In this week’s installment of our “Ask a Trainer” series, we’re answering a question Cristen submitted! If YOU have a question you’d like answered, just send them along to media@atlantahumane.org.
Cristen writes: I have a 4 year old female (had since she was a pup), and my newly adopted 3 month old female pup. The puppy is showing strong signs of future food aggression (wolfs food, bumps hands and feet in and near her bowl, wags tail wildly, hovers over bowl, is very watchful of where other dog is, etc). Right now all I do is place my hands in her bowl and play with her food while she eats. What other strategies are there? How can I nip this early and prevent future problems with our other dog? Both are labs and are expected to be about the same size and weight. Food aside, the puppy is the more submissive of the two.
Answer: Dogs are naturally protective of their resources, as a general rule. What you are seeing is actually normal, though if it worsens, you could certainly have some aggression from the pup towards the older dog, or any dog, or even people down the line.
In years past, advice for new puppy owners was to do as you are doing: put your hands in the bowl while the puppy eats and randomly remove the food so that the puppy knows that you control it. But anecdotal evidence has shown that this can actually cause the problem to worsen, believe it or not. You already control when the puppy eats, which means she is probably hungry as mealtime approaches. That means a certain amount of stress is building, and eating her food will relieve that stress. By messing with her food as she eats, you actually increase the stress of mealtime, and this can create a dog who gets really cranky and overprotective of her most precious resource.
Think about it: you haven’t eaten all day, and are finally able to tuck into a delicious meal. But your partner keeps hovering over your plate, taking pieces away just as you were about to put them in your mouth and then returning them. Their hands are all over the plate, and then the plate is removed for 20 seconds, and you start to wonder if you are going to be able to consume any of this food. Your blood sugar spikes and you are getting very irritated. You start to guard the plate from them, eat more quickly, and even get angry at their behavior. Who wouldn’t? Mealtime has become stressful.
Dogs should be fed on a schedule, first of all. This means you are controlling the food, which is important. Have the dog sit or lie down before he is allowed to eat, then release to eat, and then leave him alone. Make sure everyone, including the other dog, leaves him alone, too. This means crating or otherwise segregating them so that you can leave the room with no problems.
Once you have established that mealtimes are safe and not stressful, you can work on some games to get her past any residual fears she may have. Follow this link to see expert trainer Sarah Wilson demonstrate a great food bowl game. Contact a qualified trainer if you notice the problem getting worse, and remember: prevention and safety are key.
