# 14 month old Golden with Bad Food Agression



## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

I haven't dealt with this much personally, but there are several people on the board who are experts. I'm sure they'll be along shortly.

I do have a rule at my house...if it's so valuable that a dog is going to be a butt to me about it, that item just went on the Never Again list. They can live a rich and full life without rawhide chews!

You can use the search feature up top there to search on "resource guarding"...this comes up quite frequently.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Have you taken him to obedience classes? A good, positive trainer can help you with these issues. If hand feeding stopped the aggression then I would continue with that or give him some space to eat in private. There is no need to touch him when he is eating.

Also, stop giving him rawhides. He considers that to be a high value treat and is guarding it. No more rawhides. And leave him alone when he's in his kennel. 

You also need to step up the exercise. Even a couple of short walks a day will do a lot to improve his outlook. 20-30 minutes in the morning and evening. And if you can get in some off leash running around, he would be a happy camper. At 14 months, he is in the prime of his life, athletic and healthy. He wants to PLAY!!!

You have a dog who is a little insecure and lacks confidence. Sometimes humans cause this by constantly "threatening" (in his mind) the dog. He needs to protect his "prizes" because you keep trying to take them away. I think if you make a few simple changes, you'll see a very nice dog emerge.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Reply....*

I agree with Penny's Mom. Obedience classes will help.
Don't give him anymore rawhides-I won't give them to my dogs, they've almost choked on them and he is viewing it as a high value treat.

Also, we never touch our dogs food bowls when they're eating.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Since he has already bitten over food, you really need to have a certified dog behavior consultant or certified veterinary behavior specialist work with you to identify his triggers and come up with a plan to manage his aggression. Basic obedience is a good thing, and you should be taking him to classes, however, it will not address food aggression at this level. Your vet should be able to refer you to a behavior specialist, but if they can't, you might be able to find one on these websites.


ACVB

https://apdt.com/pet-owners/


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

If your dog has bitten a human during resource guarding, you need to address the issue ASAP. You don't mention children, but if you have them, you should supervise their interactions with your dog very closely. An I edience class would help, but IMO what would be most useful is some one on one work with a really good (positive only, not punitive) trainer. I have been dealin with some issues with my male dog, but he does RG only with out other dog, never with humans. I'd suggest searching around about resource guarding, particularly look at the advice from Victoria Stilwell, Jean Donaldson, and Patricia McConnell. 

In the meantime, your boy should eat in a quiet place and no one should bother him or walk by him while he's eating. 

Good luck. RG is often a big factor in dogs losing their homes...don't wait and hope it will take care of itself.


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