Help...New Chessie puppy, aggressive eater

[KB88]

Hey all so I have a 3 month old male Chessie puppy. Amazing dog super friendly only play nibbles with adults, not to the little kids. Listens fairly well, and is clearly a fast learning dog.

His only fault is he gets skittish with food. We have other dogs and feed them first and wait until they are done and feed the pup in his 8x8 pen. He growled and bit me once and after a tug of the ear and a firm correction he now respects me around good time. Now mind you I talk gently before feeding and slowly bring him a bowl and pet him. Once he sees the food he attacks the food and eats really fast. Now I can get him to sit and wait for the food and begin eating when i say, however his tail is low and he shakes.

When my wife feeds him he growls and will nip if she goes for an ear or the skin between hind leg and body. Again she calmly talks to him and can hand feed him, can put her hand in his bowl without issue. If she touches his back or neck once food is down he gets aggressive.

Strangely the kids are safe so far around the pup and I hover closely testing the waters with my older kids 7 and 10 when they feel brave enough. My main issue is that we have a 8 month old crawler/almost walker that I want to know is safe around new pup. I’ve contacted breeder to get an answer of “get and all day feeder” and “ puppy class”... not super insightful.

So I turn to huntwa, I’m sure just about everyone here has a dog. I’ve never had an aggressive eater and online results show little fairy princess ideas. This is a Chessie and I would love for him to recognize we are his family and you don’t bite the hand that feeds.

[callturner]

This is something you will have to work with if you want to have people around him while he is eating. Chessies are temperamental and need LOTS of socialization. I have had many and still have 2. My male is also a glutton when he eats and you can see he doesn't like being touched but he will tolerate it. Maybe just work on petting him when he eats if you must. Or leave him alone and just let him eat after a short petting session.

Mike

[Taco280AI]

I'd try sitting on the floor with him and giving him a few pieces at a time. Pick up a few with your hand, place it on the floor in front of him as long as he isn't aggressive with each offering. If he shows aggression don't put it on the floor and try again. Maybe after some time he'll know and respect food comes from you on your terms. Haven't had to deal with it myself, but is what I'd try.

[Tpetie3509]

I have a 2 year old male and he has required lots of firm but fair training, but not with food aggression. If you have a Facebook (I most of the time wish I didn't), there is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever page that I am a member of and there are owners from all over the world that are active on the page. I would post your questions on there and I'd be willing to bet there are some people that have had success with breaking the issue.

Good Luck!

[vandeman17]

besides the aggression issue, a slow feed bowl might help calm down the actual eating process

[Mudman]

Part of issue is the other dogs...  But honestly it sounds like your too nice.  Sit down next to him with food bowl and make him wait for you to set it down.  Then make him wait till permission granted.  Order him stop n take it away. Repeat.  Aggressive?  Be VERY firm and remove bowl n claim it.  Works great for me and My dog was aggressive.  Now my kids can steal food but he doesnt allow other dogs near his food.  Its a "Claimed" thing with dogs imop.  Im no Pro and am silly, I pretended to eat his food!

[Special T]

Im no expert but ive had 2 chessies. One was bomb proof and my toddler could reach in the bowl while eating and hand feed him.

My second... could never brake him. I attribute to him being the runt, last dog picked up and not brought into my home till 13 weeks.

Ive tried many things, and since you are the alpha  your not likely to have any problems. I would get on this asap and plan extra time feeding. I would have your wife sit down and hand feed. I would also have your oldest kid do the same. You need to work hard at conditioning now.

For a long time my wife and i were the only ones that could feed him. My kids now can but i had to train to kids to make him sit away from the bowl, poor in the food then never approach him until finished.

I would recomend feeding him less food more regularly so that the conditioning can take place quicker.  For period of time i chose to feed him away from the family and keep testing him. We have had more than a couple of John Wayne moments over the years and he still gaurds his bowl.

I worked on free feeding my dog open 4 gallon tin garbage can at work and he never really started to over eat till i got a second dog. Get on this or you will forever need to seperate your kids and dog while eating. If your other dogs are docile while eating it is probably a good time to teach them to leave the dogs alone when eating. The kids need to learn not to mess with dogs while eating in case they encounter some one elses dogs that have food agression issues.

I hope this small bit of insight helps.

On a side note... while it has benn a PIA dealing with it my kids now appreciate a dog that has a strong defensive gaurding instinct.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[JBG]

My female CBR was super food aggressive before she got fixed.  She now will growl but gives way to any interference.  I do keep my 13month old away during feed times just to be safe.
Tips:
-Slow dog feeding bowl
-Give him space from the other dogs while he eats
-When he does growl get firm, roll him on his back to show him who's boss.  Do this before he weighs 85lbs. 

[JJB11B]

This thread sucks without pictures!

[Kola16]

Sit down next to him with food bowl and make him wait for you to set it down.  Then make him wait till permission granted.  Order him stop n take it away. Repeat.

This is what you should do. Then when he is regularly doing 100% good with you, sub in your wife. If he gets aggressive she needs to take control. Have a leash on him at the top of his neck right behind his ears so your wife can stop him from eating and prevent him from biting her. When he nips at her she needs to put him into a submissive position. She needs to put him on his back with his belly up and he needs to remain there till she allows him to get out of that position. See the below pic.

Once the pup allows your wife to do the same things to him that you can, you need to make sure he is not aggressive towards other dogs. Let him eat on a leash then order him to stop and sit. Let another non-aggressive dog come in and eat out of the bowl the pup was eating from. If the pup growls, put him into the submissive position like above except with the other dog right next to the pup.

In fact any time the pup growls aggressively or nips, you should put him into the submissive position. Since his tail is and he shakes, you should not have to do to big a correction when he is aggressive either. A small pinch is probably sufficient.

[Mudman]

That pic looks alot like our young border collie!  I have my kids feed and treat dogs often.  It shows dogs they are alpha as well.  No issues and kids safe.

[Happy Gilmore]

don't get on facebook and look for advice. Those pages are full of the craziest, most unknowledgeable people you'll ever find on the planet and some even breed chessies.

put the dog in a crate, alone in a quiet place and let him have dinner without screwing with him every day, every single time. Don't get fixated on playing food games, taking bowls back and forth, touching his nuts, rubbing his weenie or whatever other goofy ideas people say.

Not a kennel, a crate. in a room alone. put him in it. feed him and leave him alone for a good solid hour with zero interaction. The issue has a lot to do with stimulus. They need no outside stuff going on around them to relax. Doing all this talking, petting, touching, grabbing and whatever else just makes it worse.

Again, single plastic dog crate. Alone in a garage or whatever room is the most noise free, quiet place in the house. Feed him in it, every day until he dies. Nobody gets bit. Dog is happy. Happy, non stressed out chessies make the best family dogs.

[huntnfmly]

don't get on facebook and look for advice. Those pages are full of the craziest, most unknowledgeable people you'll ever find on the planet and some even breed chessies.

put the dog in a crate, alone in a quiet place and let him have dinner without screwing with him every day, every single time. Don't get fixated on playing food games, taking bowls back and forth, touching his nuts, rubbing his weenie or whatever other goofy ideas people say.

Not a kennel, a crate. in a room alone. put him in it. feed him and leave him alone for a good solid hour with zero interaction. The issue has a lot to do with stimulus. They need no outside stuff going on around them to relax. Doing all this talking, petting, touching, grabbing and whatever else just makes it worse.

Again, single plastic dog crate. Alone in a garage or whatever room is the most noise free, quiet place in the house. Feed him in it, every day until he dies. Nobody gets bit. Dog is happy. Happy, non stressed out chessies make the best family dogs.

Solid advice