# Rottweiler won't snap out of being food/toy aggressive?



## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Well I've had her for about 5 months now (she's coming up 7 months old) and ever since I first got her, she has always been protective over her food, it didn't bother me to begin with as I did all my research beforehand and figured doing those methods would snap her out of it.
But she is still very food aggressive.
She is absolutely placid and lovely all the rest of the time (apart from when play fighting obviously) but when she is eating and you go near her, she growls, if you go close, she barks, if you touch her she snaps.
I'm looking up on "retraining" excersizes for when some have failed, but do any rottweiler owners out there have any tips?
I'm prepared to put in the time with her, but just running out of options really.
She is also toy aggressive or something that she thinks is "hers" for instance the other day I dropped a milk carton taking out the recycling, and that was it, from the moment it hit the floor it was "her carton"... And she was the same as above.


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## BOiiL3D_FROG (Feb 21, 2010)

i would say gooood bye ball bags, but seeing as its female it would be pointless. 

have a butchers at this, dont know if its of any use



Dog Food Aggression | Canine Possession Aggression | Resource Guarding Puppy


Aaron


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

What have you actually tried already? My boy guarded his food when we got him at 15 weeks old but we used to give him a few bits of dried food in his dish each meal time and gradually add the rest a little at a time. Kye cant have anything that cant be eaten in a few minutes or he will sit in his bed and growl at the other dogs, never us though.


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## Pugant (Dec 13, 2010)

This is not to do with the breed of dog. 

Your dog dosent know her place in the pac and this could lead to a whole load of problems.

She is being dominant.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

BOiiL3D_FROG said:


> i would say gooood bye ball bags, but seeing as its female it would be pointless.
> 
> have a butchers at this, dont know if its of any use
> 
> ...


Cheers for that, provided quite a good read, most of it I've already read but it still had some bits I hadn't read :2thumb:



Shell195 said:


> What have you actually tried already? My boy guarded his food when we got him at 15 weeks old but we used to give him a few bits of dried food in his dish each meal time and gradually add the rest a little at a time. Kye cant have anything that cant be eaten in a few minutes or he will sit in his bed and growl at the other dogs, never us though.


When she was little, I was told to feed her and when the food bowl is down, keep my hand on the side of it, to show her that even though I am in contact with it, I'm not going to steal it, or bother her... She doesn't go for me or growl if I keep my hand on it, but if I move away and then come back, she goes back into crazy mode.
Also tried pushing her away from the bowl to show her I'm in control and she has to do what I say especially at meal times.
Tried the trick of giving her her food, then holding her favourite treat next to her and calling her away from her food, picking up the bowl while she's having her treat, then giving her the food again to show that again, I'm not going to steal it, and I'm in control.
But those things haven't seemed to work.
With the toy thing, mainly it's playing, but sometimes she can be snappy and aggressive, but she gets really wound up if you put your foot on her toy and wiggle it about like you're trying to take it off her, so I tried holding treats next to her, then putting my foot on the toy, and as soon as she sees what I've done, offer her another treat or different toy to distract her.
Again... Stubborn Rottweiler, and it hasn't really worked, although she isn't as aggressive toy wise than food, I'm really more bothered by the food thing, same when she has a fresh bone, she is very aggressive.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Pugant said:


> This is not to do with the breed of dog.
> 
> Your dog dosent know her place in the pac and this could lead to a whole load of problems.
> 
> She is being dominant.



Oh aye don't get me wrong, I know any dog can be the same really, only reason I put Rottweiler in the title is in case anyone else has had a particularly food aggressive Rottweiler, and know a trick or two to preventing it and training her.
And she is good everywere else, does as she's told, sitting and all that kind of thing... I also wasn't aware they could be dominant over one thing but not over another if it's a "pack" issue?
She also does the sitting on me and leaning against me when I'm stood, been reading that's a sign she "owns" me, and she does it to all the people who live in my house too, which I only just recently realised thats what it means, so I am in the process of stopping that, pushing her away everytime she does it.


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## MagicSqueak (Apr 9, 2010)

Get her on a long lead, offer her the food, half way through say enough and pull her away from the food, make her SIT and WAIT and when she is CALM give her the food back. Repeat every meal until she learns not only that you aren't going to steal it but that YOU are in control and that her kicking off won't change anything. Don't give her any more treats or raw bones until she's learnt this.

