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Food Aggression

milftastic

Member
Hi, I have the most placid little ruby Cavalier called Chili that is as good as gold and a new little black and tan called Oscar. They eat together and Chili never tries to take Oscars food but he is a total savage and if he even looks at her grub she lashes out and bites him....yesteray she really hurt him, hes only 10 weeks old!!!!:(

So my question is, how do all you experienced Cavalier owners deal with this behaviour? She has no interest in his food but is severely obsessive with hers. This behaviour from her has shocked me. I have never seen her like this before. She is never aggressive only when she has her own food in front of her! I dont want her thinking that its ok to bite Oscar.
 
Hi

Separate ,Daisy and Rosie are fed in their own crate and Poppy outside and Poppy given her bowl first (eldest) then Daisy and Rosie(y)
 
Allowing dogs to eat together like this is asking for problems -- it can seem surprising in a normally placid dog, but actually this is very common behaviour for dogs and can get worse and also start to be directed at humans. This type of behaviour can emerge at any time so even dogs that seem the best of pals can suddenly start to have food aggression, so many trainers feel it is always best to feed separately and supervised, ideally in crates (because they are small and make for easy containment). You could also use separate rooms, or a pen for one dog, or one behind a baby gate. Please don't risk a serious fight between your dogs due to increasing food aggression. You absolutely cannot continue to let them eat like this as an adult can seriously harm and even kill a puppy.

The easiest resolution is *always* the simplest: management. :) As Brian says, separate your dogs PHYSICALLY -- feed them in crates for example. Give 10 minutes to eat then remove any remaining food. Never ever leave them alone with treats and only give treats when supervised and ideally, physically separated. If you haven't crate trained your dogs, this would be a good time to do so -- there are links in the Library section. (y)

If your dog is also food guarding with people, try this.
 
Allowing dogs to eat together like this is asking for problems -- it can seem surprising in a normally placid dog, but actually this is very common behaviour for dogs and can get worse and also start to be directed at humans. This type of behaviour can emerge at any time so even dogs that seem the best of pals can suddenly start to have food aggression, so many trainers feel it is always best to feed separately and supervised, ideally in crates (because they are small and make for easy containment). You could also use separate rooms, or a pen for one dog, or one behind a baby gate. Please don't risk a serious fight between your dogs due to increasing food aggression. You absolutely cannot continue to let them eat like this as an adult can seriously harm and even kill a puppy.

The easiest resolution is *always* the simplest: management. :) As Brian says, separate your dogs PHYSICALLY -- feed them in crates for example. Give 10 minutes to eat then remove any remaining food. Never ever leave them alone with treats and only give treats when supervised and ideally, physically separated. If you haven't crate trained your dogs, this would be a good time to do so -- there are links in the Library section. (y)

If your dog is also food guarding with people, try this.


My dogs are indeed crate trained but I wouldnt feed them in the crates. I will however feed them seperately for the safety of our pup!! :xfngr:
 
Millie loves to guard her food too and used to cause mayhem at dinner time with the other two. She wanted all 3 bowls of food for herself!!

So, easy solution - I moved them into different rooms to feed. Millie in one place and Rex and Chloe (who are fine together) in another. They are all much happier and less stressed when eating now..
 
Our new puppy eats 3 x a day, while our older one eats only 2 x a day. While the little one has her extra meal (lunch) I put Jato in his crate with a filled Kong so he leaves her alone to eat. Works out great for both. :xfngr: you can work something out soon.
 
Everyone eats seperated here at my house. Kaya would hog everyones food, fighting for it, and Lad, who is always very sweet and placid will shred any other dog who innocently wanders in range while he is eating. Very dangerous for a small dog...or any dog.
 
My dogs are indeed crate trained but I wouldnt feed them in the crates.

Why not? This is usually one of the basic steps involved in crate training itself -- because it gives dogs an excellent initial association with the crate if they are fed there. Most crate training guides recommend starting a puppy or adult dog's introduction to crates by feeding them inside with the door closed.

For example:
http://deesdogs.com/documents/cratetrianing.pdf
http://diamondsintheruff.com/crate.html

You certainly can separate them in different rooms or with a barrier as I noted -- doesn't need to be crates -- but crates are very easy to use and it helps reinforce a good association with the crate.
 
I separate my three with a pen as my darling tiny Pippin who is so sweet..tries to stalk Gus when he is finished eating and would tear into him in a heartbeat just to lick the bowl, thats after he turns into devil dog!!!
 
Hi

My girls think of their crate ,they each have one side by side with Rosie in the middle ,as their home their refuge and of course their own individual bedroom. When they are fed in their crates i remove their nightime feather pillows and put inside a plastic place mat to be fed on and when they have finished remove it and put all their bedding back.I personally think they have been a super idea and we also have a large double and a single for the car and of course three more fabric crates for holidays all together thats eight singles and one double.Oh during the day Amie one of our cats shares Poppys crate.
 
Mine eat in their crates. They are sweet as can be....but food in front of them and they turn into little monsters. In their crates they can take their time eating without worrying about someone else getting their food.
 
Why not? This is usually one of the basic steps involved in crate training itself -- because it gives dogs an excellent initial association with the crate if they are fed there. Most crate training guides recommend starting a puppy or adult dog's introduction to crates by feeding them inside with the door closed.

For example:
http://deesdogs.com/documents/cratetrianing.pdf
http://diamondsintheruff.com/crate.html

You certainly can separate them in different rooms or with a barrier as I noted -- doesn't need to be crates -- but crates are very easy to use and it helps reinforce a good association with the crate.
I suppose I never fed them in the crate as they have loved their crates from day 1. Their own personal bedroom!:p

I do supervise their meal times and actually Chili has really relaxed. I must say shes great with Oscar the puppy but I wouldnt trust her when theres food involved at all. She has put manners on him, he really repects her now. I just love looking out into the garden and seeing them all snuggled up together. They have formed such a close bond in the space of a few weeks.
 
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