Does your pup growl and try to bite you when you take away their food or treats? I experienced it when I first brought Gatsby home. I remember placing down his bowl of food, and he started eating it. His bowl kept moving, so I tried to reposition it, and that’s when he growled and bit me. How can my sweet pup do that to me?! I was pretty pissed and then called his trainer right away for help. Gatsby’s trainer said to me: “First, your dog doesn’t have dog food aggression. It’s called food resource guarding! Second, here’s what you need to do to stop it.”
Dog Food Aggression is Food Resource Guarding
Dog food aggression is not the proper term. Your pup is simply guarding its highest resource, which is food. Food resource guarding is when a dog becomes very defensive while eating and wants to protect their food, so they growl, snap, or even bite to keep others (even other animals) away.
There are three levels of food resource guarding you need to watch out for:
- Mild: your dog growls and may show teeth.
- Moderate: your dog snaps or lunges when you approach them.
- Severe: your dog bites.
Why your dog has food resource guarding
Before you get angry and frustrated at your pup like I did, you have to understand that this behavior was passed down through evolution when dogs needed to protect every meal or resource they had to survive. Keep in mind that dogs never know when or where to get their next meal in the wild!
Some of you might say, “But I’m the pack leader, and my dog shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him/her.” It looks like you’re the one with the ego problem here! Sorry, not sorry. Another point I want to make is, imagine yourself eating your favorite meal. Your friend or waiter suddenly comes to take it away. Simply because they want to show that they can. Wouldn’t you be annoyed? Isn’t that rude? Respect your dog for just being a dog.
How to stop it
Dog food resource guarding shouldn’t be tolerated, and you need to start working on how you can stop it right away before anyone gets hurt. Using the techniques below consistently will help you desensitize your dog so it will no longer be protective when someone approaches them while they’re eating. Also, your dog is learning that it’s a good thing when someone approaches their food.
Below is what I learned and had to do to stop Gatsby from food resource guarding.
Have your dog work for their food
While making their food, ask your pup to sit, lay down, or stay. You are giving them a bit of mental stimulation and having them work on impulse control. This should put your dog in a calmer state of mind.
Hand-Feeding
This method worked out very nicely for me, and I was doing this consistently every meal. It lets your dog know that your hand is only giving food and not trying to take it away. You also want your dog to get used to eating while your hands are around their face.
Treat tossing
When your pup is finally OK with your hands around their face, walk away and then come back to toss some high-value treats in the bowl while your dog is eating. This teaches your dog that your hand and you being around their food are not a threat.
Trade-up
While your dog is eating their food, trade them something better, like a special treat or a different type of meat. The point here is to interrupt your dog from eating food so they can take a treat from you. This method lets your dog know that nobody is out to steal their food if they look away and they actually get something way better!
So, for example, if you’re currently feeding your dog kibble for dinner, trade them with a good-sized piece of boiled chicken. I also highly suggest providing your dog with real food instead of kibble. I have a detailed blog post about why here.
The trade-up technique also works well if your dog is resource guarding other things like dog chews and toys.
Stay Consistent and Be Patient
Remember, you’re not going to see change right away. It’s going to take time to desensitize your pup. The point here is to build trust with your dog. Only through this process will your dog know that there’s no reason to resource guard their food.
Nowadays, I know that Gatsby trusts me when I’m near him while he’s eating. He doesn’t show signs of food resource guarding anymore, but I still like to sit with him while he’s eating and toss a very special treat in his bowl now and then.
