Anyone else's dog turn evil when you take away food?

[lemondog]

We have a 5 month old mutt puppy named Ruby. She is cute as a button, a mix of Shih Tzu, Pug and who knows what else. Cuddly, sweet, but has a penchant for "people food" and becomes a nasty little demon when you try and take it away. I mean, she truly attacks. Not just a growl or a snap, but a full out onslaught.

Although she is crated while we are out of the house, she is so small she still manages to sneak food even while we're at home. For example, I just found her with a box of Ritz Bits. The pantry closet door was apparently not fully closed, so she went in there, dragged the box off one of the lower shelves and had torn into the top and was eating the crackers. As I approached her to take it away the growling started and when I reached my hand out to snatch the box she attacked...BIG TIME! I am actually bleeding this time from where her little puppy teeth sunk in.

The only other time I see her growl or act nasty is if you pick her up while she is in a dead sleep, but even then it's more of a growl than an attack. Mess with her food, however, and all bets are off. Please, please tell me there is a way to break her of this nasty, nasty habit!!!

 

[NikiM20]

I have 6 dogs and not one does this. That behavior is a dominance issue and needs to be addressed ASAP.

We have 2 Danes and anyone in our house can take food away with no problems and they will release anything in their mouth with a simple drop it

Good Luck!!

 

[froggygrrrl]

One of the dogs we adopted a few years ago had a food agression problem. It is not one to be taken lightly. We worked with him for a loooonnnnggg time to help the issue.

We started by only feeding him from our hands, so that he learned that we were not interested in his food and that his food always came from us.

After he was comfortable with that, we started feeding him out of a bowl, but added food handful by handful.

Once he was okay with that, we started alternating between adding food to his bowl or taking it away (only momentarily). He gradually became comfortable with us around while he was eating...so much so that he would ONLY eat if we were standing right by him! We were always very careful to feed him separately from the other dogs though.

Hope that helps a little!

 

[lemondog]

Here is a picture of the little demon.

We also have a 2yo Golden Retriever who has NEVER done this. He is perfectly obedient and so easy to train. And we used to have a Jack Russell/Beagle mix who never did this. And that dog was as spoiled and untrained as they come, not for lack of trying.

I am not sure the best way to punish this behavior. Like I said this is a new one for us. Please someone give me suggestions. Thanks!!

 

[CathrynRose]

I have 6 dogs and not one does this. That behavior is a dominance issue and needs to be addressed ASAP.

We have 2 Danes and anyone in our house can take food away with no problems and they will release anything in their mouth with a simple drop it

Good Luck!!

What she said.

At 5 months, you still have an excellent opportunity to nip this in the bud. That's not a good habit for the pup to continue.

Nip it in the bud.

 

[lemondog]

I also should add she does NOT do this with dog food, just people food. Which she only gets when she sneaks it, we never willingly give it to her.

 

[NikiM20]

I also should add she does NOT do this with dog food, just people food. Which she only gets when she sneaks it, we never willingly give it to her.

Even worse, this is your property and she is telling you that she is over you in the " pack". So she is showing her dominance. I would recommend obedience training and start establishing your dominance over her.

 

[Imzadi]

That behavior is a dominance issue and needs to be addressed ASAP.

She shouldn't even be allowed to growl at you.

How are you taking the food away now? Are you reprimanding the dog and telling her "No!" as she is starting to growl? And before you take the food away? Are you telling her to move away from the food? You need to establish dominance order.

If you are taking the food away while she is in the middle of munching, you might have to stop her and move her away from the food first, to break her rhythm and the possession of the food.

You might try leaving the dog on a choke chain & leash for a while. This way, when she gets the food. You can say, "No!" and motion her away. If she does not know that command to move away on her own, then you can take the leash and move the dog away, training her what is expected. Tell her to sit and stay. (Make her stay.) Then pick up the food.

 

[StitchFanZ]

I would run to find a good dog trainer that can work with you. Any type of food aggression issues with young kids around are an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It looks like she's got some JRT in her too? Very cute!

For the time being, I wouldn't try to take it away if she gets something, because then she's learning how to perfect this scary behavior.

But I'd make it my life's mission to make sure she only gets dog food, and on my terms only.

Time for Doggy Push Ups. If you don't know what they are, you can read about them in Good Owners, Great Dogs. Basically the dog works for everything to help re-establish the pecking order.

Don't get into a battle over food or anything else. It doesn't mean the dog should get his own way, it just means you have to be hyper vigilant to create the conditions you want with your dog.

You have your work cut out for you. Good luck.

PS I would also never play any games with this dog that pit you against her. Stick with fetch.

 

[tonilea]

My GSD tried to be like that as a puppy. Like a previous poster mentioned, it is very important that it be addressed right away.

After my dog bit me over his dog food, I held him down (without hurting him) to enforce that I was in charge. I am his leader. Then he got NOTHING that didn't come from my hand and he couldn't have it unless he took it nicely. It didn't take long for him to get the picture.

