How to stop dog food aggression written by: muthonyg
Food aggression in dogs is quite common and occurs when your dog associates people or other dogs approaching as a threat to his or her food resource. Such behavior may occur if:
- · You have been taking food or other objects away from the dog by force.
- · The dog is confused on the leader of your owner-dog relationship
- · He or she is desperate for his food
- · He doesn’t understand his behavior as unacceptable
General rules to stop dog food aggression
- · To stop dog food aggression with other dogs, separate them at meal times. Feed them each in a different room
- · Involve the whole family in dog food aggression training.
- · Be the boss during feeding time. Control the venue and time of eating
- · Make him or her earn for the food by requesting simple tasks such as sit or a down stay before you give him or her the food bowl
- · Another effective rule to stop dog food aggression is not to let your dog win the food through his behavior. This will encourage him or her as something that is acceptable
- · Never respond to your dog’s aggressive behavior by being aggressive yourself. This will make him step up his level of aggression to counter yours
Training techniques to stop dog food aggression
If you believe the dog’s behavior poses any physical threat to you and your family, it’s advisable to seek professional help. Below are tips to help your dog stop his food aggression. The tips are meant to recondition the dog to enjoy your company anytime. Mix up the techniques and show your dog who is boss
- · Hand feed your dog and eventually you will be able to put your hand in his bowl without him showing any aggression signs
- · When he is eating pet and stroke him as you talk to him in a calming tone this will show him it’s a good thing to be around
- · Stand a distance he is comfortable with and gradually reduce the distance over time
- · Put down the food bowl with nothing in it, he will look at you expectantly to come and fill it
- · When he is eating, call him over to you and give him a treat as a reward when he gets to you.
- · When preparing his or her food put him in a sit or down-stay position and only release him when you are through. This will help you control meal times and show him who is boss
Never attempt to stop dog food aggression with aggression. Teaching him who is boss and implementing the tricks above will help your dog stop the behavior and ensure is calm during his meal times