Same with toys, don't wind her up. Tell her to WAIT and when she's calm give her the toy. Lots of praise when she's calm, no praise or play when she isn't.

Also, is she spayed??


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## Pugant (Dec 13, 2010)

The food and the toys are to do with the same issue.

If she learns her place is below you in the pack, this will help with these issues.

Some things you may already be doing but here's some just incase.

No sitting on the sofa. She must stay on the floor. Same with your bed. Never allow her on there.

When on the lead. You walk though any gaps before her. When walking though door ways. You go first not her. Don't let her push past you.

Feeding time,
You eat first. Have your meal, then it's time for your dogs meal.
My dog knows the bowl will not go down unless he is in the sit position. I don't ask him to sit. He just knows. Then when the bowl goes down he will not move until I tell him he can eat. I can even leave the kitchen and come back minutes later and he will still be waiting. As pack leader I control when, where and how much he eats. I can take the bowl away when he's eating. He will sit and wait for me to give it back. 

I started this when he was young. The first thing you can do is get her to sit before the food goes down. Once it's down and she starts eating. Pick it back up. If she disapproves, no more food. Put it on the side and try again later. Once you can do this, then start touching her while she is eating. As she gets better, you should be able to go as far as pulling her tall. (or stump :lol2


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## Pugant (Dec 13, 2010)

With the toys. One game you should avoid is tug of war. 

I know it's fun, but everytime you let go before she does. In her eyes, she has won. Given her the feeling of dominance. 

After she has learnt her place you can go back to playing this game.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

MagicSqueak said:


> Get her on a long lead, offer her the food, half way through say enough and pull her away from the food, make her SIT and WAIT and when she is CALM give her the food back. Repeat every meal until she learns not only that you aren't going to steal it but that YOU are in control and that her kicking off won't change anything. Don't give her any more treats or raw bones until she's learnt this.
> 
> Same with toys, don't wind her up. Tell her to WAIT and when she's calm give her the toy. Lots of praise when she's calm, no praise or play when she isn't.
> 
> Also, is she spayed??


Good bit of advice... Not think it would make her choke on her food though (I'm not violent with her but if she's half way through eating...)
Also no she isn't spayed.



Pugant said:


> The food and the toys are to do with the same issue.
> 
> If she learns her place is below you in the pack, this will help with these issues.
> 
> ...


She always gets told to get down off the furniture and such like.
She does sometimes push past in doorways and things, but 8/10 times I catch her and push her behind me and I go through first.
She also always sits before food, don't have to tell her, she also gives paws left and right, literally if I say left, she will give me her left paw, same with right, in any combination... She is good in that sense.
I also always eat before her, but I don't eat in the same room as she's in if that makes any difference at all.
Problem with leaning down and taking it off her is she'd just bite my hand, which is why I had to stop doing that.
But the lead trick from above could assist in this, if it won't make her choke obviously.
And she has a full tail  waited ages and ages before finding a litter with their tails :lol2: prefer them with a tail.
But yeah, thanks a lot everyone for all your advice, really appreciated, hopefully she will learn and can get something sorted, I'll update the thread weekly or whatever and see how she's getting on.
If anyone else has any advice/tips/tricks, please feel free to share :2thumb:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I dont allow my dogs on the furniture either:whistling2:


His face is because hes been told to get off, hes allowed up but not on the top cushions. we now have new furniture for the dogs to ruin haha


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Pugant said:


> With the toys. One game you should avoid is tug of war.
> 
> I know it's fun, but everytime you let go before she does. In her eyes, she has won. Given her the feeling of dominance.
> 
> After she has learnt her place you can go back to playing this game.



Always played tug of war with her, and I've never once let go of it first, soon as I say "mine" she lets go.
Not sure if maybe I should stop this until everything else is sorted?
Even though I don't let her win?
I was always told never to let her win in play fights and games such as that, so I never have done, my Dad never does either or my Mum if they're ever playing with her.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Oh How Original said:


> Always played tug of war with her, and I've never once let go of it first, soon as I say "mine" she lets go.
> Not sure if maybe I should stop this until everything else is sorted?
> Even though I don't let her win?
> I was always told never to let her win in play fights and games such as that, so I never have done, my Dad never does either or my Mum if they're ever playing with her.


