# Please help, food aggressive dog!



## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

So I just got bit by my boyfriend's family dog. He is a corgi and he all the sudden started showing signs of food aggression. He was barking so I went to let him outside and noticed he had no food so I put some in his cage and then brought him and bandit back in. Suddenly Harley started ATTACKING and snarling at bandit who is three times his size. I had to pry Harley off of him. Then I put him in his cage and he was still snarling and lunging. So I reached in the cage to pet him and try to calm him down because he is normally a sweet heart. He let me pet him for a bit then he snarled and bit me. It didn't break the skin but still hurt.

Their last dog was like this but way worse. I'm scared it will progress further into breaking skin and getting mean around any type of food like cash did. Cash was also defensive of his cage.
This family takes horrible care of their animals. He probably got aggressive because no one ever feeds him. Bandit barks until he gets fed. So he never has a problem. They always expect me to take care of the animals so I make a point to have others help out. I had no idea no one was feeding him.
I feel like it's my fault because if I would have just taken care of all the animals and sucked up my pride this wouldn't have happened. The poor dog never gets let out of his cage. I hate crate training. Dogs should not be confined to a small space.... Someone please help.

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## FamilyRatters1 (Jun 22, 2013)

Let him out. I don't care what they say. Let that dog out. NO dog EVER deserves that crap.


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

He gets let out to go to the bathroom many times a day and he sits out there playing by himself for a good while.
What I meant was no one plays with him.

I will sometimes but I spend most my time with my rats because he isn't my dog and I don't much care for him because he likes to roll in gross stuff and I'm really big on keeping my hands clean at all times.
If I let him free roam I would get screamed at by his mom....

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

How do I solve the aggression issue...
I don't think this family would ever give him up even though they treat him more like a novelty or play thing that only gets attention when they feel life it...
Which is probably why they won't give him up...
The thing that baffles me is his mom actually takes in orphan wild animals and raises them til they can be released. The raccoon isn't fed properly either. I find her water bottle empty all the time. I hate the raccoon... Not her really... The fact she is even in that house. I was the one who kept her alive. I'm the one who fed her formula hourly when her eyes hadn't even opened yet. It was my routine up until she could eat solid food. I took care of all their pets until I got my rats. Then I spent all my time with my babies and no one took care of any of them...
I'm the only one who seems to care about them other than my boyfriend who lets them in and out for me....

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

The food aggression is probably because he doesnt get fed regularly. When he does get food, he obviously wants to hang on to it so he will get aggressive towards human or dog in defense of staying alive.

Crate training is great for puppies, it gives them a bed, a "den", something that is "theirs". But NO DOG should live its life mostly in a crate, thats cruel and sad. 

Youre moving soon, right? Is there any way you can call animal control and report them for abuse once you move? I would take pictures and videos if you can. If anything, it would give the dogs a better chance at life.


