Way post meal (1/2 to and hour) food bowl guarding - Page 2

SGBH, I appreciate the piling on, advice from the board is a great resource. No, he will not bite just to bite, he always has a reason and will show a trigger, "he has to be in the mood". Honestly, most of time he is a pretty good dog, will come when called, he is very responsive off leash, outside, even under distraction. To me, he is puzzle. The dog is both dominant at times and fearful at times. He is actually not even the Alpha all of the time. I have a female Golden Retriever also, who the majority of the time dominant over him, and she views me as the Alpha, follows me everywhere, etc. Should I adorn a couple of sleeves and claim his food dish, or should I try and tackle the small issues first? Will slaying the dragon "his food dish", when he is by far at his worst solve the problem?

hi -=- this has nothing to with dominance --- it has to do directly with the relationship that you have cultivated with you dog and in regards to understanding the needs , wants and desires of your dog -- this dominance issue is blown way out of proportion --- the SV zeitung last or second last issue has a nice article about dominance -- even the Europeans look at this word and statre much different than we Americans -- your dog does not care about your position --it has to do with obtaining and maintaining resources that he thinks and feels are in his best interest -- also .. do you have a pack of dogs ?? i do -- then you should realize the one that has an object usually stays the possessor/owner of that object even if it is lower in rank order --- haven't you seen this -- So why do people think this is a dominance issue -- what you need to do is to 1. show your dog by giving up what it has it's needs and wants are satsfied even to a greater degree[ ie it gets something even better ] - most peole teach this when the dog is young -- the dog learns to trust you in regards to resources --- -- like a dog being taught to outjust so it can get another bite . 2. you casn change the outlook /feeling/ and motives for your dog in this particular context -- he shouldn't have to feel that he NEEDS to guard his food, etc, etc, --- ok -- that is the theory --- so the the application -- 1. everytieme your dog is eating , every 20 secs put something into his bowl than what he is eating ... over time pick his bowl as he eats and put something scrumpotius into like meat and immediately place it back dwon to him --- 2. also you can try feeding him and then when he is eating , call him over , away from his bowl and offer him something bettewr like steak [ don't be to far from him at forst] -- you can think for yourself but to reiterate -- change his outlook and feeling about food guarding[ the context ] so that in actuality he can't wait to give up what he has --- this TAKES a LOT of TIME !! this again is not about a battle of wills -- and if you dem so then all your life with this dog will about wills --- not about your relationship --

I can add another issue with the food. My rule is that no dog eats until after the humans eat. I definitely agree with forcing the dog to sleep in a crate in another room and keeping him on-leash (perhaps with a correctly-fitted pinch collar that he must wear all of the time) while in the house. It is common (not necessarily good) for a dog to "protect" his food while he is eating, especially if other dogs are near. But, the owner should be able at any time to safely reach and remove the dish. The owner should also be able to order the dog from under the bed. It will take some hard, quick, consistent, and correctly-applied correction measures to change this dog without breaking his spirit. And, yes, you may have to grab his leash and "drag his but from under the bed and out into the yard." It may take several times. However, if I may add; when he is doing something correctly, he needs to be praised. It is much easier to promote good behaviour than it is to correct bad behaviour. When he is behaving as he should he should not be ignored. He sounds like he is a good dog with some potential, but he needs professional attention. In the end, he must know from where the food, praise, love, and respect comes from. Good Luck, Bob-O

ALPHAPUP, Thank you very much for the advice. It makes a lot of sense. Question, how do I approach his food bowl? If I put food in his bowl and put the bowl down, he will bite me if I come within five to ten feet of him. Should I start with an empty food bowl and just drop a little bit of kibble into it? And then while he is eating that a piece of steak, will he no where the better food came from?

