Started debate with my wife needs finishin, dog aggression over food

[Myles Man]

 my male 6 mth pup (hound-cur-cat-pit) likes to fight over food. He got on the boston terrier this weekend and loves to get one with the BMC female. My wife says he learned it from the 2 dogs (5yr AB male and 9 yr mutt) we rotated him with to share their kennels since he was a 8 week pup . Now they all have their own kennels, but it seems he really wants to be Alpha......(which will never happen due to Macho, the 5 yr old 110 pound AB)

The debate is this:
1) He learned it from the other grown dogs
2) We can train him to not be aggressive over his food
Im pretty sure the answer to these are true. I want to know is it worth my time to teach him to stop being aggressive over food? Or should I just keep em seperated during feeding and not sweat the small stuff?

[halfbreed]

   i allways seperate dogs at feeding time . you can feed em together when they are pups but eventually they will squabble and need their own dang bowl and sometimes want to float from bowl to bowl . to avoid fights or bullying at eating time it is simpler to just seperate .

[DWEST]

Can you get around hum when he's eating?  I've always tried to break dogs early of this.  When they're pups, i make sure they know I am the one that gives them their food.  after i give them their food, i wait till they're eating good, and then take their bowl away...any growl and they get the tar knocked outta them.  It has helped a bunch.  But as said above, still best to seperate adult dogs when feeding, cuz some dogs wont tolerate another dog trying to get their food.

And all dogs must understand that you are the Alpha dog and no fighting will be tolerated

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[charles]

X2 with both above replys. Seperate during n make sure they know who is the boss.

[BA-IV]

I've never paid any attention to food aggression...just me probably not the right way but they'll set up a pecking order one way or another.

[MrsLouisianaHogDog]

We have ALWAYS fed dogs seperately here, always. Now if he was showing food aggression to y'all, that (in my book anyway) would be a SERIOUS problem. I had my Am Bull who would 'guard' his food and I didn't even realize he was doing it (my fault.) Well after a come to jesus session he is perfectly fine. I'd imagine if I ever dared tried to feed any more than one dog on this yard at the same time together I'd have issues at hand. Then again, the only dogs ever penned up together are young puppies when we have any. All the adults are in their own pens or chain spots.

[cody l]

I've never paid any attention to food aggression...just me probably not the right way but they'll set up a pecking order one way or another.

X2 all of my dogs are food aggressive the puppies figure out real quick not to go by them while there eating. It doesn't bother me because there not food aggressive towards me or my family.

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[JDJP]

My dogs are loose in the yard when I feed them, but I keep their bowls away from each other. They all go their spot and wait.  I believe It's natural for a dog to growl at another dog if approached while eating, I don't think it needs to be learned from another dog.

Now growling at me I will not stand for. I make it a habit to stick my hand in the bowl while they are eating, from pups ill put them on their back if they growl.

On the other hand I can put a bowl of food down in another spot and all of my dogs will eat together with no problems.

[Myles Man]

YEP, I LEARNED AT 12 WEEKS HE WAS GROWLING AT ME WHILE EATING, I FIXED IT REAL QUICK!
Now, Im thinking I need to try and teach them all to not fight over food, but if its a natural instinct(which I think it is) that can be a long war to win. I might try to teach the young dogs no fightin over food, but my AB is probably never gonna get it, he is a bulldog for cryin out loud, but I can say none of my dogs growl at me or my wife and kids, if they do, they learn quick-or they are gone!  ... But this 6 mth pup is gettin my attention more than any dog I have owned, I got high hopes in him

[txsteve85]

I feed all my dogs together....I hovered over them and used a switch when I needed to , they learned. Now I pour there bowls, open there gate and they all run to "their" bowl ..no problems

[KevinN]

Cool to hear how everyone does it. I feed my older dogs separate. Feed litters together, let them work it out. By the time I'm down to keepers I'm usually free feeding so no worries there really, one eats first, one second, so on...just natural order. It's funny... Not trying to thread jack but the pups/dogs that are feed aggressive, or even the Alpha dog on the yard doesn't always end up being the best hunting dog in the yard.