# Food aggression in puppies



## Tarnation101 (Mar 25, 2016)

Hi all.

So I have a question regarding behaviour. As you may know, we have 2 puppies, currently just over 9 weeks old. Lately (past couple of days) I've noticed Neo (our male, who's also bigger) has been quite food aggressive towards Rina (our smaller female). This is only for high value food items like chicken necks or pigs ears. He guards his against her at all costs, with a deep growl and a bark. Obviously this behaviour is not tolerated at all, but I don't know how to stop it. He doesn't do this when I'm feeding them treats, just when he's eating something that takes a while to finish. 
I want to get in top of this now because I don't want it to get worse when he's older. They have their own but they need to share. I know this is a learned behaviour because I saw it at the breeders when a puppy tried to take food off an adult dog, and I understand puppies need to learn their places, but I'd still like it to stop. She let's him take hers without a hassle, and there's no aggression towards any humans. 
Am I being unreasonable? Does anyone have any tips? 
Thanks so much.

Tarnation.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would feed them with plenty of space between them, and supervise them to keep them apart, interrupting him if he tries to steal her food. And I would teach the turn taking game - both puppies sit and get a treat in turn as you say their name "This is for...Neo!". Work up to high value treats, and then say the same words when you give them the high value meal. Usually possession is 100 points of the law in dog etiquette - he has some justification for keeping his own treasure, but stealing hers is bad manners for both dogs and humans!


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## Tarnation101 (Mar 25, 2016)

Thank you fjm, I'll give this a go.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Resource Guarding is one of the inevitable results of having two puppies to train at the same time. Ensure that they both know that all food is _yours_ to give and not theirs to take. Feed them _after_ you eat. Take food from them before they are finished and give it back after a short pause. Allow no aggression when you take their food. _Separate_ them for feeding and for most training. I wish you luck and success.
Eric


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

resource guarding is something I'd recommended seeing a behaviorist or trainer for, since there can be many reasons behind it, and only someone there with your dogs can really definitively tell you what's going on and what the best way to stop it is. 

that said, I did my best to prevent resource guarding by (1) feeding the puppies seperately at all times; (2) while they were eating, I'd sporadically put my hand in the bowl, mess the kibble around, pet their mouths, and take the kibble away briefly; (3) take away longer lasting chews at random intervals; and (4) one the one occasion that there was a growl over a pig's ear, that ear was taken away immediately, and both puppies watched as I "ate" it (aka pretended to eat it and hid it in the couch).


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I think that if your puppy is behaving when they're eating, he's doing fine. Showing resource guarding towards priced objects like bones is a natural thing. I don't hink he should be expected to share those items. Your female has to learn to respect his food and leave him alone.

If this remains a problem, give them their bones separately or don't give them whatever triggers this problem. The important thing is that he shows no aggression whatsoever towards you. But warning his sister to leave him alone is okay in my perspective. Attacking her is not. There is a difference.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Coldbrew if it continues without the other suggestions working then I would say behaviorist, but for little puppies they are still very malleable neurologically and I wouldn't consider this to be set behavior YET. 

I would follow the methods suggested above with the underlying concept being about making sure that both puppies understand you own the food and treats and that they can be taken away at any time. 

When Lily and Peeves were puppies, BF would sit on the floor and put his hands in the bowl while they were eating. We would pick the bowls up in the middle of the meal and the like. Javelin did not get any food out of a bowl other than what he poached out of the grownups bowl once he could reach it. All of his food came from our hands until he was about 4 months old. Much of that was used for training. At this point the three of them share one common food and water bowl with no guarding issues. The only thing that stands in the way of all of them having their heads in the bowl at the same time is space since the bowls are against a wall (actually a wine rack, but same idea).

I reinforce impulse control regarding food every morning. We do some position change activities in the kitchen where each dog has to do a different position (sit, down, stand) until I tell them all wait. I then put down three stuffed treat balls. Before Javelin came along I could release Lily and Peeves separately to take theirs. We are working back to that now with the baby boy learning his wait. Right now I have to let Javvy go first and Lily and Peeves wait their turns, but pretty soon they will be getting released in random orders.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I always have a dog when I get another, so I have ran into this problem. I start by making them sit side by side and give the the food that is in the bowl, chicken (their favorite). I do not let them have each others turn. Then I set the bowls about 1 to 1.5 feet apart (me standing guard) it took a very short time to train them to leave each others bowls alone. Cayenne will eat part of hers, then sit down about 1 to 2 feet from Bella. When Bella leaves her bowl Cayenne will then go to see if Bella's si better than hers, then return to her bowl.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Tarnation101 said:


> Hi all.
> 
> So I have a question regarding behaviour. As you may know, we have 2 puppies, currently just over 9 weeks old. Lately (past couple of days) I've noticed Neo (our male, who's also bigger) has been quite food aggressive towards Rina (our smaller female). This is only for high value food items like chicken necks or pigs ears. He guards his against her at all costs, with a deep growl and a bark. Obviously this behaviour is not tolerated at all, but I don't know how to stop it. He doesn't do this when I'm feeding them treats, just when he's eating something that takes a while to finish.
> I want to get in top of this now because I don't want it to get worse when he's older. They have their own but they need to share. I know this is a learned behaviour because I saw it at the breeders when a puppy tried to take food off an adult dog, and I understand puppies need to learn their places, but I'd still like it to stop. She let's him take hers without a hassle, and there's no aggression towards any humans.
> ...