Question Jack. How do you know he will bite you if you come within five to ten feet of him? Has he ACTUALLY bit you in the past or does he have a good "poker" bluff established that you respect(or fear)?

hi jack -- first keep in mind the goal is to step by step to change your dog's feeling and perception .. that is to say for your dog to want himself to change the unwanted behavior to a more desirable bahvior -- when working with dogs there is no cookbook " thing to do ' - i always am reading/ understanding the dog to see what it is thinkng and feeling ---that will divtate what you do -- first i would not feed him in thatr particular bowl -- again change his perception .... i would use another bowl which he has no association with --- a big , very big one ---depending on you dog -- the advice about feeding out of hand is good but then with this dog as a suggestion would be to feed him with a new bowl and a little kibble at a time -- if he bites you putting it down then for the first step then don't -- let him eat out of the new bowl as you hold it / maybe sitting in a chair .. but as you stated a little little food at a time .. keep adding a little at a time --you might come up with another idea for yourself -- he must FEEL that there is reason to trust you and you must take away his feeling of wanting to guard --- secondly with this dog i would feed him several toimes a day --WHY wait till this dog is famished --if he is less hungary he will be less concearned about his food -- i would perhaps do that type of feeding routine several times a day ---also as i take away the bowl to put in the sink i would redirect his attention to it by throwing a treat away onto the floor that way you are not in the act of taking his food -- the bowl gone then no need to guard , right? . another thing i may do as he has been conditione to this is when the last bit of food is gone to let him eat out of my hand ... a bit from the bowl , the next round from my hane --- what i am trying to accomplish is to condition him that jnhice things happen when my hand in near the bowl -- perhaps you canh later translate this to your hand putting the bow down to the ground ---again later to always putting something better into his bowl when it is on the ground feeding -- hopefully you have also accomplished the fact that you are his freind when you are near and he is eating .. and he doesnt have to worry --- suffice to say -- read ypur dog and change his behavior in small incremental steps -- you are welcome to e-mail me -- just don't ever put yourself in danger or your dog in a situation where he has to feell th guard his food as you are modifying his behavior/outlook.

jack if you have trouble --work with a behaviorist --- -- be carful --sometimes jerking a dog around [ nd i do not mean a kind hearted good intentioned so called correction ] .. a dog will not be obedient but will only merely be compliant -- dogs can harbour feelings of mistrust and resentment --not good for one with a dominant/ hard / ready to agress canine --- besides --if you play the alpha game -- just remember some day if your guard is down -- you may treated in like .. and maybe he will get the better of you !! so if you need help seek it out --he may be as one stated a very good dog that just needs and outlook /attitude adjustment. ps -- i have a friend that got a malinopis from belgium -- dog challenged him amd bit him -- couldn't take him out out his kennel let alone feed him --he worked with the dog --now he is his best frienand might become the USA National belgium champion or PSA champion !!

Jack, the reason why this dog does not have the upper hand completely yet, is his young age. You two are very insecure around each other, there are no clear lines. He is trying but not quite sure how far he can go yet. If you have to say that you do not know how to approach "his" food bowl, how to get him out from under "his" bed, etc, he has your respect, and forgive me for saying so, there is a touch of (healthy) fear in these words. The fear keeps you from getting bit and into serious trouble so there is nothing bad about that. But if this is not nipped in the butt now, then you will become another one of those stories where the dog would not let "his" people in or out of certain rooms any more, and worse. First - your dog is still in puberty and in the verge of becoming a "man" dog. He is like a 15 year old that is ready to land some punches but not quite ready to tackle any big guys yet. Instead of battling this out for now, I would recommend that you eliminate the sources of conflict alltogether for the time being and start working on setting sound ground rules and very clear lines for this dog. The area under the bed is like a den that the dog can easily defend. He has claimed that as "his". The strongest dog in the pack has the right to the top sleeping spot, and makes the lesser pack members move over or not let them in where he is at. The space under the bed is very convenient for him. You cannot really got to it - so it is very well defended and a secure spot for him. Simple solution, put something under the bed so that he can no longer occupy that space. There are handy and cheap under bed storage boxes available at the Home Depot and places like that. Next, dedicate a sleeping area that is his and that you have easy access to. In this particular case I would not recommend a crate because he will most likely start to act exactly the same way inside that crate as he is doing under the bed now, and that can be a host of a whole bunch of other problems. You may need a crate as a reliable place to put your dog and need to be able to have access to your dog when he is in there. If you start having the same issues while he is inside the crate that you have under the bed now, crating will become a nightmare. The crate should be your last resort if all else fails. Get a dog bed or blanket and that will be his spot. Place that spot so that it is *NOT* in a throughway or walkway or traffic area. It should be off to the side so that he can lay undistrubed and you can walk past it without conflict. It should ideally not be situation so that he can "guard" the entrance of the room from that spot. In the beginning you can tie your dog to that area so that he learns that is where he has to be. It may be a few nights of little rest for you. Whatever he does, make sure he cannot get free and just ignore him. Ignoring the dog is another big thing that few dog owners pay attention to. It is a very powerful tool. Instead of conflict, usually laced with emotion, ignore the dog. After everyone has simmered down, the dog usually approaches you and wants to make nice. So instead of active correction, or punishment, learn to correct without much emotion, quick and firm, then you are done, and ignore everything else. Choose a new activity to interact with the dog again so that you have a clear line between the previous conflict time and that it is now over. cont...

