High protein diets and agression?

[Jerrybobby]

We will be welcoming our family's first boxer puppy in a number of weeks. When doing research of food choices I have heard a lot here about TOTW food as being a good all life stages food and people have good success with it. As I was reading the TOTW web site FAQ it had a question about high protein diets resulting in aggression in dogs and it said it was possible. Has anyone noticed this when starting, changing to, or using a high protein dog food like TOTW?

 

[sriley]

Great question! I used to feed TOTW and never had a problem with aggression whether it be with other dogs or people. If you are referring to food aggression, I reckon that if a dog is going to be aggressive when around food, it likely won't matter if it's being fed a high protein kibble or not. I've also heard that feeding a raw diet can make a dog aggressive, but I don't know how much truth there is to that claim. Personally, I'm a big skeptic. I suppose there may be a hierarchy in terms of how desirable different foods and/or treats are for dogs and a dog may be more apt to defend something really desirable over something that it just has a mediocre interest in, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will be more defensive of something that's higher in protein. Keep in mind that there are plenty of dogs out there who are fed poor quality diets (Iams, Purina, and 'Ol Roy come to mind) that are aggressive.

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new addition! I commend you for doing some research and figuring out what you think will be best for the new pup. Can't wait to see puppy photos

 

[Jerrybobby]

Great question! I used to feed TOTW and never had a problem with aggression whether it be with other dogs or people. If you are referring to food aggression, I reckon that if a dog is going to be aggressive when around food, it likely won't matter if it's being fed a high protein kibble or not. I've also heard that feeding a raw diet can make a dog aggressive, but I don't know how much truth there is to that claim. Personally, I'm a big skeptic. I suppose there may be a hierarchy in terms of how desirable different foods and/or treats are for dogs and a dog may be more apt to defend something really desirable over something that it just has a mediocre interest in, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will be more defensive of something that's higher in protein. Keep in mind that there are plenty of dogs out there who are fed poor quality diets (Iams, Purina, and 'Ol Roy come to mind) that are aggressive.

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new addition! I commend you for doing some research and figuring out what you think will be best for the new pup. Can't wait to see puppy photos

Thanks. I took it to mean that the dog could be more aggressive generally because it is eating something more akin to their "historic", "natural" diet...protein. I wonder if it was more geared toward aggression around the bowl...will go back and re-read. Stopped by a good store tonight and told them everything I learned from reading food posts here and they were very impressed...I sounded like I knew what I was doing!!...this is such a great resource, thanks to everyone who takes the time to help out.

 

[sriley]

Yes, Boxer World is a wonderful resource. I don't know how I managed prior to stumbling upon the site myself.

As for the high protein/aggression issue, I'm sure other members will chime in with their two cents worth soon. And there are PLENTY of members who feed TOTW who can likely provide far more insight than I can.

 

[Cami]

I *think* and could be totally off base here but in *some* situations it has been proven (and scientific studies are minimal) that a diet higher in protein can lead to aggression however....it takes into account other ratios of the food ingredients (carbs for example) and it is extremely RARE.
Most often aggression issues are more directly related to various behavior issues (food guarding can be seen as an aggressive behavior) and various medical issues.
Here is some additional reading on the subject.
Can Diet Cause Aggression in Dogs? | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter
PROVET HEALTHCARE INFORMATION - Protein and Canine Aggression

In the grand scheme of things a diet higher in protein is far more beneficial health wise (for most dogs) than the very small risk of the same diet leading to aggression. If this were something more main stream the introduction of RAW fed diets becoming so popular over the past decade would have brought the subject out in the open more.
Just my opinion of course!

I fed Cami a high protein diet as a part of her cancer treatment. I feed Raine TOTW. RMB's are also a normal addition. No aggression issues unless being stubborn counts!

 

[samsons]

well , just for conversation reasons , I will throw this out ....

My sam , is a 3 YO , well behaved boy ( service/therapy dog ) in training his CGC & we have had lost of foster's in & out.
we currently have a VERY nice little MUT girl here, ohh about 4 mo old.

so when shopping today , i finally found, raw meaty bones, had the butcher cut them to smaller pieces, came home , cleaned out most of the fatty stuff ( my boy has never had them ) and froze them. so i threw them down frozen , its over a 100 here, as a nice cold treat.

let me tell u , my boy has NEVER , no matter how great the value of the treat , EVER been food aggressive !!! he got a little JUMPY snapping at the air , when DH tried to pick up the bone and move it to help him get at it better .... :(


well , of course , i am not going to stand for that ! so , with safety in mind first , gave the bones back to both dogs, and would take them back , out of there mouths ect , BUT would give right back to them. teaching them both ( or reminding sam ) that I can take it , or anyone , & you will get it back !!

i guess its kinda like , u have a cheese burger from mc d's , ur buddy says can i have a bite , sure ... who cares .... u have a 200.00 steak , and u would stab ur SAME buddy with ur fork if he tried to take it ! .... so its more about learning , to the pup, I WILL GET MY STUFF BACK ... U JUST WANT A NIBBLE NOT ALL OF IT !!

so after a cpl times of taking the bones & giving back ,I also took from one & gave to the other , ( swapping ), both pups where laying around not caring who touched the bones .....

JUST what worked at my house ~~ not so much about protein BUT more about VALUE ! my guys eat TOTW ... and the neighbors cat could come in & eat it .... who cares ...

those awesome frozen bones where a dif story !!

 

[Jerrybobby]

Thanks

Insightful, this sight is going to be a huge resource for me I am sure. So much knowledge. The people in the store I went to spoke highly of TOTW, along with a couple of others.

My previous dog (rescue) was very protective of bones. Nothing else. But bones were always an issue for him

 

[sriley]

My previous dog (rescue) was very protective of bones. Nothing else. But bones were always an issue for him

Same here with my guys. They actually had a pretty nasty fight not too long ago over a raw bone (even though they each had their own ... go figure!). They'll let people take bones from them, but if one dog gets near the other, look out!

 

[bxrmomlksc]

i will have to try and find the info i read about this but i saw something about the high protein diet being something compareable to how parents of children with disabilities (such as autism and ADHD) feel that the chemicals, preservatives and colours in their child's foods were causing an increase in undesirable behaviours. They also suspected gluten could be a contributing factor.

obviously some dogs may have problems around the food bowl, or with high value items but what i read in regards to high protein and aggression was something at the other end of the spectrum - i'll see if i can dig out the information.

 

[johann]

Same here with my guys. They actually had a pretty nasty fight not too long ago over a raw bone (even though they each had their own ... go figure!). They'll let people take bones from them, but if one dog gets near the other, look out!

Resource guarding is a very different entity than actual aggression though. From what I remember reading, the concerns with high protein diets is that some researchers found they may cause dog or human aggression.

Not giving up a raw bone willingly has nothing to do with its high protein content. It has to do with the dog not respecting/understanding the person taking it away enough to concede "OK, you can have it. I bet I get something better or just as good in exchange though".

To the OP, TOTW is a great food. Good luck with your new addition.