"How To Resolve Dog Food Aggression In Your Cocker Spaniel"
What Is Food Aggression In Dogs?
If your sweet, gentle Cocker Spaniel suddenly turns into a snarling demon when anyone approaches his food bowl while he's eating - that's dog food aggression!
This behaviour is also sometimes known as food guarding or resource guarding, and is a throw-back to the wild, where dogs lived and hunted in packs. They fiercely guarded their food and only the fittest and strongest dogs survived.
Food aggression in dogs, therefore, is instinctive and normal canine behaviour.
Causes Of Food Aggression In Dogs
There are many situations that may cause food aggression in dogs but, in most cases, it's either because the dog believes his food is under threat of being removed or where there's a confusion over leadership - both of which can lead to fierce resource guarding.
Threatened Removal Of Food
Your dog's food aggression may be triggered if he believes you're going to take his food from him (even though you gave it to him in the first place!). When he growls or snarls, he's giving you a very definite warning to stay away!
If you then remove his food from him you may be compounding the problem, as this will only serve to confirm his original fears that you were going to steal his food!
Question Over Leadership
Food aggression in dogs may also be triggered where there's a leadership issue - the owner relaxes his leadership, the dog becomes aware of it and views the lapse as a weakness.
In a pack, (wild or domestic) members will usually compete with one another and the strongest will win the position of alpha dog.
All packs need a leader and, if your dog sees a weakness in you, he will almost certainly try to assume the role of alpha dog (which, by the way, could also be female - it just means 'top dog').
If you back away from your dog when he challenges you, you are reinforcing his position as pack leader and confirming to him that his aggressive dog behavior works, making it more likely that he'll repeat this behavior in the future.
It is vital that you quickly reclaim your status as pack leader if you are going to resolve your Cocker Spaniel's food aggression.
In a domestic environment, and no matter what the cause, food aggression in dogs is potentially dangerous and unacceptable behaviour. If it's not addressed swiftly, your dog will almost certainly end up biting or attacking a family member, which could result in a serious injury.
Signs Of Food Aggression In Dogs
The first signs of food aggression in dogs are subtle and very easily overlooked. Some or all of the following signs may be observed if you approach your dog while he's eating, for example, he may:
hold his head low;
become very still and tense his muscles;
begin to tremble;
lower his tail;
wag his tail very quickly - it's sometimes difficult to distinguish this from normal happy tail wagging.
stop eating when you get near him, his eyes following your
every move;
move his body between you and his food bowl to stop you from taking it.
If you notice any of these 'early warning signs', you must act quickly to address them before they escalate into the following more obvious signs of food aggression in dogs.
Your dog may:
emit a low warning growl;
snarl (sometimes quite viciously) as you approach him;
bark at you;
snap at your hands;
bite whoever approaches him;
curl or lift his lip(s);
hold his ears back;
give you a hard, glassy stare.
raise his hackles - (where a ridge of hair on the back of his coat stands up on end);
In a domestic environment, aggressive dog behaviors such as those listed above are unacceptable; they are dangerous and must be remedied immediately.
At the very least, let your dog see you eat something, a cracker perhaps, or simply pretend to eat some of his food before you feed him.
Ensure you're already following our recommended feeding guidelines which will help to preventfood aggression in dogs, and then try one or more of the following remedies:
Method 1 - Remedy Food Aggression In Dogs
Ask your dog to 'Sit' or 'Down' before you begin feeding him - always make him work for his food;
Feed your dog by hand - do not feed him from his bowl;
After a few days of hand feeding, introduce an empty bowl nearby - leave it empty;
After a couple of days, gradually move the bowl a little nearer during each hand feeding - don't rush this step as the sight of his food bowl may trigger his food aggression;
At your next feeding session, move the food bowl directly underneath the hand that's feeding your dog;
If that doesn't spook him, drop a piece of kibble into his dish and let him eat it. Continue to hand feed him but drop an occasional piece of kibble into his dish;
Repeat this exercise at each mealtime for at least 3 days before going on to the next step;
Gradually increase the amount of kibble you drop into his bowl each time until eventually his entire morning or evening meal is in his food bowl;
Continue to sit with your dog, by his bowl, while he eats.
Speak to your dog as you are putting food into his bowl to help him associate your voice with food dropping into his bowl.
