Anyone else's dog super aggressive over food and water... any ideas?

My shih tzu Angel is being super aggressive with her male puppy and adult male shih tzu. For about 3 weeks now, she has been attacking the puppy, and since she became an adult, she’s been aggressive with the adult male too. I don’t know what to do. Anyone else have a dog like this? She won’t even let the adult eat sometimes.

That sounds tough. My dog got a bit like that too when it came to food. It could be a dominance thing. Have you tried separating them at meal times?

anderson said:
That sounds tough. My dog got a bit like that too when it came to food. It could be a dominance thing. Have you tried separating them at meal times?

I haven’t tried that yet. Would separating them help with the aggression? I’m not sure how to go about it.

@Parly
Yeah, it’s actually been pretty helpful. Just separate them into different rooms or crates while eating. That way there’s no competition for food.

That’s interesting. I’ve heard some dogs get aggressive if food was limited when they were puppies. Could that be it?

PetProPaula said:
That’s interesting. I’ve heard some dogs get aggressive if food was limited when they were puppies. Could that be it?

I think that might be it! She’s always been pretty territorial with food, but I never thought it could be from when she was a puppy. Should I get her formal training?

@Parly
It could definitely help! A trainer could teach her some skills to manage the aggression. You could also try the ‘place’ or ‘bed’ command to keep them separated in the same room.

Hey, just curious—has Angel always been like this or is it a more recent issue?

Joel said:
Hey, just curious—has Angel always been like this or is it a more recent issue?

She’s always been aggressive, especially with the adult male. But it’s gotten worse with the puppy in the last few weeks.

Hmm, I’m not sure if sterilizing her will help, but it’s worth trying. Some say it calms them down a bit, but others believe it’s more about behavior training.

Mia said:
Hmm, I’m not sure if sterilizing her will help, but it’s worth trying. Some say it calms them down a bit, but others believe it’s more about behavior training.

That’s what I’ve heard. I’m planning to get her sterilized soon, but I’ll still focus on training. Thanks for the advice!

I’ve been through something similar with my dog. I ended up managing the situation with separation during meals and training commands. Definitely recommend doing both if you can.

PriyankaJonas said:
I’ve been through something similar with my dog. I ended up managing the situation with separation during meals and training commands. Definitely recommend doing both if you can.

I’ll try that! Hopefully, separating them at mealtimes helps with her aggression. Thanks for the tip!