 
Ive never played tug or wrestled with any of my 10 dogs, I think it teaches bad habits


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## Pugant (Dec 13, 2010)

It sounds like you are doing all the right things then.

My friend used to have a Rottweiler, she used to let me in the house no problem. I could play with her feed her ect. But as soon as she knew I was going to leave she would snap and try to bite me. Sometimes I would sit down on the sofa and chat with my friend and she would sit on my foot. I could pet her and she was lovely, but if I tried to stand up she would turn on me. I would have to tell my friend if I wanted to move or leave and he would have to come over and get hold of her before I could move.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 29, 2011)

All good advice, she really needs to know her place is at the very bottom of the pack.Definitely don't allow her on the furniture at all. When you feed her make it look like you are eating some of her food, As the pack leader it's your right to eat her food if you want, and lets her see you're in charge and not her


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Cheyenne said:


> All good advice, she really needs to know her place is at the very bottom of the pack.Definitely don't allow her on the furniture at all. When you feed her make it look like you are eating some of her food, As the pack leader it's your right to eat her food if you want, and lets her see you're in charge and not her


 
This is so differant to the way I train my dogs


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Be very careful with all this "you need to be the pack leader" stuff....


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## Jasia (Feb 15, 2009)

Oh How Original said:


> Well I've had her for about 5 months now (she's coming up 7 months old) and ever since I first got her, she has always been protective over her food, it didn't bother me to begin with as I did all my research beforehand and figured doing those methods would snap her out of it.
> But she is still very food aggressive.
> She is absolutely placid and lovely all the rest of the time (apart from when play fighting obviously) but when she is eating and you go near her, she growls, if you go close, she barks, if you touch her she snaps.
> I'm looking up on "retraining" excersizes for when some have failed, but do any rottweiler owners out there have any tips?
> ...


With food aggression it can be hard to get them to snap out of that, choose one method that you are comfortable with and stick with it religously. I have dogs and foster dogs and have had bad tempered dogs take a few months for them to learn to back off even with daily training.

You have said she will sit when you put her food down but for how long?
Does she go to the food as soon as you move or does she wait to be told she can eat? 
Mine all sit ouside the kitchen door where they can see me putting the food down but are not allowed in untill I have said they can 'eat'. I only say they can eat once they have all relaxed back and are not sat tensed waiting to gobble. If I move near their bowl they move away from it, I don't tell them too I just assume they will get out of my way and they do (some with more training than others).

With toys putting your foot on it and wiggeling like you are going to take it just entices them into a game, they think you are playing. If she will not give it up to you when you ask for it or try to take it then try a very stern and loud 'leave' with strong body language. As soon as she lets go give her loads of praise but only give her the toy back when you see fit and not when she decides she wants it.

I have high expectations of my dogs, as soon as they hear me getting plates out they leave the sitting/dinning room areas and go lie down. If they want to go outside they sit by the back door till I am ready to let them out (I only leave them long enough for them to become calm). None of my animals are allowed upstairs or on any furniture, ever. When the door goes they bark at the door and when I say 'enough' they move back 6 foot and sit while I open the door, let whoever in and great them, then they are allowed to say hello 'nicely'. They are not allowed to follow me too close through a door and I always go 1st.

I have had bad tempered dogs, food aggressive dogs, dog aggessive dogs, hyperactive dogs, untrained dogs and so on. Every single one of them has been won round with patcience, rules, exercise and love.

-Use simple commands, if you chat with them they lose the point of what you are saying. The words I put in '....' are the commands I use.
-Exercise her really well, the more tired she is the easier she will give in untill it becomes habit.
-Only pet and stroke her when you call her over and not when she demands it, you are in controll of when she deserves it.
-Choose your method's (my methods won't suit others the same as theirs might not suit me) and stick with it, but make sure evryone who comes in contact with her does what you ask them or it will undermine your training to.

Best of luck with her, I am sure you will have great fun with her


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Zoo man is correct, how many times does this "dominance theory" rubbish have to be disproven before people stop spouting this ass gravy?

You should never let a dog win a game of tug? Sounds like a really crap game for the dog to lose EVERY time, not wonder she doesn't want you to touch things she doesn't want to lose.

