Food aggression toward other dogs?

I remove them from the food when they get aggressive and then once the others are at the food bowl I let go of them. If they then root their way in or snaps at the one at the food bowl then you have a problem but if she allows the other one to eat you really don't have to worry.

Puppies are rude. She may be trying to teach the puppy some manners and to wait until she is finished. My own dogs wait till after fosters eat. Just being polite at dinner time.

Instructions Things You'll Need Dog food bowls Dog food Separate locations or dog gate 1 Alpha dogs stand with their chest forward, head held high and tail upright. Identify the alpha dog and give food to it first. The alpha dog usually will exhibit one or more of these behaviors: • Mount the other dog • Steal or guard food and toys • Take the prime sleeping area • Push ahead of the other dog when entering a room • Challenge the other dog, and get it to roll over and expose its belly • Walk/stand with a dominant posture: head held high and tail upright 2 Separate the dogs during feeding time by using a sturdy pet gate or by putting them in different rooms---especially for large dogs. Or feed one dog outside and one dog inside of the house. 3 Feed dogs at approximately the same time every day. Establish a feeding schedule, such as twice per day, so the dogs get used to a set meal time. Remove their food bowls after five to 10 minutes. Do not leave their food out all day; it encourages aggression and competition for the food. 4 Mix dog food with something tasty so they will eat immediately (ask your veterinarian first to find out which foods are appropriate). Wean the dogs off the tasty food once they are used to eating at specific times. 5 Reinforce good behavior. Reward positive behavior. Tell them they are good dogs, pet them and/or give them a treat immediately after they have eaten without fighting good luck and make sure you use lots of love for both dogs:)

Wow, all good answers. All 3 have very good points.

It is natural for the older dog to show the younger one his place, however, aggression should not be tolerated period, and that's where Alpha (YOU) needs to step in and defuse the situation immediately.

Feeding them in their crates is a great idea. I have 5 dobermans, they all have a crate, (and only 1 has a door on it, but that's the 4 month olds crate). 6 am and 6 pm, all the adults are waiting in their crate for their food.

You'll have to monitor them while they are eating. When she gets upset make her stop eating, put her in sit and then down. Let the other dog come around maybe even eat (if you allow your dogs to eat out of each other's bowl). Then when the other dog leaves on YOUR command allow her to eat again.

It's your place as Alpha to be aggressive not your dogs. You should have the right to take and give food. You need to re-establish your role with your older chihuahua and let her know who is boss - YOU!

Good Luck

He was the 1st dog in the house, now you have a new one. Your older dog is doing what comes natural, He is showing his dominance, HE is the Alpha Male. He won't change but your new dog will learn it's proper place & that it gets to eat after the Alpha Male.

THE DOGGIE FOOD RAGTIME BLUES

First verse:

Start with a hungry dog. Give him a small breakfast and work at dinner time or delay his meal until he's hungry. Put just a few pieces of kibble in the bowl. Have the dog sit, then put the bowl down and walk away. (The "sit" part is important.)

Chorus:

When he's done he'll come looking for you to ask "Hey! Can I have more of that please, huh? Can I?" and you'll say "Of course!! You are such a goooood dog!"

Second verse:

Pick up his empty bowl, put a few more kibbles in there and tell him to sit. When he does (don't tell him twice) put one hand on his neck or back and with the other hand put the bowl down for him. If he starts eating while you're still touching him, great! Walk away.

Repeat chorus.

Third verse:

Pick up the bowl, put a little bit of food in it and remain standing. Tell him to sit and hold the bowl out for him. If it's a small dog you can squat down, but don't bend at the waist or hover over him. Don't put the bowl down. He'll look at you as if you're nuts. That's OK, since you're a dog person he's probably right. If he's hesitant encourage him to eat while you're holding the bowl. Praise softly while he's eating.

Repeat chorus (except he doesn't have to find you, you're right there).

