Pitbull Bully...lol. 0_o!!

 
The interesting thing here is that no one has latched on to the fact that this is an 8 month old Pit or AmStaff who is pushy with his mates about food.  Most Pits are not all that threatening at age 8 months, but by the time the dog gets to be socially mature, it may become more of an issue, not less of an issue.  And, while our OP has said that the intention is to use positive methods, I don't view the collar grab and punishment that was described as a positive reinforcement technique.  Taking the dog's food, or grabbing the collar are not useful for behavior modification, and may actually make the dog more guardy about its food, and not less.  Oddly enough, while my dogs eat in separate locations, they are now so conditioned to eat in their "spots" that even if I forget to shut the crate doors, they generally stay there and finish their own meals and no one else's.  So, just the mere act of establishing a routine can help.  The first thing I would do in this situation is to establish all the basic cues for this dog, and make sure that the other dogs are well trained individually, too.  It's much easier to control the movements of the dogs if they all respond quickly to cues from the handler.  IMO, most important two skills - leave it/come.

As a general reply to everyone on here I have made a decision regarding Dexter. I have been feeding all the dog the way I normally do. I make them sit, and I feed the first dog in the house down to the last to enter, Dexter. Dio gets his bowl, then Ryder, then Dexter, and they all eat at the same time. Dio usually finishes first, then dexter, then Ryder cause he's smaller takes longer to eat his food. I make dexter lay down or go to the living room while Ryder finishes his food, and as long as he isn't hasslin Ryder he can just wonder around the house. He has really picked up the training quick, and if he finishes his food first, he doesn't even look at the other dogs bowls. Dexter has not had any problems since I've started working with him on manners in the kitchen. My training mentor has been a certified pet dog trainer for years, and is a credentialed member of the American Pet Dog Trainers Association. She has taught me many things, and has told me to trust my instincts, and do what I've been doing with him. She has told me that everything I've been doing is exactly what I need to do. She's told me that by ignoring the problem or trying to put a bandaid over it (feeding the dogs separately) will only cause the problem to get worse, rather than better. You have to give the dog a different behavior to replace the bad behavior you want the dog to stop doing. Makes sense really...lol.

 I've read the book "The other end of the leash" by Patricia McConnell, and I highly recommend it to everyone on here. I've implemented quite a few of the techniques outlined, and modified my behavior and training methods. You wouldn't belive how well all my dogs behave now. They listen to me, and obey my commands the first time I say them.

Thank you all for your advice. I truly appreciate everyone taking the time to offer me some support and help.

She's told me that by ignoring the problem or trying to put a bandaid over it (feeding the dogs separately) will only cause the problem to get worse, rather than better. You have to give the dog a different behavior to replace the bad behavior you want the dog to stop doing. Makes sense really...lol.

Yes it does, if the trainer has personally evaluated the dog, AND the trainer is aware of breed propensities and, most importantly, your ability to follow through.  You have to understand that on a dog forum, good trainers will generally give you the most conservative advice regarding aggression, because they don't know you or your dog.  To do otherwise would be irresponsible, and is vastly different than what we might do working with a committed student that we know, and a dog that we have personally evaluated and are working with on a continuing basis. I stick by my advice for most average dog owners, because I know the general percentage of people who have the ability to deal with a food aggressive dog effectively, and because I am not interested in whether you, your trainer, or anyone else thinks I'm full of crapola.  I'm primarily interested in safety.

By the way, certification with any organization means nothing if the person does not have experience handling dogs, or handling the particular problems that you face.  While your trainer might, there are many certified trainers who have been in the game less than a year, and know relatively little compared to someone who has been at it longer, or who has had pertinent experience.  Always ask any trainer you hire how long they've been training, where they got their schooling and where they got their experience.  It can tell you a lot about whether the person is a good fit for you.  The titles are meaningless if the person can't train a dog, or, even more importantly, convey to you how to train a dog.  It might have been on here that I read someone was trying to become an "official" trainer with APDT.  I had to laugh out loud.  No experienced trainer would ever refer to themselves that way, and it would be an instant signal to any of us that the person is a newbie.  The best trainer in our area doesn't have any initials after her name, and you usually only find your way to her by referral of the most experienced people, but I can tell you that if I had a problem with one of my dogs, no initials in the world could replace her advice, which is always spot on.

I'm glad you are having success so far with your training!

SalsaCat84

She's told me that by ignoring the problem or trying to put a bandaid over it (feeding the dogs separately) will only cause the problem to get worse, rather than better

spiritdogs

My dogs can eat separately, because they each know "leave it" and will do so under some pretty demanding situations, but, frankly, I think that forcing dogs to eat together is more about human ego than it is about what's prudent or convenient. 

