Four Steps You Can Take To Control Dog Food Aggression
Dog food aggression is a serious problem. If your dog becomes aggressive around his food dish, here are four tips to end this canine behavior problem.
Don’t Let Dog Food Aggression Get Started
In the wild, the leader of the dog pack is always the first one to eat, usually by himself.Your dog can easily get the wrong idea if you always leave him by himself at mealtime. This can lead to canine aggression in the form of him snapping or growling at anyone who ventures too close while he’s eating.
When your dog is still a puppy, always feed him after you and your family have already eaten. This reinforces the idea for him that you and your family members all rank above him in the pack.
When you feed your puppy, anyone should be able to approach him while he’s eating. Slipping a little treat into his bowl while he’s eating teaches him that it’s good for someone to get close.
Four Steps To Control Food Aggression In Dogs
An older dog who is already using canine aggression to protect his food will require different training.
Spend about ten to fourteen days on each of these steps. You’ll need to do these things every time you feed your dog. If your dog is extremely aggressive around food, you may need to keep him on a leash for your own protection.
The first thing you’ll do is to put his food dish away for a couple of weeks. Your dog will be eating out of your hand for a while. Feed him just a few pieces of dog food at a time, until his meal is finished.
After a couple of weeks, you can progress to the next stop. Get out your dog’s food bowl again, but don’t put anything in it. After a while, walk by and drop a couple of pieces of kibble in it. When he eats it, keep adding small handfuls of food every couple of minutes until his meal is finished. At this point, he’ll probably be begging you to walk up to his bowl.
In about ten days, you’ll progress to putting a half-filled bowl of dog food on the floor. Walk up to him as he’s eating, and as you go by, drop in a couple of treats. Then walk up again and add the rest of his food.
The last step is to put a full bowl of food down for him while he’s obeying the sit-stay command. He does not eat until you release him. This is where the leash comes in handy, as you have control over him for this step, but hopefully you won’t need to use it.Keep him on his toes by interrupting him a couple of times a week while he’s eating; call him over to you and then reward him with his favorite treat.
Always use the sit-stay, wait, and take-it commands when you feed him so that your dog understands that you’re in charge of the food. This reinforces your status as the alpha dog for him.
If your dog reverts to his old dog food aggression behavior, start again at step one.
Natural Pet Remedies Can Help With Aggressive Dog Behavior
Did you know that there is a natural remedy for dogs with canine aggression problems? This blend of homeopathic remedies has been specially formulated for dogs and cats, and is safe and effective for promoting normal social behavior in pets. This natural pet remedy is known to help your dog stay relaxed when stressful situations arise.
Just click on any link in this article to learn how this natural remedy for dogs can help to solve your problem with aggressive dog behavior.
