My puppy is food aggressive with other dogs. How can I stop it?

Many dogs experience resource guarding behavior, which leads them to become highly possessive over their food and/or prized toys or treats. The safest approach is to be sure that Freya and your puppy are separated in different rooms or crates while they have access to any food or treats. You can also contact a specialist in veterinary behavior (https://www.dacvb.org/) if this issue persists.

Food aggression and resource guarding is common behavior and since she is young I think you could have good success with a little work. Your goal will be to make her think that your approach and eventually the other dogs' approach is a very good thing that results in treats. You should start by choosing a treat that will be even more appealing than her food, and tossing them in her bowl from a safe distance where she feels safe. If she seems comfortable with you close to the bowl you can stay close and put treats in the bowl when you are nearby. Eventually you want to try having your other dog nearby on a leash but at a distance where she is not threatened and then toss treats to her - you should gradually decrease the distance as she gets used to it. If you're having difficulty you should talk to your vet about referral to a behaviorist.

Food aggression is common, especially in dogs that have not been properly or adequately socialized. You can try gradually desensitizing her to the presence of other dogs during mealtime. Do this for very short periods of time, then gradually increase the time and decrease the distance. Correct any negative behavior immediately and praise/reward compliance consistently. If she gets too aggressive, separate her to prevent fights or injury. A pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar, may help decrease any anxiety or aggression during mealtimes and other times.

Mealtimes are a common trigger for aggression between dogs in the same household - this may be a resource guarding issue related to the food itself, or could be redirected aggression that is happening when Harvey gets excited and/or frustrated while waiting for his food. The simplest solution would be to put both dogs in separate rooms with the door closed (or in their crates, if they are crate-trained) prior to getting their dinner ready. Feed them in their separate areas (again, in different rooms with the door closed if possible - separate parts of the same room isn't enough), then let them out once they have both finished eating. Pick up the bowls and put them away afterwards to avoid any resource guarding issues with the empty bowls. If this doesn't help, or if you are interested in a more detailed training plan to work on this behavior over time, I would recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist. He/she can evaluate both dogs in person to hep determine what is causing this problem, and put together a detailed plan for you to work on the problem. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It's very common for dogs to growl or show other types of resource guarding behavior towards other dogs when they are eating. This is probably causing stress for both dogs, so I would recommend feeding them in separate rooms or in their crates (if they are crate-trained) to avoid this problem :)

It's normal for dogs to be somewhat possessive over food and toys with other dogs, so without more information it's hard to say whether this is an issue or not. In many cases, it's easier to simply manage this issue by feeding the dogs separately and not giving high-value chew toys or other items that are likely to cause fights when the dogs are together. If you feel that the aggression is excessive (i.e., there have been injuries to the dogs, or he behaves this way over everything, rather than just food and high-value items), it is possible to work on the problem but this takes a lot of time and effort. The basic approach involves teaching him that having another dog nearby when he is eating means good things for him - often this is done by walking another dog nearby, feeding a treat, and moving the other dog away. It usually takes hands-on guidance from a professional to do this correctly, so if this is something you want to work on, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer in your area.

This is not a terribly uncommon problem and should be somewhat easily resolvable. I would consider feeding the dogs in an area that you can keep them separate but still in visible contact with one another. If you are able to keep the two apart with a baby gate that could probably work fine. Another option would be to feed one of them in a crate, which is actually what I do with one of my own dogs. Another option might be to feed your female with a bowl that requires her to eat more slowly. This might give your other pup some additional time to eat in peace. This has the potential to backfire however, if Xena gets annoyed by the difficult bowl and just decides that her son's is easier to eat from. Hope this helps and at least gives you some ideas about how to resolve the issue. If none of this seems possible, you may need to consider some additional training for Xena including some commands to force her to come to you when she is called, and to divert her attention away from the other food bowl.