# Puppy always hungry (surprise!) and too aggressive (surprise again!)



## zolttt (Jan 20, 2012)

http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/106837-want-play-guess-breed-new-post.html

The post above there are pics of our new puppy (catahoula mix) that we have had since the 8th of february. He has since put on more weight, as when we got him he was so skinny and wormed up, but is now showing signs of better health, and has finished his worm medication. I will have to update the pics on that post ! 

ANYWAYS. He is a great pup, is good at going to the bathroom outside, however he does not let us know what so ever when he has to pee, except for overnight, and has had a few incidents inside, but they have gone down drastically since the beginning. He sleeps in his crate through the night (except when he has to pee) without even being locked in, and does well at being locked in his crate when we are not home.

The big issue is with his aggression at times and eating, for starters everything I read, and every bag of food has different measurements of what to feed him. We have switched him over to merrick puppy plate, and the bag says to feed him 4-7 cups, which to me seems way way way too much. We (as of yesterday) were giving him 3/4th of a cup 3 times a day, but he always seemed so hungry after that all he would do after would be search for food, and then when you would try to play with him he would be very aggressive and irritable. So aggressive that he literally seems like he is in attack mode, and not being playful at all, and bites quite hard.. this happens often when he does not get what he wants, but more so after he eats and is still hungry. He used to inhale his food, and we purchased a slow down bowl, which helps... but I still think he eats too fast which may be part of the problem. 

Today I switched him to a little over 1 cup in the morning, and will do the same at night. This morning he seemed less interested in going around the house looking for food, and less aggresive.

Mainly I am wondering... How much, and how often do we feed this fella!! he certainly is getting back to a decent size, and is at about 17-18 lbs at what we think is 13 weeks. 

also any other tips on how to get him calm when he gets so rowdy and aggressive, or any general tips on how to get him to stop biting would be great ! We take him for about 3 walks at around 20-30 mins a piece to keep him up with his excercise, and also play with him in our yard from time to time.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I would hand feed him his meals. A few pieces at a time. If his teeth touch your skin, you take away the hand with the kibble and let him settle back down. Ask him to sit while you feed him. Hand feeding will slow down his eating, build the bond between you, teach him some bite inhibition and teach some manners.

I'd probably feed on the low end of the bag recommendation for starters and adjust later if you notice him getting pudgy. An active and growing puppy will need a fair amount of calories for his weight compared to an adult dog.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

How much and how often to feed depends on the food you are feeding him, and his weight. Usually the recommendation on the bag goes by how much the puppy weighs. I agree that 4-7 cups sounds like a lot for a 13 week old puppy, but I have small breeds, so my guess may be wrong.

As for him being aggressive, I doubt it's actually aggression. It sounds like he's resource guarding what food he hopes to find when he's searching around for more after he's eaten. Does that make sense? He's still hungry, and is searching around for more food and doesn't want to you to bother him.

Have you checked out the sticky "The Bite Stops Here"?


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I agree with doxiemommy. I think he's hungry and resource guarding. I mean, I don't mind sharing my M&Ms- unless it's the only thing I've had all day, and then you can get back, grrrr!

I think he's just not getting enough food. It does take some guessing to get the right amount for each individual dog (like humans, some dogs have fast metabolisms and some dogs have slow metabolisms), so don't hesitate to change the amount if you need to, and don't worry too much about the recommendations on the bag.

"The Bite Stops Here" is a sticky at the top of this forum or the training forum that explains teaching bite inhibition.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

3/4 cup 3 times a day is only 1 1/2 cups a day. That is too little for a larger breed growing puppy. Same for the 1 cup twice a day. I'd up it to at least 2 cups am and pm and see how that works.


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