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

He is a puppy still but I know they are going to keep him in that cage all his life.
Their older dog, Bandit is 15 years old and he has lived his entire life in that crate. At this point he loves that crate and will go in it on his own. But he has always been played with. 
No one really plays with bandit anymore and so all he ever does is bark.
He also has to go pee every five minutes and freaks the heck out whenever you let Harley outside. 
Bandit barks to go out and to get fed. And he barks all day and for some reason even though bandit can hold it and Harley can't they always let bandit out. Harley freaks out and soils his cage. I have to clean his cage daily at home. Since Harley doesn't bark no one does anything. 
I'm a freelance artist so I spend the majority of my time in mine and Zach 's room. So unless I'm cleaning or getting food I don't even see Harley much. 
Zach 's sister takes him for walks once in a great while when she feels like it. 
I've taken him for walks a few times. I've tried letting Harley just run around but he always finds a spot to pee or poop. So I'm not allowed to have him out unless I stay by his side the whole time or I get screamed at and he gets put back in the cage. I tried to train him like my dogs but every time I tried things my way Vicki would stop me and say I was doing it wrong and proceed to try and train him her way. He is her dog so I backed down and he is ill behaved. He 'd rather go to the bathroom indoors than out and he runs away inside and you have to catch him to put him back in the cage, he is always nippy, you have to pick him up and put him outside because he refuses to step out the door and now he is food aggressive. 
The only thing she got right is he stays close without a leash while on a walk. 
And I'd like mention that this neighborhood has a very strict no gate rule. You can not have ANY kind of fenced area. So there is a chain on the porch to hook on their collars. So only one can go outside at a time. 
When we are up North Harley is so much better behaved. He will go in his cage on his own, doesn't run away. But also doesn't get food in his cage because he makes a mess. So that is why I fed him last night I figured if I put it on the floor of his cage he couldn't make it worse. 
And that is when I found out that he is food aggressive. It might only be up here. I really don't know what is going on. I brought him in this morning (the cabin has. A fenced in backyard so both dogs can go out at the same time) and there was a bowl of food in the room and he saw it and paid no mind to it or bandit. He was his usual self, no aggression no biting. Last night was the only time I ever saw it. I'm afraid to touch him now, at least with my right hand. If it gets mangled I'm screwed as artwork is my source of income right now.
I know how to fix the problem but that would require cooperation from his family which I know isn't going to happen. And I fear calling animal control cause I don't want them taking my rats.
I need an alternative....

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Unfortunately, youre right- in order to change his behavior you need to have the full cooperation of everyone. It doesnt sound like thats possible.  I wish i could offer more words of advise but i think you have 2 options...

1. Let it be. Try your hardest to focus on you and your rats. While you may live with them, theyre not your dogs and you can only do so much. I had to do this with my aunt and her 3 dachshunds. They still pee/poop in the house, bark nonstop, one is toy aggressive, one has severe seperation anxiety, the list goes on. No matter what i tried to say/do, they went to their old ways and none of the behaviors changed and I just cant fix that. I just bite my tongue when she complains about them.

2. Get rid of them somehow. They could "get out and run away somehow" to a shelter or another person willing to take care of them. Or, like I said, you could wait until youre out of there and file a complaint with animal control/human society/spca.

With behavioral issues, theres no one stop fix all.


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I'm honestly not worried about Bandit. He is Always well fed, but then again he is the reason Harley doesn't get out much. 
I've thought about trying to find a new home for him in secret but I just don't think I could get away with that. 
And Vicki is a vengeful type, if she knew she would probably try to rehome my rats or something for a see how it feels kind of thing. Or I'd end up homeless... 
The only thing I can do is try. Because I'm probably going to be the only one feeding him anyway. And I can't get my drawing hand bit. So I have to do something. I think after bandit kicks the bucket Harley may be allowed to free roam IF I can fix his bathroom issue

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## evander (Jun 30, 2013)

Every once in a while my female will be slightly food aggressive when she returns from being boarded.

How I fix her, and I have heard this is what you should do any time you do anything for a dog is to make her sit - especially when I am going to feed her.

Once she is sitting really well I put the food bowl down in front of her. after a day or two of good behavior I then start making her sit while she is eating and give her lots of praise and a little more food if she doesn't growl at all.

It usually takes 3-5 days of this before there is no more growling around her food dish or at my other dog.

Please be very careful!


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

You could definitely try that approach but if you act fearful, the dog is going to sense that and act nervous in response.

Google the training method NILIF- Nothing In Life Is Free. Basically it teaches the dog manners. They have to work for everything they get. Like any training method, it takes consistancy and patience.

