very hard for their reward. Use that to your advantage! This is the only way I "mess with" dogs when eating. It's either part of training and working together, or the dog eats in peace. One or the other --- but not taking food away, sticking my hand in their bowl, or otherwise aggravating the dog eating from a bowl.
Excellent post, Magwart! When I have a young puppy I do some hand feeding out of the bowl, which I maintain possession of. But once I'm done and give the dog the food, I never take it away, or stick my hand in the bowl, or mess with the dog. I will sometimes stand nearby and drop good stuff in the bowl though. My presence during mealtimes is either neutral, or predicts something being added, like freeze dried liver raining into the bowl of ordinary kibble, never anything being taken away.

She is very very food motivated, to the point where she just goes crazy. She's willing to do her tricks for like, 1 second, then you have to treat her or she starts bouncing around.
Impulse control! I expand on that below, but she needs to learn that her behavior determines when she gets the food. I teach my dogs from the time they're young puppies to sit and wait while I put their food bowl down, and then release them to eat. If at any point they break the sit, I immediately pick the bowl up and wait for them to sit again. You may need to do this a half dozen times when you first try it, but she will figure it out. In the beginning I make it very easy, releasing to eat the second the bowl touches the floor. I gradually make it more difficult, working up to setting down the bowl and standing up all the way before releasing, then taking a step away from the bowl, etc. Eventually I can put the bowl right in front of the dog and walk 5 or 6 feet away before releasing. Our dogs are both adults now and they still get excited and spin in circles while I'm preparing their meals, but as soon as I pick up the bowls, they sit and give me eye contact. I don't need to say a word, I just wait for them to do it. I put down the bowls, close the gate between them (they eat in the garage - one in the enclosed pen, one outside it), and then say "okay". One time when Keefer was young, ONCE, he started to eat before I told him he could. I said "oops!" picked up his bowl, set it on the counter and made him wait until Dena was done eating before giving it back to him. Never tried it again!

In this photo Halo is about the same age as your puppy. My husband put down the food bowl, and she's looking at him, waiting for him to say okay:



BTW, I'm not a fan of CM in general, but I do like your idea of him smacking some sense into your husband! :rofl:

As for training leave it - I have never let the dog have the "leave it treat" and use a different treat to reward the "leave it." If they were constantly allowed to eat whatever they are supposed to "leave it", you could create some anticipation/frustration/confusion. In a real application of leave it, i probably don't ever want them to grab whatever I am asking them to leave it.
:thumbup: Agreed. Leave it means you don't ever get the thing, and you reward with something else. I've done "leave it" exercises using a dog biscuit on the floor, and also a bowl filled with goodies. After we're done, I pick up the biscuit or the contents of the bowl and put them in my treat bag. The reward always comes from me. If I'm working with a toy, like training the dog not to jump up and grab a tug for example, I usually use the "wait" command. They're going to get it, just on my terms and at my discretion. Initially, I ask for a sit and eye contact ("watch") before releasing the dog to take it, but eventually that becomes a default behavior so I don't need to say anything. It's automatic, because they understand that's what's required to get what they want.

Which reminds me to ask: How do treat bags work? I mean, don't they get dirty from the treats? Or do you put the treats in a ziplock bag and then into the treat bag?
Depends on what kind of treats you use. if I'm using something gunky or that needs refrigeration, I put them in a ziplok bag, which is easy to remove and put back in the fridge when I'm not using my treat bag. But there are plenty of treats that don't need that. If she's as food motivated as you describe, you can simply use her kibble as training treats, or at least mix it with a small amount of something more interesting. When Halo was a puppy, i'd measure out her lunch kibble, toss it into the treat bag, and whatever I didn't use for training went into her bowl for her to finish. I took her first week home off work, and after that I took long lunches for another month or so, and came home mid-day to spend time with her. Breakfast she got exclusively in her bowl because there was no time for training, but I did the same thing with her dinner kibble - measured it out and did a little training with it first. This is my favorite treat bag - it's large enough for treats and also a ball on a rope, it has lots of pockets for other stuff, including poop bags. I put $20 in the zip pocket on the back, my ID in the front pocket, and my cell phone drops easily in the smaller pocket inside the main pocket where the treats go: https://www.chewy.com/doggone-good-rapid-rewards-dog-treat/dp/143031

This package from Chewy is particularly good since it comes with the belt (sometimes sold separately), a clicker, and a wrist strap. I put my clicker on a wrist strap, and hook it to one of the D-rings. Many other treat bags have metal hinges on the sides, which inevitably break. I prefer the magnetic closure on this one.

