How to Stop Dog Aggression Over Food

For those of you who have a dog that displays aggression over his food bowl, you will want to stop this kind of aggressive behavior. That is because the aggression over his dog food could easily develop into other types of aggression-and possibly end up causing some serious problems, including someone getting bit.

The watch signs of this type of aggression are very distinct and not all that uncommon. Some dogs will be mellow the rest of the time, but then get weird when its mealtime-they get over protective of the food bowl. A dog may act out aggressively at mealtimes towards either another nearby dog or a person that is near its food.

If the aggression is directed towards other dogs, that means your dog feels the need to protect his food bowl, or the area near where he is fed, from the other dog. sometimes dogs get too worked up by nearby dogs to eat-they end up just trying to intimidate the other dog so much, they can’t concentrate on enjoying their meal. Often a dog that is aggressive towards other dogs at dinnertime, will make it difficult for the other dogs to eat through his intimidation tactics-he wants to control all the food!.

Normally this problem is easy to correct with some common sense. If you feed your dogs in areas that are distinctly separated from each other, you should remove the aggressive dog’s urge to protect his bowl. When you feed your dog, watch him while he eats, so that he doesn’t leave his bowl to go bother the other dog. You need to make sure he eats his meal without distractions. If your dog is not finishing his meals, do not leave the food out-put it away until the next meal. Leaving either of the 2 dog’s uneaten food out is going to create a source of contention that you want to avoid. It is also a good idea in general for your dogs to learn to finish all their food at the set meal times.

Some dogs direct their food aggression at the very  people who are feeding it. Obviously you cannot ignore this type of aggression, as someone in your family, maybe you, could end up getting bit. Your dog’s aggression can be solved once you have made sure he understands that you are the boss-by teaching your dog that you are the Alpha dog-the pack leader.

Correct your dog’s food aggression by first teaching him you are the one in complete control of the food source. You can do that by removing his food the moment he shows any aggression towards you. You can demonstrate this to him by moving near him when he is eating-if he growls quickly grab his bowl and put it away. He has lost his right to eat just now, because he growled at you. This is a very direct way to demonstrate your point about who controls the food around your house. He will soon understand that if he behaves himself, he gets to eat, and if not, he doesn’t.

Another form of dog food aggression is when a dog snaps at someone’s fingers to get at the treat being offered. Don’t allow your dogs to snap at your fingers for their treats. Do not give your dog a treat unless he has stopped trying to snap for it. Snapping aggressively for a treat could easily cause a finger to get bitten. Instead of holding a treat between your vulnerable fingers, place it on the open palm of your hand and then offer it to your dog. By offering the food on your palm your dog will learn to accept offered treats more gently, because food on the palm isn’t reachable with a quick snap.

You need to be the Alpha dog in your relationship, as it will lead to the bond of trust and confidence and respect that your dog will feel for you. Your dog must first understand that you are the boss before you will be able to solve his behavior problems. If  you notice that your dog has any type of aggression problem, you need to make sure he can be corrected through training, or those problems could lead to something dangerous happening.

I have many more articles on solving dog aggression issues and other types of problem solving at: http://BehaveDoggy.com.

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