How to stop my dog's food aggression and growling at mealtime?

While neutering may be of some help if he is old enough for the surgery, there is no guarantee that it will solve your problem. This sounds more like an imbalance in the relationship between you and your dog. I would have him checked by the vet to be certain that this behavior is not being caused by a medical problem. If Blondi is physically healthy, you can ask for a referral to a behavior specialist (not just a dog trainer!). You are also welcome to click on the prompt to initiate a consult and I can be of assistance, though it is easier to work with the dog on site.

I hate to hear this is happening. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know how best to advise you without being able to read the body language of the dogs. It's possible this is occurring because they are maturing. Both dogs also need to be spayed/neutered because this can help to decrease aggression. Intact dogs are much more likely to fight and have problems. Canine aggression is a complex behavior as it can stem from dominance, possessiveness, fear, anxiety, resource guarding or a combination. Most people are not familiar with reading canine body language and training. Because of this, I recommend to work with a professional trainer. Researching on your own will also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with canine body language and dog training can help you to recognize what your pet is trying to say. You can find many books written on the topic and there is a trainer named Victoria Stilwell who I think is particularly helpful. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach! For food aggression problems, I typically direct clients to the ASPCA website for a detailed write up on dealing with food aggression. If these measures do not work, then I typically recommend using a service such as Bark Busters to come to your house and help correct this behavior. This can be frustrating to overcome but with persistence and patience, Buddy will likely improve. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. https:// www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/food-guarding

First, neutering Freckles can help. I do recommend having that done. Then I would put him in with a professional behavioral expert for training. I never recommend owners work on aggressive issues by themselves due to safety issues. Your vet can make a referral to one for you. Best of luck.

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that you're having this problem with Petey. Many dogs get anxious and may show some resource guarding aggression around feeding time, especially if they've had to fight to defend their food in the past - we often don't know much about a rescue dog's history, so it's hard to say what is driving this behavior in Petey's case. It's hard to give you specific advice without more details about your normal feeding routine, including what specifically tends to trigger this behavior from Petey. In general, the best thing to do for resource guarding issues is to try and avoid making the dog feel threatened, and leave him alone to eat in peace. So for example, you might use a baby gate to keep Petey out of the kitchen while you're getting his dinner ready, place his bowl on the floor, and then remove the gate to let him go in and eat. I would leave him alone while he's eating, and go in and put the empty bowl away once he's completely finished and has walked away. If you want to work on this problem further, to eventually try and get him more comfortable with having you around while he eats, it would be best to get in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed training plan. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org. I also highly recommend the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson, for detailed guidelines and training protocols for dogs with resource guarding issues to help get you started.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think it is harder when they are older to train them. Just like people they form habits and know what they have been getting away with. Food aggression is a serious one and a lot of times there is no "cure" just management. The first thing to master with Buddy is for him to sit and stay seated until you tell him it is ok to get up. Leash him or tether him. Put the food bowl down in front of him, tell him to sit. Practice sitting for longer and longer periods of time not allowing him to get up or go to the food until he receives the command from you. Buddy should also know how to come on command even if he has a great treat he doesn't want to let go of. He should know "Leave it" and "drop it." Most importantly all adults in the house should know not to take something food wise from him with out giving him a command to "come," "leave it," or "drop it." And no children should be around him during feeding time or he isn't allowed high value items when children are around. I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

Neutering will decrease testosterone levels which can in turn decrease chances of aggression, so any dog that is intact and is having aggression issues, neutering is recommended. That being said, sometimes the behavior becomes more of a habit and because of this, neutering isn't a 100% guarantee to fix the issue, but it is at least the first step.