# Dog dog food aggression



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Just my opinion but puppies do not belong in dog parks, it's not safe. Actually, I would never take any of my dogs into a dog park no matter what the age. Do a quick search on this forum and read the horror stories about dog parks. 

Treats and unleashed dogs in groups is setting you and your pup up to be in the center of a massive dog fight and it only takes one over zealous dog to start it. The frenzy of a pack of uncontrolled dogs will get your pup killed and you bitten. Ever watch those TV shows showing sharks on a feeding frenzy??

Most aggression such as what you are describing is caused from fear. You are putting your dog into a very overwhelming situation. 

Giving your dog treats needs to be for you and your dog only. No dog, especially a pup needs to feel the pressure of other dogs wanting food from their person. You have been extremely lucky so far. If you want to teach recall do it outside of the dog park on a long line and rewards are for your dog only. Just throwing a tennis ball for a group of unsupervised dogs can prompt a fight. 

Food, even meals should be given in private... allow your dog to eat without being disturbed. You are teaching your dog to defend his food & himself. What you are doing is a really, really bad idea. 

Continue working your dog in class where there are owners supervising their pups and a trainer is watching for behaviors some owners may not pick up on.


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## Mistle (May 27, 2018)

Totally agree about dog parks, but he's 2 now and the damage was done when he was about 6 months. The free for all at the dog park completely caused his fear and aggression. 

He goes sometimes early morning, way before any other dogs are there because it's a really huge area and great for off leash excercise. He does have a near perfect recall off leash but I want to work on the aggression which still happens at obedience group. 

He can learn to control this, I'm sure he can because I have another dog and I take turns feeding them side by side. He knows me feeding treats to the other dog means he's going to get some so he's learned to wait calmly and patiently.

It's just figuring out how to do it I guess. I'm going to read 'Mine' by Jean D. again to check there's nothing in there. I think she warns about it happening somewhere but not how to fix it.


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## Vika the Golden ! (Jun 18, 2017)

I am not a big fan of dog parks since a few years ago I had a bad incident with my previous dog. He was attacked by another dog while he was chewing on a bone. He was badly bitten and had to be hospitalized for almost 3 days. Keep in mind that he was a big dog weighing at 120 pounds. After that incident I stopped going to the dog park. Dogs off leash that are not raised and trained properly can be quite dangerous! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

For a dog - food is survival, and instinct drives them to guard it from a perceived threat. Yes a dog, I have four, can learn to 'wait their turn' for a treat, (but they also do on occasion guard an item in their possession they want to keep), because they know the others are not a 'threat', but adding an unknown/new dog into the picture changes 'everything' for a dog. How 'comfortable' would you feel if you were dining out and a stranger came and sat at your table? Are you going to want to share? Or are going to try to tell them to 'go away' or are you going to share what you have on your plate? I am not sure why would you ask your dog to share his food with a stranger, to be a 'better person' than you?

Training may be able to over ride instinct, for a while, there are no guarantees, and the instinct, the risk (of guarding and confrontation over food) never goes away - they never forget 'how to', they may choose 'not to', over a particular item, but something of higher value, something they truly want for themselves - they may be willing to 'fight' for. 

If you are going to attempt to teach this, you need another dog with a handler. You need to place the dogs a good distance apart, then have the other person feed their dog, while your dog watches, then feed your dog, repeat over and over again. You need to practice until your dog, when he sees the other dog receiving the food, looks to you in expectation of his 'share'. He is learning that the dog being fed is now a predictor of something for him. Over time, you will need to slowly reduce the distance between the dogs, and start over again - the other dog is fed, he gets fed. Then you need to repeat the whole program/process with multiple other dogs and handlers. Proceed with caution, a mistake, a slip up, an altercation with a strange dog, could turn your non-reactive dog into a reactive one - no fun for you or him.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

What about introducing clicker training? Just totally take the treats out of the equation when out of the house.


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## Mistle (May 27, 2018)

Obedience group is super stressful because I need his eyes on me for nearly an hour, if his eyes flick sideways at another dog that would signal he's thinking about lunging. He can handle dogs eating treats close by him but if they make any slight move towards him that is a trigger. He just wants to protect his treats. 

He is otherwise well trained. 

Walks can also be stressful, I leash him whenever I see another dog coming. He is ok to walk past no problem but a lot of dogs do come up and circle or try playing or even sometimes have pushed in between us. The owners call but nearly all aren't trained to come and we have to deal with other dogs off leash right up close. 

We use clicker training for tricks but I don't know how to use it without treats. He's not toy motivated, I even had to clicker train him to play fetch. 

I've started to muzzle train him as well. I don't know what to do, but at the moment it's definitely not improving and if anything my stress may be making it worse.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

Reading what you've wrote so far, my opinion is that you are not dealing with a dog that is resource (treat) guarding but has become dog aggressive. It may not be that hes trying to kill or maim them but it could escalate to that. It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself that it is just treat based. It was treats that may have started it, but the fact you say you yourself are fearful that if he even starts to look at other dogs in class that he will start to go after them, "if his eyes flick sideways at another dog that would signal he's thinking about lunging". The fact you feel that even the slightest glance in another dogs direction say say he would lunge at another dog, that is straight dog aggression. If it were purely treat or resource guarding it would only happen when you had a treat out that he saw that would trigger the response. To be on the safe side, you need to treat this like dog aggression and not resource guarding.