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Update! 
Turns out it's not food aggression. He wasn't defending his food. He bit me because Bandit got to close to me. 
Vicki just had the same issue. Bandit and Harley were behind the pet gate and she had leaned down to close the gate and Bandit came up to lick her hand and then Harley snarled and jumped up to bite her.
Then after a bit they pushed the gate open and she was going to pick up Harley and then BANDIT BIT HER.
WHAT IS GOING ON!?
Harley has always bugged bandit and now they are jealous of each other and biting us for it.
This I have no idea where it came from or how to stop it.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

You said they were/are treated rather differently? Maybe because of that? Im not sure of the whole situation obviously but they could become aggressive because of the lack of attention? If they have pent up energy from not being taken on walks/not getting enough exercise, that could lead to taking out their frustration in other ways. Sometimes dogs get destructive or aggressive when they dont have another outlet for their energy.

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Normally they are very separate back home. Up here they are kept together. Whenever one goes out back home the other freaks out. No matter if Harley has food in his bowl or not he would rather eat bandit's.
Bandit gets let out more often but Harley gets way more attention. 
Harley never ever bit until this weekend. And I assumed it was because of the food in his cage. But he has been near food around me with no issue. 

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Ah now that sounds like a dominance issue. How old is Harley? Are.either of them fixed?

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Harley is 8 or 9 months old


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.


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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Oh and neither of them are fixed

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Ah okay theres a lot of your problems, if not all of them. Just like in rats, Harley is getting to that aggressive teenage stage. My biggest reccomedation is getting him fixed. Although this isnt peoples usual recomendation for rats, I feel as if its the best for your situation. It will calm him down and although he might end up being the more dominant of the two his aggression would subside.

Look into it, try and find a low cost clinic. If theyre really against it, they may battle aggression issues for his entire life.

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I think they are against getting their dogs fixed. Vicki thinks she can fix the issue by smacking Harley when he gets aggressive. 
Bandit doesn't have much longer, his health is deteriorating. He has cysts in his legs and his eyes are getting cloudy

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

Apparently she plans on breeding him because he is a purebred with blue eyes

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Thats a really awful idea and please excuse my harshness but I cannot stand people like her. No reputable or experienced is going to want to breed with an aggressive dog that isnt properly taken care of. 

Sadly, Im sorry to say, but it looks like youre not going to be able to do much more aside from report her once youre out of there. Its her dog and she will treat it as such. I feel awful for the poor boy, and for you. I am sorry you have to deal with that, I wish I could help. 

One day shes gonna smack him and he'll give her a couple good puncture wounds. Violence towards aggression only causes more aggression not submission.

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

This is Harley
I felt his spine and his belly and he isn't emaciated.
And Vicki stuck her hands in his food and he didn't bite.
And now I can touch bandit around him with no issue.
I have no idea what is going on. Was he just in a bad mood. 
He has never ever shown signs of aggression and maybe I was wrong about them not feeding him...
I'm very confused....
People have asked about breeding him apparently...

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I'm petting him while he is eating. So apparently its not food aggression....
I have no idea what is going on.
But I'm not going to just stand by..

Maybe I'm just spiteful because she acts like she knows everything about animal care. It's really her kids who don't pay any mind to the animals so she relies on me to take care of them. But I fear what will happen to them when I do move. Her kids tell me all these awful stories about her so I just don't know what to think.

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

Aw what a cutie!! Hey if hes in good health thats a good sign. He looks happy and alert. I dont really condone breeding for the sake of breeding but to each their own. Maybe you just caught him off gaurd, who knows...

I hope things improve. Its great that you care and youre such an animal lover, there needs to be more people like you in the world 

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## Voltage (May 15, 2013)

I'm sorry I jumped the gun and posted a topic the very first time I was bit. I automatically assumed he wasn't being fed enough.
And I don't want anything bad to happen to the little guy.
I don't believe in crate training. My dogs back home with my parents free roam 24/7.
As soon as I figure out what the issue was I will update this topic with the cause.
I don't think he is in bad enough condition for animal control to get him...
I also don't think she actually plans to breed him. I think that is an excuse not to get him fixed. 
Thank you so much by the way... 

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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

I work at a pet store, I'm used to helping people out with animal questions Any time!


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