Hello, really need advice, we have a 6 month old border collie pup, he is very cute and loving. unfortunately he has always been aggressivve with his food. he will snarl and show teeth when you walk past him when he is eating, and if he thinks you are talking to him or going to take his food he bites, (which really hurts).

We have been told lots of different strategies to use to stop this but they have all made him worse, we have tried taking the food away, feeding him by hand, which he will let us but then once he is allowed to eat normally again he is aggressive again, we have been told to feed him on his lead and tug the lead when he is aggressive, and now recently we have been told to feed him outside, which we are doing, but i want it sorting not just put him out of the way incase kids come along.

Please help...

Unfortunately all the things you've been told to do have only reinforced his fear of going without food - which is, of course, a basic instinct. When you think about it, if a dog feels he needs to protect his means of survival (his dinner), taking it away - even if you give it back straight away - has proved to him that he was right. His life is threatened.

There are several strategies you can try to overcome this and regain his trust. He needs to be convinced that you're the giver of food and all good things, not the one who removes it.

Put down four empty food bowls, one in each corner of the room. Put a very small amount of food in one then immediately go to the next bowl and do the same. Keep going round and round the bowls, putting a tiny amount of the dog's meal in a bowl each time. This way he won't have time to guard the food because you've already moved on to the next.

After a few days, maybe a week or two, you'll be able to cut down the number of bowls, but still only be seen to be putting food into his bowl - he eats the small amount, then you add a bit more and stand back while he eats it. The you put a little more in and stand back. At no time should he be scolded for growling - just ignore it, and when his bowl's empty put in another tiny bit of food.

JG's given good advice there!

With pups I always drop a little of something nice into their bowls if I'm going to be near (small kitchen) ;)  NEVER take it away !!  as above they will start to fight for their food!

I also do this with the oldies now and again just to surprise them :-)  

My dogs are trained to WAIT for their dinner and to LEAVE on command so that I can stop them eating/snarfing anything nasty or dangerous!  (or mine!) but it's not something I do with their normal dinner, what would be the point?  

Jeangenie stands for genius, great advice there, don't take away what you pup is trying to protect and claim as his. If as advised he can find food all over the place and not be exactly sure where and when he will slowly learn that his survival is not threatened and realise that you are the supplier and there's plenty of it.

Oh dear all the wrong advice I'm afraid, especially with a collie.

He needs to see you & your family as the supplies of food & good experiences & not punishment & correction.

I can never understand why people want to take food which they have given to their dog away. I can understand teaching dogs to give up things that they shouldn't have in a swop, but really taking food away is a very bad way of training your dog.

I would place the dogs food dish on the food(empty)& sit on a chair next to it with the food ina container(not a food dish)then I would drop the food a little at a time into the the dish & lots of praise when he doesn't growl. Talk to him quietly all the time-can be anything & doesn't have to make sense as long as your voice is low & gentle. Leave little pauses between the amounts of food. Once he isn't frightened that the food will be removed gradually increase the amount you drop into the dish over time & eventually you will have apuppy who trusts you & sees humans & food as a good experience

This isn't a quick fix BTW you have 4 months of learnt behaviour to retrain

I agree with you, we had a few problems with our Border and OH just got him to wait and then let him eat worked with him slowly ok now. The only problem we do have is we cant feed both together, Whistler will not eat if Jake is in the room. Plus he eats so slowly if we let Jake in its gone in a flash.
So its Whistler inside, Jake outside and alls fine.
I dont think its all dominance issue if Whistler grabs Jake's toy, stick, ball he's allowed to keep it until he drops it then Jake takes it back. Any other dog and Jake will be aggressive and not allow them near his toy at all.
Whistler is a cocker about 8 weeks older than Jake. Had the 8 weeks apart and the smaller dog first.
Border can be really fixated and singular in their ways, its diffecult to describe but any BC owner will know what I mean. Cockers could not give a monkies!! if its on the floor its fair game.

hi, thanx every1 for your advice, we are now putting it into action. thanx again

Really good advice, I had a similar problem and was given similar "take it away advice" omg did things get worse.
His brilliant breeder came to see us once I had admitted what was happening and explained how we should be giving not taking away ,he also spent some time with her and her dogs again being given food on her terms, total transformation.
Now I have 1 happy large gsd who will let me take raw meat out of his mouth if I need to . Mind usually it is going into his mouth.!

really pleased i found this site, the advice is great, i did even phone around some dog behvioural therapists, (maybe slightly OTT), but anyway, they were too expensive as i am only a student, they wanted between £70 to £110 for only one visit,and you have o pay for their petrol!!!
so thanx, and the pup, is doing ok with this way of feeding so far, still growling but hasnt bitten, so hoping it will get even better.

another idea is if you drop food into the bowl whilst he is eating as you walk by, something really tasy such as chicken instead of just plain boring kibble, that way he will really see that you are giving of lovely things

Oh yes mine loves me doing that