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Hi, i'm looking to get a chow chow as a puppy for my french bulldog when he becomes 1 years old. I have a japanese akita as a family pet but due to the food aggression it'll be too much hard work with my current job to risk getting another. Is food aggression common in chows? I'm looking to get a female.

Hi there! New chow chow owner here. I just got a black chow who's now 4 months old and we've been training him on a free-eating policy. So far it has been working out great -- we always have him sit and then lock on that sit even when we walk into the next room only to be "freed" with an "OK!" command. We leave the food and water out all day and he goes when he pleases. Since he's a puppy, he's had regular visits to the vet with no signs of obesity or aggression.

To overcome food aggression in the future, it has nothing to do with the breed of the dog, but rather having it get used to you "owning" the food. I practice this by making Otis sit and patiently wait for his food, as well as touching him everywhere while eating (even cleaning his paws), touching his ears, pushing him out of the way, putting my face next to his while he eats, taking the bowl away, etc. He doesn't seem to mind one bit, and neither will your's as long as you train early to show her that you can do WHATEVER you want with her food!

Hi there! With any breed, you can always do proper training. This thread http://forum.chowchow.org/viewforum.php?f=18 might be a great resource for you.

Here is a suggestion. I have owned Chows for over 20 years. Currently have 2 males and a female. None of them are altered. Despite the reputation, never a single problem with food aggression.

Start when young obviously. Place 1/2 of the feeding amount in the bowl. And as others have said, have the dog WAIT. I also use the commend BOWL. WAIT is also a great direction when you don't want them to just bolt out the door. Think of it as an imaginary line the dog can't cross until you allow it.

Let him know the bowl has food in it. Leave it on the counter. You will have his attention. Have him sit. Pick up the bowl and tell him to WAIT. If he moves, put the bowl back down. Repeat until he really does WAIT. Once the bowl is down, you wait. Then tell him BOWL. Now he can eat. Let him finish what is in the bowl. Then put the rest of dinner in the bowl, while it is still on the floor. Progress to picking up the bowl to refill.

After a couple times at this he will realize that you are not taking anything away from him. He will not protect the bowl to save his food. And since he is not worried that he won't have his food, he won't protect from the other dogs either.

food aggression is common among dogs if the Alpha is nowhere in sight

Thanks for the replies. Japanese akitas are notorious for food aggression. None of my other dogs were ever like that. These tips are ones that i've used with my frenchie. He's happy to share all of his toys/food. The only problem now is finding a good breeder in the UK.