food guarding

[.dodger.]

just looking for a bit of advice. I've noticed past week or two Uno has become more defensive around his food/treats around the other dogs. I just want some advice to stop it before a problem results.

at meal time they all get fed in the kitchen with plenty of room between them all. Uno will wait in the middle of the room waiting till the rest have all finished, once they have he checks out their bowl but as soon as the other dog goes towards his bowl he'll dash back and either start eating it or just body block it.........

Generally once everyone has finished he will start his although maybe 40% of the time he will start his before they've all finished.

Also the other day he had a small rawhide chew which he was munching on while sitting. He dropped a bit and Benji who was passing went in and picked it up. Uno didn't move but i did see him slightly curl his lip... no growling

Another example is when he had finished with his kong wobbler (treat dispensing ball) i put it up on the counter. Charlie my sisters dog ran towards the bench where it was and Uno dashed over from the other side of the room and again started body blocking.....

I just need some advise on how i can stop it before it becomes a problem.

[.dodger.]

oh and this doesn't apply to us humans, we can take or do anything to him when he has food and he is perfectly fine.

here's a pic of the eating arrangements although the two cavies on the right aren't normally with us.

[.dodger.]

 

[Mudgie]

If it is general and not with just one or two of the pack then I would start swapping stuff around.

I used to play at pass the treat with nacho and bluebell which needs to be well supervised with you in control of it.  Before long they were swapping bones and treats themselves. 

Nacho would chew BB's rawhide for her and she would wait until he had then he would give her it and eat his own. 

Do it one dog at time until your are comfortable that they are okay.  But I reckon if any other dog other than BB tried to take Nooch's bone he would have them.

Do you feed them in same position every time.  i.e. does everyone have the same spot all the time?

[.dodger.]

Thanks mudgie

Yeah they generally have the same eating places.

He's really good and will share licking plates on the floor. it's just the occasional times he gets over defensive and starts baring his teeth or body blocking with his kong or dinner. We do games like first one to sit ect where they all stand around and the first one gets a treat for doing something. He never has any bother whn he gets a treat or the dog next to him does...

How do you play ur sharing game?

[Mudgie]

I used to do it with a bone - Bev started it there is vid on here somewhere.  Nacho and Bev shared the bone.  Taught him not to food guard "to share"  - not suggesting you do this with two dogs sharing a bone together    that would be carnage!!

I used to start with low reward - like a ball - play pass the ball.  In house - two dogs - one ball - let me use Nacho and BB as example.

Ball to Nacho -  So I would look at BB and say not you good girl then pass ball to Nacho - good boy - said Give to Nacho got ball back - (they sitting or lying down in front of me - doesnt matter which as long as calm)

Then I would look at Nacho and say not you Nacho good boy then pass ball to BB - good girl - Give get ball back etc and so on

Eventually I could put ball in front of me and say Not You BB and say Nacho Ball and he would take ball and vice versa.
Takes a while but eventually you can use Not You for a lot of stuff - when you go to door when you are going out when they are demanding attention if you are on phone whatever.......

Then  up the reward (ball was always high reward for Nach but to be honest was never mudge interested in anything else)  Filled kong - 2 licks not letting go of kong to start with.

Not you BB - two licks Nacho - good boy good girl etc.  Then I would put kong down ...... and so on.
Eventually I could do it with bowl of food or bone.... never a chicken wing though they did a quick disappearing act.   

It may not be the best way of doing it but I never had any issues with it.  To the point where if it was  BB's ball - I could just say not you and Nacho wouldnt touch it.  If out and there was a ball or a toy - not you - and neither would touch it. 

I still use when going to work or leaving house or if I want couch to myself. 

[Val]

If I use bowls most of my food is on the floor  I never let any dog lick any other bowl and if one is sitting looking at the others eat when the other bowls are empty then they all get picked up, the one that is doing the looking soon learns to eat not look.
As for using the body don't watch it stick your body into his and push him out the way.
Val

[.dodger.]

thanks mudgie could be a good game to play with Uno.

dont worry val i step in as soon as he starts guarding! I would just like him to not do it in the first place.

So do you think it may help feeding Uno in a seperate room so he doesn't hang around for the others to finish and can just concentrate on eating his own meal.?

[Sweetypye]

For me, mealtimes should not be a competitive event. Especially in breeds which are predisposed to GD or GDV.

I expect my dogs to resource guard food, it is very important to them, and I want it to be for training purposes.

I would like mealtimes to be a relaxed affair so my dogs eat in completely separate areas, there is no movement between bowls.

I also vary the locations, as food guarding can become location guarding.