cont... The food issue is also very easily solved. The food bowl guarding is simply possession. Could be a toy, does not matter, some dogs are possessive about some things, some are possessive about everything. Object guarding is a natural behaviour. In some dog sports or K9 disciplines it is taught, your dog has a natural aptitude for it. Just on the extreme side and extremes are not everyones cup of tea. You can avoid the issue very simply by not feeding out of the bowl, then introduce the bowl again later when it has lost some of its importance. I often recommend "free feeding". It gives the dog something to do. Take the daily dry kibble (only works with kibble), and spread it on your lawn like you would chicken feed. Then let the dog search for it. The more sparcely you spread it, the longer the dog needs until every morsel is found. The advantage is that it is a self rewarding exercise, the dog uses all his senses, the dog eats much slower, and usually after all is done your dog will be rather content with himself, snooze happily. It is a great way to feed high drive dogs, or great for people who have limited time to exercise their dog, great for pups too. You can feed both dogs that way at once, but introduce them to searching for food together gradually and make sure there are no squabbles (never had any even with large number of dogs eating at the same time). Once you have done all that and things have calmed down a bit between you two, then start to work on setting clear boundries. It is ok for your dog to come up to you with the ears down, normal actually. Crouching, arched back, low head, and tail between the legs, while ears are down are not. Just ears down when he approaching means "hey, I mean no harm, I am friendly, hope you are too". If he gets"klobbered" after such an approach he will react with "I told him I am friendly, but jeez he certainly is not". Since he has no means to retreat or get away from you or leave the pack, he will start to react with stress. Not always, just sometimes, depending on what the trigger was. That is why he is ok with you most of the time, but not all of the time. You still need to correct your dog, you just need to learn to do it without emotion, get the timing right, and then let it be. Alternatives to correction is behaviour modfication. Eliminating the hiding spot under the bed and the food bowl and offering alternatives are one way. For everyday things you need to find ways how to correct when justified, and how to maybe look for alternatives. Example - he starts chewing on your favorite super expensive runner (yikes), so instead of making a big fuss you give him his chew toy, put the runner away. One is his, the other is yours. Repeat, repeat, repeat, and eventually he will choose his toy. If you attach importance to your runner (gasp! yell! anger! punishment! grudge (my fav runner, sohohob!), he will catch on, challange you for it and instead of choosing his toy he will make the runner a source of conflict and a struggle for power (hehehe, I run off with it and can chew that runner faster than you can say sh....). Do not provide him an opportunity to create a conflict, if one comes up look for ways to ease up on it and better yet turn the conflict around completely. Much easier that way. cont...

cont... Then start doing easy exercises and look for signs of passive disobedience. He lays down when told to sit. Most people let their dogs get away with that. He kind of did it so ok... Wrong! You say sit, then the only correct reaction is to sit. To stand, to lay down, to do anything else is your dogs way of giving you the finger so to speak. It starts with little liberties and before you know it, you are on the corner of your bedroom, not allowed to move while your dog is having a snooze on the bed, with your favorite runner between his paws. So, simple exercises, low stress, but be consequent and consistent. Praise the positive, ignore the negative just keep at it until its done right. Once you are established and no longer challenged you can reintroduce some of the previous conflict items. The bowl is just handy to have access to all the time. When you are ready to tackle that one, write back. For now, just leave it sitting there doing nothing, have it loose importance, maybe pick it up and put it down a few times, but for the most part ignore it. The bed I would never even make an issue of again, just use the space for storage and forget about it. Not worth it. :o)