My dog pee while eating if i disturb him

[Elias]

if my dog is eating nd i come to pet him or get close, he growls nd pee... Any idea why?

[Cajun Casey]

Combination of submissive defense aggression and resource guarding would be my guess. I would try hand feeding, adding higher value treats to the food during the meal if he lets you remove and return the bowl without reacting.

[MikeB]

How old is your dog? Is this the first time this has happened? If not for how long? What other problems do you have with him?

How much obedience have you done with your dog?

[ezzy333]

Combination of submissive defense aggression and resource guarding would be my guess. I would try hand feeding, adding higher value treats to the food during the meal if he lets you remove and return the bowl without reacting.

What in he heck is a higher value treat? If you mean something the dog likes, explain how adding something else he likes will cause him to quit guarding his food? Sounds to me like that would be rewarding him for an unwanted behavior.

I would think your dianosis was correct but I wouldn't treat him for doing it. You will have to solve the problems one at a time and i would start with the aggressive behavior. Get that solved and the dog will have a better understanding of his standing with you as a pack leader and I think the you will be able to get him comfortable enough to stop the peeing. Age will help stop it also but get the growling under control first.

Ezzy

[Cajun Casey]

Combination of submissive defense aggression and resource guarding would be my guess. I would try hand feeding, adding higher value treats to the food during the meal if he lets you remove and return the bowl without reacting.

What in he heck is a higher value treat? If you mean something the dog likes, explain how adding something else he likes will cause him to quit guarding his food? Sounds to me like that would be rewarding him for an unwanted behavior.

I would think your dianosis was correct but I wouldn't treat him for doing it. You will have to solve the problems one at a time and i would start with the aggressive behavior. Get that solved and the dog will have a better understanding of his standing with you as a pack leader and I think the you will be able to get him comfortable enough to stop the peeing. Age will help stop it also but get the growling under control first.

Ezzy

Pack leader theory is garbage. Period. Now that's out of the way, we'll talk about value.

Let's say you like ice cream and you have some. You don't want me to have your ice cream, but if you hand me the bowl, I will put chocolate syrup (or, whatever flavor works for you) on it and give it back. That will decrease your liklihood of refusing to give me your bowl. Give it to me a second time, I put whipped cream on it and give it back, and so on. Pretty soon, you are following me around holding out your ice cream bowl.

With dogs, just adding something a little tastier than the food works and you can use the same incentive over and over again. I like Kong liver paste because it's handy and you can use a tiny amount. Parmesan cheese works, too.

The dog is exhibiting fear and guarding. He is not being offensively aggresive, but push him with "alpha" nonsense and he may develop it. The thing about leaders is that someone always wants the job. Treat a dog with dominance and he will learn that dominance gets you somewhere and he will use it against you or someone or something else later down the line.

This dog described here may simply have a soft, fearful personality when it comes to resources and has never had the opportunity to see mealtime as an exciting, rewarding experience. A little "Here-Wait-Okay" drill will change his attitude about food because he will learn cues that tell him he has earned the meal. I prefer to defer the defense drive to reward drive so that instead of worrying about something he has, the dog concentrates on earning it.

[ezzy333]

Pack leader theory is garbage. Period. Now that's out of the way, we'll talk about value.

Always good to get the official word so no one makes that stupid mistake again. Wonder where so many people got that stupid idea anyway.

I never really went along with the literal meaning of pack leader but it does express quite well how a dog reacts to you or someone else. I had a dog that growled at me as a pup and we had a short dis usion about it and he never did it to me again. Of course he will still do it to my wife who is a push over and gives him the special treats when he does something like that. I remember one of my kids blew up a mailbox once and the sheriff gave him enough gun powder to blow up the garage and sure enough he never blew up any more mailboxes but the garages sure disappeared at a fast clip. So guess maybe treats do help.

Ezzy

[Elias]

he used to always growl when it comes to his food, he is 2 years old, i hand feed him, remove the bowl nd put it back all the time, but lately he is peing a bit. Even when eating from my hand he growls nd eat.

[dog dr]

Pack leader theory is garbage. Period. Now that's out of the way, we'll talk about value.

Always good to get the official word so no one makes that stupid mistake again. Wonder where so many people got that stupid idea anyway.

