Is dog food aggression a problem with your canine companion? If your dog growls or snaps at anyone who gets too close while he’s eating, you need to stop this serious dog behavior problem before your dog attacks you or someone in your family.
Dog Food Aggression Is Instinctive Behavior For Canines
Wild dogs protect their mates, their food, and their territory. Aggression is necessary for their survival. The most aggressive dog is the pack leader, or alpha male, and he enforces his position by being the dominant dog in the pack.
However, your dog shouldn’t be the pack leader in your home. If he is, you’re in for trouble, because he thinks he’s the alpha male, and, like he would in the wild, he’ll use canine aggression to enforce his position. This is a dominance issue that won’t go away on its own. You must take steps to deal with his aggressive behavior before it reaches a dangerous level.
Causes of Food Aggression In Dogs
Many dog owners think puppy aggression is cute, especially when he’s “guarding” his food. Encouraging this behavior is a serious training mistake many dog owners make. Instead of being amused by canine food aggression, you need to nip this problem in the bud.
Your dog’s understanding of exactly who leads the pack is confused.Your dog thinks there’s a leadership vacuum if you don’t take the role of the alpha male (even if you’re female). If you don’t step into the role, he will. And he won’t be nice about enforcing his position in your household.
He thinks he can take whatever he want from anyone else in the pack because he thinks he’s the pack leader. The reality is that the family dog should be at the bottom of the heap, not the top. Anyone in the household should be able to take anything away from him, even his food. Of course, you’re not really going to do this, but he needs to know where he stands in your household pack.
Dog Food Aggression Training
With a puppy, you’ll make it clear that having people or other animals around when he’s eating is OK. Do this right from the beginning, and you’ll probably never have a problem with this type of canine aggression. Anyone in the family should be able to safely stand right next to him at any time while he’s eating.If this isn’t true, you need to be in control of his food.
It’s always a good idea to feed your dog after you and your family have finished eating. Your dog will instinctively understand that the alpha dog always eats first.This makes it very clear in your dog’s mind exactly where he ranks in the family hierarchy.
Require that your dog sit and stay quietly while you’re fixing his food. If your dog growls, and demands food, don’t give in. He needs to earn his food by behaving in a non-aggressive manner.
Don’t let your dog “win” his food by showing aggression towards you. This only rewards his bad dog behavior and reinforces the very behavior you want to stop.
If dog food aggression is already a serious problem in your household, a dog behavior course should be your next step. You can find a course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer by clicking on any link in this article.
Related posts:
- Stopping Dog Aggression Over Food
- Dog Owners Guide : German Shepherd Aggression
- How Did My Dog Get So Aggressive - What Can I Do About My Dogs Aggression
- Causes Of Dog Aggression
- Learning How to Deal with Dog Aggression.
- Resolving Aggression in your Dog
- Dog Food Guide. Bought From Store, Or Made From Home: What’s A Doggie Owner to Do?
- Help for Dog Aggression-Retraining Your Family Pet
- Aggressive Dog Behavior: Why You Should Never Put Up With Any Signs of Aggression in a Dog
- Stopping Dog Aggression
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