As your dog begins to accept you around his food bowl while he's eating, and accepts you dropping titbits into the bowl, try stroking him gently.
If he's comfortable with being stroked, contine this during the following few mealtimes - take it slowly so he won't feel threatened.
Children should be allowed to drop food into your dog's bowl too, but only under strict supervision. It's best if young children are taught that they shouldn't go near dogs unless a parent or a responsible adult is with them.
If your dog is only aggressive to one member of your family, it may be a good idea if that person takes on the role of feeding the dog using the new regime.
If you have more than one dog, it may be prudent to feed them separately, either in different parts of the house or in their own crates - at least until the problem is fully resolved.
If, at any point, your dog begins growling again, or shows any of the above signs of aggression, you've probably progressed too quickly. You will need to go back a few steps or begin again; working at a slower pace this time.
Method 2 - Remedy Food Aggression In Dogs
Place your dog's empty bowl on the floor and step away from it.
After a few seconds, your dog will probably look at you as if to ask, 'Where's my dinner?' When he does, walk up to him and drop a few pieces of kibble into his bowl, then walk away again.
When he's eaten the kibble, he'll probably look to you to provide more food. When he does, feed him some more, in the same way.
Continue this process until your dog has eaten all of his meal.
This exercise will help to teach your dog that you are the souce of his food and will help him to enjoy (and, more importantly, accept) you approaching him and being around him while he's feeding.
Method 3 - Remedy Food Aggression In Dogs
The following alternative method only applies if your puppy or dog is beginning to display early signs of dog food agression and you are certain that your dog won't bite you.
If there's any doubt in your mind, do not try to take his food from him. Instead, consult a professional dog behaviourist.
Sit by your puppy while he feeds. Drop kibble into his bowl occasionally as he eats and stroke him gently. If your puppy exhibits any sign of dog food aggression during this time, remove his food bowl and replace after 3 to 5 minutes.
If he continues with the same behavior when you've replaced his food bowl, remove the bowl again and replace after 3 to 5 minutes.
If he's still displaying dog food aggression either when you approach him, or when you're stroking him, remove his bowl altogether and try again at the next scheduled feeding time.
Your puppy should eventaully learn that you are the provider of his food (only when he behaves) and that if he misbehaves, ie he growls, you will remove it and, ultimately, he won't be fed.
Resource Guarding Toys
Resource guarding is another name for food aggression in dogs and it isn't limited to food; your puppy may also guard his toys.
To prevent this from happening, you may like to try the following exercise:
Begin by giving your puppy a toy and let him play with it for a couple of minutes before gently taking it from him.
Wait a couple of seconds, then give him a treat, praise him, and give the toy back to him to play with.
Do this several times each day until your puppy readily gives up the toy when you take it from his mouth.
(If he runs away with the toy, don't chase your puppy - you'll only be setting yourself up for trouble!)
Don't Punish Food Aggression In Dogs
Food aggression in dogs should never be punished with harsh words and/or aggression from an owner.
No matter how frustrated you may become, please don't become aggressive yourself (verbally or, heaven forbid, physically) - this will only make him much worse and the situation may spiral out of control as he responds to (and attempts to compete with) your aggression/retaliation.
If you find yourself in this situation, and you're worried your dog may bite, we strongly advise you to seek professional help from a qualified dog trainer or animal behaviour specialist. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to remedy your dog's aggression by yourself
General Notes On Food Aggression In Dogs
Resolving food aggression in dogs is not easy, nor is it a quick fix - you need to take your time and proceed with care.
We strongly recommend you contact a dog behavioral specialist before attempting to treat any aggressive behaviors in dogs, particularly where you are concerned that your dog may bite you.
If your Cocker Spaniel is prone to resource guarding, you'll probably need to watch for the reappearance of any warning signs of dog food aggression and continue practising some of the above exercises from time to time, probably for the rest of his life.
Continue to walk up occasionally to your dog while he's feeding and drop a couple of morsels of his favourite food, for example, chicken or liver, into his bowl - just to remind him that people approaching his dish mean that something good is about to happen and he shouldn't feel threatened.
If you have a Cocker Spaniel puppy, and he's not food guarding, we recommend you follow our puppy feeding guidelines to prevent dog food aggression developing in the future.