I never really went along with the literal meaning of pack leader but it does express quite well how a dog reacts to you or someone else. I had a dog that growled at me as a pup and we had a short dis usion about it and he never did it to me again. Of course he will still do it to my wife who is a push over and gives him the special treats when he does something like that. I remember one of my kids blew up a mailbox once and the sheriff gave him enough gun powder to blow up the garage and sure enough he never blew up any more mailboxes but the garages sure disappeared at a fast clip. So guess maybe treats do help.

Ezzy

LOL!! Boy this oughta get good now! You sure have a way with words, ezzy. By the way, I agree with you. my dog tried growling and getting rough with me once. It hasnt happened since.

[GUNDOGS]

Pack leader theory is garbage. Period. Now that's out of the way, we'll talk about value.

Always good to get the official word so no one makes that stupid mistake again. Wonder where so many people got that stupid idea anyway.

I never really went along with the literal meaning of pack leader but it does express quite well how a dog reacts to you or someone else. I had a dog that growled at me as a pup and we had a short dis usion about it and he never did it to me again. Of course he will still do it to my wife who is a push over and gives him the special treats when he does something like that. I remember one of my kids blew up a mailbox once and the sheriff gave him enough gun powder to blow up the garage and sure enough he never blew up any more mailboxes but the garages sure disappeared at a fast clip. So guess maybe treats do help.

Ezzy

now thats funny ezzy......anyone can disagree with me but i do believe in a pack leader..every group no matter what it is needs a leader to set and enforce the rules..i see it with my dogs amongst eachother all the time and if i didnt or my husband didnt show leadership over them they would control us, its just that simple.....ruth

[Elias]

OK enough with the sarcastic posts, what should i do to make it stop?! and he is very obedient when it comes to all the basic commends and the hunting commands now.
thank you:)

[big steve46]

The different comments have merit, but I tend to agree with Ezzy on this one.

I have never had a problem with any Setters ever acting that way, but if one did, I would probably do an ear pinch while he was growling and say NO at the same time. A few times or less of doing that and he will know who's boss. Also, the peeing will probably stop as it is likely due to uncertainty on the dog's part.

This seems like common sense to me, but someone with more experience with the exact problem may give you better advice.

[3Britts]

I make all of my dogs wait until I give the okay before they can eat. At times i will reach for the food bowl, if the dog growls, I grab the collar and pull it to the ground/floor. It doesn't take many times for a dog to learn that growling is not acceptable. I also think that your dog is showing dominance with the peeing to warn your off. Collar again.

All dogs work with a pack leader9alpha dog) mentality, its in their genes. You just have to decide who the leader is and let the dog know it.

[shags]

Elias,

I think you need to figure out what kind of behavior is going on before you can make a plan of action.. Growling might be aggressive, or it might be defensive. With the urinating, I would doubt the dog is behaving aggressively, but that's something you'll have to read in the dog for yourself.

I wouldn't attempt domination-correction techniques with a fearful insecure dog. It can make matters worse. You might try to simply ignore him and let him eat in peace. Then slowly move closer to his his food pan, with no eye contact and no verbals. Just stand there, talk on your phone, whatever, just don't pay him any attention. When he tolerates that, move closer. Eventually you can nudge the pan with your foot, maybe touch the dog, and finally get to where you can interfere with his meal.

This is a very gradual process and you have to be patient and go incrementally, a little at a time.

I had a dog that I believe was abused and he growled and postured at (mostly) men. Punishing him made the situation worse. Ignoring his behavior and gradually increasing pressure as he could tolerate it worked very well. Within months the bad behavior had almost disappeared.

If the dog is truly aggressive, there are online resources you can explore. Cesar Millan's techniques work, and Leerburg Kennels offers lots of training advice http://leerburg.com/

Good luck to you.

[Elias]

thank you for the help. will try that and see how it goes. i don't think he is being aggressive he is just a bit insecure. i wont use the force with him, ill be gentle and gradually we will c how things go

[shags]

Elias, to clarify...
When you are around the dog and he growls, ignore him and do not move away. You want to be totally neutral. He will continue to growl, maybe even increase somewhat, but eventually it should diminish as you hold your ground. Only when he quits, walk away - without words or eye contact.

