Things You'll Need:
- Dog Food
- PATIENCE
- Love
- One of your dog's favorite toys.
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Step 1
Okay, this is fairly easy to do, but it does take time. If you don't have a good hour to devote to this, try it again another time when you do.
The Corgi in the picture is my Brutus. Brutus came to us when he was about 5 years old, with multiple battle wounds, and a few parasite infections that kept him in the hospital for the first three weeks we had him.
Now, as with most smaller breeds, they have a tendency to be a bit more territorial when it comes to their stuff, Brutus was more so because he had been so badly abused. When we adopted him, we had two other dogs, and 5 cats, and as with all our rescuees, he had to learn to share with the rest of the family. When we brought him home from the hospital, we stopped at the pet store and let him pick out his own toy, which is a tradition in our family. When we fed everyone that night, one of the younger dogs came over to his dish, and my sweet little just-out-of-the-hospital Brutus went all Cujo on us. Here are the steps to cure this problem. -
Step 2
First, sit down at the dog's bowl with him when you feed him. have with you, his toy, and a cup of his food. pour about half the cup into the dish, and set it down right next to you on the floor. As soon as he starts eating, gently run your hand down his back, this will get him used to being touched when he's concentrating on something else. While you do this, TALK TO YOUR DOG!! Use a soft but firm tone. Tell him he's a good boy. Now here's the hard part... gently but firmly, run your hand under his chin while he's eating. This will cause the natural movement of his head raising out of his bowl, and his eyes looking at you. once you have his looking at you, tell him he's a good boy, pick up his bowl, and give him his toy. If he doesn't growl. If he growls, (and he probably will the first couple of times) then hold his chin in your hand, and tell him No in a very firm voice. TELL HIM NO, do not shout no at him. Once the growling stops, give him back his food, and repeat the process, picking up his chin every three or four minutes.
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Step 3
Okay, you've spent half an hour or so working with your dog, and he seems to get the message, now what?
Easy, pick up the bowl, pour the rest of the food into it, put it back down, and step a few feet away from him while he's eating. give him five minutes or so, then step back to him, and reach down for the bowl, talking to him the whole time. If one of the other dogs comes near his food, DO NOT shoo them away. If he growls, or bares his teeth, take the bowl again, and go back to step one. When I did this with Brutus, it actually took about an hour and a half to get him to understand that no one was going to steal from him, but once he got it, he had it!! -
Step 4
Just a side note, this method works with food aggression, but be careful when applying it to every day life of the dogs. When you bring a new pet into the house, watch him with the existing pets, but try not to interfere. As in all packs, the dogs will allow each other certain amounts of space, but they will also let each other know the boundaries. If you step in for each little squabble, they will never settle into their respective roles in the pack. As long as YOU are the leader of the pack, let them take care of the subordinate roles.