One of the things I really like to work on from the very beginning is impulse control exercises. That sounds like something that could really benefit you with your girl. The It's Yer Choice game by agility trainer and competitor Susan Garrett is sort of a default leave it, because the dog is not given any commands. It's basically a game of red light, green light, here the dog learns that the way to get the food in your hand is to stop trying to get the food in your hand. I like to add eye contact as an additional criteria, but you don't have to do that right away if you don't want. Polite behavior around food gets reinforced, pushy behavior doesn't get anything. I did this with Halo every day for weeks.



The more food motivated the dog is, IME, the faster and easier they figure out how to make the food happen.
 
#12 ·
pretty much "I've just been over-worrying and causing her to be anxious? "

THE most important obedience command is the recall -- come when called - 100% reliable

you have a food motivated dog --- USE that ---- when you give a meal - you give a meal -- put down -- go away -- leave the dog alone , don't hover , don't stare --- peace and quiet ---

don't give the full meal

start the meal time with some random recalls , any point from the house , the yard , random times - no patterns
total spontaneity , which brings a fun and playful element to "learning"

now with some of the food handy you are going to call the dog , dog flies in to you -- you give a kibble , a quick scrub on the dogs sweet spot - teaser bit of food and away you go .

you have now developed a positive feed-back loop for the dog with recalls and association of food and pleasure coming from you

then at some point chosen by you - give the meal , spread the kibble in a not-a-bowl ---

what are you feeding --- are you giving enough -- is the dog satisfied - not just calorically but nutritionally?
 
#13 ·
You don't need a trainer Feathers. Put her outside or in her crate, put the food in the bowl and don't give it to her till she settles down. Leave her alone to eat. Quit rewarding tricks with food. Reward calm. Have her lay still and quiet, reward that. Be prepared, have something with you so that you don't have to let her see you get the treats. You want to break that pattern.
 
#17 ·
German shepherds are a modern , "Victorian" creation founded on indigenous herding dogs which had been herding not for decades , or centuries , but functionally for thousands of years

" think our view of the formation of modern dog breeds has historically been one-dimensional,” says Bob Wayne, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We didn’t consider that the process has a deep historical legacy.”

the canine genomic study , which a friend of mine , as a biologist researcher contributed to - human and canine genomic studies

people were very surprised , including the researchers themselves, that the GSD did not get grouped into the "wolf" group , given the body structure and oral and written modern history with experimental wolf introduction

actually the border collie and the malinois had a closer wolf connection.

we aren't talking about "breeds" --

the next step is a greater look at pre-Colombian dogs in the "Americas"
 
#15 ·
German Shepherds are not a bully breed. If your dog is still that excited by food then maybe it's too hungry. It's hard for them to concentrate if they think they're starving. Maybe feed them a part of the meal first, THEN work on impulse control games. You can also do beginning impulse by making them hold position until you release them to eat. My pup would knock the bowl out of my hand if I let it go unchecked. I would start to put the bowl down, if the pup went for it, I just lifted the bowl back up and waited. Repeat as necessary. You might get some crying and wailing, but they are smart and figure it out quick.
 
#16 ·
Feathers , I am curious about your location?

as to your bullybreed=GSD , to clear that up -- it isn't bully BREEDS -- but ancient common ancestors , in this case the molosser group which existed in pre-Roman Britain , and intermingled with the indigenous type of molosser that the Romans brought along with them as the Empire expanded .
The offspring from all of these dogs, from every new outpost were left behind for each region to develop for their own best uses .

the oldest groups , Asian types will have common ancestors, the northern groups , husky dogs , African - mid Eastern basenji and sight hounds.
 
#18 ·
I am feeding Fromm Gold LBP as recommended by the people in this forum. She WAS on Purina Puppy Chow, and that was when she started displaying the food aggression and wolfing down. I think the wolfing down was what caused us to try and force her to pause so that she stopped choking on her food... which I'm thinking might have been what led to all the growling when touched while eating. Who knew one bag of food could cause so much problems. I knew the moment she started wolfing down that the purina wasn't giving her satisfaction...

I am currently living in Roseville, Michigan. Hence my request for trainers in the vicinity of Macomb County. I just thought that when people said GSDs were bully breeds, it meant they were hard to train/control/had "dangerous" stereotypes, since they WERE one of the dogs that people cried for bans like they're doing now with pit bulls. I didn't know it meant ancestry.

