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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Leatherland on October 7, 2009 at 11:10pm

Gizmo too is having a problem similar to this.

His though is only toward other dogs. Our trainer was sitting on the ground after she saw him doing this, and had treats and she saw it first hand. And we need some more advice to get this under control. I know food aggression is a corgi thing. But I seriously cry when that happens.

One way we were told to correct this was, put the halti on Gizmo. Then start feeding the dogs treats and when Gizmo starts getting aggressive, we then correct him with a tug on the lead. Then allow him to see the other dogs get treats, and he does not.

The second way was to follow the same way until the end. After the correction, I put him into a sit. or down or something else to redirect his attention.

Third way same thing until the end. And I put him into like an x-pen for like 5 minutes or so.

Any advice for Gizmo as well. would be great.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on October 8, 2009 at 7:04am

He is feeling like he is in charge. My Sparty has always had a tendency to do things like this,so I know what you are going through. Firstly you need to get back in charge. I broke the food aggression with advice from a dog trainer. Using your hands put half his food in the bowl, after her starts eating come with the other half in your hands. If he growls or makes any aggressive move put the food in your hands away and leave him. Try that at every meal until he is relaxed and ok with you putting your hands in his food. Sparty got it after one half ration and now (9 years later) anyone can put their hands in his dish while he is eating. I don't allow our dogs to go over to each other's food bowls (cats either) and pick the bowls up when they are done. As for the rest, Google Nothing In LIfe Is Free and follow it. I used a lot of Obedience classes to get him under control but I realize that isn't always practical. He is ten now and a good citizen! Safe around children and other animals. However, I still avoid situations where food is "up for grabs". If it isn't clear whose treat is whose I don't trust him. Remember these dogs where bred to herd a few 1000lbs cows and keep pests out of the garden so attitude can appear in the more dominant personalities. Start soon and he will turn around,don't worry.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 8, 2009 at 7:09am

You may be able to ask your vet for a referral to a trainer.

For food aggression, one thing to do is simply accustom the dog to the idea that it's ok to have movement around his food bowl. One method to handle this is to feed the dog his entire portion by hand. Then switch to feeding one kibble by hand, then dropping the next in his food bowl. Then gradually switch to starting with part of his portion in the bowl, and adding the rest as you go. Of course the cats can't do this! Too bad they can't, as you may end up with a dog that is perfectly ok if YOU go near his food, but not the cats. In that case I would feed him in his crate.

The other way to deal with food aggression is, while the dog is eating, approach him with a high-value treat he rarely gets (small pieces of cheese, cooked chicken, hot dog, liver treats). Try to make sure he sees you have the treat. In mid-meal, give him an obedience command like "Sit" and show him the treat. If he backs away from his food and looks at you, he gets the treat (which has to be something he likes more than his food). As he improves, switch to adding the treat to his dish, then picking up the dish, putting the treat in it, and putting it back down (but still make him sit first).

Honestly if he is exhibiting this behavior at the dog park, I would not take him there til he improves. The other thing is, be honest with yourself. If you are afraid of your dog when he does this, and there is no shame in that, then you really need to consult a professional before you do anything, as he would pick up on your fear and that gives him more uncertainty or more power, depending on his motivation.

I also advocate googling "Nothing in life is free" for dogs and following that program, as it's non-confrontational and works with dogs who are both dominant-aggressive and fear-aggressive.

WIth toys, you need to impress upon the dog that the toys belong to you, not him. He should allow you to take his toys freely (but always give an obedience command first, so you don't startle him and get bitten yourself). When you are throwing a ball for him, before every time you throw it make him do a "sit" or a "down" or you can mix it up with tricks and have him give paw or something. This is part of NILF; he must do something for you before you do something for him. Then practice the "leave it" command and periodically (not more than a few times a week) if the dog is chewing on a bone or something, tell him "leave it" and pick the toy up, hold it just for a couple seconds, then give it back. This helps teach that the stuff is yours and you can reclaim it whenever you like. Again be honest and if you are fearful, don't try this without an instructor because your dog might pick up on it and you might get hurt.

In any case, it is conceivable you end up with a dog where YOU can take anything from him but he's still exhibiting guarding behavior with other dogs. Some dogs just don't tolerate other dogs well. In that case you would still be able to let your dog play with other dogs, but in carefully supervised situations where there are not possessions to guard.

Edit: I just looked at your profile and your dog is not yet a year old. There is a very good chance you can reverse this behavior nearly completely if you start NILF now. When Jack was just a baby he would growl if I went near his food; I did the treat thing and now you can pick up his bowl if you need to. I also sometimes make him sit/stay/down if I'm throwing a ball, and "leave it" is indispensable.

As Bev says, they are bossy little dogs, and bossy can turn into dominant in a hurry if you don't show him with calm confidence that you are the boss, and you and not him decides what toys he holds, what he eats and when. However I would not let the cats go right up to him when he eats; they may try to steal from his dish and that is asking for trouble.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on October 8, 2009 at 8:24am

How many times a day do you feed your dog also? I feed mine 3 x's. If he is really hungry because he eats 1 x per day this could make it worse. If you can maybe spread it out. PUPPY OWNERS: the best way to prevent this is to start when you get your pup, I always kneel on the floor and pretend I'm eating too(or drinking or chewing on a bone) this way from the start they realize that they have to share. I can feed most my dogs together (2' away) and once in awhile one will go to another dish but there isn't a fight! I do feed Bella separate most of the time but that's because she will walk away and not eat and someone else gets her food. As stated b/4 dogs can pick up on your moods and that can make a difference, if I'm nervous in classes my dogs definately pick this up. The NILF is a great tool as stated also. There's lots of good suggestions already given to try.

