dog not protective about his food - Page 1

I have tried & tried but to no avail. My dog just doesnt care if some other dog is eating his food. He would not protect his food, atleast growl if something he should do. Just some days back, a stray pup entered my house when my dog was having his dinner, probably she ate some. My dog dint even growl at her, as just a 'back off' sign. Though, he growled at me once or twice when he had a bone!

Is it OK for a dog like a gsd to behave like that? How can I change that?

prasac,Hi ,i am not a behaviorist but will try to be of some help to you.You have to understand that an object like a real bone has ALOT MORE value to your dog than say a toy bone.I was told some years ago by a dog trainer that sometimes that growl is all the warning you need to save you from getting bit.I am not saying that it is appropriate but at least the dog is not out and out biting you without warning.Having said that,you could try repetitive training exercises to make the dog understand that it is in his best interest to behave with you,in other words,good things come when he DOES'NT exibit that behaviour.You will need help with this of course by some good trainer handlers with more experiance than you.I would'nt worry too much about the dog protecting its food.Not all dogs have that high food drive,that craziness for food.Also you have to understand that pack behaviour also kicks into play here and maybe there was a reason he did nothing to the stray who showed up and ate his food.By the way ,how did the stray get into his space or living area?I hope this somewhat helps you.Perhaps someone more experianced than I can reach out to you for help on this.Good luck with your dog and i would'nt sweat it over the dog not protecting his food.Sometimes they do things that we humans dont understand.

I guess my question is why do you want him protective of his food and why do you give other dogs the opportunity to get at his food?

Hey Prasac, how old is your dog?

i would think that would be a good thing? Boss will let me pet him all over, i can stick my hand in his bowl, even remove food from his mouth....I wanted him that way....   But if my other little dogs come near while he is eating, he starts growling...i DON'T want him that way...im trying to break that habit....(but i would never let a strange dog come in and eat his food..hopefully he would never let a strange dog come in at all..).....but i try to teach my dog to never growl like that (mean growl not play growl)...at members of the family....

Sorry but why do you want your dog to resource guard food from other dogs, what possible advantage would this have?

Mine have never been protective of their food bowls.  I have pictures of my male sharing his dish with our cat from years back.  I've never considered it a problem.  When he was young the bigger problem was his sharing, he was constantly taking his bowl (full) outside to share with any dog that came near the fence.  We ended up with multiple strays that he adopted as a result.  I have not problem with either dog and their food bowls.  Now with my male a marrow bone or knuckle bone is a completely different story.  He will growl to let you know that he does not want to share or give it up.  I can still take it away from him if I have to (my dh can't) but he's not at all happy to relenquish the prize.  On the other hand, my girl will try to hind the bone so I can't get it easily but she will give it up without any argueing if I insist.   Both dogs know that growling unprovoked at anyone or each other while they have a special treat will get the treat taken away period.

I'm also wondering why you think your dog should be protective of his food bowl.  I've always considered that to be a behaviorial issue that needs to be handled.  Heck, if you have children the last thing you want is for your dog to snap at them for getting too close to the food dish or bone.

Prasac...First off I take it you have a German Shepherd...right?...Second is what do you want out of your dog...I mean is this a house pet...or Conformation (Show Dog)...Schutzhund...Police Dog...Agility...What is it that you do with your dog or expect from him...And why is it that you want him to be protective of his food?...I'm just trying to understand what it is that you're looking for here...Like one of the other posts said...they try to have their dog where they're NOT protective so much of their food...Does your dog have "ball drive"..."food drive"...just explain to me what your dog is like...I have a number of dogs and I wouldn't even think about feeding them together...And why is it or how did a stray dog get into where your dog is eating...There are very simple ways of getting your dog to be protective of his food...but in my mind you'd be going the wrong way...It must be that your dog has a very good temperament....something we all want and strive for in our dogs...I personally wouldn't change a thing about your dog's feeding habits...Except not to let another dog or particularly a stray dog get into where my dog was eating...

~Bob~

I never desired or allowed any of my dogs to be protective of their food, as I must be able to reach into the bowl of any dog while they are eating, or interrupt them while they are eating. That is an "Alpha" dog thing with me, as I am their pack leader.

Now, all of them will protect their dish from the other dogs, to the end that a fight will start if one dog tries to muscle in on another dog's dish. I do have an older alpha female who can bully her way into the dishes of the other dogs and I feed her in a separate area and do not allow her near the other dogs until after they have finished.

I think that the act of a dog protecting its food from another dog is very natural, but I also think that one must be careful when feeding dogs so fights do not have a chance to start. The thing I will not tolerate is a dog that attempts to go on a raiding excursion as the other dogs are eating. I like feeding time to be as stress-free as possible for I want them to properly chew and wet their food.

Regards,

Bob-O

I want to clarify that I do not allow my dogs to bully each other about food or go on raiding excursions.  My dogs are feed in the kitchen (primarily because of the my boy's desire to share his food with the world) and they do eat side by side.  But they are supervised.  Now, when I have foster dog (I do some rescue work) at the house, I stagger the feeding times and keep them seperated for food and treats.  One of the main things I do with fosters is work on any possible food related aggressions.  When you're trying to place a rescue, it's much easier to find a good home if you "fix" those kind of issues up front if possible and if you know about the problems you can do a better job of matching the dog to the new owners.