Kingdom of Pets

Posted by jakebean
Oct 25, 2008

I have recently adopted a Yorkie from a rescue group. He is a male approximately 10 yrs old. He had been found in the streets of Miami and had been a stray for quite a while judging from the condition he was in. I currently have a smaller male 10 yr old and a 7 yr old female. The new dog is very food agressive. He firmly believes all bowls are his and starts fights with both other dogs when he sees them at the bowls, or if they are getting too much attention from me.

All the rest of the time everyone seems to get along with no real issues. However I am getting a little concerned about these skirmishes. Any ideas on how I can stop them. I was hoping the longer he was in the house that everyone would be a little more accepting of each other.

Posted by MaxHollyNoah
Oct 27, 2008

Hi jakebean,

Thank you for giving the Yorkie a new loving home!

I understand your concern because you don't want to see the older (not their ages but in terms of living with you) dogs be threaten or hurt by the new comer.

It is understandable that the Yorkie is food aggressive due to the fact he was a stray for a long time. Food is very important for him, as well as YOU, who rescued him and now is providing him a much better living conditions.

However, I don't think he should act like that. It is very important that YOU sort the situation. YOU are the boss so he should accept what YOU offer and not offer to him. Sooner you tell him the boundaries and rules at your home, better it will be for the whole group. Please don't let things sort by themselves because it will probably go wrong way.

For the food aggression, make him sit and wait while the other two finish eating their meals. You might want to leash him so that he would not go to the other two while they eat. I would do this in front of him. He might growl or bark, then you can reprimand him.

The idea behind is to let him know that the older ones are the first ones to get their meals and your attention and he can get his only when he is nice to them. In other words, YOU are the one who makes all the decision, not him.

Please be firm from the very beginning. Start giving him basic obedience training, which he is probably lacking of. Use a lot of treats (tiny tiny pieces are good enough) and praises. Since he is food motivated, he will learn pretty quickly, I hope.

Good luck

Agressive behavior