Growling Pup - Page 1

Good Afternoon, I have a 17 week old german shepherd pup who has started to growl when touching during eating. Any thoughts on this topic are welcomed. Thanks

The pup is displaying dominance, you hold the bowl and let him eat from it. This in time will show him you are the boss, not him.

about two years ago; a female of mine did the same thing; she was around 13 weeks; i grabbed her by the neck pinching her and screaming on her face of the top of my lungs (i was really mad); she urinated in submission and fear; i think i overdid it but i meant it; she never did it again; she understood and accepted me as owner and alpha; she's 2 years now and i can take her plate or anything while she's eating with no problem; and her temperament is excellent. solve the problem now... kosta

you must nip this in the butt NOW! You should be right in there every meal, holding his bowl, sticking your hands in while he's eating, pick some up and have him eat from your hand. Make him sit before you let him eat. While he's eating make him stop by claiming the bowl, get in his way, nudge him back until he gives up trying to get around you and sits, then let him start eating again. Touching, petting, messing with his feet etc. etc. He must understand it is YOUR bowl of food and you are allowing him to eat from it. You'll have quite a mess on your hands if you let it continue to adulthood. Good luck, Melanie

I would feed him by hand. I have a fifteen month old male shepherd that did the same thing when he was about the same age. At that time, I chose to ignore it and go on about my business. Maybe that was a bad idea, now he is a monster, not in size but in spirit. He will guard his bowl for a long time after he eats and is unapproachable. In your case you could go up and correct him for growling. But, I do not think that is fair. You gave him the food and in his view by nudging him you are trying to take the food back, very unfair. In my case, hand feeding when he first started to display the growling, etc. probably would have helped. I suggest you do the same (hand feeding, to develop trust) otherwise you could end up in a pickle.

GSDfan is quite correct...this will make for a very difficult adult. Growling, barking at and/or biting the owner can never be tolerated. He may sound tough but you must remember that he IS just a pup and now is the time to handle it. Don't hold the bowl for him as if you are serving him but feed him one kernel at a time for a few and then walk away and let him FOLLOW you for his food...make him sit and feed him again this way(mix his food with your hands always that he knows his food come only from you). It is best if you can eat first, him watching, and then go feed him. After a few days feed him in the bowl but every few gulps take away his bowl. First don't use your hand but claim the bowl with your body as another dog would. Have him sit and you pick up the bowl...once he is good give him a bit of reserved steak as a treat so that he does not fear your stealing his food in future. Re-establish your position in the house by keeping him at a lower level, YOU walking thru the doorways first, do not walk over him but make him move if he is in your space, do not let him walk ahead of you for now, no jumping or pawing to get your attention etc. Usually, they don't start growling first...they feel able to do this as they have gotten past you on other things. Good Luck to you!

My initial thought is don't mess with him. Give him his food and let him eat it. What do you gain at this age by challenging him and possibly overcorrecting him? Possession and the desire to hold what is valuable my be a trait you want to keep in him through his training and development years. There will be plenty of time later on once he has matured and has the confidence to take some correction. Until then you may take out of the animal something you can't put back in. I would tread lightly if you plan to train. Correct and squelch all you want if he's just going to be a pet.

Jack, its not about being fair or unfair, you can't treat a dog like a person, you must treat him like a dog. Set rules boundries and limitations, your position as ALPHA must be clear in their mind. You must think in terms of pack mentality, the only way you will get respect is by setting clear cut rules, this is how a dog thinks. If not your dog will assume the position and make you follow rules (like staying away from HIS food bowl). This is precisely the reason for your troubles. Its not about trust its about respect!! All three of my GSD's will allow my 3 year old to do whatever she pleases while they are eating, including taking food out of their bowl, pulling their tail (not permitted but sometimes unavoidable with a toddler), hugging their neck, etc. SHE feeds them and makes them sit and wait before giving them a command to begin. I didn't just "get lucky" I conditioned them to respect humans as the pack leaders.

Jack I hope you never have kids or your dog has a grim future.

GSDfan, You’re exactly correct; it's not about being fair or unfair. But it is about establishing trust. GSDfan, tell me in a pack when have you ever seen the Alpha at meal time give food to a lower ranked pack member and take it back? Never it does not happen; this dog is seventeen weeks old and giving him a heavy handed correction will accomplish nothing but create fearfulness and resentment. Why not cure the problem rather than trying to beat it back? By hand feeding the pup there will not be any issue of aggression. Anyhow, do you know that you have not been lucky? Maybe you have never had a dog that can actually be handler aggressive. My dog is fine around people and not dominant or aggressive. He is only a problem around his food bowl, because I took advice like yours!