My 8-month-old dog growls and guards food from me. How to stop?

Although this behavior can be common, mild aggression can very easily escalate and quickly. Especially, if your older dog decides to challenge her or not back down.It's not aggression you are seeing, it's resource guarding. I'd recommend always supervising them during feeding times and when treats or other high-value items are around. Teach your younger dog that there are no shortages of great things, ever. This means working with her around your other dog and showing her if she has something good like a bone/treat/toy there is another one coming. I call them treat parties where you have both dogs sit and give them rewards, alternating back and forth. This teaches them that they have to wait their turn, but they both will get something. Start with something basic like kibble, and every turn "trade up" for something more scrumptious each round. And offer plenty of "treats". This should help with some of the resource guarding you are experiencing. Keep practicing this regularly and it should help. If things begin to escalate more please call a professional trainer for a consultation and help. Nip this in the bud, before it gets to be harder to control.

Hi there. I would recommend getting Jean Donaldson's book "Mine!" for a detailed guide to how to deal with resource guarding in dogs. Basically, you need to work with the dog to show him that you are not a threat, and that good things happen when you come near his food or toys. If you have any qualified trainers in your area that could work with you in person, this would also be highly recommended as it can be challenging to deal with these issues yourself if you don't have experience.

Good for you for wanting to work on this behavior now, while Jax is young. Resource guarding is a common behavior in dogs. He acts this way because he's afraid you are going to take away his food or bone, and feels that he has to protect his stuff from you. Treatment for this problem is focused on changing the dog's emotional reaction to having you approach. Essentially, you want to teach him that great things happen when you come near - so there's no need to get upset and growl or snarl. You can start by standing at a distance and tossing treats to him while he's eating or chewing on a bone. From there, as long as he's comfortable, you can progress to walking by and dropping treats on the floor or into his bowl. Eventually, it's possible to work up to touching his bone or food bowl, praising and giving a handful of tasty treats, and walking away again. NEVER try to deal with this problem by punishing Jax or taking away his things, as this will only make him more tense and defensive around you in the future. If you have difficulty with this training plan or if you are not seeing improvement within a few weeks, I would recommend consulting with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. I also highly recommend the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson - it's an excellent guide to dealing successfully with resource guarding in dogs. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org)

In general, this is done by teaching the dogs that great things happen when you come near his bowl. You start at a distance where he’s comfortable and toss his extra-tasty treats while he’s eating, then gradually work your way closer as long as he’s happy and comfortable. It can be very challenging to do this on your own, especially if the problem is severe, so I would recommend working with a veterinary behaviorist or s good reward-based trainer if you can. NEVER take away his food bowl or use any kind of punishment for this behavior, as this will only make him more upset and defensive and make the problem worse over time. For more details on resource guarding and how to address it, I highly recommend the book “Mine!” by Jean Donaldson.

Resource guarding (growling, snapping, or even biting when food or toys are taken away) is a common problem. To some extent, yes - this is normal behavior for dogs, in that they are hard-wired to defend food and other high value items from other animals. However, it's definitely something that we want to try and work on, since this behavior can be a problem in human households. I would recommend teaching Huxley to come when you call him, so that you can call him away from things when needed instead of physically intervening to take them away - make sure to always reward with a treat when he listens. You can also teach him to "drop it!" when asked, which gives you an easy way to get items away from him when needed. This article gives more detailed information on how to teach both of these skills: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-obedience-commands-every-dog-should-know/ If this behavior worsens as he gets older, then I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Huxley in person and help you put together a more detailed plan for working with him. You can search for one in your area here, if needed: www.dacvb.org

Food aggression and resource guarding is common behavior and since she is young I think you could have good success with a little work. Your goal will be to make her think that your approach and eventually the other dogs' approach is a very good thing that results in treats. You should start by choosing a treat that will be even more appealing than her food, and tossing them in her bowl from a safe distance where she feels safe. If she seems comfortable with you close to the bowl you can stay close and put treats in the bowl when you are nearby. Eventually you want to try having your other dog nearby on a leash but at a distance where she is not threatened and then toss treats to her - you should gradually decrease the distance as she gets used to it. If you're having difficulty you should talk to your vet about referral to a behaviorist.

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach! For food aggression problems, I typically direct clients to the ASPCA website for a detailed write up on dealing with food aggression. If these measures do not work, then I typically recommend using a service such as Bark Busters to come to your house and help correct this behavior. This can be frustrating to overcome but with persistence and patience, Buddy will likely improve. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. https:// www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/food-guarding