Ask a dog trainer: why does my dog growl when I approach his food?

All you wanted was a nice family pet. What you got was a dog that turns into Kujo whenever food is involved. A dog that acts this way can be dangerous, especially in a house with kids. Unfortunately all too often dogs exhibiting this behavior end up at the shelter because the owners just couldn’t figure out how to fix the situation.

Why Your Dog Gowls When You Approach His Food

This is a type of resource guarding. The behavior stems from an easy idea: “It’s mine and you can’t have it.” Just like a child on the playground that won’t share her candy, your dog doesn’t want to share or give up whatever they have in their possession. Aside from the definition, however, resource guarding is actually a bit of an enigma. Lead behaviorists like Robin Bennett CPDT-KA, who is an author of several books on canine body language, says that aside from the fact your dog finds his food valuable, it’s hard to say why exactly some dogs have this trait and others don’t.

It could be genetic, however, and that theory is hard to prove. Often several dogs from the same litter or same father or mother will exhibit this trait – but not all! And sometimes the environment (such a stray dog that is forced to live off scraps, or a dog in a household where children constantly steal the dog’s treats) seems to be a factor as well.

What To Do To Stop Your Dog From Growling When You Approach His Food

First – get help! Find a certified professional dog trainer that can work with you and your family to help your dog learn that you are not there to take away his resources and work to teach him it’s good to “share” with you.

Second – don’t test your dog! You cannot force a dog who guards food to be okay with it by grabbing his food away. Because not only is this not the way to approach it, but it’s also a great way to put yourself at risk for a dog bite.

So, while waiting for your training to work, don’t test your dog. Instead, follow this simple protocol to feed your dog without incident: Prepare his food in a different room than your dog. Set the bowl down. Open the door and leave your dog alone to eat. When he is finished, call him out of the room. Shut the door and then pick up the bowl. This eliminates any chance of a bite.

Third – Be Prepared with trades. Sometimes things happen. Your kid leaves the table and finds the dog blocking his way back. Or maybe you drop a piece of chicken covered in cayenne on the floor. Or she finds a dark chocolate bar. In cases where you need to get something away from your dog, be prepared to get her to drop it by offering something even better as a trade. Having high value dog treats or even something like hot dog or cheese can be a life saver. Show your dog the treat you have. When they drop what they are currently guarding, throw the new treat for them to run get, allowing you time to take the stolen food safely.

The below video is a great demonstration of what to do and not do if you need to get food away from a dog that guards it:

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