I've lucked out with my dogs. They are not pre-disposed to be food aggressive. Like playing with a dog with a laser pointer, some are pre-disposed to be obsessive/compulsive, and the laser pointer will bring that out. But it's like playing Russian Roulette, because you do not know that the dog is pre-disposed to this, until it happens. Food aggression can be like that. But I also believe it is easier to cure.
True dog-aggression also I think is predisposed in some dogs.

So if your normal puppy is bullied or attacked by a dog, then generally how quickly the event is over, and people are not rev'd up by it, the normal puppy will recover and generally that is the end of it. The puppy who is pre-disposed to dog aggression, may have this as a catalyst for dog-aggressive behavior. Well, first is it dog aggression or dog-reactive, because they can misdiagnosed. If your six month old puppy is barking like an idiot every time he sees another dog, it is probably dog-reactive. The dog is fearful of the other dogs and is acting out. Good socialization prior to a fear stage like this one, might make the stage less lengthy or even non-existent.

Socializing the dog is kind of dicey, because if you have one that is predisposed to dog aggression, say, and you are out socializing the dog around other dogs, And one of those dogs wheels around and nails your dog in the back or butt or head. Then all that socialization is out the window, and what started for all the right reasons, ended up really badly.

So I am in the camp of not messing with the dog's food, because if they are pre-disposed to food aggression, that is likely to bring it out.

I am in the camp of not playing with laser pointers with dogs, because if they are pre-disposed to obsessive/compulsive disorder, that is likely to bring it out.

And I am in the camp of not socializing my dogs around a ton of dogs or a ton of people, because if they have a decent temperament, it is unnecessary, and if they are pre-disposed to dog or human aggression, bad socialization experiences -- dog is bullied or hurt, attacked or teased, or the pup is overwhelmed by the amount of socialization then it will be counter-productive.

I think people take young dogs out way too early, way before the dog feels confidence in its owner. And this is a recipe for bad socialization experiences.

If we let our pup gain confidence in us, by being stable, consistent, trust-worthy, with reasonable expectations for the pup's developmental stages, then we should be way ahead of the game when it comes to having a dog that will be stable in all situations.

 

A lot of the old wolf-research was done by studying wolves in captivity. You have to expect wolves stuck in/perhaps born in a very limited enclosure would develop some strange (to wolves) habits. For one thing, there may not be a true-alpha in a pack generated and manipulated by humans. Food is not hunted for, it is provided, thus the main hobby/job of the wolves is not there.

So, yeah, maybe a bored, wanna-be-alpha wolf found it entertaining to piss on a lower ranking wolf while it is eating. Kind of what happens when humans stick their big egos into the lives of animals. Kind of like when humans think animals should share their toys and bones.

 

I am totally confused, i thought we were talking of domestic dogs that live with other domesticated dogs and/or people. Not wild wolves.

I ask myself now, why do i train my dogs at all and not let them just do as a wild wolf?

Yesterday my puppy was trying her best to get the food that sticks around the side of her bow, i (like a gangster) stuck my hand in her bowl, scraped the food from the side and i left with my hand and a wag of a tail.
Yep. If i want wolf behavior I'll adopt a wolf.

 

Yesterday my puppy was trying her best to get the food that sticks around the side of her bow, i (like a gangster) stuck my hand in her bowl, scraped the food from the side and i left with my hand and a wag of a tail.

My current GSD is the same......maybe even more exaggerated.


When we are on the road in the motor home her food bowl is not against a wall like it is at home......so maybe she doesn't have any leverage to turn it or she's just stupid...or maybe lazy...who knows? But it is interesting behavior.......almost a lazy reliance of sorts



What she does when she gets close to the end of her meal on the road....she'll stop eating.......stare at one or both of us.....and patiently wait for her bowl to be spun 180 degrees, so she can finish the last bits.....and as you say this is all done with " a wag of a tail.".


Overall, this "controversy" is probably unique to both the specific dog and individual. Even though I can do whatever I choose with my dog's food....I would never suggest anybody else do the same as I do with my dog when it comes to her food.........just as I would never mess with some other person's dog and their food.


SuperG

 

@hoyten i am not sure how it copied your message, my message wasn't to you. I too believe it's a choice ?

 

got to love that LOL

 

So i guess you're saying not to place my hand in their bowl and don't crate but do kennel. Or maybe crate but only if i have another doggie in there with her. Ahhh yes, for human contact means soooo little to a gsd.
Hum, well to make you feel better i don't crate nor do i kennel but i just can't seem to keep my hands out of their bowls. Sigh.

 

I don't go out of my way to put my hands in their dishes. It wouldn't matter if I did. I just don't. And yes, I am not a fan of the amount of crating folks are comfortable with here. Kenneling a dog or a pair of dogs is a whole lot better in my opinion.

I can and do take any of my dogs anywhere and they do fine in all situations. It is a lot more than a lot of folks can say. I suppose, this happens because I neglect them, abuse them, and haven't a clue about training and managing them. LOL!!!!! Oh, and I can do all this without the gadgets I've been told are necessary, like prong collars, e-collars, clickers, and the like.

Ah well, I can continue to blow my horn, but I am a breeder, as well as a pet owner. I have intact bitches and an intact dog, and that means we do not all run in one big pack. It also means that sometimes I get dogs back as adults, or keep dogs that I have no intention of breeding or selling. I keep my old gals, gals I have bred because I want to see how they fare with regards to longevity and health. So yes, I have more dogs than your average pet owner. I don't have a problem with that. My dogs do not have a problem with that. If you do, oh well, I won't be losing any sleep over it.

 

************MODERATOR WARNING************
Let's stay on topic please folks and not start sniping back and forth at each other.

 

Stop bothering your dog Let the dog eat in peace u mess with my food u get stabbed with a fork, plain and simple.

 

I haven't read the whole thread seeing as it at over 200 replies but I thought I'd comment because why not?

Personally I agree with those who say to never take food away from your dog. However in the event that you need to your dog to let you have the item or food in question they should do so with no issue.

My dog was initially crated while she ate since our other dog does have food aggression (I will talk about that later) and even at 2 months old she had no reaction. Sometimes I would put my hand in there just to see if she had a reaction but she honestly didn't care. I do have a 5 year old brother (at the time 4) so I did want to verify nothing major would happen.

As she grew older she got let out of the crate when eating meals and I could take away meals or make her wait and she honestly didn't care. I rarely took things away from her so I don't think she expecting me to permanently take it away.

Today I can do whatever with her food. Once I give the command she will eat, and if I take it away her head will follow it but not aggressively. She's just a pig that presents herself as a dog haha. I usually forget to add something or other and end up going in there to add it and she could care less.

I tried very hard to make eating a non stress activity and it seems to have worked out fine. She would bite me for petting or brushing her when she was a puppy but she never had any aggression with food despite having 9 siblings. Side note - My dog was heavily under socialized when young, she would never bite someone now.

I have always made it clear that when the dogs are eating that the younger brother is not to be anywhere near her when she is eating. Not that I fear that she will bite him, I just don't think it's wise to have small children and dogs eating food together. He has walked past her and touched her while eating and she doesn't care, I honestly don't think she'd care if he took the bowl either.

On the fact my other dog is food aggressive - He would never ever hurt a person while eating. He is the only dog I can truly say would never bite or snap at someone, he's a very odd dog. I could have my younger brother have his whole hand in the bowl and sit next to it and the dog would just wait. He just has issues with other dogs trying to get his food, his past is unknown however.

Overall in my opinion just leave your dog alone while they eat. I would probably bite someone too if they wouldn't let me eat in peace to be fair.