keep your hands out of his food dish respect the dog
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The only time I put my hand in my dog's food dish is when I'm pouring food in or adding something tasty to it.
She has no problem with me putting my hand in because she knows that's what it means.
She has no problem with me putting my hand in because she knows that's what it means.
It all depends on what kind of respect he's talking about.
If he is scared to put his hand down, then yes. It's wrong. You should always be able to take the food away.
If he is talking about the kind of respect where simply don't touch other peoples food because it's theirs and it's bad manners to take food from somebody elses plate then...well if that is his believe why not?
My dogs learn to respect the other dogs food bowl as well. I don't like when they switch bowls and dig their nose into the next dogs bowl while they are still eating. So they respect that and I do too.
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I, personally, do not follow that rule. I do respect my dogs, but I also expect that they trust me - if I feel the need to reach into their bowls, then they should accept that. They all do. I can take things out of their mouths as well. I do not do this on a daily basis or anything and 9 times out of 10 I usually only put something delish in their bowls. However, I fully expect them to accept me taking whatever I want from them, whenever I want.
I live by this rule as well. Also, no licking out the other's empty bowls until said dog has left it to be licked out. I also don't allow toy stealing.
That should be a given. There is something seriously wrong if you can't do that at all and I won't accept it.
When Judge, our youngest one got here and I fed him for the first time. Holy cow. I've never seen a four months old that was THAT food aggressive. He had the old ones, completely under control and I've never seen anything like that before. Even over a bone. One he had a bone, nobody would get even near him. And that at four months.
From the first moment on I cracked down on him. If he's that food aggressive at four months how would it be once he is a year old? There was no way I would let him get through with it "just because it sounds and looks so cute" because I knew it would turn into a total disaster once he gets older.
One month later I can feed him next to the others without having to worry about him being food aggressive.
With a bone or toy I still have to watch him. Because he will still growl at the others but we will get there.
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4,388 Posts
I don't follow that rule. It's my food, not my dog's food. I'm just allowing him to eat it.
I think it would be difficult to teach your dog not to be food aggressive if you followed this rule since they wouldn't be used to you fiddling around with their food, and if a time came where you needed to take something away from the dog that's not a good time to find out your dog is food aggressive.
I think it would be difficult to teach your dog not to be food aggressive if you followed this rule since they wouldn't be used to you fiddling around with their food, and if a time came where you needed to take something away from the dog that's not a good time to find out your dog is food aggressive.
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24,301 Posts
I totally believe what the OP posted. Completely.
I have had GSDs and dogs of mixed breeds who have their own agenda, I have fostered a lot of different dogs and I always respect them when they eat.
But when it comes time to grab something out of their mouths - kleenex, a bone they've chewed too far down, whatever - I can. Foster dogs included.
Because they know - hey, this lady doesn't mess with me for just nothing. If you need to prove to your dog all this stuff all the time, you need to rethink what you are doing and how you are doing it.
Dogs who come into rescue with food guarding issues eat prison style - hunched over their bowls waiting for someone to come and mess with them. When they learn no one is going to take or mess with their food and will only trade up like CC posted, they can relax and lose that behavior.
And there is a difference between guarding food from other dogs and from people.
I have had GSDs and dogs of mixed breeds who have their own agenda, I have fostered a lot of different dogs and I always respect them when they eat.
But when it comes time to grab something out of their mouths - kleenex, a bone they've chewed too far down, whatever - I can. Foster dogs included.
Because they know - hey, this lady doesn't mess with me for just nothing. If you need to prove to your dog all this stuff all the time, you need to rethink what you are doing and how you are doing it.
Dogs who come into rescue with food guarding issues eat prison style - hunched over their bowls waiting for someone to come and mess with them. When they learn no one is going to take or mess with their food and will only trade up like CC posted, they can relax and lose that behavior.
And there is a difference between guarding food from other dogs and from people.
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I have never bothered any of the dogs while they ate. I figure it could be a great way to create a problem. I respect them and vice versa. My relationship with the dogs is not decided over the food dish but in other aspects of life and training.
When I was a child, my mum always admonished, "Don't bother the dog. He is eating.". She always had some good advice.
When I was a child, my mum always admonished, "Don't bother the dog. He is eating.". She always had some good advice.
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while I have never had a dog who did NOT allow me to put my hands in his food dish, it's not something I do.
It IS out of respect I feel. My dogs don't come messing in my food when I'm eating, I don't mess with their food while they are eating (unless of course it's a neccessity).
It IS out of respect I feel. My dogs don't come messing in my food when I'm eating, I don't mess with their food while they are eating (unless of course it's a neccessity).
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4,782 Posts
every once in a while ( maybe once a year) I'll stick my hand in dodgers bowl, grab some food, then feed it to him heres why:
when I was about 6 my grandparents had a GSD/aussie mix. I decided I wanted to feed him, no one was watching me because no one thought I'd be messing with the dogs food, I went to grab some food out of his bowl to feed it to him and he grabbed my jacket sleeve, scared the you know what out of me and everyone else. my grandparents never worked with him with hands in his food bowl they just left it. every dog in my house is ok with me putting my hands in their bowl. in fact they even back up when I approach their bowl (if I ask for it). because they know they'll get it back, I'm not going to take it away.
I didn't want one of my you get cousins doing the same thing I did and get bit. kids will be kids no matter how much you tell them not to do something, some times they need to learn the hardway. after that incident I never stuck my hand in a dog food bowl until I was a lot older and knew what I was doing.
when I was about 6 my grandparents had a GSD/aussie mix. I decided I wanted to feed him, no one was watching me because no one thought I'd be messing with the dogs food, I went to grab some food out of his bowl to feed it to him and he grabbed my jacket sleeve, scared the you know what out of me and everyone else. my grandparents never worked with him with hands in his food bowl they just left it. every dog in my house is ok with me putting my hands in their bowl. in fact they even back up when I approach their bowl (if I ask for it). because they know they'll get it back, I'm not going to take it away.