Take the food away if the dog growls? Seriously? what do you think she is trying to guard against? If you take it away and do not give it back every time she asks you not to you will just reinforce her low opinion of you. Teach her growling doesn't work and all she will learn is to try the next step up, ie bite without the prior warning.

I personally would start with the trading up game, give something of little worth, then teach the LEAVE command and when she does give her something better (something with something nice smeared on is ideal) when she has licked that clean and it is of low value trade up again after getting her to leave. She needs her confidence in you built up, then you can move on to actually correcting the issue, she does not need to be treated worse in the name of domination.

Just for the record I also have high standards for my dogs, and I 100% expect them to leave everything I say to leave, including the cakes people are eating in Carehomes when my dogs and I visit!! However currently you are a fair way down the wrong track and you need to backtrack and build your dogs belief in you before you can go back the other way.


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Kare said:


> Zoo man is correct, how many times does this "dominance theory" rubbish have to be disproven before people stop spouting this ass gravy?
> 
> You should never let a dog win a game of tug? Sounds like a really crap game for the dog to lose EVERY time, not wonder she doesn't want you to touch things she doesn't want to lose.
> 
> ...


Sense at last! Thank you Kare! :notworthy:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Kare said:


> Zoo man is correct, how many times does this "dominance theory" rubbish have to be disproven before people stop spouting this ass gravy?
> 
> You should never let a dog win a game of tug? Sounds like a really crap game for the dog to lose EVERY time, not wonder she doesn't want you to touch things she doesn't want to lose.
> 
> ...


How would teaching her to leave something stop her being food aggressive though?
Ijust don't see how me telling her not to eat, would stop her from being aggressive if I touched her while eating or something.
Plus with the tug of war and stuff, I'm just going by what millions of other dog owners do....


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Oh How Original said:


> How would teaching her to leave something stop her being food aggressive though?
> Ijust don't see how me telling her not to eat, would stop her from being aggressive if I touched her while eating or something.
> Plus with the tug of war and stuff, I'm just going by what millions of other dog owners do....


You are most definately not teaching her not to eat. The point is to teach her that you around her food and especially her food bowl is a really good thing. In your case it is more building her trust. 

Once you have taught her to leave things of little value then you build up to her leaving things of higher value, including things you do not want her to have because she has started to understand that LEAVE is not a bad thing and you taking something from her will result in you giving something better, and in a rottie even something slightly worse and you being happy with her will be something better in her mind. They are a breed strongly driven to please. 

Eventually you can get her to leave her food bowl before it is empty and add other things in it, ie just being able to just be around her and her eating 

Another thing you could be doing is praise her lots as she eats, just make sure you are not getting so close that she is anxious about your proximity whilst you are praising as that would be counter productive.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Kare said:


> You are most definately not teaching her not to eat. The point is to teach her that you around her food and especially her food bowl is a really good thing. In your case it is more building her trust.
> 
> Once you have taught her to leave things of little value then you build up to her leaving things of higher value, including things you do not want her to have because she has started to understand that LEAVE is not a bad thing and you taking something from her will result in you giving something better, and in a rottie even something slightly worse and you being happy with her will be something better in her mind. They are a breed strongly driven to please.
> 
> ...



I see, the way I read the other post was kind of like I was taking it away from her.
But yeah I suppose giving her something of a nicer value to her would be a good thing to try.
I actually tried before with a treat, I put her food bowl down and told her to stay (she let it go to the ground whilst I was holding her) she didn't growl or anything, and eventually started to stop pushing against my arm.
Once she started eating I then dropped a treat about a foot or two away from her bowl, which she then went to et, I then grabbed her bowl, and made her sit again.
This time she let me get it to about an inch from the ground before going for it (I didn't hold her this time, wanted to see if she'd at least remembered a few minutes beforehand)
That seems to have started to work at least.
Going to keep on doing that and see what she's like in a week or two (not expecting her to be perfect that quick, but should be some improvement at least)


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

If somebody kept removing my food I would get really annoyed! I teach them by giving them a nearly empty dish and just keep adding small amounts until they have had their full meal as that way they look on you as a food provider and not a food remover


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> If somebody kept removing my food I would get really annoyed! I teach them by giving them a nearly empty dish and just keep adding small amounts until they have had their full meal as that way they look on you as a food provider and not a food remover


I give her biscuits soaked in water though, so that would be a bit hard to do lol.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Oh How Original said:


> I give her biscuits soaked in water though, so that would be a bit hard to do lol.


