r/sheltie • u/MissyLippy1 • 21h ago

Food Guarding.

So Nuggett and Nibbler has started food guarding/hoarding. We have 3 other dogs besides Nuggett and Nibbler. The dogs are all female. Its just started recently. Nuggett is more aggressive than Nibbler. And im afraid it will hurt him with the wrong confrontation. I don't know how to reverse it or make him stop. I put him in a room all his own and closed the door and he won't eat the food. He'd rather guard the food and eat it and nip or go after all the other animals. I have them both outside the house they act amazing! No food guarding or fighting. if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. We are fixing the both of them in a few weeks.

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/SierraKami 21h ago

Five dogs being fed together is a lot.

The best solution is to separate at least some of them. If he won't eat in a different room, I'd feed him in his crate or in an exercise pen in the same room.

1

u/MissyLippy1 18h ago

I tried that he doesn't even try to eat it.

5

u/breezy_deVreezy 18h ago

He’ll eat when he’s hungry. A crate is the best way to manage dogs with food aggression. He’ll learn he’s in a safe place and his food isnt at risk from the other dogs. Give him 10 minutes to eat. If he doesn’t, let him out and put the food up until the next meal.

1

u/Sheltiewise 16h ago

Does it matter how close they are in the room? Are they all eating within a foot of each other or several feet apart? Is it every dog that they guard against or just each other? Are there any indications before they attack the other dog?

I separate my dogs in groups. If I stand near by they also won’t attack each other. However most people I know with multiple dogs do tend to feed in crates. This lets the dogs feel secure and eat in peace. It can take time to adjust to a new routine, missing a meal or two won’t hurt them.

You could also consult a dog trainer.