Dear Bif- I have a 9 month old border collie pup that is food aggressive. This is because the breeder fed all the pups from the same bowl. At dinner time, the BC will rush the dominant dog in the house (a westie), and initiate a fight. The westie always wins, and I know this stems from the BC's fear that she won't get her fair share. They all have their own separate bowls, and I've even taken to feeding the westie in a separate room. Now that this has been going on for the last few months, I seem to have it under control, just calling the BC as she looks for the westie seems to nip it in the bud, but I want to make the BC comfortable at feeding time, not a basket case that's afraid to eat until everyone is ignoring her. Doing the "kibble drop" into her bowl has never been a problem, she's not food aggressive with people... she doesn't seem to have made the connection that she's got nothing to fear from the dominant bitch. Sometimes the westie hears the bowls come out at dinner time and makes herself scarce for awhile. I've tried speaking with a local behaviorist, but her suggestion (the kibble drop) didn't do any good. Any ideas? - KarenB, NH

Border Collies definitely master the subtle language of eye contact. You will have to keep up what you are doing - monitor the feedings. Stand right over the BC and make sure she does not make one move towards the westie. Feeding in separate rooms is a good practice. You can also take up the BC's bowl immediately after she leaves it to go towards the other dog. The idea would be that she now has nothing to protect anymore, therefore no reason to fight. You have to be careful with this technique as she may think you are trying to steal the food. This would depend on how she normally reacts to you. During feedings, the BC is trying to assume the alpha position so make sure you are there to correct the order.

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