Why are you soaking them? Try them dry and see how she gets on or add the mush with a spoon:lol2:


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> Why are you soaking them? Try them dry and see how she gets on or add the mush with a spoon:lol2:


nothing wrong with soaking them, good idea to keep the dog hydrated and slow fast eaters down. Not that it's essential ofcourse. 

I haven't read this whole thread so I may have missed a lot but when people ask me for advice on aggression in particular I always reccommend going to a professional dog trainer. However be careful to pick one that doesn't base their philosophy on dominance and has good reviews.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> Why are you soaking them? Try them dry and see how she gets on or add the mush with a spoon:lol2:


Because she drinks really really fast, and eats really fast too, so I mix the two and it slows her down a bit, plus then she gets some hydration from the food too.



NickBenger said:


> nothing wrong with soaking them, good idea to keep the dog hydrated and slow fast eaters down. Not that it's essential ofcourse.
> 
> I haven't read this whole thread so I may have missed a lot but when people ask me for advice on aggression in particular I always reccommend going to a professional dog trainer. However be careful to pick one that doesn't base their philosophy on dominance and has good reviews.



Exactly, hydration and it does slow her down.
And I didn't really want to go down that route, A) because they're no doubt expensive and B) I wanted to teach her myself so she reacts to me.
Plus I don't think a trainer is going to come to my house everyday at meal times :lol2:


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

Oh How Original said:


> Exactly, hydration and it does slow her down.
> And I didn't really want to go down that route, A) because they're no doubt expensive and B) I wanted to teach her myself so she reacts to me.
> Plus I don't think a trainer is going to come to my house everyday at meal times :lol2:


A good trainer will teach you how to teach your dog, and not teach your dog for you.Trainers will usually set-up the scenario. 

However I think that the fact you want to do it yourself is admirable. In which case then the best route is to educate yourself, I wouldn't go at the problem yet as the fact you need to ask this question implies you don't have the knowledge. So If I was you I would read some books and do some research once you have a good understanding of Operant Conditioning and common dog training techniques you will have a good idea of how you can deal with the scenario. 

Don't Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor would be an excellent book to start with, and a youtube search of dogstardaily for videos by Ian Dunbar. Zak George also has some good youtube content. Bare in mind it could take some months to fix your problem but it will as a result: 
- Strengthen your bond 
- Make your dog more safe 
- Give your dog a happier life 

I avoid answering dog training questions on forums nowadays as everyone has a different opinion. I also don't think it's a good idea to slap a method on a dog noone other than the OP has met before. Education is so important, and noone knows your dog better than you.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

NickBenger said:


> A good trainer will teach you how to teach your dog, and not teach your dog for you.Trainers will usually set-up the scenario.
> 
> However I think that the fact you want to do it yourself is admirable. In which case then the best route is to educate yourself, I wouldn't go at the problem yet as the fact you need to ask this question implies you don't have the knowledge. So If I was you I would read some books and do some research once you have a good understanding of Operant Conditioning and common dog training techniques you will have a good idea of how you can deal with the scenario.
> 
> ...


I did plenty of reading up on certain techniques before I even got her, with a Rottweilers reputation I wasn't taking any chances, but just the ones I happened to have tried so far don't seem to be working for her.
And yeah I'd much prefer to teach her myself, I'm more than prepared to put in the time and effort for the more personal touch and better result.
I think the only time I'd resort to a trainer is if she was constantly violent or something.


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## goldie1212 (Mar 5, 2010)

when we used to have a food aggressive/possessive rescue dog we went down the route of giving him a bowl with just a few biscuits in it, and we would drop a few biscuits in as soon as he finished the last ones. he was a very fast eater and had undoubtably been starved in the past (along with having his ears/tongue cut with scissors and *** burnt all over so he had bad fear issues) so he would literally swallow any food instantly. by dropping in 2-3 dry biscuits at a time he would at least chew those 2-3 each time we dropped them in whereas putting a whole bowl down meant he inhaled all but the last moutful which he chewed. we stopped him from thinking he would starve and stop him from downing it so fast by quite literally filling him to the brim. i sat with an entire bag of dry dog food, and i dropped 2-3 in time after time until he finally realised he didnt have to eat every scrap in one go. i did this once, he was so full he looked pregnant, but, although he may have been uncomfortable, he never ever got food aggressive again. we could stop him eating mid meal, pick up his bowl, stroke him etc and no issues.

