pekingese dog

Question
Hi,I have a pekingese (male) 3 years old. he is very aggresive when it come to his food and treats
he will growl and try to bite you if you come near him. I am afraid he will hurt a child because of this.I can make him back down from growling with a water bottle but he always does it again.how can I train him not to do this,and why is he afraid we will take this from him there is only my spouse and me at home with him.sometimes he get in these moods where he will growl and try to bite you if you just go close to him you can wait about 5 mins then he is fine.he stays inside the home.we cant leave him with anyone because of this problem so he has never been left with anyone. we have had him since he was 3 months old.we keep his food bowl with food in it at all times because if it gets empty and he is hungry he will growl and try to bite you and he wont let you go near the bowl to fill it up.he is a good dog except for this problem. he is full of engery wont set still when you try to do things for him. he goes to groomers once a month they have never said anything about him trying to bite them.he doesnt let anyone go in his terriory where his food and water is except my spouse and me.when he is outside he wont let another dog come into our yard he growls and barks trys to fight them we keep him on a lease. my dogs name is Akash and he is 13 pounds.and a joy.hope you can help me everyone I have ask about this just say all pekingese are very aggressive but dont have answer how to make him stop growling and trying to bite. my husband says he really isnt trying to bite he just puts his teeth together and when you pull your hand back then it gets you.he has never drawed blood when he bites.
thank you  

Answer
Hello, Patricia, and thanks for asking! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to respond, but I only have access to a computer at work, and I was swamped yesterday.

Many dog owners have the same problem you are having with their dogs. The simplest way to overcome his food bowl aggression is to start feeding him by hand. Do not leave food out for him all day (leaving water available is fine); establish at least two times a day where he will be fed. Once in the morning and once in the evening, and if someone is home during the day, a mid-day feeding is okay as well. To help with the 'territorial' aggression (not allowing anyone to go near the area where his food and water bowls are kept), you may want to move the area to someplace else for a while, until you can get his aggression under control. Since you will be feeding him by hand, there will be no need for his food bowl to be left down. Keep it up on top of the fridge or someplace where he can't get to it. All that should be left on the floor is his water bowl, and you should move it to a different location for awhile.

I'll assume you're going to be feeding him twice daily. Depending on the food you're feeding, he should be getting approximately 1 cup of food per day, so you'll need to measure out 1/2 cup of food for each feeding. Make sure you pick times that you can stick to each day. With my own dog, she is fed breakfast at 6:45am, then again at 5:45pm, and again at 8:30pm. I have to feed her two evening meals because if her stomach sits empty for more than 8 or 9hours, she gets an upset tummy and throws up bile. The 8:30pm feeding prevents this from occurring.

At the specified time, take the 1/2 cup of food and go sit on the floor. It doesn't matter where you do this, but it should not be in the area that his food bowl sits now. Call him over to you and offer him a few pieces of food in your open hand. Let him take them and if he doesn't lift his lip, growl, or show any other signs of aggression towards you, praise him in a happy tone of voice. Tell him what a good boy he is, but do not try to pet him or reach towards him with the other hand. The moment he stiffens, lifts his lip, or growls, or whatever, tell him "NO!" in a low tone of voice and immediately close your fingers over the food and withdraw your hand (do not jerk it away). Wait 5 or 10 seconds and offer your hand with the food in it again. Remember to praise him for taking the food nicely and not showing any aggression, and to immediately tell him "NO" and take the food away from him by withdrawing your hand the very second he does show aggression. If you have to tell him no and withdraw your hand three times at one feeding, simply get up after that third time, put the food up, and walk away. Do not give him another opportunity to eat until the next mealtime. He will soon learn that by being nice, he gets to keep eating, but when he shows aggression, the food gets taken away. A week or two of this should help to eliminate his food aggression and you can start putting his bowl back in the spot it's in now if that's more convenient for you. After a week or so, or whenever he's able to calmly eat his whole meal from your hand without any aggression, you can start to try patting him and touching him while he's eating. The first few times, he will most likely growl and may snap at you, so be prepared to tell him "NO" and withdraw the food. However, at this point, he only gets one chance, so if you have to tell him no twice, get up and walk away. Once you're able to actually pet him while he's eating, without him showing aggression, you can re-introduce the bowl. Start this 'phase' of training by putting the bowl down and holding your hand above the bowl, still letting him eat from your hand. Pet him while he's eating. Then, put ONLY one or two pieces of food in the bowl. Withdraw your hand and see if he will let you pet him while he eats the food from the bowl. Again, DON'T FORGET TO PRAISE HIM when he's not showing aggression! If he stiffens, growls, or snaps, tell him "NO" and get up and walk away, leaving the bowl on the floor (because reaching for it may trigger aggression and you don't want that. You can pick the bowl up and put it away when he's left the room). This is why you only put one or two pieces of food in the bowl; you don't want to get up and walk away and leave food there for him. At this point in the training, when you tell him no, it means he does not get any more food until next mealtime. Game over.


Everything I've just explained should take at least a few weeks, and could take a month or longer, depending on your dog. You never want to rush things when it comes to training. Rushing causes sloppiness and unpredictability. Make sure the dog is completely comfortable at one stage before advancing to the next. If, at the next stage, you're having to tell him no over and over, then perhaps he wasn't ready to advance. Step back and do what you were doing at the previous stage for a few more days.



It is good that you keep him on a leash when you're outside; this is a MUST. As for his dog aggression, you may first want to consult with a trainer in your area and see what they suggest. *I* would suggest getting a clicker, a micro prong collar, and a 4-6 foot long leash and working with him to help him understand that aggression towards other dogs simply will not be tolerated. I had to do this with my own dog; she wanted to attack every other dog she encountered, so as a result, I could not take her on walks or on hiking trips without a muzzle on - before I started her training, that is. Now I can turn her loose at the dog park and she actually plays with the other dogs there, with no signs of aggression whatsoever. If you're interested, let me know.

And if there's anything else I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask!

Kristen