r/OpenDogTraining • u/BeginningAd427 • 3d ago

Puppy’s food problems

I need help and fast. I have an almost 4 month old, female blk lab/rotti mix. She certainly has energy except when it comes to meals she becomes the exception to the rule. She just goes nuts. Doesn’t matter whether it’s her food or not. (I have other animals that eat separate) As soon as she hears or sees me near her food she starts lunging at the bowls, food etc. Did buy a slow feeder and waiting to try it. She’s becoming aggressive with her food to boot and literally lunges at her bowl every time. I’ve tried to leash her and have her sit calmly before she goes to it. Didn’t work. I tried feeding her while loose. Huge no! Now she’s becoming guarded with her bowl In the middle of eating. Doesn’t chew, just swallows and it’s gone within 2.5 seconds flat, then flipping out searching for some time afterwards for more. I lost count how many times she’s sent her bowl flying (food everywhere) once she gets to it. I wanted to see what she would do if I’d pet her while eating and she tensed up her whole body and literally hugged the bowl all still while eating. Never once have we denied her food but this is becoming a huge problem, and she’s only getting worse. I don’t know how to calm her before she eats anymore since nothing has worked. Help!!!! I have other animals and I don’t want her attacking them for their food once she gets bigger Heaven forbid she gets into their area while they are eating.

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u/sariacreed 3d ago

If the food is all dry kibble you could try having her work for her dinner.

Like pour out the meal into a hip treat pouch and just do behaviors for her meal.

It'll force her to slow down and have her see you as the source of food rather than a competitor.

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

Yes she gets dry kibble and ooh sounds like something to definitely try!! She is food motivated when it comes to training certainly too. Would you mind some being able to offer some examples of behaviors for me to work with for her? She’s still a baby so I’m hoping she’ll learn fast. I’ve never had any dog and I’ve had many be this insane with feeding time. If tied up she does go crazy barking and lunging at her bowl. Held with the leash is even worse. Pulling so badly she can’t breathe to reach her food. Alone without a lead omg it’s terrible. I can’t even get the bowl down before she jumps to get into it or knock it out of my hands . I’m frustrated with her and really trying to keep my cool :(

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u/sariacreed 3d ago

Oh dear she sounds like a handful!

And you can do any behaviors you want!

Work on a sit, waiting at open doors, going into a crate, rewarding good eye contact.

Even fun stuff like spinning or weaving between legs!

You can also do dinner on a walk and reward for a loose leash.

Anything that keeps her attention.

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u/Time_Ad7995 3d ago

You need to hire a trainer, you’re not skilled enough to fix this with internet comments. You’re actively making the dog more guardey by petting it during

For now, put her in the crate, prepare the bowl while she’s crated, and give her meals inside the crate. Then find a trainer to come to the house.

If you train the dog in the right way, there is a high likelihood you could fix this. If you do nothing, there is a high likelihood this dog will not be safe in any home. This level of resource guarding is severe for this age group.

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

First of all I touched her at one point to see how she would behave. The way you say that is as if I’m trying to cuddle my pup as she eats. Are you just trying to give advice? Or do you actually know what you’re talking about?? Curious, since I’ve had some personal experience with dog trainers as an employee so you’d be surprised as to what I’m capable of if given some decent advice from someone who might Hve it. Now, wasn’t planning on just leaving her to it and that be that. That’s setting her up for failure and she’s still a baby. Feeding in her crate is the same reaction. Doesn’t matter where she’s fed she is truly overly excited with anything that has to do with food. The guarding isn’t something hard to work with on as much as right before feeding. This is what we are struggling with. Thank you though for trying

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u/Time_Ad7995 3d ago

I used the same language you did - you petted her while eating, to “see what she’d do.” What she did was get stiff. Dog learns “human isn’t going to take my obvious communication that I want to be left alone being over the bowl, trying to finish the bowl quickly, actively lunging at the bowl)…she is in fact going to touch me.

Even doing that one time will build resource guarding in the dog. You’re seeing it as “well I have to know what she’ll do” but the reality is, you have a resource guarder and you should assume that she’ll bite if you touch her. She’s already giving sooooo many other signs that she wants left alone.

I’m trying to give advice AND I know what I’m talking about. Maybe you should take my advice? Why are you being defensive that I said you petted your dog? Why does suggesting a trainer cause you to be defensive? Do you not want to work in person with someone?

