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  3. Oakley has food aggression in the presence of other dogs

Oakley has food aggression in the presence of other dogs

Behavioral Issues
  • DebraDownSouthD

    In general, unless a dog is charging to attack, I try to avoid ever giving physical corrections. HOWEVER, working hard on the look at me/leave it command til you get 100 percent at home, then going to a park or having a friend help with dropping food or toys or whatever and work on it there. Animals build neural paths to behaviors and the more you work, the more situations you introduce where you can get Oakley to put his eyes and attention ON YOU no matter what is going on, the better.

    Debra

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  • Chealsie508C

    Sonnyboy- I remember you saying you got in to see Dr. Dodman, I have heard good things about him. Certainly I am looking for certified behaviorists/ professionalisms who specialize in food directed aggression/ possession. I want to have names and numbers in my pocket for sure, especially because I know this is going to be a long turnaround process. Eeefarm and Debra, good suggestions: I did take him home after the chip/person incident, it was late and we were there at least 1.5-2 hours at that point and you could tell being "over it" had something to do with the how far he took it. The physical correction is one I'm not comfortable with, I have in the past grabbed his muzzle (like the other night) to close it during a growl and saying no..but I don't think it's the correct response, as he then seems to use that as spite the next time..besides taking him from the situation is it appropriate to raise tone and say "no" or "leave it" ?

    "I know I've found the breed for me because he totally turns my life upside down and I love it!"

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  • DebraDownSouthD

    Very appropriate to say a stern no and leave it. For some, holding the muzzle is also okay, but if it escalates his behavior, obviously not for him.

    I just feel the more you work with him consistently that food is NOT his, not at home, not on the street, not out, the less he will react to it. Once you reset his mind to "the only food I get is what I am given" the better it will be. And although not an issue at home generally, starting at home all the time with work for food, well it will lay the foundation.

    Debra

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  • Chealsie508C

    Working with Oakley..progress is slow but had promising results during our "boarder stay"…he instantly remember the dog who we had as a 8-12 week puppy...he had moments of snarkiness which are very typical for him, coming too Close when he's sleeping, after he's played for awhile..as far as the food goes it was better than expected. He seemed ok to eat in the kitchen with her as long as he ate first...the only troublesome moments were in anticipation of the meal as I was fixing their bowls, he would go after her and snark and bite but not viciously..it was stern, don't get me wrong but he seemed not to take it to the next level which he would have done with a dog he didn't know. The bigger issue was when "I" was eating..my food sparked definite territorialsm, he would get aggressive but still with a stop filter..he wouldn't allow her near me and she knew to backoff and stay alway. I did end up crating him during my meals when he got too stimulated. Overall, I was surprised to see he didn't viciously try to hurt her but he definitely displayed inappropriate behaviors (for what I'd want to see in the future). I'm pleased it was better than expected and have a better direction in training

    "I know I've found the breed for me because he totally turns my life upside down and I love it!"

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    @JazzysMom: Let me ask you this, Pat {and all}….. I've always fed my dogs separately, esp. since Keoki came into the picture because he will scarf his food and run to see if he can get what the others have. I don't crate them, but they are fed in separate rooms which puts them about ten feet away from one another. Keoki has learned NOT to hover over the other dogs, but he does kind of watch and wait for either of them to finish and then he runs over to lick their bowls. I don't have a problem with that, as they all run from bowl to bowl at the end of the meals, licking whatever {icky} they can find there. It's funny because they all get the same food. Lately, in the mornings only, Jazz won't eat UNTIL Keoki finishes and and then she will growl and ruuuuun for her bowl. So, the last few days I have put her bowl near his {as an experiment}-- w/in maybe 2 feet -- and she will immediately eat while he does. He eats faster, and it's almost as if she slows down when she knows he's finished. She picks up one piece of food at a time to carefully chew it, with the occasional quiet growl to remind him that it is hers. What is up with that? Honestly…sounds like a fight in the making to me. Eating faster is the first level of resource (in this case food) guarding. She may be eating slower for any number of reasons...the first one I thought of was a calming signal to him? I doubt she is trying to tease him...but she may be trying to make a point...mine, calm down, mine, calm down... These kind of things tend to escalate, so IMO, I wouldn't even experiment with it. Why not feed them separately, like with doors in between? It has got to be less stressful for the dogs if they don't have to worry if the other dog is going to bully them for their food...or on the other hand, if they can bully the other dog.
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    Thanks for your replies. I guess in the spontanaity of the moment I did as I do with my other dogs, a no and then a quick taking the thing away since I'm boss and I'm the owner of everything ultimately. I do believe Rowdy was not being the bad growling type bite – he took his front teeth and nipped at my arm, pinching it, but it hurt! I will try to work on the "leave it" command, since I taught that to my mom's poodle and it worked well. Rowdy is smart and is finally getting some of the house rules down. Though he's sneaky when he isn't resting beside you and you forget to watch him... :)
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