Dogs NEED to know their place in their pack (your family). Let me see if I can find some articles to help.

This article is pretty good: http://www.total-german-shepherd.com/handling-dog-aggression.html

Some easy ways to make sure your puppy knows you are boss.... hold the puppy down on her side until she quits struggling - the more aggressive the puppy, the longer it may take. Don't start it, unless you have time to see it through. (This mimics the mama dog holding down a wayward pup with her pay)

On all fours, "stand" over the puppy, with your head over hers. You have probably seen dogs do this naturally, to assert dominance over one another.

Grab her by the scruff and shake her (not too hard - think mama dog correcting pup), if she is small enough you can pick her up by the scruff.

Feed her only after the family has eaten dinner. NO people food!

 

[NikiM20]

She is a cutie! Don't think I am trying to be a umm witch lol. My male Dane was horrible when I got him. It took alot of work but he realizes that the humans are dominant over the dogs. He is alpha dog, but WE are the leaders. He weighs twice as much as DD and takes commands from her also. All humans over dogs, then let the dogs establish rank among themselves

 

[lemondog]

How are you taking the food away now? Are you reprimanding the dog and telling her "No!" before you take the food away? Are you telling her to move away from the food?

If you are taking the food away while she is in the middle of munching, you might have to stop her and move her away from the food first, to break her rhythm.

You might try leaving the dog on a choke chain & leash for a while. This way, when she gets out. You can say, "No!" and motion her away. If she does not know that command an to move away on her own, then you can take the leash and move the dog away. Tell her to sit and stay. (Make her stay.) Then pick up the food.

Thank you, that is a great idea! I am saying no, but saying it as I am moving in. I have no doubt that my words must sound like Charlie Brown adults to her..."mwah mwah mwah...Ruby....mwah mwah." I know she knows the word NO though, because when I catch her with something she is not supposed to have (like one of the kids toys) I say no and slinks away and tries to hide.

I like the choke chain idea. Then I have control over her actions without being in biting distance. I will have to try that.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

You do not need a choke chain on a dog of this size.

http://information.i-love-dogs.com/...-Why-Choke-Collars-Should-Thing-The-Past.html

 

[srferson]

I have nothing helpful to say. I've never had dogs.

But I feel the need to say 'oh my god, that is an insanely adorable puppy!'

 

[minkydog]

I have 6 dogs and not one does this. That behavior is a dominance issue and needs to be addressed ASAP.

Absolutely! Yesterday would not have been soon enough. You cannot allow this to continue or you're going to have 12-15 YEARS of this nasty behavior.

I also should add she does NOT do this with dog food, just people food. Which she only gets when she sneaks it, we never willingly give it to her.

Here's an idea that we implemented to keep both Christian and Minky out of the pantry--put a lock on it. Neither one of them can manipulate the lock. No more dumping cookies all over the house. No more garbage diving. You have to take control of your food supply and not give her the chance to get at it.

Dogs do love some people food--heck, my DH just informed me that Minky ate a whole bag of milk chocolate about an hour ago. It wouldn't have happened if DH had not put the bag of goodies ON THE FLOOR and walked away. Thankfully, Minky weighs about 75-lbs, so all that will happen is an upset stomach and lots of red-foil poop. Still, it was a dumb thing to do. I"m making MInky sleep on DHs side of the bed tonight!

 

[Feralpeg]

I watched something similar on the Dog Whisperer the other day. It was about a small dog that would attempt to bite the woman any time she tried to take the dog off the bed.

As others have said, it is a dominance thing. The way the Dog Whisperer handled it was to grab the dog by the scruff of it's neck when it did the bad behavior. The dog went crazy moving around and growling. He just held on until the dog eventually stopped. At that point, it was in a submissive state and the woman was able to get near the dog. He told the people that they needed to continue the procedure any time the dog performed the bad behavior. In time, the dog got the idea that it wasn't up to it. He did what he was supposed to do.

Good luck!

 

[minkydog]

The way the Dog Whisperer handled it was to grab the dog by the scruff of it's neck when it did the bad behavior. The dog went crazy moving around and growling. He just held on until the dog eventually stopped. At that point, it was in a submissive state and the woman was able to get near the dog. He told the people that they needed to continue the procedure any time the dog performed the bad behavior. In time, the dog got the idea that it wasn't up to it. He did what he was supposed to do.

Good luck!

THat's exactly what a mother dog does to her pups when they get too uppity.

 

[tonilea]

THat's exactly what a mother dog does to her pups when they get too uppity.

or gives 'em the big paw slap down! lol

 

[bumbershoot]

PS I would also never play any games with this dog that pit you against her. Stick with fetch.

Absolutely. No tug of war, ever. EVER.

It's not as vital as it was with our Alaskan Malamute (sure do wish the stepdad had felt it was important), but it's still important.