[Fodder]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2iuYzLmy5g

i came across this video and midway thru (about 1:05) there is a "scuffle"

incase anyone cant view it, here is the breakdown...

3 gsd pups 7wks old are given one bowl of food to share.
half way thru the meal the blue pup gives the initial growl,
the nc (no collar) pup gives the first "warning" snap which starts the fight.
blue gives first bite, its hard to tell whos dominating the fight for sure (shaky camera) but it appears to be nc pup, except blue gets to return to the food while nc stays back and approaches with caution. there is a third pup (black collar) who stays out of the initial conflict all together, but then growls when the blue puppy returns to the bowl and causes blue puppy to sit back.

so i'm a little confused as to which one or maybe both or all will have dominant personalities?

this is the description that the owner gives:

These are our crazy german shepherd pups at feed time at 7 weeks. The girl fires up as usual then the boys Diesel (blue collar) and Cog (black collar) tell her where to go.

 

[butch33611]

The problem didnt take place until the food started to get low. I dont know why the guy feeds them that way if he knows thats going to happen. He must, or he wouldnt have video taped it. He not doing himself any favors by letting that continue. Its only going to get worse as the pups get bigger.

I would have 3 food bowls and put a stop to that behavior before it get out of hand. Its just between the pups now, if it continues they'll be growling at him or anyone else who gets too close to the food bowl.

Wonder which one or two of them will end up in a shelter because of aggresive behavior. And whos falt will it be??? Not the dogs!!

 

[Fodder]

well, he's a 24yr old guy

and seems to get a kick out of. i watched his other videos of the pups a bit older and it seems he just has the two males now. i'm trying hard to hold my feelings about the whole thing to myself... and just trying to further understand puppy dynamics and watch for any signs that will give insight into their adult character.

so do you think this isnt the best scenario to test a pups temperament since almost any dog can be food aggressive?

i tried to watch the way they played in the beginning of the video, but there wasnt much footage and i couldnt tell if it was the female (nc) or the black puppy on bottom.

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

The blue collar pup (which I'm guessing is the female). If you watch close, as she eats she's pushing her head around the bowl to try to push the others out. At about 53 seconds into the video she displays some body posturing while eating (that's when the pup on the left of the screen backs away from the bowl to swallow).

Food aggression isn't genetic - it's man-made. It's caused by people like this (I won't call him a breeder).

The thing about testing puppy temperament is that you CANNOT do it on the property where the pup was raised nor around the other pups. A pup that acts submissive in their home environment can blossom when removed from the pack.

Here's info on the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test. Note at the bottom the Rules for testing:

http://volhard.com/pages/pat.php

 

[Fodder]

Any other takers?

(thanks for the link Lauri)