Dog food aggression is an important dog training goal to prevent unexpected injury to yourself and others. Because serious food aggression is extremely dangerous, leading to unprovoked attack, many shelters euthanize dogs that they feel cannot be broken of food aggression easily. The risk of danger from a dog attack is too high, which explains why it is critical for a pet owner to break puppies and dogs of aggression towards other dogs and people while eating.
Stages of Dog Food Aggression
It's instinctive for dogs to guard their food or belongings, especially if they've come from a situation where food was scarce. Dogs have three levels of canine possession aggression:
- Level One: Tensing up when someone nears him during a meal
- Level Two: Wolfing food down or raising a lip when someone nears the bowl
- Level Three: Dog stares at the intruders and gives the clearest warning by snarling and then biting
Understanding Why Dogs Guard Food and Toys
Dog food aggression is instinctive and may show up at any point in a dog's life. Dogs have a natural urge to protect their important possessions, food is top priority to any dog, from other animals and humans.
Often, the object has been taken away from the dog in the past and he's determined that no one will again take it. By acting on instinct, growling and snapping, it's unlikely another animal or person will attempt to remove that food. The dog's aggression led him to keeping exactly what he wants.
Breaking the Dog Food Aggression Habit
The easiest way to prevent dog bites and injury from dog food aggression is to keep mealtimes unexpected. Instead of placing the dog food in the bowl and leaving the dog to eat alone, start hand feeding your dog. Give him one piece of food at a time straight out of your hand.
Feed him at your pace, not his. Keep up this routine for two weeks, sometimes dropping a few pieces of food in the bowl and other times making him eat from your hand.
Because the dog is uncertain where the food will come from, he associates you with the food and realizes he must come to you. You are the master of the food and he only gets it with behavior that demonstrates he knows you are the alpha dog.
Once the dog realizes you control the food portions and frequency, you can start increasing the amount of food placed in the bowl. Sit near your dog while he eats and rather than placing the food into the bowl in one shot, divvy it up into four portions and frequently approach the bowl as he is eating to add more.
Use Treats to Interrupt Meal Times
Add a tasty treat to the bowl from time to time so that the dog is caught off guard. Items like liver, cooked chicken and cubes of beef will appeal to the dog more than his own food. Over time, he'll eagerly anticipate the treat and look forward to you interrupting his meal and removing his bowl as he eats.