Good luck...and remember...stay calm but firm in your training.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 8, 2009 at 8:38am

Jane, I agree: this behavior is much easier to prevent in a puppy than cure in an adult! I know people use the search to find certain topics, which is why it's good to mention that. Work with your pup to let them know sharing is ok; a dog who is always left alone to eat and play can easily get the idea that he has the right to chase off all comers.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on October 8, 2009 at 8:51am

We have several grandchildren soooo I have to make sure any of them can come up to my dogs and not be harmed or growled at.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on October 8, 2009 at 8:59am

The trainer that helped me with the food aggression specializes in difficult dogs, raises GSDs, Malinois, and Jack Russels. She says she has never had a dog go more than 3 days before you can play in their food while they are eating. That includes the Pit Bulls she has rescued. Corgis are easy compared to the ones she works with. My grandson when he was crawling could go by their food bowls when I was feeding them. I was really glad I asked for advice early. It is very smart of you to recognize this while your pup is young. Too often we let them get away with stuff while they are young because they are so darn cute!

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 8, 2009 at 11:02am

One of my corgis, Scout, is exactly the same way. He will even get in fights at the dog park over a stick too. I got help from a behaviorist in my state (Florida), she came from the University of Florida. It was very pricey, about $450 for two hours, including her driving expenses, but she helped me to understand a lot about Scout. She noticed from the moment she came in the house that Scout was not a confident dog, and thats probably true for Kipper too. Often the way they deal with the lack of confidence is by being aggressive. Scout is now taking a small dose of generic prozac which is helping, and we also have a special training plan made specifically for Scout that we use to try to "change" his behavior. I would recommend contacting a behaviorist in your area, because if you don't the problem will only get worse.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on October 8, 2009 at 11:05am

I would definitely recommend feeding him his meals by hand, and making him sit and wait before you feed him. This shows him that you are the keeper of the food, and if he shows aggression, the food goes away. Dax will only show food aggression if another dog is eating out of HIS bowl. He never growls or snaps at me if I reach around or even into his food bowl, because I let him know at an early age that it's not acceptable. That I buy the food, I provide the food, and if he acts at all like he doesn't remember that, the food goes away. Period. He also allows other dogs to play with his toys without being aggressive.

Try hand feeding him, and when he gets comfortable with that, try petting him while he eats out of your hand (very carefully).

As for other dogs, I don't know that you'll rid him of his food aggression completely, but what you need to do is desensitize him to the sight of other dogs. Try having him and another dog in the same room (opposite sides, with someone else controlling the other dog). Distract him with treats (a treat he really likes) while the other person lets the other dog play with one of Kipper's toys. All you need to do is take the toy away from the other dog and the treats away from Kipper at the same time, but make sure he sees you do it. This may help him associate other dogs with his toys with treats, and therefore is a good thing, and also that he only gets those treats when there's another dog with one of his toys. Just be very careful, make sure you let him notice the other dog with his toy, but keep his attention focused on you. Don't give him a chance to react. This is assuming that Kipper already knows basic commands like sit, stay, etc.

Good luck! Kipper is young, he should be quite easy to train and you should be able to get through this phase. Just keep working at it, and don't just let it go because it'll only get worse.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 8, 2009 at 12:05pm

Robyn, I am so happy you were able to find someone to help you with Scout! I remember your post about him and how concerned you were.

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It is definitely true that a dog who lacks confidence can be more likely to bite. A dog can also have dominance aggression, though; if he thinks he's top dog and the other dogs ignore his warnings to back off, he may back up his threat with an attack. Working with a behaviorist, you were able to determine which it was for Scout.

The nice thing about NILIF is that it helps with both dominance aggression (by asserting yourself as leader) and with fear/insecurity aggression (your dog will have added confidence if he sees you as a confident, consistent leader). That's why it's nice for people who are not working with a trainer, because if done correctly it is unlikely to worsen the situation with an insecure dog the way dominance postures like scruff-shakes and alpha-rolls do.

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Permalink Reply by Sunni A. on October 8, 2009 at 8:08pm

Yes confident dogs don't mind sharing or having people remove their things! Eddy has been guarding sticks and smells at the park, and he doesn't bite, but he snaps his teeth and barks at the dogs. I've been working with showing him how it is much more fun when dogs share sticks, and that the dog is happy and not aggressive (like HE IS). I take the stick, Eddy barks, I give the stick to the dog, Eddy growls, I pet the dog, I take the stick from the dog because that dog is nice and gives it up, throw it for them, and Eddy is definately getting it... he ends up playing chase and fetch and tug of war, and gets over his "MINE" idea very quickly. As for smells, that's one is sooo hard because you can't pick it up :( and if I stand over it and make him go away, he just thinks that now I am the one resource guarding, and I worry I'm being a bad influence... Ugh.

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Permalink Reply by Marie Ploof on October 9, 2009 at 3:48pm

Thank you so much, all of this is very helpful. I do make Kipper wait before he can have his food and I pretend to eat it (someone said the pack leader eats first and that I should try this) I have only been feeding him once a day and am going to start feeding him two to three times a day now. And if none of this works I'll continue my search for a professional

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