Steve Strom and Galathiel, yes, I have tried this approach as well. Didn't work. She just refused to calm down and was constantly tensed up. When she wasn't acting out and crying, she was crouched in a position as if she was ready to fight or flee at any movement... in this case, ready to lunge forward to grab as much food as possible... If her snout wasn't still small, I'd say the entire food bowl would've fit right in her mouth, the way she gobbles.

I had really hoped switching from Purina to Fromm would satisfy her hunger pangs and slow her down. I think I'm just too anxious myself...
 
#19 ·
sounds like she was desparate for nutritional satisfaction.

moisten the food .

"I just thought that when people said GSDs were bully breeds, it meant they were hard to train/control/"

no -- just the exact opposite -- right in the standard -- intelligence , trainability, bidability

""dangerous" stereotypes, since they WERE one of the dogs that people cried for bans like they're doing now with pit bull"

that misunderstanding comes from the data and image from so many poorly bred, not stable dogs, that are poorly trained "if" , and might belong to needy people who enjoy the intimidation factor and play up to the negative public perception -
 
#20 ·
Not sure if I read this right or not - but I would not train "leave it" during her meal time at this point. I would train it separately and let her eat in peace.

As for training leave it - I have never let the dog have the "leave it treat" and use a different treat to reward the "leave it." If they were constantly allowed to eat whatever they are supposed to "leave it", you could create some anticipation/frustration/confusion. In a real application of leave it, i probably don't ever want them to grab whatever I am asking them to leave it. If that makes sense.
 
#21 ·
Carmspack, I was soaking her food for a while, yes. But it took a while for it to soften and while it did, she wouldn't stop crying and all that. Right now, I've decided to just let her wolf down and choke. Perhaps she will teach herself to slow down. She has already vomitted a couple days ago due to eating too fast. I just tried feeding her dinner and walking away, but watching from a distance; she didn't slow down, but she didn't choke this time, so she wasn't vacuuming her food like she usually does when I'm touching her. I'll continue leaving her alone and see how it goes tomorrow.

Mspiker03, I only managed to train leave it once, to see how well she did on just kibble. So only did it during dinner once and only used her kibble once. I had actually planned to use sausage, but figured she would be even crazier and uncontrollable with something sooooo much better than kibble. And yes, that makes sense.

Which reminds me to ask: How do treat bags work? I mean, don't they get dirty from the treats? Or do you put the treats in a ziplock bag and then into the treat bag?
 
#22 ·
If you have a dog other than the one in your picture and it is the breed we are not allowed to talk about here, you need to go to a forum that specializes in that breed. We know a lot here about behavior, but breed differences make a difference in training. If your dog is already showing aggression and is that breed you mentioned, you need more help than we can give you. If the puppy is the one in the picture and is a German Shepherd, that is different. Don't play games it's food. It is teasing the dog and mean.
 
#24 ·
LuvShepherds, erm no, I don't have any other dog in the house besides this GSD puppy.

Dunkirk, we have tried tennis balls and fists to slow her down, it only made her even more frantic to get the food. I even tried creating a food puzzle using the core of a kitchen towel... She did NOT like it at all...
 
#30 ·
LuvShepherds, I never play with her food. The only time I touch her food is when she drops them on the floor, so I pick them up and put them back in the bowl. My hubby doesn't want to spread her food on the floor either because he's worried about her thinking that anything dropped on the floor is hers to eat as she lives in the kitchen. As for training classes, I think it's also because he has never sent any dog he previously owned, to classes. I don't think his family has done so with their dogs either. Same goes with my parents, they've never been to classes (and neither have I due to this fact). He also says we can't afford classes atm, both monetary wise and time wise. I'm not able to drive alone and he's constantly at work. So basically, everyone is of the opinion that classes are not necessary. My sister-in-law's dog is completely wild and untrained, if he were not so old and slow right now, I'd probably have met the terror that they've been describing to me.
 
#31 ·
Take a look at this forum. A good hard look. There are MANY posts of from people with dogs just this side of puberty where they are seriously considering putting their dogs to sleep for aggressive behavior. Take a look at their dog's history. Your pup is starting on the same path as many of these now, unfortunately, dead dogs.

Your pup is young. She is going to get bigger. Stronger. More powerful. She has already shown you that she will "go there" when she feels the need. GSDs are not goldens. They have natural human aggression.

Judging from your posts, you do not have the experience to deal with this on your own. You are starting to get in over your head and are CREATING more aggression issues. Picking up the food and putting it back in the bowl just creates further anxiety in the pup. It IS playing with the food and causing more issues. You've gotten good advice in this thread but seem to be nixxing all of it...

