There is no rule, that I have found, that determines if a dog will be food aggressive or not. I have seen dogs that have never been hungry a day in their life, or ever had to compete with other dogs for food, almost take your hand off if you reached for their food, and would not let another dog eat near them. On the other hand, I have known dogs that were severely under- nourished at some point in their life and never show any food aggression with humans or other animals. The size or breed of dog doesn't seem to matter either. Small dogs can be just as vicious over food as larger ones. The only common thread I have pinned down is, on the average, most of the puppies out of larger litters... having eight to ten litter mates or more.. seem to develop food aggression more than puppies from smaller litters. That is not a proven fact, just an over all thought and observation on my part.

Most of all I think it comes down to the dog's individual personality, and needs to be nipped in the bud as early as possible. First, I would like to express that if you are dealing with a grown dog, especially a larger one, with a food aggression problem, please get some help from a professional dog trainer. Chances are, if the dog is over six or seven months old, he has had this problem for a while, and may have some other underlying condition that needs to be addressed. Do not take a chance on someone, or one of your other pets getting injured. Food aggression can be a serious and dangerous problem.

I have met many young puppies with mild food aggression. It seems to go along with the first independence from their mother, and establishing hierarchy in a new pack. Some are only aggressive with food and other dogs, and some with anyone or anything that comes near them while they are eating. Either way, as a pet, this is a zero tolerance behavior.

If you notice your new puppy growling or trying to bite you or another pet during feeding time take action immediately. Remove the food bowl, give the puppy a few bites of food from your hand, then praise and pet him. Empty the bowl out, and set it back down for him, then put a few bites in the bowl with your hand. Just give him a few bites in the bowl at a time, leaving your hand down by the bowl each time. Praise and pet if he allows your hand, if he growls or shows any aggression, take the bowl away again and feed him a little by hand. Set the bowl back down empty, and put a few bites in again with your hand staying near the bowl. Do this with each feeding session until there is no aggression, and you can put your hand in and around the bowl while he is eating. There is really no need to reprimand. Positive reinforcement is best with this lesson. Taking the food away for aggressive behavior, showing that your hand is a good thing coming to the food bowl, and praise for no aggression, will usually get the point across in just a few days.

I like to eat, and prefer to have my own plate. If I had to share it all the time with someone else I might become a little food aggressive myself. I figure dogs feel the same way, so trying to feed several dogs in the same dish may not be a good idea. Each having their own bowl is much better and less likely to cause a problem. If there is a problem with one or more being aggressive during meal time..... you can first try feeding in opposite corners and then slowly moving them closer together over a period of time.

If there is still a problem, get some help from another person, put the food bowls a few feet a part, and each person drop only a couple of pieces of dog food in the bowls at the same time, keeping each dog's attention on their own bowl. If they show any aggression, (for this exercise, you may need to use a stern "NO" at this point), pick up both bowls, wait a few minutes or so, and try it over again. When they eat their food without being aggressive, praise them. Aggression with another dog is sometimes more difficult to deal with, but most dogs will eventually learn to behave properly at meal times.

Playful biting is natural also for puppies..... thats how they play with each other, so they don't understand until you teach them that biting YOU isn't permitted. The best way to stop this behavior is to never start it. Don't let your puppy bite your hands or clothes during play...... always use a toy. If he does bite you, stop him immediately..... say "no bite", and give him his toy. Do this consistently, without exception. For more stubborn puppies you may have to hold his mouth shut gently for a few seconds while saying "no bite" and then give him the toy. In rare cases, with dogs that already had a bad habit of biting during play, I have had to use a muzzle for a short period of time, but this isn't usually necessary and is only used as a last resort.

Remember to always be patient with your puppy, and don't get discouraged if he isn't learning things as fast you want him too. Just like us, dogs have different personalities, and don't all respond to everything alike. If you are having difficulty with a lesson, stop before your lose your temper, and your puppy gets too confused or bored. Just take some time to play with him, praise and pet him, then, regroup later and try the task again. Bonding time with your puppy is the most important part of any training regimen. The better he knows you, the more trust he will have, and with more trust comes the desire to please you.

Good Luck, and thanks for joining us here again, along with our gracious web site host Jeanette, at Take Care of Your Dog.com. Questions and comments at _easttxnurse320@aol.com_ (mailto:easttxnurse320@aol.com)

Rhonda Erickson