Hi, this is my first time to post on this board.  I've found it very helpful so far, I'm hoping y'all can help me with my questions.

Our 15 week old puppy has displayed food aggression since about 8 weeks old.  She is a mutt we picked up from an animal shelter.  We have tried hand-feeding her, the 4-bowl method, and dropping treats in her bowl while she is eating.

Just recently, she started barking at us in addition to growling while she is eating.  It's very threatening, I'm afraid she's going to snap at my husband or myself.  She has even been so distraught that she urinated while eating and growling at us.  Otherwise, she is a very nice dog, a bit active and mouthy, but she's still in the "teething" stage and we provide her with multiple chew toy options.  We have no children yet but plan on starting a family soon.

We have limited funds to consult a trainer, I would like to exhaust all at home options before we spend any money.  I appreciate your opinions and help!

The method I usually advise (and you have to be consistent, doing it at every meal time over a period of several days or possibly weeks) is to give the dog aournd half its normal meal in its dish, and as the dog comes to the end of it, add a little more (possibly using strong gloves at first), maybe use a spoon.  Repeat the process - you can sit beside her as she eats as well, but not too close to start with.  Ignore the growling.

Hi, don't worry, you can cure this!!

But it's very hard (and long) to explain online.

There is an excellent book called "Mine!  A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs" by Jean Donaldson, available from Crosskeys books: http://www.crosskeysbooks.com/product_info.php?products_id=451

It has a very detailed progression of steps to take, and the method is positive and reward based - systematic desensitisation.

Did you actually get her at 8 weeks? So presumably she was literally showing this as soon as she was settled in your home?

Just wondered if you tried to do any kind of food bowl training before seh showed the aggression; I've known some peeps to over do this and it backfires a bit :)

Lindsay
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