not sure if its any help, but i saw some special slow down dog bowls the other day in a pet shop, it had built in shapes in the bottom of the bowl that food/water would be between and apparently they work really well if dogs bolt down their food/water.

http://dogmilk.designmilk.netdna-cdn.com/images/2010/11/dog-bowls-slow-feeders.jpg

our rescue was also toy possessive, especially with tennis balls, he would snap and and bite if you went to pick one up that he wanted or had already, even though he would fetch them back to you to play fetch :lol2: ok for adults who knew but we had 2 young children at the time. we managed to cure him of this by buying a big bag of value tennis balls, and we dropped them all over him, he was paddling about in a sea of balls. after trying to pick up 3-4 at a time and failing, he soon realised that he didnt need to guard his toys as there were plenty more. after that, even if he had only 1 toy, he would happily drop it and let us pick it up, he even took his toys to the children for them to pick up and throw (closely monitored of course)

i dont like this 'you have to be boss' idea, dogs can learn you are leader through better things than never letting them win a game etc. we do not allow dogs on furniture, ever, we sit up on furniture and come down to their level if we want to play with them etc. they eat after us, every time, and they wait to be told to eat. we go through doors 1st, we dont allow pulling on the lead etc. we have played tuggy games with every dog we have owned, and the dogs quickly get bored and dont bother playing if we win every time. we teach them 'drop' from a very early age, and when we say drop and they do we throw the toy for them to have to themselves. another good one if you have kids in the house is instead of teaching 'drop' teach them 'ouch'. that way, if a kid happens to get nipped during play, they shout out and the dog immediately drops the toy. 

everyone does things differently when it comes to training i guess, and what works for one may not work for another. these are just things we have found to work.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

The pack mentality is a load of rubbish imo. At the end of the day we dont live in a "pack" because we are human. I believe Kare and Shell have brought up some pretty good points which even i have made a note of just in case i should need it.

Does she go to obedience classes at all?


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

selina20 said:


> The pack mentality is a load of rubbish imo. At the end of the day we dont live in a "pack" because we are human. I believe Kare and Shell have brought up some pretty good points which even i have made a note of just in case i should need it.
> 
> Does she go to obedience classes at all?


Thanks for some of those tips Goldie, someone suggested putting a rubber toy in her food dish when she's eating to slow her down having to eat round it, but hse just took it out lol.
Didn't want to quote your post as it was huge, but did read it all and thanks for your input.

No Selina she doesn't, she is pretty obedient apart from if she's outisde with her food bowl and I shout her in... I have to rattle her biscuit box and she comes in.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Oh How Original said:


> Thanks for some of those tips Goldie, someone suggested putting a rubber toy in her food dish when she's eating to slow her down having to eat round it, but hse just took it out lol.
> Didn't want to quote your post as it was huge, but did read it all and thanks for your input.
> 
> No Selina she doesn't, she is pretty obedient apart from if she's outisde with her food bowl and I shout her in... I have to rattle her biscuit box and she comes in.


 
You can buy bowls that slow down eating Slow Feed Dog Bowl Large - £ 4.57 - Bowls - Bowls, Placemats and Utensils - Dog Products - Pets - Chemist Direct


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Shell195 said:


> You can buy bowls that slow down eating Slow Feed Dog Bowl Large - £ 4.57 - Bowls - Bowls, Placemats and Utensils - Dog Products - Pets - Chemist Direct


Aye, that was before I knew about those bowls, I have ordered one.


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## Ker (Feb 8, 2012)

I suggest you get a decent trainer, experienced in aggression issues, to help you out one on one. For such a powerful breed to show aggression is worrying and it will likely only get worse as it gets older. You might have to reevaluate not just the feeding of the dog but a number of other factors as the dog does not respect you.