Tell your husband that training classes are cheaper than hospital bills when your dog ends up giving you or him stitches.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Oh trust me, the advices in this thread is not falling on death ears. I really do want to send her to training classes, but my hands are literally tied here. I can't work, I can't drive, I can't seem to convince my husband to do anything that is good in regards to the puppy, what else can I do? Right now, the only plus I have going for me is that I'm constantly home and can constantly watch her so that she has as little accidents in the house as possible and that she is fed on time and as recommended, 3 times a day. I can train her in simple tricks thanks to youtube videos, and I can make sure her bed is always clean and her water bowl is always full.

I have already stressed to him MANY times that I worry about when she is as big as I am and stronger than I am, if she doesn't stop the jumping and this food aggression. He completely waved my worries aside. He tells me he's already trying to correct her when she jumps on him, but I don't see any improvements as she still does it just as vigorously and often as before, when she was a tiny fluff ball. The only thing we have good going for us is that she is no longer mouthing us and when she feels our skin in her mouth, she immediately backs off.

My sister-in-law's dog has caused her whole family to get stitches many times, they told me, yet they've never sent him to classes. Now they say he's too old to learn anymore, which I think is bull****, but again, I have no say there... Just letting you know what the mindset is here.

I really really do not know what else to do. And I did not know picking food off the floor to put it back in the bowl was "playing". My parents' dogs didn't seem to mind us doing that...
 
#35 ·
Perhaps now is not the best time in your life to have a GSD puppy then? If your hands are that tied and your husband just doesn't "get it" - you are setting this pup up for failure.

This is from another post of yours:

we have tried blocking her from having easy access to the food with our fists and tennis balls... Honestly, I think that was what caused her to start showing signs of food aggression... The blockage made her even more frantic to get the food. Now, everytime we touch her while she's eating, she'll pause for a couple seconds, breathe hard, (she growled and snarled at me before) then start scooping as much food into her mouth as she possibly can *just in case* the food gets taken away. It's weird, we've never taken her food away without letting her finish eating before. I've now been letting her inhale this way while constantly rubbing her head until she finished. She is SO afraid of not getting to eat
ALL of this is what created these issues. There is NO REASON to touch a dog while it is eating. She was giving you A TON of body language signs saying she was not comfortable with you being so close while she was eating - LONG before she snapped at you.

How would YOU feel if someone constantly rubbed your head while you were eating and kept putting there fist over your plate blocking you from getting at it?

Simple solution. Take the dog to the bathroom or a laundry room. Scatter the food over the tile in there. Shut the door and let her eat in peace. Sweep and mop after she is done.

Where did you get her by the way? What lines is she from?
 
#38 ·
feathers said "I have already stressed to him MANY times that I worry about when she is as big as I am and stronger than I am, if she doesn't stop the jumping and this food aggression."

that's what I thought -- you are afraid of the dog -- cute pup - but GSD grow quickly and you seem to have a lot of anxiety about being able to handle her when she is bigger and faster .
Now there is jumping too . So there are probably lots of other - normal dog - behaviours that aren't being managed well and effectively -

Feathers said "Right now, the only plus I have going for me is that I'm constantly home and can constantly watch her so that she has as little accidents in the house as possible and that she is fed on time and as recommended, 3 times a day. I can train her in simple tricks thanks to youtube videos, and I can make sure her bed is always clean and her water bowl is always full."

Put the dog into a crate and go and have a normal social life for yourself.
Put the dog onto a leash and go out for a brisk walk . Train as you go .

Maybe the dog would do better with one big satisfying meal -- wolf it down and then go for a snooze --- instead of these scheduled , timely , measured meals which leave the dog hungry in between , never satisfied --( fullness is satisfying -- ) . Maybe the amounts are recommendations on a bag - but your dog is an individual -- might not be adequate for your dog - or as nourishing as the food should be.

the dog is always with you , but no one knows how the two of you relate - and you constantly watch the dog - that isn't fun for you and it isn't fun for the dog .

everyone needs space and time apart . Healthy togetherness , healthy independent time.

clean beds and all are great for the house -- but dogs are dogs and are animals and love to roll in the grass and dig and kick up dirt and find puddles --

are you in a house , do you have a yard , are you able to put a little safe kennel outside for the dog ?

instead of watching the dog like a hawk - start house training by using a crate for constructive confinement - and immediate visit to the outdoors upon awakening .

I don't know if a dog is right for you either --

whose idea was it ?
 
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