Food aggression

[knoxy]

Hi all. Any advice appreciated. I have a 9 month old Wheaton terrier and have been looking after my brother's 7yr old lab/pointer cross for about 3 weeks.

My pup has been displaying a fair amount of aggression towards the other dog mostly at feeding times and occasionally if they want the same toy. More so with food it sometimes looks as though she is trying to pick a fight. I have started feeding them separately. Is there anything else I can do to stop this escalating?

Thanks in advance.

 

[gypsysmum]

You are right to separate them at feeding times. Some dogs find food and toys very important to them. We should respect this and manage the situation accordingly.

If it is a particular toy that is being guarded then I would remove it while the other dog is around. Unlike children we cannot teach our dogs to "share". You can separate the dogs and get the toy out occasionally for your dog to play with. If it is all toys then you may just have to allow the other dog to learn to leave the toys alone. Take him/her out in the garden alone sometimes for a play.

Because dogs do not have morals they do not understand that it is "fair and right" to share things. Some dogs like to have a particular place to lay and will guard that from other dogs. Some like to keep the other dog away from their owner etc. It is one of the pitfalls of multi dog households. Don't be tempted to intervene unless it gets really nasty when you should remove the toy for your own peace of mind. Your brother's dog will learn the house rules and accept them quite happily eventually. Unlike humans they do not worry about things being "fair" or not.

Dogs need to eat in a relaxed atmosphere so try to organise this if you can.