When you have multiple dogs, it is pretty normal for one dog to growl at another if they make a move for their bowl while eating. A growl or a bark is an appropriate correction for rude behavior (trying to approach another dog's food bowl). An aggressive display that goes above and beyond what is necessary to make the dog's point clear would be more along the lines of actual resource guarding/food aggression.

When we have puppies, they learn many lessons from the adult dogs in our house and one of them is - never approach another dog's food bowl while they are eating. It's an important life lesson that needs to be learned and "back off!!!!" growl or bark is an appropriate correction and it always does the job.

I expect my dogs to allow me to remove food from them at any time, but I don't expect or want them to allow other dogs in the household to be able to approach and steal their food. That said, I also don't tolerate actual aggression (attacking!). Warning barks/growls when boundary crossing has happened are just fine.

You mention that your dogs need to share their food. Why?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Tarnation101 said:


> Hi all.
> 
> So I have a question regarding behaviour. As you may know, we have 2 puppies, currently just over 9 weeks old. Lately (past couple of days) I've noticed Neo (our male, who's also bigger) has been quite food aggressive towards Rina (our smaller female). This is only for high value food items like chicken necks or pigs ears. He guards his against her at all costs, with a deep growl and a bark. Obviously this behaviour is not tolerated at all, but I don't know how to stop it. He doesn't do this when I'm feeding them treats, just when he's eating something that takes a while to finish.
> I want to get in top of this now because I don't want it to get worse when he's older. *They have their own but they need to share. *I know this is a learned behaviour because I saw it at the breeders when a puppy tried to take food off an adult dog, and I understand puppies need to learn their places, but I'd still like it to stop. She let's him take hers without a hassle, and there's no aggression towards any humans.
> ...


Sharing is for human children. Sharing for an animal could mean starvation, the prevention of surviving to pass on genes and perpetuate a species. To expect a dog to share is anthropomorphic.

Resource guarding is normal behavior for an animal, even a dog...even a puppy. Some do it more than others. My two haven't had much of a problem, but occasionally they have. They often learn that there isn't anything to worry about since their food is given to them. But many, many dogs retain that instinct, some stronger than others to really be cautious about losing their stuff. 

I've had multiple dogs, anywhere from two to 5 at a time for most of the time I've had dogs. I always give them their own space to eat in peace. Why should they be bothered and have their food taken? I wouldn't like it if someone picked up my plate and took my food. You do not have to eat first. That nonsense has been put to bed for a long time now by researchers and behaviorists who have advanced degrees in the science of behavior. Separate your puppies when they eat. Keep high value things out of the picture when they're together. If one growls or snarls, that's a communication and should never be punished. Most times that's enough to tell the other puppy to back off. If it doesn't look like it's working, you can step in between them. I'd keep calm and quiet if those times come up. If distance isn't enough, use different rooms or crates. I feed mine in their crates and sometimes outside if it's nice...one on one side of the yard and one on the other and I stay out there where I can see if a problem comes up. 

If you want to prevent resource guarding around humans, bring them a piece of steak or chicken...something extra special when they're eating and drop it in the bowl. At times when they're not eating but have a valued toy, teach them to retrieve and trade for a higher valued object or piece of food. And give back what they had before. Teach them that taking things from them is rewarding and well worth it. This is a game...absolutely and totally a fun and games. But at meal time, I like to leave the animals eat in peace. I feed my dogs a raw diet. If they have to worry about someone (dog or human) messing with their food, they would be apt to gulp their food to keep it for themselves. That could mean swallowing a bone before it's ready to be swallowed and could cause a problem. There's no reason a dog should have to put up with being bothered by anyone while eating. This is what causes normal guarding to become more dangerous.


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I agree with what Poodlebeguiled and CharismaticMille have said. I grew up in a household with multiple dominant, intact male dogs, and there really wasn't sharing of food. We didn't allow fighting over food, but I think actual happy sharing would have been pretty unrealistic. In reality, they were crated or very closely supervised to eat (food or chews) just to be safe. 

