How to stop my dog from eating bones on walks and acting aggressive?

The best thing to do is to avoid these situations all together. Avoid giving them bones and if you do, make sure the dogs are separated so they can’t see each other while enjoying their bones. This type of behavior, if allowed to continue, will escalate and the dogs could hurt each other or you. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is of course unacceptable behavior and it is called food aggression. This is usually corrected with appropriate training. I would highly recommend you consider reaching out to a dog trainer who can work with you in person to correct this. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Five is not old. It sounds like he is being protective of the bone and he is walking away with it because he doesn’t want anyone to take it. Since he is being aggressive about it, I would recommend finding a way to get the bone away from him and not giving it back. If he cannot play with his toys in a safe manner then he cannot have them. I am afraid the behavior could get worse. Good luck and kisses to Dartos!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! This is tough! He sure is cute! I recommend using the gentle leader head collar for better control and asking for sedatives like trazadone from your Vet. Do not take him to these places until you train him to look at you (with treats) in social situations. This will take some time. You may want to pay for private training lessons so you can focus on this one behavior. There is no instant fix but being proactive, like you are, is a good step! He is young still. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/petsafe-gentle-leader-dog-headcollar Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Firstly, this is almost always fear-based. Talk to your vet about getting him some anti-anxiety medication to calm him down enough to get the muzzle on. And frankly, even after he is neutered he’ll probably need something like that for daily use while you can do some counter-conditionung training. My favorite is trazodone as it is very safe, can be used long or short term, can be started and stopped, and can be given with certain other sedatives and anti-anxiety medications. Best wishes to you and Max!

It's perfectly fine to use a muzzle (I'm assuming that's the same thing as a mouth guard) to make sure Damon stays safe and doesn't eat things he shouldn't. He won't think anything of it. Another option is to work on teaching him a "leave it" command. To do this, have a boring dog treat in one closed fist and hold it out to him, he'll try to get the treat for a while and then give up, as soon as he gives up say "Yes!" and give him a really special treat with the other hand. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Once he's really good at this (and not falling for the trick at all), say "leave it" before putting out the boring treat hand. Keep practicing using better and better treats, but always making sure to reward him with something special. I also love head halters to help with control on walks. Halti and Gentle Leader are two brands to look in to. Good luck to you and Damon!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. My recommendation for this type of behavior is to make sure you are in control of the situation. If dogs know that you are not fully in control, they will take advantage of this. I would recommend putting a basket muzzle on her when you go outside so she cannot bite you, this way you have better control over her and she is unable to bite you. Next, I would get a pronged collar to help gain better control over her so that you can correct the behavior better. When she stops the behavior or is being good, she gets rewarded with treats. This will help reinforce the good behavior. When she bites or tries to attack you, a firm tug on the leash with the pronged collar in a downward motion and saying "off!" will help deter this behavior. I also recommend incorporating a spray bottle with water in the training and every time she does this behavior, spritz her in the face, tug on the collar and say "off!". If this does not work, then a shock collar is something to consider in aiding in training. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.