Kim_MacMillan
Posted : 9/24/2011 6:06:54 AM
Liesje
I let my dogs sort things out and rarely if ever have had to intervene. If a younger dog is truly being a pest, I'm totally find with the growling.
I'm much the same as you, Liesje, My dogs are amazing with their food manners, and each respect's the other's food items. I feed a lot of raw, which doesn't get a lot higher value, and I've never, ever had a problem. But also, I have also learned that the propensity for severe resource guarding can have a) a genetic basis, and b) based on overall routine and boundaries the dogs experience in the home (ie - more than "just" the feeing ritual).
I think the difference here is in the level of experience, and being able to predict our dog's behaviour (ie relatively stable dogs) and know what is normal and what is not. The OP is not comfortable, so either it's escalated or the OP doesn't understand whether or not it's normal, and for that reason alone I would recommend the dogs be separated until someone else can observe.
Coming from a standpoint where I routinely experience differing levels of resource guarding in my line of work, and get email questions just like this, I have been in situations where the advice of "let the older dog teach the pup a lesson" or "let them sort it out" would have resulted in dire consequences, it's one place I would never try to give advice via email or internet, as it can go very bad, VERY fast. And I've learned why it's important because after I get to the consult and do my consult, it's generally quite different than was first explained. It's possible that the dog is doing some normal protection of the food, but it's also possible it's much more than that - and if it got to the point of a bite, it's in *most* people's best interests to prevent it from happening again, at least until they get professional help (I know you know all this, Lies, just providing this info for public education purposes!),