why does my dog try to bite me when i take his food away?

Question

please dont reply with mean messages

ive had my bloodhound sense he was 8 weeks old, for the first year we fed him daily servings, now he is 1 year and 2 months old.

well for about the past 4 months - in the morning 2 cups evening 2 cups, he gets 5 1/2 cups total per day, well i guess it wasnt enough like the food said, because he would snip at me if i tried to take his food bowl away or even reach for it to add more food

my problem is he is PROTECTIVE VERY BAD
with his bone he will serioualy BITE my husband if he tries to take it or go near it.
now with his food we have beeen doing free range (where he can eat all day whenever he wants)
well he is still mean with his food. he tried to bite my mothers b/f a few mnintues ago and i ran down stairs to see what all the commotion was


we have NEVER deprived him of food, why does he do this? we have a big family and can not risk this anymore. does anyone else have this problem?? we havnt went to a vet about this.
-MC

Answer 1

Because he is food aggressive. I used to have a dog that was food aggressive. I just didn't go near him when he was eating and I taught my kids to do the same. I never had an incident.



I would contact a behavioral specialist and see if there is a way to break his bad habit.



If you want to take something away from him, you should call him away from the item. NEVER try and take it away. That's a sure-fire way to get bit.

Answer 2

Food aggression is a serious problem and is one of the reasons why some shelters wont adopt out an animal. He is protecting what's his, but it is not a good thing! For future reference, when you have a puppy, train him against food aggression. Every feeding time, pet the puppy while he is eating and every so often, take the bowl away, then give it back. you are showing him that he will only get the food from you and only when you want him to eat. It is what we did with my dog and she has never had any food aggression problems. That is how a dog pack works. You, the owner, must be the dominant of the pack and you decide when he eats and how much. A dog should allow you to take food away or to put stuff in it. DO NOT TRY THESE TECHNIQUES WITH YOUR OLDER DOG, IT IS TOO LATE, YOU WILL GET HURT! I would talk to an animal behavioralist, they are the only ones that can assess the situation and help you out. *It is vital that you establish dominance when your dog is a puppy, you can do this by training, grooming, and feeding time; and it must be consistent throughout their life span. This food aggression is a behavioral issue and needs to be addressed by a proffessional, it is a very dangerous and serious habbit.

Answer 3

This is called food aggression. When he acts like this immediately take the food away, and when he eats correctly give lots of positive praise, like kind happy words and a treat he especially likes. That will make him understand that with good eating manners come good positive rewards. Also free feeding is a bad idea, give him 30 minutes to eat and if he isn't done have someone else distract him while you pick up the uneaten food. This will also teach him good eating habits.

Good luck with him.

Answer 4

Has the dog had any training? Work seriously on basic commands - sit, down, stay, etc. Stop free-feeding and make the dog work for his meals. Feed him after everyone else has eaten, and require him to sit or down and stay before you set his food down. Once you do set the food down, though, leave him alone to eat without interference. Also, require him to sit or down before giving him treats, bones, toys, walks, attention, etc.



Google NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free), and you might consider a few sessions with a professional trainer to help you get a handle on this behavior before it gets any worse. Your vet should be able to give you some recommendations.

Answer 5

The Dog Whisperer Caesar Milan is an excellent one to help u with this problem. I don't know if there is any way to get past sessions of his shows but not too long ago he was working with a dog kind of like that, i didn't get to watch the whole show otherwise i would tell u what he did. He might even have some books out now it would be worth a try to see if there are some at your nearest book store or try online books.

Answer 6

Occupy him with treats. When his eating, (need two people) pretend you are going to go for his bowl, the minute he even starts to grow call him by name and get his attention with a treat, when he pays attention tell him 'Good boy!' reward him, get him to sit but get him to turn away from his food 'good boy' reward. Make sure he knows you're taking his good but make sure he has his eyes on the treat at all times. We done it with our younger dog and it worked a charm, you can take anything away from him without him worrying except his bones. Or the more simpler option, dont go near the dog when his trying to eat, leave him alone. If you want to take his bowl, than occupy him with a treat and than take it. He'll associate his bowl being taken with a treat which is a good thing. Im not saying it will work, its an option to try. Not all dogs will learn to give their food to you and sometimes its just second nature to growl when something of yours is being taken. I do it, im less than impressed when someone just takes something off of me.

Answer 7

Because he considers himself the "top dog" and sees you below him in the pecking order. It is NEVER acceptable for your dog to growl at you or snap at you. Ignore his actions and you have a time bomb on your hands.



Its going to be tough to correct it now that he is over a year old. You must discipline him when he growls or snaps at you. When he snaps, try saying/growling in a loud deep voice "NO". This will hopefully startle the dog and stop the bad behavior - remember to praise when the dog stops.



Some other tips to establish leadership:

Always eat first - make sure the dog sees you

Walk through gates and doorways first - make the dog wait

Make the dog wait for his food. Put bowl down and hold his lead, then say "free" (or whatever word you use) and release him so he can eat his food. Eventually, you will no longer have to hold the lead.



Whatever you do, do NOT try an "alpha roll" as a famous dog trainer advocates. Stick with ham rolls, they are much safer.

Answer 8

my dog does the same thing. he growls whenever anyone goes near his food or treats while he is trying to eat them. Mine was deprived of food before i got him but he hasn't been for the past 2 years and still does it. My suggestion to you is to just let him be when he is eating. It is just a dog's instinct i guess. If you are really really concerned with it I would suggest calling an obedience teacher to see if he can give you any tips.

Answer 9

He probably thinks your trying to steal his food. Perhaps you could take his food away when he isn't looking or not take his food away at all. If you buy dog food in a bag and only refill when it needs refilling, he would stop biting you. If you want to train him to stop biting you, yell a short, high screech and that should startle your dog when he does bite you. Or you could simply say a gentle yet firm "No".

Hope this helps.

Answer 10

He is protecting his food from you. It has nothing to do with hunger. This is a very serious problem. A well-meaning child could be bitten, and there would be nothing for you to do. Consult an expert dog trainer.

Answer 11

ok you need to assert your dominance over him. sow him that you are the top dog and come first. take his snout in you hands and hold down really hard so he cant move or bite you and stare him straight in the eyes. letting him know you mean business. Growl a little bit if you have to but don't back down til he starts to try to get away or wins. keep doing it over and over again before. and keep trying to take his food and tell him bad dog when he growls. take it away from him if he trys to bit if you can get it away and don't give it back til he calms down

Answer 12

He's extremely territorial it sounds like to me. Maybe a little doggie psychotherapy is in order.



One time my cat approached my Golden Retriever when she was chewing on her bone. I thought for sure she would snap, but didn't bat an eye and couldn't care less. All dogs are different I guess.

Answer 13

You don't really need a vet,look up Hands off dog training

Answer 14

It si a major agression to food, that you need to address. Check with a obedience trainer be for it gets worse.

Answer 15

well you gave your dog food so it wants to eat it and if you take it anyway its going to get mad.

just like a human normally would.

it you were really hungry and someone took your food, you wouldnt like it

Answer 16

Your dog is showing you that he is in control, he is the alpha. Some tips to help. Eat BEFORE you feed your dog, don't let him have free range cause then he can make up his own schedule therefore adding to the alpha status. Before you feed the dog pretend to eat the food and let him see you doing this, this will establish that you are the alpha and YOU eat before HE eats. Try going to Cesar Milan's website, or Victoria Stilwells if she has one. This is a common issue that they handle on a day to day basis. Hope this helps and Good Luck!