I cant beat the food agression

I have done endless amounts of research and methods but nothing seems to work.

From the day i got him from an unloving home he was perfect, i was able to put my hand in his bowls, stand and sit next to him ... move .....

Recently though over the past 3-4weeks he is very protective over his bowl, nothing has changed in the routine or way of feeding but now he leans back, raises his head and bares teeth with curled lips and wide eyes.

If you walk past him he gives you a side look and lowers his head ..... after the episodes though once he has calmed down he will come creeping with a low submissive body posture, head nudging and im sorry paws.

He also does the same now for treats, he will do a few "tricks/commands" then after about 2-3 he starts to grumble in a low tone.

Im lost on how a well trained dog with no food issues has suddenly and randomly gained them.

Advise needed, thank you.

hi there id contact a behaviourist to determine whats wrong.

Mia05 wrote:hi there id contact a behaviourist to determine whats wrong.

Ill look into a behaviourist ... I did contact 5 trainers, mentioned issue and breed .... 4 out of 5 said they dont work with bull breeds and 1 ignored me

Very strange that this behaviour has suddenly started. How old is he ?

The fact that he becomes submissive is interesting and it would seem that he has some concern that he won't get his food.. Is he the only dog in the home ?

Do you make him sit before putting the bowl down so that he understands that you feed him when he behaves nicely. I always make my Flo sit but not wait.

Which area are you in? May be able to help you to find a suitable behaviourist.

How often have you been trying to interact with him when he's eating? May have been too much pressure, resulting in him feeling anxious around food.

How long have you had him? Has he had a thorough vet check?

Replying to all posts:

- 20 month old male.
- I have had him 3 months give or take.
- The bowl is never on the floor unless its dinner time then its picked back up after he has finished and moved away.
- Only dog.
- No tricks for meals just a sit, wait and eat.
- Full Vet checked, both when i got him and 2 weeks ago.

....... They say dogs dont have feelings but his submissive behaviour is like he knows what he has done as instead of carrying on or going to hide he will actively seek me out, he nudges me till i look at him then he starts throwing "paw" till i accept it. I dont scold him when he is growling at all just a "NO" and turn my back to avoid excessive confrontation to which he continues eating like it never happened.... if walking to close though he will stop and stare

He only eats his food and no snacks unless training but even with training now he has begun to grumble after 3 commands, his training is not intensive anymore its maybe 2-3 times a week for the past month as a refresher.

I live in Lancashire, blackpool. have tried most trainers here but not a specialist behaviourist.

How long have you had your boy? If it's recent, it might just be that he's coming out of the initial 'I'll just keep quiet and not make waves' period that's not uncommon with rescue animals. This may be something he felt he needed to do in his former home, but is only now asserting himself.

Have you tried anyone from these lists?

http://www.apdt.co.uk/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

Assuming for now you can't find someone, though, let's see if there is anything we can do to help.

I dont scold him when he is growling at all just a "NO" and turn my back to avoid excessive confrontation to which he continues eating like it never happened.... if walking to close though he will stop and stare

This is the bit I'd change. At the moment, him growling is getting you to turn your back, which is a big release of the pressure on him. In other words, it works. What you need to do is find a (safe!) way of keeping the pressure until he does something positive, then releasing it. This is how I'd do it.

Put his food on the floor and tell him he's a good boy and can eat. Walk off a few paces. Then start, slowly but without creeping, to come back. Watch for his first negative reaction and hold it right there. You're looking for the 'uh oh' point, so the point that he thinks 'uh oh, I might need to do something about this'. You don't want to get to the point that he actually does need to do anything other that squint an eye your way, just that he recognises you're there.

Don't move until he turns his attention back to the bowl. Then, that very second, you step back. Do that a couple of times - you might (should) find that he reacts less soon as you progress. After say 3 times, push it just a tad more, to the point that he raises his head but before any lip curling or anything. Exactly the same, you wait until he returns his attention to his bowl, then step away.

I'd leave it there for a first session - he'll probably have finished eating anyway - and when he has finished and has himself stepped away from the bowl, initiate contact yourself and praise him so that you are making any interaction in the vicinity of the bowl positive.

Continue doing the same with each meal, but you should be able to get closer and closer, each time making sure that negative behaviour gets no release of pressure but each positive behaviour does.

Do not push to fast too soon - don't get bitten!!! - and also if you've made no progress after 3 or 4 sessions then stop.

The other thing I'd do is general training work and also cuddle time with the bowl nearby on the floor. At the moment, it's only on the floor for meals which makes it a bigger deal. You could even do training work, general obedience and fun stuff, when his reward treats go in the bowl.

See how that goes. You might find it stops it fairly quickly but it might take longer, depending on what his underlying motivation is. Fingers crossed it's the former!

LizP wrote:How long have you had your boy? If it's recent, it might just be that he's coming out of the initial 'I'll just keep quiet and not make waves' period that's not uncommon with rescue animals. This may be something he felt he needed to do in his former home, but is only now asserting himself.

Have you tried anyone from these lists?

http://www.apdt.co.uk/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

Assuming for now you can't find someone, though, let's see if there is anything we can do to help.