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

people need to shut up with pack theory, 
you should try the trade game, get a few lids and put some peanut butter on the lids give her one and as she gets most off say trade and drop a second a few feet away, 
keep doing this over and over in the end she will "trade" her food bowl to get somthing else


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

123dragon said:


> people need to shut up with pack theory,
> you should try the trade game, get a few lids and put some peanut butter on the lids give her one and as she gets most off say trade and drop a second a few feet away,
> keep doing this over and over in the end she will "trade" her food bowl to get somthing else


Good idea, although I think I'll stick with the word drop or leave, simply because then she won't get the idea it's always just to trade for things, as sometimes I may just want her to leave something alone.


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

123dragon said:


> people need to shut up with pack theory,
> you should try the trade game, get a few lids and put some peanut butter on the lids give her one and as she gets most off say trade and drop a second a few feet away,
> keep doing this over and over in the end she will "trade" her food bowl to get somthing else





Oh How Original said:


> Good idea, although I think I'll stick with the word drop or leave, simply because then she won't get the idea it's always just to trade for things, as sometimes I may just want her to leave something alone.


Great Plan. :no1:


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## 123dragon (Jan 15, 2011)

Oh How Original said:


> Good idea, although I think I'll stick with the word drop or leave, simply because then she won't get the idea it's always just to trade for things, as sometimes I may just want her to leave something alone.


you can faze it out just like when training you faze out how often you treat, 
in the end she will leave her food on the of chance of getting somthing else, 
just saying leave might never solve a dog aggression problem as it just means you want to take her food away


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

123dragon said:


> you can faze it out just like when training you faze out how often you treat,
> in the end she will leave her food on the of chance of getting somthing else,
> just saying leave might never solve a dog aggression problem as it just means you want to take her food away


If you use your method of swapping but add the cue leave then you're getting 2 birds with one stone. There will be no difference other than the dog understanding the cue leave. So the process will be Cue (Leave) - dog leaves the food - dog gets treat (which can be fazed out) and food back . Although it's unlikely it will ever in a real life situation be that you have to ask your dog to leave it's meal using this method atleast you have that option and the dog's starting to realise if you take his bowl then he gets MORE food and what he was already eating so it's in his interest. Plus the leave command being established then will help with the toy protectiveness.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

NickBenger said:


> If you use your method of swapping but add the cue leave then you're getting 2 birds with one stone. There will be no difference other than the dog understanding the cue leave. So the process will be Cue (Leave) - dog leaves the food - dog gets treat (which can be fazed out) and food back . Although it's unlikely it will ever in a real life situation be that you have to ask your dog to leave it's meal using this method atleast you have that option and the dog's starting to realise if you take his bowl then he gets MORE food and what he was already eating so it's in his interest. Plus the leave command being established then will help with the toy protectiveness.


I actually tried something tonight with her, I put her usual bowl of biscuits on the side, but emptied her bowl, and put a few in at a time, keeping hold of the bowl while I did it and stroking her head while she ate (usually growls) she did a tiny bit, so then I took it away once she'd finished, give her a stroke, and added another handful... Same thing again, but on the third time she didn't growl, and ate a little bit slower, and the last handful was the same, she let me stroke her fine, and even sat looking at me when she'd ate waiting for her stroke... She usually grabs her food bowl in her paws and growls, then she'll take it outside or play with it in the house.
But she seems to have made at least a tiny bit of improvement already so things are looking promising.
I personally don't think she'll ever leave her food bowl on command, but I don't really need her to either, I'd just prefer if she didn't snap and growl when you go near her while she's eating, if I can stop her doing that I'll consider it a success


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## NickBenger (Nov 18, 2010)

Oh How Original said:


> I actually tried something tonight with her, I put her usual bowl of biscuits on the side, but emptied her bowl, and put a few in at a time, keeping hold of the bowl while I did it and stroking her head while she ate (usually growls) she did a tiny bit, so then I took it away once she'd finished, give her a stroke, and added another handful... Same thing again, but on the third time she didn't growl, and ate a little bit slower, and the last handful was the same, she let me stroke her fine, and even sat looking at me when she'd ate waiting for her stroke... She usually grabs her food bowl in her paws and growls, then she'll take it outside or play with it in the house.
> But she seems to have made at least a tiny bit of improvement already so things are looking promising.
> *I personally don't think she'll ever leave her food bowl on command*, but I don't really need her to either, I'd just prefer if she didn't snap and growl when you go near her while she's eating, if I can stop her doing that I'll consider it a success


