It was a very unorthodox adoption, but I prevented this 8month old puppy from going to a) a potential backyard breeder (he's not neutered), b) a shelter, or c) a dog fighter for bait/food today by taking him from an overwhelmed young mother who wanted to give him up. I wish he understood what driving through Newark was like for me -- he'd lick my face for ages!
He's only been in our home for a few hours so his behavior now basically means nothing. He's bony and very hungry. I haven't seen much aggression. The worst so far was when I tried to pry a Greenie from his mouth. He surprised me by growing and mouthing, and slapping me with his forepaw.
Regardless of that incident, I don't think he is food aggressive. Food aggressive dogs generally avoid you while you are preparing their food, wait until you vacate the area of their food, and eat while you are away. When you approach they generally stop and stare/growl/guard at you. This dog -- "Sammy" -- was all over my feet while I made up his bowl, couldn't WAIT to get his face in, and would actually stop eating if I walked too far away. He preferred having me close to the bowl. Which makes him a social eater, not food aggressive.
My guess is the growl and nastiness stemmed from other factors, like a) he was still hungry after dinner, b) he'd never had a Greenie, and REALLY seemed into it, c) he doesn't know me, so he's testing boundaries. We shall see. Regardless I did what I thought best in the situation without getting bit.
**EDIT** Two weeks later, I offered him a greenie, and he gave it up without a problem.
We still don't have wall art or those tupperware containers.
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