How long have they had the dog. Let me know.
It sounds like the people are novice dog owners and need the training more so than the dog.
Firstly the crate should absolutely not be a form of punishment.
Food aggression is not uncommon. The first step to curbing this behaviour however is that the dog must learn the basic commands such as sit, stay, wait and come.
For the food aggression the most important step (step 1) is 'sit' followed by 'wait'. The food should be placed in a bowl (not on the floor). They hold the bowl and the dog should be in sit position. The bowl is then placed on the floor and the dog should 'wait' until the command is given to eat. Also a leash should be placed on the dog. While the dog is eating, the command 'come' is given. Obviously the dog will not come at first. The leash should be used to remove the dog from the bowl and at the same time using the word 'come' - then reward with a piece of meat (food). The command or gester is then given to the dog to resume eating.
It is very difficult to tell you exactly how this is done, but if you try it on your own dog you will understand what I mean. You can then show your friend what to do.
Really - they should take a training course. It is money well spent. This dog needs to understand boundries, leadership, discipline and RESPECT. This dog was never shown in the past, but it is not too late.
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