# First sign of food aggression - 3.5 mth old



## liero133 (Aug 23, 2009)

dogs arent allowed to show aggression when you take something from them. it doesnt matter what it is.

dont just avoid the situation by not giving hethose things either. the next time she becomes aggressive, gently but determed put the dog on its side, pin her to the ground and take what you want. NEVER hurt or be angry when you do it. be calm and determind, show her you are in charge, abd you cantake whatever you want in any point in time.

when the dog is on her side, let go. if she tries to get up, firmly pin her down again just like a
dog in charge would. the goal is to keep her down without touching her, when you say "up", shes free to go, have the bone again or whatever else. go about your day like you normally would. repeat if it happens again. 

never ignore aggression. teach the dog its not allowed. she must know her place and clear bounderies.







thats a happy and balanced dog


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## mist (Jun 23, 2007)

max935 said:


> At the time I told her "NO", took it off her for a minute, then let her eat it as I held the end. No idea if this was the right thing to do.



personally i don't believe anyone should try the alpha roll on a dog, I hand feed all my dogs from an early age so they know that i and i alone control their food, what you did at the time was the perfect thing to do, my dogs only ever take food when i tell them "take it"


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

liero133 said:


> dogs arent allowed to show aggression when you take something from them. it doesnt matter what it is.
> 
> dont just avoid the situation by not giving hethose things either. the next time she becomes aggressive, gently but determed put the dog on its side, pin her to the ground and take what you want. NEVER hurt or be angry when you do it. be calm and determind, show her you are in charge, abd you cantake whatever you want in any point in time.
> 
> ...


This is a very old and out dated method, the "alpha roll" will back fire on you. Dogs will see it as a threat to their life and most will react accordingly.

I would recommend that you play the trade game with her, offer her something she really likes for the item she has, when she lets go take it, then return the item and repeat the process. Practice that, and then add the "give" or "drop it" command, you eventually will be able to take anything you want from her with out a problem because she will learn it's not just ok, but a good thing to give you what she has.

Please don't label your baby puppy as aggressive. This is communication, she's saying this is mine leave it alone, like she would to another littermate. Totally normal, but yes teach her you will take things from her at any time, and make it ok with her that you do (by teach her the trade game.)


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I totally agree not to use the alpha roll. It can make the situation much much worse. If you google NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) there is a great deal of information on how to stop it. Use the exchange method also like mylissyk stated. Good luck!!!


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## liero133 (Aug 23, 2009)

Food agression is not labeling your dog as aggressive. Where did you get to that conclusion? The dog was aggressive protecting food.... thus "food agressive".

I personally believe big parts of the "new trend" to be spun way to high for what it's worth. Just because methods used by people like Cesar Millan etc are old, doesn't mean they are bad. Of course, I can see how the alpha roll is abused. I won't even try to imagine how many people pin their dogs in in the worst and most idiotic settings possible. If you're using the alpha roll to train your dog, you're doing it wrong. That's not what it's about.

I won't get into any forum wars here, because that is both boring and never results in anything.

Regardless, here's an article that describes my feelings on the subject better than I could (probably) express them myself right now.

Have a good day, and to each their own.


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## max935 (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks for the tips guys - I will try and find something that she's happy to trade her bone/pigs ear for (probably chicken since it's her favourite) and practice that with her. Sorry if it came across as if I was labelling her as aggressive - I certainly don't think that. Just wanted to stop this guarding behaviour while she's still young and not sure the best way to do it.

One other quick question - how do I play the trade game with her if she won't let me near her while she has a bone? With other toys etc that we trade she is happy to bring them to me, but tends to run away if I try to go near her with a bone. Can I put her on a long lead while she's eating a bone so I can get close enough that she will know I have food to trade her?


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

Now THAT was very interesting. Make sure you read the replies at the bottom.



liero133 said:


> Food agression is not labeling your dog as aggressive. Where did you get to that conclusion? The dog was aggressive protecting food.... thus "food agressive".
> 
> I personally believe big parts of the "new trend" to be spun way to high for what it's worth. Just because methods used by people like Cesar Millan etc are old, doesn't mean they are bad. Of course, I can see how the alpha roll is abused. I won't even try to imagine how many people pin their dogs in in the worst and most idiotic settings possible. If you're using the alpha roll to train your dog, you're doing it wrong. That's not what it's about.
> 
> ...


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## snappyweather (Mar 4, 2007)

I had this problem with Lucy and never DID figure it out. She was an even tempered dog until her dying day...UNLESS she had one of those BIG rawhide bones. Try to take that away from her...goodbye elbow! Yet you could take one of those small rawhide chews out of her mouth, just not the big bones. And this was before we knew there was such a thing as 'wait for it' "leave it" and "drop it".





max935 said:


> Jesse, our 3.5 mth old recently growled at me when I tried to take away a bone she had been given (I wanted to take it outside so she wouldn't make a mess in the house). It's the first sign of aggression she's shown - we have no problems taking food or anything else off her using a "give it" command as long as we trade her for a treat when she brings it to us. This bone was obviously a highly prized possession!! At the time I told her "NO", took it off her for a minute, then let her eat it as I held the end. No idea if this was the right thing to do.
> 
> My question is, what do I do now? Do I not give her anything that might become a prized possession (ie. pigs ears, bones)? Do I give them to her and practice taking them off her? Or do I give them to her and just leave her to eat them in peace?
> 
> ...


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Mojo is like this over bully sticks.

Simple solution: we don't get them for him anymore. Way too high value, and that sort of behavior is not going to get rewarded with a tasty chewie!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Our Penny did the exact same thing at about the exact same age. I'd given her a raw steak bone. Nothing like raw meat and smell of blood to bring out their posessive instincts. :wink:

I took it away and gave it back, letting go of it completely, several times in a 30 minute time period. After the first time of being snarly puppy, she accepted that I could take her food and could give it back. It turned out to be not a big deal.

As for alpha roll: Golden retrievers are gentle, loving dogs who consider themselves to be people in the family. Any form of physical punishment or scare tactics is way over the top for them. All they need is to be shown clearly what behavior is expected and they almost always will comply. They love to be loved. 

You will see CM physically restraining dogs, but only severely agressive dogs. Most often the fighting breeds. You will NEVER see him restrain any of the gentler breeds.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

max935 said:


> One other quick question - how do I play the trade game with her if she won't let me near her while she has a bone? With other toys etc that we trade she is happy to bring them to me, but tends to run away if I try to go near her with a bone. Can I put her on a long lead while she's eating a bone so I can get close enough that she will know I have food to trade her?


I'd start by walking past her when she has the bone (as close as she'll let you get before deciding to run away) and just drop a piece of chicken. Don't even reach for the bone. She has to first LEARN it's OKAY to have you NEARBY before you try to teach her it's okay to TRADE for the bone. Do this until she's no longer running when you walk past. THEN start trading for the bone. She gets the chicken, you get the bone, ask her to sit and then give the bone back. Practice often. It's a great TRAINING exercise.


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## Bkhollan (Aug 18, 2009)

I haven't had much trouble with Bella showing food aggression. From day one, I would sit right next to her petting her while she ate. I would stick my hand into her food bowl too. 

She did growl at me the first time I gave her a bone to chew on. I went to pet her and she growled. I just took the bone away and make her her sit until I brought the bone low enough so she could chew on it. However, I held the end of the bone in my hand so she couldn't just take it. I let her chew on the other end while I held the bone. She has never growled at me again over food or a bone.


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