Fourth verse:

Put a few more kibbles in the bowl. Hold it out for him with one hand and put your other hand on him in the same spot you did during the second verse. How's he feeling? If he's just too nervous to eat with your hand on him, remove it. If he's OK with it let him finish while you're still touching him. Repeat this verse as often as it takes for him to be comfortable with the idea.

Fifth verse:

Put a few more pieces of kibble in your hand and put your hand in the bowl. Hold the bowl with your other hand and have him eat around your fingers.

Warning: You will have food crumbs mixed with dog spit all over your fingers.

If all went well, alternate verses three through five, for half of his meal, for as long as it takes for him to feel really comfortable with the whole thing. For example, at one meal give him half of his kibble while your fingers are in the bowl and the rest he can eat by himself. For the next meal keep your hand on his back or neck while he eats the first half, leave him alone for the second half. It should take less than a week of doing this for him to get the message that there is no need to guard food. Don't make meal times a neurotic, unhappy time for either of you. Take things slowly. Do only as much as you're both comfortable with and make sure at least part of his meal time is stress free. If you hit a stumbling block, go back to the level where there was comfort and stay there for a few meals.

Now it's time for the glory hallelujah choir to take the stage. You've been singing the first part of this song to teach him that nothing bad happens when you're near his food. He's going to sing along with you on this last verse because you'll be teaching him that very wonderful things happen to dogs that willingly surrender their food.

Final verse:

If all has been going well do exactly what you've been doing, but now say his name while he's eating (to get him to look up), tell him to "sit" and then toss something very yummy into his bowl. Cheese or a piece of hot dog works well. Right before you toss the yummy give your action a name. I say "yummy time!" It will only take a few repetitions before saying "yummy time!!" will result in your dog responding with an automatic sit and pleading eyes that say: "Here ya go! Take my bowl! I love yummies!!"

In case I forgot to mention it, he must sit for every meal and every yummy. The reason the "sit" is important is that we need to underscore the idea that you own all of the food in the universe and he has to do something for you to get some.

When he has the hang of the word and the activity progress to saying "yummy time!" and then placing it in the bowl, don't toss it. When he's very comfortable with you putting your hand in the bowl to add a yummy, begin removing the bowl to add the yummy. Don't dawdle! We don't want to cause anxiety, we want to teach him that if you take his bowl away you are going to return it immediately with better stuff than he had before.

IMPORTANT: The yummy should be something that is only eaten from his bowl and only appears during a meal. Don't use something that he'd normally get as a hand delivered treat, such as milk bones. The only way, the only time, he gets this particular type of food is when he gives up his dinner to get it. You can change yummies if you want, from cheese to roast beef, for example, as long as the new yummy is not something you're going to give him in any other context.

Congratulations! What you now have is a dog that has developed a conditioned response to a verbal cue. It's the same principle of learning that Pavlov proved with his bell. In an emergency situation, such as a baby crawling toward your dog while he's eating, all you need to do to avoid disaster is announce in a happy voice "yummy time!". You may not have a yummy readily available, but the cue, all by itself, will cause a conditioned response in the dog that something very good is about to happen. Get the baby first, then give the dog lots of yummies and tons of praise. A wonderful side effect of this is that he may readily assume that a child near his food means extra special rewards. Don't test or train for this though, it's not worth the risk. As soon as the baby is safely removed from the area, and the dog is enjoying his well deserved yummy bonanza, get a rolled up newspaper and smack yourself severely while repeating "I will never leave a dog and child unattended".

As far as strangers, children, etc., are concerned, my position is that my dog is entitled to eat his dinner in peace, so I train the humans instead. But, I still want a dog that will tolerate the clueless among us. A good thing to do with kids is to have the kids feed the dog little treats once in a while, but the dog has to "down" for these, not sit. This will teach him that even children are owners of the world's food supply and that submission to children is a good thing.

www.eurobichons.com

Feed them in separate rooms to avoid this.

You should feed your dogs in crates to prevent any fights.