CM gets bitten... again (vid included)

[Mach1girl]

Originally Posted by Doberluv

My dogs love me to F7$K with their food. They think, "oh boy! She's bringing a piece of that left over chicken parmessan she had for dinner. Hurry up Mom, stick it right in here!" That's only because they have learned that people near or sticking their hands in their bowl means it's a good thing....and not one iota of a threat. Of course, if a dog has resource guarding issues or hasn't been conditioned to understanding that people are no threat to their food, then yeah....leave them be until they are conditioned to liking people near their food or valuables.

Exactly-My dogs are the same way. They dont mind me in their food a bit-and it ends up me hand feeding which they LOVE the interaction...

BUT-I never agreed with THIS test being part of a temperment test that decides if a dog gets euthanized or not. A dog, that is awesome all the way around EXCEPT not wanting his food messed with, will be put down instead of rehomed. And this makes me angry BECAUSE some dogs are just like that.

To tease a dog and make him react-is wrong, and will likely end up a permanant case of the dog never changing or learning and always fearing and not trusting.

And I agree about the child dropping food. Is why our Zeus, who has Hugely High prey drive for footballs, gets put up in his crate when our grandbaby-to-be comes over.....she loves balls and I wont wait for her to drop or reach for one at the same time as Zeus. Not food, same concept.

[JessLough]

Grand baby to be? As in not born yet? Loves balls? So confused by that.. LOL

[milos_mommy]

I'm assuming the baby's mother/father is going to marry into Mach's family??

[Doberluv]

Originally Posted by Mach1girl

Exactly-My dogs are the same way. They dont mind me in their food a bit-and it ends up me hand feeding which they LOVE the interaction...

BUT-I never agreed with THIS test being part of a temperment test that decides if a dog gets euthanized or not. A dog, that is awesome all the way around EXCEPT not wanting his food messed with, will be put down instead of rehomed. And this makes me angry BECAUSE some dogs are just like that.

To tease a dog and make him react-is wrong, and will likely end up a permanant case of the dog never changing or learning and always fearing and not trusting.

And I agree about the child dropping food. Is why our Zeus, who has Hugely High prey drive for footballs, gets put up in his crate when our grandbaby-to-be comes over.....she loves balls and I wont wait for her to drop or reach for one at the same time as Zeus. Not food, same concept.

Oh, I agree. It is not about temperament if a dog guards his food. That's completely normal behavior. Some dogs just come without a strong feeling that they need to guard and some dogs need extra conditioning. But to use that as a test of whether the dog has a good temperament is a mistake. I guess they need to test to find out if the dog is okay with people messing around near his food so they know how adoptable he is or if he'll need some work. I've always started my puppies with me sitting on the floor next to them when they eat...at least part of the time. I pat them, stick extra goodies in their food, approach them while they're eating with something special. They just seem to learn by osmosis that it's just fine when someone comes near. And toddlers in high chairs or walking around with food are a great help. They drop food all the time. Woo hoo! Little kids bringeth many good things.

[Mach1girl]

Lol, my son has gotten engaged to a woman that has an 18 month old girl. Happy days, HOWEVER, my APBT have NEVER been around tiny ones, and are crated when she is in my house. Well, except Jasper, he is my Boxer and he follows her everywhere. And Dixie, the oldest pitbull, teases her, nudges her and runs and lets the baby catch her then takes off running again..they do this all evening. But we keep close tabs on everything. The others just get crated...

[Flyinsbt]

I think it makes sense to find out how much resource guarding behavior a dog has. In general, it would be preferable for a dog adopted to a family with young children to not be a resource guarder. The behavior can be worked with (not by threatening and intimidating!), but easier if you can avoid it in the first place.

It shouldn't really be a huge deal in an adult household. I'd still work on fixing it, but it can be managed during the fixing.

[milos_mommy]

It depends on the dog, IMO, if a resource guarder should be put down or adopted out. I think in most cases the dog needs to go to a rescue or foster home with a trainer, before they're adopted out to someone.

I think if a dog gives a warning growl when their food is approached, lifts their lip, and even goes to snap or bite at the hand going into the bowl, can usually safely be adopted to an adult home with some dog experience.

If a dog is A SERIOUS guarder, with a bite history, bites without warning, or really attacks the hand or goes for the person rather than just giving a bite and letting go when the threat retreats...if they can't find a trainer home, they should be put down. It's sad...but it's a big risk.