The clicker training idea is a good one as that will show if it is real dog aggression or just the food/resource guarding you suspect.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Have you considered taking some time away from group training classes?

You are putting your dog and yourself into a situation/environment that neither of you are feeling safe in. He cannot think or learn when he is focused on keeping himself safe. He by virtue of being on a leash, knows he has no escape, he is trapped in a space that feels threatening to him, surrounded by other dogs, that is 'flooding' - flooding rarely works to resolve how a scared dog feels about what he is scared of and often makes things worse for the dog. 

Clearly he is feeling unsafe in the presence of other dogs, growling, barking and lunging are behaviors displayed by dogs to create distance, to create space in an effort to keep themselves safe. Take a moment to consider if you were in a room with a bunch of snakes, and you are afraid of snakes, would you not want to know where those snakes are, would not want to check to see if they are over there, or moving closer? Would not want to say 'Stay away' if one got too close? Asking your dog not to even look at what he finds threatening, is in the least counter productive and goes against his instincts, and can make the situation even more stressful for him - on the outside he may looking he is doing 'okay' on the inside, he may be (likely is) screaming to get away. 

One of the basic rules when working with a dog who is afraid of/ over reacting to stimuli in their environment is to avoid as much as possible exposing them to those things they are afraid of while you work with them to change the emotions that are driving the behavior. What does that mean? It means walking during the quietest times of the day, walking in areas where there is minimal chances of encountering the feared stimulus. It may mean not walking the dog at all for a period of time, and focusing on down time at home, playing games, teaching tricks, rehearsing and rewarding known skills, giving them time to truly relax and unwind, for their bodies to return to a normal physiological state - which can take a few days or longer for some dogs. It means we take the time to teach them what we want them 'to do' when they see another dog. We want them to be able to look at that other dog at a distance (to start with), and look back to us, anticipating a reward, we want them to understand that that other dog predicts good things for them, we want to help them learn to look to us, to 'walk away' with us, to trust that we will keep them safe, that we will not put them in situations they are not able to cope with yet. 

We need to set aside who or what we think or want that dog to be, and work with the dog we have in front of us, accept them for who they are, accept that they are having a hard time, and that they need our help to feel comfortable, to feel safe in a world that at times is frightening for them. We need to focus on helping them live the best lives they can live, be the best dogs they can be, even if it is not quite what we expected, wanted or wished for for them or ourselves, they are still and will always be, amazing dogs, wonderful best friends. 

I have a dog who does not do well with other dogs, he has learned to do wonderfully when those dogs are at a safe distance for him, (that distance has diminished over time from reacting to a dog several blocks away to being able to stay calm and composed when that dog is across the street) the last place I would even think of putting him is in an environment where he must cope with dog over load, and expect him to keep his eyes only on me. 

Take the time to learn about dog body language, about what your dog is telling you about how he feels in any environment you are asking him to be in. Get a good mental picture of what he looks like when he is relaxed, happy and feeling safe, learn to recognize his stress signals, watch his eyes, his ears, his mouth, his tail position - learn to read your dog and how to respond appropriately to what he is telling you. Emotions drive behavior, managing, controlling or stopping the (unwanted) behavior does not address or resolve the 'reason' for the behavior.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

^^^. What she said. 
I’ve had 2 reactive dogs in my adult life. One who was highly dog aggressive and a current one who is actually really friendly but leash reactive. Takes a lot of time, patience, and a change of expectations but they can be wonderful dogs.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

My opinion: Your dog is quite normal and has now learned what he must do in order to protect his treats. If you ask me, why would you expect anything different from him? Other dogs muscled in on his pack and his treats. 
I learned much from obedience class, reading, and experience. Offering treats when other dogs are around is a mistake in my opinion. I have made many mistakes along the way and I have learned from them. 


OK, here is part of my protocol:

1. No dog parks EVER
2. My dogs can play with each other and maybe with a new dog after I properly demonstrate that I am the pack leader and I decide what is acceptable and who is a friend---it is all body language.
3. My dogs will each get a chew, given quite seperately from each other.
4. My dogs get their food in seperate spots. If I confuse their bowls, they won't eat, they respect each other's bowl. Just as well, I then correct my mistake and change bowls around. 
5. I never present one toy or chew to multiple dogs.
6. I absolutely never mess with the dog while he is eating. I choose not to test their tolerance for my reaching into their food bowl. I have conditioned them to me approaching the food bowl while eating.


I do not want to sound like a know it all, I learned each of the above after having made the mistake. Pardon my directness in my reply but I see a potentially explosive situation. 



I recommend THE CULTURE CLASH by Jean Donaldson. It was recommended to me by my own obedience teacher.


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