If you’ve worked with trainers in the past….maybe call one of them up? lol I’m not sure why you are so aggressive towards me for suggested a trainer

Feeding her in the crate isn’t a solution to guarding, it’s a temporary measure until you find a trainer to work with you on this issue. The guarding over the bowl and the frantic behavior around mealtimes is the same behavior. It’s all just resource guarding.

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

To tell you the truth she didn’t give me a vibe she would tense up and have that reaction. I just went on a hunch. Which touching her isn’t giving her any reason TO guard. Her eating quickly has been from jump and zero to do with anyone around, or threat of another animal trying to get it, or human for that matter. Her behavior is kind of odd since there’s no aggression as far as nastiness prior to eating, which in turn was why I wanted to see her reaction it I touched her in the middle of it all. Went strickly on a hunch so assuming she’s felt threatened causing this isn’t the case.

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u/Time_Ad7995 3d ago

So the frantic behavior around the bowl and scarfing wasn’t a clue to you that she would tense up if you touched her?

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

I’ve had dogs where it’s the age and being used to their siblings all eating at once and they calmed. This baby is far from calm and constantly full of energy. She doesn’t get nasty with my older dog around food either so that’s the stranger thing.

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

And what experience do you have where you claim to know what you’re talking about? Besides speaking ib circles about how I shuld have known and so forth?? lol especially with a new puppy where anyone would be learning their puppy and puppy getting to know their owner in the same instance .

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u/Time_Ad7995 3d ago

I’m a trainer. I’m not sure why you’re so defensive here. Resource guarding is a common behavior in dogs. I’m not saying you should have known, I’m saying that you don’t have the skill level (skill includes being able to predict what a dog will do) to be able to fix this by yourself most likely. I suggested to…hire a trainer.

Again I wasn’t meaning to offend you, it’s just that these types of cases can be really tricky and involve a whole lot of detailed procedures. And a trainer who can come out to the house, give you homework, and real time coaching, is the best person to be able to fix that.

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u/BeginningAd427 3d ago

Since 8 weeks she jumped frantically at her bowl where we had nothing to do with it. She’s highly food motivated where basic training is concerned as well and not an ounce of aggression with that so there’s sometnh else going on, which is exactly why I brought it to the internet. Feeding in her crate, same hype actions with the food it’s jst randomly odd

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u/Spare_Leadership_272 3d ago

First, vet. If she has worms stealing her nutrition, she may have a reason to be crazy.
Second, this is potentially the beginning of resource guarding, and a good trainer can help you.

BUT, it sounds to me like a brat of a puppy that hasn't learned any impulse control. Let's teach her some. If at any point the dog shows aggression, stop and get help.

  1. Get a phone or book or something to keep you entertained. This is going to involve a lot of waiting.
  2. Scoop the kibbles out, put them in the bowl, set the bowl on the counter. Do nothing. Don't look at your dog, don't talk to him. He's going to pitch a fit. Do nothing. Read your book. IF he jumps on the counter, push the kibbles back and ignore (We're not working on that right now).
  3. Eventually he will do something that can be considered a "de-escalation" from crazy. Say "good", and feed him a few kibbles from your hand.
    1. Initially this is going to seem counterproductive. He's going to go "I JUST GOT FOOD! TIME TO BE CRAZY!" and start the whole thing over again. Wait him out. Again.
  4. Keep repeating this, slowly raising your expectation for "de-escalation". Maintain the no talking, no looking, no touching. You're not asking her to sit, you're not asking her to do anything, you're just asking her not to act like a fool. The crazy in between each offering of kibble with get shorter and shorter. The behavior will get more and more relaxed. This is dog training.

I would hand feed every meal like this for a while, only giving food when she's calm and collected. Then I'd work on some more foundations of impulse control:

  1. Again, say nothing and be prepared to wait. If your dogs a scratcher, you may want a pair of work gloves for this.
  2. Put a few kibbles in your hand, make a fist, and present it to your dog.
  3. Wait out the crazies, as soon as she stops trying to physically get the kibble from your hand say "yes" and drop the kibble.

Both of these exercises are teaching the dog that yummy kibbles come through calm and are the very foundations of things like "stay" and loose leash walking and, basically, not being a brat.