I didn't want one of my you get cousins doing the same thing I did and get bit. kids will be kids no matter how much you tell them not to do something, some times they need to learn the hardway. after that incident I never stuck my hand in a dog food bowl until I was a lot older and knew what I was doing.
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1,036 Posts
It was important for us that Phenix respect the fact that we give him food and he needs to be calm before he eats.
I didn't wanted to have an over excited dog jumping all around while I gave him food. Since Phenix is a puppy, we feed him at regular hours and ask him to wait our "OK" to start eating.
Anybody can take whatever Phenix is eating and he NEVER reacted at all, nor a single sound. He don't care, he knows if he well behaves, the food will come back to him (some time with an extra lol
).
It was also important to us because we have small children in the family and sometime, a single moment of inatention can be dramatic. I wanted my dog to let the children take whatever they would.....just in case.
I didn't wanted to have an over excited dog jumping all around while I gave him food. Since Phenix is a puppy, we feed him at regular hours and ask him to wait our "OK" to start eating.
Anybody can take whatever Phenix is eating and he NEVER reacted at all, nor a single sound. He don't care, he knows if he well behaves, the food will come back to him (some time with an extra lol
).It was also important to us because we have small children in the family and sometime, a single moment of inatention can be dramatic. I wanted my dog to let the children take whatever they would.....just in case.
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I don't stick my hands in Hondo's food. I have asked him to 'leave it', during a meal when he was behaving a little sassy, but that was just to make a point to him. He takes so much pleasure in eating, I don't see the need to practice my abilities to dominate him while he is eating.
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I rather agree with him, in principle at least. I think way too many people get caught up on the whole "being alpha" thing and feel it is there right to do whatever they want, whenever they want, and the dog should just accept it, but don't realize that if they're going to try to take on that role they need to respect the rules that go along with it. And one of the rules of canine social order is "finders keepers" and it is considered rude and inappropriate for a higher ranking member to take food away from another, and if they try they should be prepared for the other to defend it. People try to be like other dogs in that sense, but then don't follow the rules and go balistic when the dog does something like defend his food that is well within his rights to do.
I've also seen a lot of people so intent on preventing resource guarding issues with their dogs that they inadvertently caused them by constantly pestering and bothering the dog when eating. What to the human was meant to desensitize the dog in actuality backfired and created a dog who got uptight over the owner doing these things because in his mind he was always harassed and never left in peace.
Every once in a great while we will pick up our dog's food or reach toward the bowl, always giving it back and usually putting something even better in there so if anything they associate our intereference with positive things. But we don't make a habit of it. For the most part they are left in peace, and they expect to be left in peace so they don't get worried or cranky when we approach because they don't expect anything bad to happen. If we do reach for the food, it is a odd, strange occurrence, not something that makes them feel "ugh... not again you stupid human!", that has a neutral or even more positive outcome. It is never seen as a bad thing.
We can take food away, toys away, bones away, anything away from any of them without any problem. But I think a big part of that is because we do give them that respect, have never given them a reason to feel insecure about eating or having something in our presence or a reason to expect us to harass them, and on the rare occasion we do take something away it's no big deal.
I've also seen a lot of people so intent on preventing resource guarding issues with their dogs that they inadvertently caused them by constantly pestering and bothering the dog when eating. What to the human was meant to desensitize the dog in actuality backfired and created a dog who got uptight over the owner doing these things because in his mind he was always harassed and never left in peace.
Every once in a great while we will pick up our dog's food or reach toward the bowl, always giving it back and usually putting something even better in there so if anything they associate our intereference with positive things. But we don't make a habit of it. For the most part they are left in peace, and they expect to be left in peace so they don't get worried or cranky when we approach because they don't expect anything bad to happen. If we do reach for the food, it is a odd, strange occurrence, not something that makes them feel "ugh... not again you stupid human!", that has a neutral or even more positive outcome. It is never seen as a bad thing.
We can take food away, toys away, bones away, anything away from any of them without any problem. But I think a big part of that is because we do give them that respect, have never given them a reason to feel insecure about eating or having something in our presence or a reason to expect us to harass them, and on the rare occasion we do take something away it's no big deal.
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How about this scenario...and I ask because Chris just gave me a new outlook on it with her post...
At an event, Jax was laying on the ground with her bag of treats in front if her. This Great Dane puppy (puppy at full grown height), bounded over to sniff her treats. Jax took great exception to that. My trainer friend grabbed the treats, told Jax No! These AREN'T yours! and put them away.
So, was that resource guarding? Jax isn't stupid...she knew those treats were hers. Or was she well within her rights to correct the very large puppy?
At an event, Jax was laying on the ground with her bag of treats in front if her. This Great Dane puppy (puppy at full grown height), bounded over to sniff her treats. Jax took great exception to that. My trainer friend grabbed the treats, told Jax No! These AREN'T yours! and put them away.
So, was that resource guarding? Jax isn't stupid...she knew those treats were hers. Or was she well within her rights to correct the very large puppy?
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32,585 Posts
Same here. I'll hand feed part of a meal when they're young, I play trading games so they learn to give me what they have for something as good or better, I'll put stuff in their bowls while they eat, I can be near them and thump them on the side while they eat, I can sit on the floor and pet them them while they chew a bully stick, but I don't stick my hands in their bowls and mess with their food. I don't think it's necessary, and as others pointed out, it can cause more problems than it prevents.
If your dogs trust you they will not have any reason to guard valuable resources.
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Yes, it was resource guarding. But IMO she was well within her rights to do so and I think the trainer was completely inappropriate to scold her for it.
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