I never corrected for growling since, IMO, a dog corrected for growling may switch to biting without warning. I'd rather have a warning and no bite than a bite with no warning. And it is entirely possible that by the time Neo starts growling, Rina has already ignored some more subtle body language warnings from Neo. So from Neo's perspective, Rina might be being quite rude. 

Here is how I look at resource guarding between dogs: If I was eating some dessert and you came up and said, "That looks really good! Can I have it?" and then I said, "No way! It's mine! I'm eating it!" and then you left me alone, that would be fine. 

If, instead of telling you no, I hauled off and punched you in the face for trying to take my food, that would be unacceptable.

If, instead of leaving me alone when I told you no, you tried to snatch the plate out of my hand (or you punched me in the face to get the food) that would be unacceptable.

It would also be unacceptable for me to run across the room and punch you just because I saw you and thought you might take my food. 

But you asking would be fine (but probably a little rude) and it'd be fine for me to tell you no. 

So, for most dogs, I don't think they need to share. They just need to let each other eat in peace and not resort to physical violence. 

Resource guarding from people is another matter.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Our happy sharing is a result of much work and not a necessity to appropriate or happy coexistence. FireStorm your explanation in human terms hits the nail on the head as to the realities of most multiple dog households. Since Lily and Peeves are only 7 weeks apart in age our situation when they were young was rather exceptional and created a situation that we felt was important to have Javelin adapt to.


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## Tarnation101 (Mar 25, 2016)

Thank you very much to all who have taken the time to respond, I really appreciate it.

There's definitely no resource guarding when it comes to humans, I take their food and give it back, stick treats in their bowls whilst they're eating, and they sit and wait before their food is given. They also don't resource guard their bowls, stuffed kong toys, or their other toys from each other. Just bones, pigs ears and chicken necks at this stage (so something I guess they see as very high value).

I understand what Firestorm, Dechi & CharismasticMillie are getting at, regarding this as normal behaviour. I suppose for me this is new; I've never had a dog resource guard against another, only humans, which as you all know, is definitely not tolerated, so I was treating this situation like that one. I just wanted to get on the right track to ensure that this never escalates and resort to violence. 

So it seems I need to be focused on stopping them from stealing/taking each others things so that there can be peace, rather than focusing on Neo's growling. I can't say it's one sided, Neo does a lot of stealing from Rina too, but she lets him; there's no growling from her. 
I gave them both bones today and watched closely. For quite a while they were so absorbed in their own bones they didn't bother with each other (they were over 2m apart). Then, Rina seems to become bored with her own, so she wanders and wants to chew Neos. He growls and barks. I redirect her back to her own. Then Neo decides he's had enough and wants hers, so he goes and tries to take it. Not a peep from her, but I still redirect him back to his own bone. Once the initial novelty of the item wears off, they want the one the other is chewing on. It seems that might be the time to take the items away. I will keep an eye on this. 

lily cd re, glorybeecosta thank you for the ideas what works for your dogs, I will definitely be trying these. As I mentioned, I can understand why they resource guard, and that it's natural, however as they are young, personally I would prefer to try to work towards having them eat peacefully together than have to separate them. I'll see how our family goes.

Again, thank you all! :beauty:


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Tarnation101 said:


> Thank you very much to all who have taken the time to respond, I really appreciate it.
> 
> There's definitely no resource guarding when it comes to humans, I take their food and give it back, stick treats in their bowls whilst they're eating, and they sit and wait before their food is given. They also don't resource guard their bowls, stuffed kong toys, or their other toys from each other. Just bones, pigs ears and chicken necks at this stage (so something I guess they see as very high value).
> 
> ...


You are seeing perfectly normal dog behavior. It is easier to separate for feeding. But if you can be the "food god" and convince them of your power to give and your power to take and supervise them _closely_ you may succeed.
Eric


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think you are right - wanting to swap indicates time to pick the bones up. While they are young (and occasionally thereafter) I would always offer a treat in exchange, just to keep the positive associations going!


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## Steffie (Apr 6, 2016)

I had a male once that was like this with his brother.I took his food or treats way for a few seconds and put it on the counter.He stopped after the third time.Now he ALWAYS growled when he ate but was never aggressive with my other dogs or us.He was just the dominant male of the two.When my other dogs tried to get close to him if he was leisurely snacking or eating I'd call their names & tell them no,come.These dogs are smart & can learn manners but sometimes we have to help them.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

The Scotties are always in their crates to eat. (this helps with crate training, too) If they have something really yummy, it's in the crate. Otherwise, they will steal. And get into fights. If you want to stand over them the whole time they are chewing their bones and be the food sheriff, then I guess you can, but I have better things to do! So I put them in their crates with their bones, and when I no longer hear the bones rattling around in there, being munched, I let that individual out, removing her bone for later.


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