I dont scold him when he is growling at all just a "NO" and turn my back to avoid excessive confrontation to which he continues eating like it never happened.... if walking to close though he will stop and stare

This is the bit I'd change. At the moment, him growling is getting you to turn your back, which is a big release of the pressure on him. In other words, it works. What you need to do is find a (safe!) way of keeping the pressure until he does something positive, then releasing it. This is how I'd do it.

Put his food on the floor and tell him he's a good boy and can eat. Walk off a few paces. Then start, slowly but without creeping, to come back. Watch for his first negative reaction and hold it right there. You're looking for the 'uh oh' point, so the point that he thinks 'uh oh, I might need to do something about this'. You don't want to get to the point that he actually does need to do anything other that squint an eye your way, just that he recognises you're there.

Don't move until he turns his attention back to the bowl. Then, that very second, you step back. Do that a couple of times - you might (should) find that he reacts less soon as you progress. After say 3 times, push it just a tad more, to the point that he raises his head but before any lip curling or anything. Exactly the same, you wait until he returns his attention to his bowl, then step away.

I'd leave it there for a first session - he'll probably have finished eating anyway - and when he has finished and has himself stepped away from the bowl, initiate contact yourself and praise him so that you are making any interaction in the vicinity of the bowl positive.

Continue doing the same with each meal, but you should be able to get closer and closer, each time making sure that negative behaviour gets no release of pressure but each positive behaviour does.

Do not push to fast too soon - don't get bitten!!! - and also if you've made no progress after 3 or 4 sessions then stop.

The other thing I'd do is general training work and also cuddle time with the bowl nearby on the floor. At the moment, it's only on the floor for meals which makes it a bigger deal. You could even do training work, general obedience and fun stuff, when his reward treats go in the bowl.

See how that goes. You might find it stops it fairly quickly but it might take longer, depending on what his underlying motivation is. Fingers crossed it's the former!

Excellent advice

LizP wrote:How long have you had your boy? If it's recent, it might just be that he's coming out of the initial 'I'll just keep quiet and not make waves' period that's not uncommon with rescue animals. This may be something he felt he needed to do in his former home, but is only now asserting himself.

Have you tried anyone from these lists?

http://www.apdt.co.uk/
http://www.apbc.org.uk/

Assuming for now you can't find someone, though, let's see if there is anything we can do to help.

I dont scold him when he is growling at all just a "NO" and turn my back to avoid excessive confrontation to which he continues eating like it never happened.... if walking to close though he will stop and stare

This is the bit I'd change. At the moment, him growling is getting you to turn your back, which is a big release of the pressure on him. In other words, it works. What you need to do is find a (safe!) way of keeping the pressure until he does something positive, then releasing it. This is how I'd do it.

Put his food on the floor and tell him he's a good boy and can eat. Walk off a few paces. Then start, slowly but without creeping, to come back. Watch for his first negative reaction and hold it right there. You're looking for the 'uh oh' point, so the point that he thinks 'uh oh, I might need to do something about this'. You don't want to get to the point that he actually does need to do anything other that squint an eye your way, just that he recognises you're there.

Don't move until he turns his attention back to the bowl. Then, that very second, you step back. Do that a couple of times - you might (should) find that he reacts less soon as you progress. After say 3 times, push it just a tad more, to the point that he raises his head but before any lip curling or anything. Exactly the same, you wait until he returns his attention to his bowl, then step away.

I'd leave it there for a first session - he'll probably have finished eating anyway - and when he has finished and has himself stepped away from the bowl, initiate contact yourself and praise him so that you are making any interaction in the vicinity of the bowl positive.

Continue doing the same with each meal, but you should be able to get closer and closer, each time making sure that negative behaviour gets no release of pressure but each positive behaviour does.

Do not push to fast too soon - don't get bitten!!! - and also if you've made no progress after 3 or 4 sessions then stop.

The other thing I'd do is general training work and also cuddle time with the bowl nearby on the floor. At the moment, it's only on the floor for meals which makes it a bigger deal. You could even do training work, general obedience and fun stuff, when his reward treats go in the bowl.

See how that goes. You might find it stops it fairly quickly but it might take longer, depending on what his underlying motivation is. Fingers crossed it's the former!

Thats excellent thanks ill try that, i did something fairly similar but it was stepping with throwing food in the bowl but he wasnt keen on that and after a week i looked for something else.

Will give this a good.

Hi guys, just to let you know the issue was related to brain damage appearing from a head injury we didn't know about it happened in his previous home that was in a very advanced stage .... Sadly Reddingtons has passed away aged 19 months

Any advice from me ... If its out of character please get them checked ... we didnt have that oppertunity.

I'm so sorry for your loss, must be heartbreaking for you. Rip Reddingtons, run free over the rainbow bridge little one x

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. Very good advice, but what an awful way for you to learn it.

So sorry for your loss

I'm so sorry x

Thank you, it hurts so much. I didnt have him for long but we instantly bonded he became my shadow and my best friend.

I just thought i would post the findings as he went to the vet multiple times and they couldn't give me an answer ... its just one of those things that's hard to see and find.

If you too are experiencing random aggression or behaviour change, please please get it checked .. You might be luckier than i was.

If you don't mind me asking, how did they diagnose the brain damage in the end?