[Cajun Casey]

OK enough with the sarcastic posts, what should i do to make it stop?! and he is very obedient when it comes to all the basic commends and the hunting commands now.
thank you:)

In all seriousness, maybe you should just let him eat in peace. There are some dogs that just act funny when food is involved. One of the tests we use for dog reactivity is to see if a dog acts out while getting a drink in close proximity to another dog, especially if he's thirsty. How does your dog react to being interrupted while drinking? Changing your dog's reaction to being disturbed while eating probably isn't worth the effort as long as he is otherwise compliant.

[displaced_texan]

OK enough with the sarcastic posts, what should i do to make it stop?! and he is very obedient when it comes to all the basic commends and the hunting commands now.
thank you:)

In all seriousness, maybe you should just let him eat in peace. There are some dogs that just act funny when food is involved. One of the tests we use for dog reactivity is to see if a dog acts out while getting a drink in close proximity to another dog, especially if he's thirsty. How does your dog react to being interrupted while drinking? Changing your dog's reaction to being disturbed while eating probably isn't worth the effort as long as he is otherwise compliant.

Good point...

I was told once by a buddy that has owned, trained, and hunted over MANY bird dogs that they will almost all have some sort of quirk. Be glad if it's something small and easy to live with.

[Georgia Boy]

I know a guy who is a highly regarded breeder and trainer in the V-dog world who spits in everyone of his dogs bowls after he puts their feed in it, then carries them out to the dogs. When I asked him why he did that he said watch a pack of wolves or wild dogs, the alpha dogs eat first, then others and finally the pups. He thought they would smell the saliva from the ones that ate before them and his theory was his dogs thought he had ate what he wanted and was permitting them to eat the rest.

[Cajun Casey]

I know a guy who is a highly regarded breeder and trainer in the V-dog world who spits in everyone of his dogs bowls after he puts their feed in it, then carries them out to the dogs. When I asked him why he did that he said watch a pack of wolves or wild dogs, the alpha dogs eat first, then others and finally the pups. He thought they would smell the saliva from the ones that ate before them and his theory was his dogs thought he had ate what he wanted and was permitting them to eat the rest.

Ask him how he addresses the fact that older pack members regurgitate food for youngsters, would you please?

[huntcrazed]

I know a guy who is a highly regarded breeder and trainer in the V-dog world who spits in everyone of his dogs bowls after he puts their feed in it, then carries them out to the dogs. When I asked him why he did that he said watch a pack of wolves or wild dogs, the alpha dogs eat first, then others and finally the pups. He thought they would smell the saliva from the ones that ate before them and his theory was his dogs thought he had ate what he wanted and was permitting them to eat the rest.

This is very funny!

It reminds me a totally unrelated experience when I learned that spitting on a dog while is showing aggressive behavior(guarding and chasing an unfamiliar car in his territory) would make them stop.
Of course we were doing that from the safety of an open window of the intruding car to test if it was true and it worked every time.....

A dog growling is not always an aggressive behavior!

A dog might growl as part of trying to express it self vocally with out feeling aggression towards you but just wanting to let you know it feels excitement, o insecurity , or fear,and some times a dog will growl to show it is proud of something and showing off.

Peeing is a sign of submission on females but a male dog that does that is best to be left along.

There is no gain to become involved with training your dog to be bothered while eating and not do what he does unless you have a benefit from doing so.

Would the dog do that to anyone else and would it growl while being hand fed by others......you might want to try it and see with others he is or might become familiar with.

Does he have any other issues that actually are a problem?

Mario

[Georgia Boy]

I know a guy who is a highly regarded breeder and trainer in the V-dog world who spits in everyone of his dogs bowls after he puts their feed in it, then carries them out to the dogs. When I asked him why he did that he said watch a pack of wolves or wild dogs, the alpha dogs eat first, then others and finally the pups. He thought they would smell the saliva from the ones that ate before them and his theory was his dogs thought he had ate what he wanted and was permitting them to eat the rest.

Ask him how he addresses the fact that older pack members regurgitate food for youngsters, would you please?

He said it goes in through their mouth and comes back out of their mouth, same concept.