Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:55 pm Post subject: Growling with food
Help please. Jet is now nearly 7 months and has started to get very possesive with his food. We have always fed him and handled him while he is eating, we've always been able to pick up his bowl or kong without any trouble and I thought I had made sure he was OK about his food, but he has just started growling at us if we get too near him when he's eating. Sometimes he eats from his bowl in the kitchen and sometimes he's in his crate with a kong or something, all this is normal and has been from day 1 but now he's growling whereever he has food. Please can anyone give me some advice on how to deal with this as I've never experienced it before with my dogs.
Don`t have any answers, but sounds like he is maturing a bit, so maybe that has something to do with it. Luckily I`ve never had that problem. But sure some will be along to advise soon.
fist off you need to be firm and become top dog again..
start with his kong filled with whateveer you fill it with put it on the floor tell him to leave... then tell him to get it let him chew it a bit then calmly tell him to drop if he doesnt and growls tell him NO and DROP or LEAVE..if he still continues to growl remove the kong (with something incase he bites.)
tresat wise do not give it to him if he growls always praise the good and be firm on the NO...
feeding times food in bowl (should be easier than a kong) give him small amounts and every so often add extra so he gets used to your hand being by his food bowl again and he thinks your hand is good because it adds more food..every time he growls you must tell him NO.. remove the bowl..and repeat he eats you add food he growls you remove bowl and repeat.... until he is comfy with your hand near him while he eats ...
then hopefully after a while you should be able to feed your dog and remove his bowl without much of a problem or when he is eating you should be able to stroke him without a growl..
every feeding time i always stroke my dogs head just to let them know its ok to have a human hand around there food and all is well
as one day you may need to remove something from there mouth in a hurry..lol.. .
If someone came over to you whilst you were eating your dinner, or having a nice tasty chocolate bar and they tried to take it away from you - what would you do? Allow the stranger to take the food??? Of course not, you would tell them to sod off
So, that is exactly how your dog feels - miffed that you are trying to take something away from him, you are far better to ADD things to his bowl than take them away - or swop his kong for something else.
Its very confusing for dogs if 1 minute you are giving them something and the next taking it away
Thanks for your replies, I'm really not sure where to go with this. When I said earlier I've always been able to pick up his kong or bowl, I did mean when it was empty, you're quite right I get grumpy if you try to take my food away (as the size of my hips will testify ) But Jet is growling when we get near him it's not as if we're trying to take anything away, and I did try the route of starting with only half his meal in the bowl then adding as he is eating, in the hope he will assosiate handling at mealtimes with the bringing of more food. I'm just really concerned as I've got two kids, both teenagers so they can and do follow instructions and are both good with the dog, but I really can't have him going for someone just because they happen to walk near him while he's eating. The pain of it is that it doesn't happen everytime, somtimes I can even hold the bowl or kong when Im giving it to him and he'll happily eat from my hand without a murmer, other time he sound like the hound from hell. I'm really confussed about what's going through his mind, it just doesn't fit any pattern.
how about only give him food when no-one will bother him??
feed him his dinner let him eat alone as for his kong if he eats it in teh crate maybe close the crate door so if he does get aggresive no-one will be harmed??
i have 4 kids all under 12 and when my dogs get fed there not aloud in teh kitchen or near the dog when they have there bones.. even though i know there is no worrys with mine concerning any type of food..
but i think you are better off trying to sort the situation rather than ignoring it..
does he have a bad tooth that you know off?? maybe this is upsetting him while he eats??
OK, read this and rushed off to check his teeth, but all is well. He's quite happy to open his mouth and let me look and touch/press all his teeth so I don't think there's any problems there. I am trying to sort the problem, really I am I'm not sure about just keeping out of the room when he's eating. Will this not make him think he's in charge? I'm getting a bit paranoid about it because he's so good in everything else, really placid, comes back as soon as he's called, just a really happy easy going boy. Now this, ahhhg, I'm so frustrated.
hiya i dont think it wil let him think he is in charge but maybe calm him a little knowing he can eat his lunch in peace..
i do this all teh time only because i dont want my kids bashing into the dogs while there eating...
i tell the dogs to leave or move away from teh table while we all eat so really its only the same im doing for the dogs...
is it possible to think back on the first time he growled at you with food?? was there something different that happened?
the only thing i can say is start again with the hand feeding into the bowl its like heel work dogs will do it perfectly for ages then all of a sudden its like they have never been trained.lol.. he is ony a pup after all...
keep trying it will come right in the end just be carefull sorry i cant be more of a help hopefully someone else will give advise
good luck
bob has only ever done this once and that was when he was really wee and we were at my mums and he snuck in to eat daisys(mums dogs) food and i went to take the bowl away and he growled he was about 3 months old
anyway he wont touch his dinner until i tell him
i always made him sit and wait before i let him eat now he sits on his own without me telling him to and wont go until i say "eat"
i made the habit of doing things like the others have said like adding to it and letting him know i was the feeder so i was in charge
ive patted him while eating and never had a growl
pretty much the only thing ive had huge success with really
Alfie's never been bothered with me putting my hands in his bowl while he's eating, he just eats around my hands
He's fine with chews and smallish bones but if he has a big bone then i have to be a bit careful, he'll growl if i put my hand too near the bone while he's still enjoying it. I've found calling him away from it and giving him a biscuit, piece of chicken etc and then letting him go back to eat it really helps and i often hold the bone to begin with while he's eating it, or i go over to him and put pieces of chicken next to the bone he's eating or just offer the chicken to him and he then sees my hands being around his bone as a good thing he's now alot better with bones, thankfully
I must admit if i had a nice bar of choccy and someone took it away from me then i'd feel like growling at them too Alfie's never gone for me though, he just growls but i could still take the bone away
I don't really have any other suggestions, hope you manage to sort it out
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I'm not sure about just keeping out of the room when he's eating. Will this not make him think he's in charge? I'm getting a bit paranoid about it because he's so good in everything else, really placid, comes back as soon as he's called, just a really happy easy going boy. Now this, ahhhg, I'm so frustrated.
