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food aggressive and aggressive towards men

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  Dphelps 
#1 ·
I have a 17 week old GSD who is food aggressive... I have been correcting the problem by making him step away from his food when I ask him to. It requires his leash and me pulling him back a bit but he is learning.. I just wanted to know if this is a common occurrence in GSD? Also, he barks at men and the hair is up on his back... I also wanted to know if this is aggression, fear, protection, or just what male GSD do? I invite him to meet them and on most men he becomes friends but there are a few he just will not accept as friendly, even after I try to tell him they are ok and they try to befriend him. I am very strict on him and do give him boundaries. I pretty sure he knows I am the pack leader, I just want to know if this is a common occurrence with GSDs and if I continue training him, will it get better or does he need professional help?
 
#2 ·
where did you get the pup from? normally pups with this behavior have had food either withheld or had to fight the other littermates for food. its also possible his temperment is weaker if he is afraid of men or he was abused by a man or not properly socialized. also the more you mess with their food bowl the more you can bring out this behavior.
 
#5 ·
where did you get the pup from? normally pups with this behavior have had food either withheld or had to fight the other littermates for food. its also possible his temperment is weaker if he is afraid of men or he was abused by a man or not properly socialized. also the more you mess with their food bowl the more you can bring out this behavior.
I've heard/read the opposite of what I put in bold. From what I've researched being able to take things from your dog is a matter of trust, and if you can take things from your dog without them showing aggression it's a sign that they trust that you are going to give it back/their not supposed to have it or something like that.

I take things from Barack all the time, his food bowl, his munchies, his toys, just to see if he shows any signs of aggression, not a hint of it yet. I do give whatever I take back to him, given it's something he is supposed to have. If it's something he shouldn't have I give him something else. The vet tech at our last visit actually asked me if "I could take the cookie" she had giving him, so they could do the oral exam... I was like yea, no problem. She seemed surprised for some reason. Barack knows I'm going to give it back and will wait patiently for me to do so. Maybe I just lucked out with my pup, as I know not all dogs will be the same.
 
#3 ·
At sixteen weeks, he should not be food aggressive. Another member will probably have advice, but i would not use a leash to make him leave it. That could make it worse.
Also, at that age, he is NOT protecting you. He is being fearful, and he has not yet been shown that when he is scared, you will handle it for him. He needs to build confidence, both in himself and in you.
 
#4 ·
Professional help may be your best option. He is very young to be exhibiting this type of behavior. If you'll post where you are located then people on here can try to recommend a trainer or behaviorist.
Just keep in mind that you need to not react with what the dog will perceive as aggression for his behavior. It doesn't sound like you are, I'm just putting that out there. Some people try to punish a dog for this type of reaction, which is somewhat understandable but can absolutely backfire and escalate the problem.
 
#11 ·
I have a 17 week old GSD who is food aggressive... I have been correcting the problem by making him step away from his food when I ask him to.
Instead, I would teach him that when you approach him while he is eating GOOD things happen.

I have my steps for dealing with food guarding outline on my website:

Food Guarding
 
#12 ·
OP, could you tell us a little more detail about the situations in which he barks at men? Is it all men, or only certain ones? Where does it happen--in your home, at the dog park, etc.? How do they introduce themselves to him? How close do they have to be (or do they have to be approaching/paying attention to you) before he reacts? This might help get you some better answers.

In general, when I have seen dogs (especially young puppies) be "aggressive" towards men, it's fear-based reactivity. Men can be more threatening to a dog because they often are taller, have deeper voices, and are generally socialized to have a more assertive/aggressive body language than most women (obviously all huge generalizations). This is something the dog may grow out of, but it's important to nip it in the bud and not let the dog continue to practice the behavior as that will only make it worse.

Without knowing more about what's going on I don't have any real training advice, but I do recommend that you consult a professional trainer. Reactivity is not something to take lightly and if not addressed, it can lead to serious problems like biting. Even if it isn't fear-based, the behavior is apparently out-of-control (even a protective dog--which most puppies aren't, they're just kids!--shouldn't be behaving that way in every day situations) and needs to be handled. This is not a breed issue or a male dog issue, it is an inappropriate behavior.

As you look for a professional trainer to help you, try to keep him out of situations where he will be forced to interact with unfamiliar men. If he is reactive, forcing him to socialize with them is probably putting him over threshold and just reinforcing in his mind that they are scary. There is a way to socialize dogs in these situations (especially young puppies), but it needs to be handled carefully so as not to make the behavior worse.



That is a really good method for dealing with food aggression. I've done similar methods and had great success. Thank you for writing it up so clearly!

OP, I'd do Lauri's method. Definitely stop trying to make him step away from his food bowl. When you do that (at this point), you are teaching him that you can't be trusted around his food and likely actually reinforcing his resource guarding.

I also agree that arbitrarily taking things from dogs/making them leave their meal/sticking your hand in their bowl isn't really okay, unless you're teaching a "leave it" or "out" command (in which case, it's not really arbitrary). It does annoy even most tolerant dogs, and for good reason--how would you feel if someone kept reaching over and stirring your dinner for no reason? It's just rude. ;)

Instead, use Lauri's method to teach the dog that you messing with his food is a good thing (because he gets more food!) and then don't abuse the privilege--just keep adding more food by hand occasionally to reinforce the training. Never make him leave his meal unless you've got an actual reason (like you set the bowl down and as you do so you see a contaminant in it or something, or he gets hold of something he shouldn't have).
 
#13 ·
My GSD Ace reacts to the door being opened or knocked on, by reacts, I mean he starts to bark. I dont mind this behavior because I want to know when someone is at my door or comes into my house. If its a female he has never met, he barks, smells them and then wags his tail and befriends them. On the other hand, if its a male he has never met, he barks, hair stiff on back, and smells, then barks again. My male friends he has met multiple times, he barks smells them realizes he has met them before and hes fine. I thought this would be the case for my girlfriends father but its not. I went to her father stood by him called Ace over in a happy voice trying to tell him it was ok. He hasnt understood that this man is ok. He seems standoffish, unsure. even after her father gives him treats lays in the floor and tries to play with him. This is the only time he has showed this reaction. Im not sure if he just doesnt like him or it will take a while for him to get use to him. Ace is fine with my father, my guy friends, and my brother. It only happens with a handful of men I've tried to introduce him too.

Thanks for all the help. I've now got Ace to step back from his bowl when i say his name and after he does, I say good boy give him a pat and tell him ok go eat and let him finish. I will begin the food reward training program tomorrow and see how that goes. He such a smart dog and I just want to do the best by him and make him as well balanced as possible. I truly appreciate the advice and would love more.

Thanks
 
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