I am looking for some insight with my male poodle. He is a white mini poodle who is 6 years old. I have had him since he was 4 months old and recently (within the last year) he has become very food aggressive towards other dogs and territorial in the bed. It seems to only happen with other male dogs. I recently introduced him to my boyfriends very submissive hound dog and they get along until it comes to food or bed time. My dog attacked the hound today (who is 4x his size) after they were DONE eating.
My dog has lived with 3 other male dogs for the past 4 years and doesn't have an issue with them when it comes to his food.
Does anyone have any recommendations on what I can do to stop this behavior?
Your dog is trying to tell you he feels uncomfortable. Sometimes it looks like the dog who is reacting is the dog who has a problem, but that's not always the case. It could be the hound dog gave off a gesture in dog language that wasn't friendly, or, conversely, in a clumsy attempt to be friendly, the hound accidentally scared your dog.
You said he gets upset when he is done eating. What happens before he gets upset? Does the hound step toward his bowl? Look at his bowl? Stare at your dog? Invade your dog's space? Dogs speak in body language and sometimes we don't see the full picture. We pay close attention to the noisy reaction and miss the trigger. It could be your dog is reacting for a darn good reason.
You know the feeling you have when the waiter tries to take your plate before you're done eating? That's food aggression. The trigger was the waiter. What's trigger for your dog? Pay attention to what comes before the reaction, and you'll learn a lot about your dog.
What you can do to stop this behavior is create an environment where it cannot occur. Your dog doesn't like eating around the hound dog. Feed them in separate rooms. Give treats in separate rooms, too. Where does your dog sleep? A dog's sleeping space is sacred, just like it is for you. I doubt you'd feel comfortable having someone you don't know very well share a bed with you tonight. It's the same with your dog. Your dog needs a space to sleep that is free from invaders and usurpers.
Separate the dogs during meals and snacks. Keep sleeping quarters sacred. And if you see a problem, write down what happened just prior to your dog getting upset. Learning what sets off the reaction will help you avoid the dominos falling.
