# Growling over food



## Ausbailey (Jan 9, 2012)

Hi, my 6 month old pup bailey has started to growl over raw bones and now wet food. For some time now if I give him a raw bone he will growl if I try and pat him. He is fine if I'm holding it and he is licking it but as soon as I give it to him I can't get it back without a growl. And now it has moved on to his regular food. Of late he has not been eating his dry food. And it was suggested to us to make it moist with water to make the taste stronger. This has worked so well that if I give him the food wet he will growl at me if I try and pat him or if I put my hands anywhere near the bowl. This was not an issue at 3 months and has never been an issue with dry food. 

Please help


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Sounds like Bailey has control of you! ;D

He needs to know, that you control the resources. I will make sure you correct him instantly for a first port of call. Then, I would also remove his food completely for that meal if he growls at you. This will tell him, that if he growls, he doesn't eat. 

I would also make it a habit of removing whatever it is from him regularly and when he makes no fuss, reward him with either a treat/praise, or returning the food taken away. If he growls when you try and remove it, don't give it back. Make him wait for the next feed, even if it is the next day. Trust me, he will soon learn that if he is not nice, he won't get fed.


I guess I am either lucky, or perhaps have established the pecking order better, as I have never had these issues with any dog I have had. I can put my hand in there bowls while they eat, I can remove the food while they eat and can remove a bone while they are gnawing on it. I can even place my face right in there bowls without them even batting en eyelid. 

Try practising removing the food regularly and returning it when Bailey doesn't react. Hopefully he won't be headstrong enough to starve!!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Ozkar has suggested good ways to approach this problem. I've never had this problem, really... but another thing I have heard about is this: go back to dry food only and feed every single piece of kibble to bailey by hand, one at a time. Do this for a while. I think the idea is to get your dog to know in a fundamental way that you are the source of all food, and you control it. No growling allowed. That is just unacceptable. Good luck. I'm sure you'll work it out. 

p.s. Welcome to the forums!


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

There is approach to this that our trainer taught us... Instead of taking your dog's food away when he growls, instead you periodically walk up and put something extra in his bowl like a piece of chicken or some other high-value treat. That will teach your dog that it is a good thing when someone approaches his food - he'll get an extra treat! He'll let you get your hands right in his food if he thinks it will result in something good. 


In the case of the marrow bones and things like that - you can take a similar approach. Offer him a high-reward treat while he is eating the bone. As soon as he drops the bone to take the treat, take the bone away for a little bit (5-10 seconds) and then offer it back if he is being calm. This again will teach his that someone approaching his food is not necessarily a bad thing... that he can be doubly rewarded by getting an extra treat and get his bone too.


The trainer explained the reasoning behind this as positive reinforcement. By taking your dog's food or bone away if he growls, his is more likely to just be "tolerating" it to get the food back. Versus with this approach, your dog learns that when someone comes near his food, he doesn't have anything to lose - rather he has something to gain, so he doesn't have to be protective over it. 


So far this approach has worked will with our girl - we have been doing it since she was 4 months and she is now 9 months.


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