I'd like to point out that HE IS NOT AGGRESSIVE! He was merely demonstrating rude behavior. He was abandoned in a yard from day one, and lived most of his early life in a shelter where he wasn't taught proper manners. He was pushy and rude, NOT AGGRESSIVE!! There is a difference. I had to start at square one with him, and teach him how to behave properly around other dogs. Here is an update for those of you who doubt the method's I've used to recondition my dog's responses. He now eats his own food, and goes to lie down in the family room or follow me around the house. He doesn't even bat an eye at my other two dogs as they eat their food. He walks perfectly on leash around other dogs, and is the favorite participant of our community's pack walks that happen on Thursday, and is now what I like to call a buddy dog. We pair him up with dogs who demonstrate any sort of shyness or aversion to other dogs because he is extremely patient with them, and is an excellent doggy mentor. He frequents the dog park and hiking trails with his brothers, and has demonstrated a love for children that knows no bounds. Within the past three months of my working with him in a positive way, he has blossomed into an amazing young gentleman. He still shows a lot of interest in my cat, but he's progressing nicely, and can now be trusted to sleep with the other dogs by our bed at night.

I have taken into account everyone's words on this site, some with more than a grain of salt, and some with an antacid because they didn't agree with me. However, I have found what works for my boy, as I'm sure you have found what works for your dogs. Thank you to those who have offered their sincere advice intended to help, those who have offered their blunt but constructive criticism, and even to those of you who I will dub the opposing force needed to spur me on to achieve the results needed with my dog.

"Countless training books and countless trainers urge the dog owner to not let dogs "get away with" misbehavior but forget to mention that behavior is a pure form of communication. If a behavior exists that an owner finds upsetting, there's a problem that needs to be investigated and resolved. The dog has a reason for acting as he does, and it's not always because, given an inch, he wants to take a mile."

                                                                                                                                                                    - Suzanne Clothier

Dexter was trying to tell me that he was in need of greater leadership. My other dogs were quite fine with following my leadership, but Dexter wanted to know why it was beneficial for him to do so.  After checking myself against his buffer, I found that once I figured out what best worked for him, everything just clicked. Sometimes we have to put aside our arrogance that dictates we need to force our dogs to obey us. We have to listen to what they're trying to tell us, and work with them. Forcing them to obey our commands may win us the battle, but earning their voluntary cooperation wins the war.

 "If I can listen to what he tells me, if I can understand how it seems to him, if I can sense the emotional flavor which it has for him, then I will be releasing the portent forces of change within him.

                                                          -Carl Rogers

SalsaCat84

I'd like to point out that HE IS NOT AGGRESSIVE! He was merely demonstrating rude behavior. He was abandoned in a yard from day one, and lived most of his early life in a shelter where he wasn't taught proper manners. He was pushy and rude, NOT AGGRESSIVE!! There is a difference. I had to start at square one with him, and teach him how to behave properly around other dogs. Here is an update for those of you who doubt the method's I've used to recondition my dog's responses. He now eats his own food, and goes to lie down in the family room or follow me around the house. He doesn't even bat an eye at my other two dogs as they eat their food. He walks perfectly on leash around other dogs, and is the favorite participant of our community's pack walks that happen on Thursday, and is now what I like to call a buddy dog. We pair him up with dogs who demonstrate any sort of shyness or aversion to other dogs because he is extremely patient with them, and is an excellent doggy mentor. He frequents the dog park and hiking trails with his brothers, and has demonstrated a love for children that knows no bounds. Within the past three months of my working with him in a positive way, he has blossomed into an amazing young gentleman. He still shows a lot of interest in my cat, but he's progressing nicely, and can now be trusted to sleep with the other dogs by our bed at night.

Dexter sounds a lot like my Stewie (a pit/american bulldog mix).  Stewie isn't viscous...but he is a handful...as far as being pushy. He likes to be the only one being petted, and will what we call "snowplow" his sister out of the way for attention, and when eating he will bump his big body into hers so that he is somewhat blocking off food.  I used to feed my dogs in crates because we were having some allergy issues with my girl Ruby...but now we just feed them on separate sides of the kitchen, and that way there is no "butt pushing". LOL.  Sounds like you are on the right path, and the leave it or back up command would be great. Once we had the "leave it" and "back up" down pat it made Stewie the perfect little gentlemen.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 I know this is an old thread, but since a reply was posted, I'll just say that you (SalsaCat84) were the one who first characterized your dog as aggressive, when you said that he was aggressive toward aggressive dogs.  Go back and read your OP - I didn't make that up out of my head.  You can't blame us for providing advice based on what you wrote here in black and white.  In retrospect, you probably had a fearful dog, one that was still trying to figure out if he was going to be safe in his environment.  However, I still don't think it's ever a good idea to make dogs eat together, because in some dogs it does create a mentality of guarding.  While you may never have a problem doing what you've been doing, it's not something that works for everyone, and it can sometimes go horribly wrong.  However, glad things are working well for you and your dog.