# Pup is getting food aggressive



## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Our pup is starting to get food aggressive, especially if it's good tidbits like raw meat or bones. We've put her in her kennel area when feeding these tidbits, but today she nabbed a wayward chicken who got into her kennel through the gate. Just pulled out a couple of tail feathers but I need to nip this in the bud. Any suggestions?


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## CesumPec (May 20, 2011)

Years ago when our 5 yr old was expected the do the nightly feeding of two dogs that outweighed her, we taught the dogs they get nothing until they sit, wait a few seconds, and are told "eat". No pushiness and aggression was / is tolerated and they quickly learned that good behavior was the quickest way to chow. 

12 years later, one of the dogs is sadly gone, but the other doesn't eat anything until given permission. 

Sorry, I have nothing to offer on chicken chasing


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## GrannieD (Sep 13, 2003)

I think you are being unfair to a dog in feeding where he has to share with chickens ,goats, sheep ...Do you think he should accept face to face eating with a chicken? In my experience 1 chicken leads to 2 & so on. 

If the aggression were against a human that would be a problem needing attention..My suggestion is to give the dog an undisturbed feeding session.. GrannieD


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

All LGDs I have seen tend to be food aggressive towards other animals. Just don't let the dog be food aggressive toward humans. To stop that you can hand feed only for a while. And always just drop a few pieces of food at a time in the bowl until she is use to you having your hand near her food for "good things". You should be able to reach down and take the bowl, move it, pick it up, and give it back without her being aggressive towards you.
I don't think you can solve the issue with her chasing off goats, chickens, other dogs though. Territoriality is part of an LGD breeding. You just cannot let them learn to be food aggressive to humans, not even children. And to stop that you hand feed treats a lot.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Thanks for your input. Not sure how I can hand-feed meaty bones as those take a bit more than a chomp or two to eat, but I can hand-feed the meat chunks. The chickens are free ranging and climb through the gate to her pen. I guess I'll have to put chicken wire on that to keep them out. She's not food aggressive towards me or my family, but I'd rather stop this behavior before it gets worse. Thanks again for your suggestions.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

From what I read, it is pretty normal for LGD to be food aggressive where animals are concerned. If this pup is not showing signs of being food aggressive with your family, I wouldn't worry about it yet. Watch for early signs, stiffening if you reach toward the bowl or even growling. For now, make sure you are the person feeding her or another adult. Do you ever reach for the bowl when there's food in it? What about petting the head? If the pup is going to show aggression with people, doing either will cause the pup to stiffen and/or growl.

Lucy did that not long after I got her, stiffened up and growled. I think I was just giving her a pat. I snatched her up by her scruff and gave her a shake and told her "no" kind of loudly. I think I did that twice, or maybe 3 times at the same feeding and she's never done it since. 

She does not tolerate sharing her food with anything, even her cat buddy. So, she is fed where she isn't put in that position.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

No dogs like having someone steal their food. Your LGD gave the chicken a warning. Chicken understood. I have a border collie who is not exactly aggressive. He would also run the chickens off his food. Chickens are predators and that raw meat is attractive to them. They will learn to leave the dog's food alone, at least while he is eating it.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Guess there's learning needed all around. The chickens are young, so I guess they need to learn to keep out of the pup's pen. Hadn't thought about them learning a well. She's never been aggressive with them in there with them before, or that hen wouldn't have gone in there, more than likely. I will be doing my best to keep watch on the situation and behaviour testing her from time to time. She did tighten up once when I went to take something out of her bowl, but it was only once and she backed down when she figured out it was me. I've never had a dog do this before, so it's new to me. All the puppies I've had in the past were people persons and happy to follow. (Aussie and Rott/Lab) Granted, the Rott/Lab was a thinker when it came to who he liked and who he didn't (nother story), but he was never aggressive with me or those he liked (and those he didn't, I already had the hackles on my own neck up. LOL) But I digress.... Again, thanks for the comments and suggestions!!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I purchased a bird dog pup for my DH that presented with this and was attacking not just pinning my large hens....we got a shock collar to no avail. ended up putting her down....she would not train no matter what we did...not a likeable dog...dogs should be enjoyable not PITB. (The food aggression started with people and then when let out it was toward all the animals...the dog was nuts I swear.)


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I firmly believe every dog can be trained if you take the time to understand him/her.

Our dogs (shepherrd/lab/wolf mix and full-blood German shepherd) not only shared their food with each other; but also shared it with the cat...and I'm not talking about dry foods. They each would sit and wait for me to divide the good stuff out doors between them; then each eat his own. The lab we have now will not even take good meat/bones off the table that is low enough for him to get easily. He will sit and wait for it to be given to him. (I've even had to teach him that it is ok to chase the chickens away from his dried food outdoors. It took awhile but no chicken eats his food now and no chicken gets hurt from his actions.)

Sometime this year I'm getting two full-blood puppies (an Anatolian shepherd and a German shepherd) around the same time and will train them together, socializing them with our small goat herd, the flock of fowl, the house cat and us humans. I'm actually looking forward to this! [When I trained my shepherds many years ago I did so with "non-verbal" signals, using both feet, my arms and hands. That was fun too!]


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## Rock (Jan 5, 2009)

a good way that I have found/use to hand gentle feed a dog.

Take meat pieces that they really like, drop 1 on the floor, let them have it. Hold 1 in your hand flat let them have it, hold 1 in your hand like a cone baby finger small end thumb and forefinger open end. They cant get their teeth in there, but they can work it out with the tongue and lips.
We are taking the teeth out of the equation, praise them when they work it out and get the treat.
Keep tightening the top of the funnel, when you feel you can drop the 1st 2 steps do so. 
Once you have them picking the piece with the lips go back to open hand, and make them use the lips and tongue only, if they go to take it to fast just close the hand and make them work it out the end of the funnel.
(Also a dog eating anything in its den/kennel is not the same as a dog eating in the open)


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

She is too young to be expected to be safe with chickens, food issues aside. At her age, chickens are squeaky toys. Don't set her up for failure by allowing her any access to them. As much asi hated to, I penned my chickens up until the dogs were nearly 18 months and well past their silly puppy stage.


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