Don't be so pessimistic, you've barely started this method and you've already had a major improvement. It sounds to me like you could EASILY get her to leave food on command with some work! :2thumb:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

NickBenger said:


> Don't be so pessimistic, you've barely started this method and you've already had a major improvement. It sounds to me like you could EASILY get her to leave food on command with some work! :2thumb:


Prepared to put the effort in like, I suppose I just lack confidence in my ability to be successful :lol2:


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

For anyone who is interested to know, she is now doing a lot better, I have found out that what she doesn't like if something is under her feet it's "hers" but if it's just in her mouth she will actually give it up, she will also now let me go up to her food bowl, put my hand in, play with the biscuits, take some out, put some back, take the bowl away and everything without so much as a growl.
Still a bit aggressive over an empty bowl if she's determined to keep it, but a simple small treat soon gets her off it and she is starting to let go of things she is guarding a lot quicker and easier now.
So overall, very good progress so far, and just like to thank everyone who gave me advice, it seems to be working.
Will do another update in another couple of weeks with how she's getting on


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## thalie_knights (Jan 19, 2007)

Persistance is key.

Also just an observation - you mentioned that once she's eaten she likes to play with the bowl / take it outside etc. Some of her protectiveness over what you're assuming is her food, could actually be over her bowl as she thinks this is her 'toy'?

I'd suggest removing the bowl completely once she's finished, and keeping her food bowl as merely an 'object', thus making it clear to her about what is considered as toys / what she can and cant play with.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Just thought I would do another update on her progress.
She is now fantastic.
I can walk up to her, and nudge her off her food (used to be very aggressive when doing this) but now she doesn't do anything, if I surprise her a bit she will growl as a simple force of habit, but soon as she realises it's me she is fine.
I can go up to her bowl, and tickle her chin while she's drinking (don't do this regularly, was merely to see if I could) and yeah she was fine, doesn't growl or anything.
Can also go up to her bowl and take biscuits out and add them whilst she is still eating, and again IF I surprise her, she will give a little growl as a relfex, but then she is fine and lets me do what I want.
I put the food on the floor, and just touch her nose, and she knows now that means leave it alone.
Then flcik my finger and she knows that means get it.
She also sits and lays down simply by my finger, don't even have to tell her now.
She can still be a little bit defensive if anything over a proper bone with meat on it, but these are a treat, so I imagine it will take a lot longer to snap her out of as she doesn't have enough of them to like get used to not being defensive over them.
So yeah overall very happy, and thanks to everyone who gave me very valuable advice, it has worked wonders for me and Jayde, and I couldn't be more greatful! :2thumb:
Just a quick picture of her sat looking rather proud


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Well done :no1:

Its a lot of effort isnt it.. but just look at the reward.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Pouchie said:


> Well done :no1:
> 
> Its a lot of effort isnt it.. but just look at the reward.


Oh yeah definitely worth it.
Like I said in some earlier posts, I was very determined to teach her myself, instead of paying somebody to train her up.
Would have probably been faster, and less frustrating :lol2: but I wanted her to learn from me


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## Kare (Mar 9, 2010)

Oh How Original said:


> Oh yeah definitely worth it.
> Like I said in some earlier posts, I was very determined to teach her myself, instead of paying somebody to train her up.
> Would have probably been faster, and less frustrating :lol2: but I wanted her to learn from me


This is lovely, this is the way a true bond develops between a human and a dog, and few better breeds to have this with than a stunning Rottweiler such as you have :2thumb:

Really one of the nicest threads on this forum seeing it all working out well for both of you.


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## Oh How Original (Nov 24, 2010)

Kare said:


> This is lovely, this is the way a true bond develops between a human and a dog, and few better breeds to have this with than a stunning Rottweiler such as you have :2thumb:
> 
> Really one of the nicest threads on this forum seeing it all working out well for both of you.


Thank you  glad you liked the thread.
Orignally was made as a help thread, and kind of turned into a progress one lol.
I also agree on Rottweilers been a beautiful breed, they really are... I waited 6 years to get mine, and it was well worth it, it took me so long to find one that had the perfect markings I was looking for, and also with a full tail.
But finally did, and now we have a very strong bond, so I couldn't be happier really 
I think she is pretty happy too


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