Food Aggression
I am having a terrible time with my girls fighting at feeding time. As soon as they see me get the food out... they start fighting. Their teeth are bared, lips curled back and they start biting & hurting each other. I have to feed my youngest on the counter and my one year old on the floor. They settle down to eat... but continue growl while they eat their food. It is getting so bad that I cannot even walk by the place I keep their food without a fight breaking out. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Other than feeding time... they get along great. They play well, sleep side by side, lick each other and share toys. Any advice is appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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feed them in their crates, soon they will run in their to wait on their food
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Permalink Reply by Simon & Anne on
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We have food aggression too. For the past month my husband and I have both had to be present during feeding time. We put the dogs on leashes and feed several feet away from each other. We have found it helpful to control when the dogs eat by making them wait. Simon has Nellie lay down until he gives the signal and I have Howie sit ( I haven't taught him lay down yet). Having them on the leashes is helpful because you can give a little tug if they begin to growl/bark. We then take them outside on the leashes and hook them to our tie outs. While Simon is taking Nellie outside, I hang back for a minute and give Howie treats while he does commands. Then I take him outside. By this time they have usually calmed down and realized they are still friends. I fed them by myself for the first time since we started working on this issue the other day. It takes a lot of patience but you can eventually improve the situation. I still wouldn't trust myself to feed them side by side without leashes right now, but that may come in the future. If it doesn't, I figure that it is better to be safe and have them on leashes.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Sparty had a brief visit with food aggression when he was about a year. We ended the people part by bringing half his food and once he dug in bring the other half in our hands. Any sign of growling or stiffening then the food goes back in the container. He is totally safe now. I feed three dogs twice a day. I always feed in the same order and everyone has to sit and wait. I do not feed them close together but they are in the same room. At first when we added the doberman last year I had to stand by her and say no if the corgis started to come over by her (she is very submissive and does not eat as fast as the corgis). Now I can even leave the room and they leave her alone. I always pick up the dishes after. I would try having their leashes on make them sit in different parts of the room and give a quick leash corrections if there is any growling. If it keeps up I would confine the offender and feed the other. Skipping a couple meals will not hurt them but may make good manners at meal time a priority for them! Just feed in the same order and don't allow any checking the other bowl. Mine learned very quickly that aggression ended feeding and being quiet meant food.
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Permalink Reply by Heidi Robson on
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I tried putting both girls on their leashes this monrning for their feeding. I had Daisy (1 yrs old) and my husband had Poppy (8 month old)... they were on opposite sides of the room but could still see each other. I put Daisy's food down first and she sniffed it but would not eat. My husband then put Poppy's food down and she gobbled it right up. I stood with Daisy for a few minutes... she still would not eat because she was too concerned with watching Poppy eat her own food. So I finally picked up her dish and we let both girls off of their leashes. Neither girl growled or showed any sign of aggression during this process. We are going to keep up this process... until they can eat peacefully. I suspect Daisy will get hungry enough and finally eat.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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YEA! Good luck! Mine eat close to each other with no problems! Do you also pretend that you eat their food so that they get used to this? It's important in case there's little kids around who might go near them.
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The only one that has had food issues in my house is Sparty. I think Misty and Izzy would let the cats push them away from their food. Apparently it is just some dogs because they all act like they are starving!
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I just fed them again... both on their leashes like earlier today. This time Daisy ate all of her food. They did not growl or attempt to fight. I will keep this up for a while... it seems to be working.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I'm glad the leashing is working! One other thing you can do is sometimes toss some high-value treats, like little pieces of cheese or hot dog, into their bowls while they are eating. Then they get the idea that someone approaching their food bowl is a good thing. Just make sure they see what you have before your hand goes near the bowl.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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We started putting their bowls about 10' apart, and made them go into their crates until we filled the bowls and put them down. We've relaxed this, but Al still thinks he must go into his crate in order to get fed; it's really cute.
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