HI
I'll hit these in points if thats ok, not trying to pick you apart, its just easier to cover it all this way
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I have a five month old rottweiler and he is showing aggression when he eats. Ever since we got him he has growled when we get near his food bowl when he is eating. I was told that to show who is the dominant one, you are supposed to be able to pet your dog when he eats and he is supposed to be very calming.
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What your puppy is doing is called 'resource guarding". Its VERY normal. That doesn't mean its ok and you have to live with it, but just remember this is a normal doggy behavior. It has simply been bred out of most dogs...the majority of dogs RG due to a genetic component. The rest guard because people have taught them to guard.
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I read on a website that said if the dog growls when you are near his food you are supposed to pick it up and take it away from him. Well, this did not work with me he kept growling and I felt it was teasing him and my trainer told me it was not a good idea to do
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Let me explain why you don't want to take it away...dogs growl because they are uncomfortable...so when he growls, hes saying 'this is mine, Iam afraid you are going to take this away, so stay back"....when you take it away from him, you have confirmed his fears...so the next time he will growl even more since now he is POSITIVE you are going to take his stuff... many times, people keep pushing this until the dog bites them. Because if the growling ceases to work, thats his next step to protect his stuff.
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. So I stopped doing it. Anyway a week later I was feeding him and some food fell into his water I reached over him to take the food out of the water and put it in his food bowl and he bit me on the hand.
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how hard? did it draw blood?
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Well this evening I fed him and tried to walk by him when he was eating and he turned around and growled and me and I just knew he was going to bite me again. I am so upset. I have never had a dog that has bitten me or one that has acted aggressive like this. This is my second rottweiler and my first one I was never ever afraid of. This one I am and it is not a good feeling at all.
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I completely understand. It is alarming. Just try and remember he is terrified that you are going to take his food, which in his mind, is why hes alive...I know it doesn't make sense rationally, since, you obviously aren't going to starve him, but to the dog, his instincts say "protect your food from others, or you will starve and die"
There is a way to fix this
Firstly, you want to teach him, that you aproaching his bowl means he gets more stuff...so like, walk towards him while eating, stop before he growls, or growls much and throw treats at him....over time (do not rush this) get closer and closer until you can start throwing treats in the bowl...once the dog becomes really friendly at you aproaching, you can start picking up the bowl, adding treats, then returning it to him. Eventually building up to trading treats for the bowl.
also, trade him for everything...toys too, practice as much as you can...walk up, ask for the object, and make the trade for a treat and then give him back his original object....if he will not give it up, thats ok, just do the treat throwing protocol until you can.
also, you may want to start hand feeding him, or feeding him on the floor...many times, the dogs are guarding the bowl itself, and removing it from the scenario helps...also hand feeding teaches the dog that YOU provide the food, not the magical bowl.
I hope that helps, if you have more questions, just ask
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