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Offline Cathy

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Food Aggression
« on: March 11, 2004, 05:32:37 PM »
Jazz seems to be manic around her feeding time, and eating. I have tried to calm her down, but the more i approach her the more manic she gets, she has starting growling and screaming around when i place her food down. I have tried stroking her as she eats and she just moves around so quick. I brought 'The perfect puppy' book and have recently tried the action of slowly presenting her with tasty food during her eating time.

The aim is to show her the food in the palm of your hand and let her take this 3 times, then hold the food in your hand , over the bowl and let her explore it.
Well..this is all very well, but greedy guts doesn't even notice i have food in my hand. she totally ignores the fact i have yummy food in my hand, and still growls and eats like i haven't fed her for her weeks.  I have tried cheese, tuna and fresh raw meat... she ignores all of them until shes finsihed her bowl then almost rips my hand off in greed.  She is fine with bones and toys, when i give her a treat she sits and waits then takes it gently.



I have spoken to burns and  have increased her food slightly. this has not made any difference.

I wondered if anybody had any ideas in which to encourage her to slow down a bit, advise me on how i can stop her growling around her food.

I feel like I must be starving her.                    
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CATHY

'A dog may be the only opportunity a human has to choose a relative.' -- Mordecai Siegal

Offline *Jay*

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Food Aggression
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2004, 05:48:22 PM »
I had this problem with Brook and he did it for years. You couldn't even go into the kitchen without him growling and snarling - he managed to do this whilst eating :roll:   When I got my own place and was thinking about getting a new puppy, I realised it couldn't go on. Can't remember where I read it but an article said that get the dog to sit whilst you put the food down and tell the dog to wait. Wait until the dog gives you eye contact and then release the dog to eat. After only two days of this, I noticed a huge difference in Brook. I could stand behind hhim and speak away to him whilst he was eating - something I couldn't do before. I can now even go into the freezer which is beside his dish and keep all fingers intact :wink:   It might be worth a go.  If you don't think Jazz will stay whilst you are doing this exercise, if its possible put her on her lead and get someone to hold her for you or even just hold her collar.                    
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Offline Colin

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Food Aggression
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2004, 05:57:28 PM »
I used the same method as Gill and it worked well. Misty knew how to sit and wait when I started but was a bit overeager and  so every  time she went to the bowl without me giving her the OK I lifted it up again. Being a greedy guts she learnt in no time it was in her interests to do as I asked. :lol:

On a recent trawl of dog behaviour sites (my latest hobby) I came across this...

http://k9deb.com/foodguar.htm

It may be of some help.                    
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Offline Cathy

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Food Aggression
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2004, 06:05:21 PM »
I have not yet taught her to wait/stay, she has learnt to sit, as soon as i walk out of the kitchen with her bowl she sits stands sits stands,, her little paws can't keep still with anticipation.  I will  begin to teach her to staywait this weekend.

I have tried holding her collar and having her on the lead, but she lunges forward and chokes herself - like a dog possessed                    
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CATHY

'A dog may be the only opportunity a human has to choose a relative.' -- Mordecai Siegal

Offline Hel

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Food Aggression
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2004, 07:01:44 PM »
It's not at all the same as training puppies, but this is what I do with new rescues and fosters, so it may help.  I feed dry food and free feed all my dogs.

I start by feeding them a few bits by hand - don't even put a bowl down.  Then I produce the bowl and drop a few bits into it and continue to add bits to the bowl as they are eating.  I then again offer food from my hand over the bowl.

After a couple of days of doing this, I cut out the first feeding by hand, but continue to add food to the bowl.  After a few days I just put the food down in the bowl, but every now and then, add food/feed by hand to reinforce the fact that I supply the food.

I'm a big believer in not taking food away from a dog unless it is absolutely necessary.  I really think that this makes food aggression worse - the bowl becomes a resource to guard.  Because I don't take the bowl away, I 'can' take the bowl whenever I want.

There are some dogs are very 'growly' when they eat, but aren't 'food aggressive' - it's just a noise they make when they eat because they forget to breathe properly  :roll:

HTH

Helen                    
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