obsessed with food?

I have a four year old rottweiler/lab mixed (Roxy) and she's twice the size of her mother and father. My problem with her is that she guards her food bowls. I also have three other dogs that need to eat. If one of them even comes near the bowls, empty or full, Roxy will growl, run over to them and lay in front of them so that no other dog can get to them. She also gets upset when one of her bowls is getting empty and will throw it around the kitchen. Roxy will even eat when she's not hungry just so that that dogs will have nothing to eat!

I've tried to make four different bowls of food for each of my dogs and put them in different rooms, but Roxy makes sure she gets done first so that she can steal the others' food. :eek: Most of the time, the only way all of the other dogs can eat is if I feed them myself....kind of like how you would feed a baby. Roxy's mom (Gypsy) will wait until Roxy is playing or outside to eat, but my youngest dog (Molly) will just except that Roxy doesn't want her to eat and walks away. I don't want her think she has to do whatever Roxy wants her to do. :(

I know dogs that have been in previous situations where their owners have starved them so they get very protective of their food, but we've always had Roxy and she's always been well fed.

I worry when nobody's home that the dogs will get into a fight over their food and someone will end up hurt. :(

Any suggestions? :confused:



http://i26.tinypic.com/2l95q9i_th.jpg

http://i29.tinypic.com/210c1f7_th.jpg

http://i27.tinypic.com/2pz9nyx_th.jpg

She has claimed her alpha.

She needs corrective behaviour. Put her on short lead attached to your belt.
She eats when you say she does, she runs when you say she does, she plays when you say she does.

Before I came into the world of the difficult pup, all pups got fed from equal bowls at equal times.

She needs to watch others eat first, through a baby gate. She needs to be attached toyou with a short tether to know she does what YOU want when you say she can.

I believe she is exercising her alpha. And we, the two-leggers, ARE the alpha.

You are the boss. You tell her, by the methods described above.

SO MANY DOGS DIE EVERY DAY because we do NOT train aand teach.

I spend hours every day trying unsuccessfully to save dogs who end up in high-kill because they never had training.

Doesn't matter the age, our pups LOVE TO LEARN!

Please tell your baby girl YOU ARE THE BOSS.

You feed her last, and out of range of the others. She is on TETHER watching your alpha eat fisrt. This is the primal code of canine behaviour.

I totally agree with Gabrielle...your dog needs to learn that you control the food and not her. I feed 3 dogs together here and not one will ever go to the wrong bowl. Make her sit before releasing her to go to her bowl, sit, stand down, doesn't really matter as long as she learns you are the boss. I would feed the dogs only when you are around so you can keep your eyes on the others and make sure they get their share. If you have to feed Roxy inher crate until she gets the message. The growling should not be allowed, it will turn into a full blown bite.