My dog is food guarding. How can I safely and effectively stop it?

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.

I would be happy to help you - feel free to request a consultation if you want to discuss Koda's issues in more detail. For now, I can certainly give you some general information about food aggression and how to treat it :) Food aggression, like other types of resource guarding, occurs because the dog is afraid that you are going to take their food away from them. This doesn't have to be based on any negative experiences in the past - it's a hard-wired, instinctive behavior that is stronger in some dogs than others. Treatment is based on teaching the dog that good things happen when you approach his food bowl, so that over time, this doesn't make her feel threatened anymore. You can start by walking by her and dropping a treat into her food bowl while she is eating. Once she's comfortable with this, you can gradually work up to approaching her, picking up the bowl, adding a special treat of some kind, and giving it back. It's never recommended to punish this behavior, or to bother her or take away her bowl while she is eating, since this only reinforces the idea that bad things happen when you approach her and will make the problem worse over time. The book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson gives an excellent overview of this issue, along with detailed step-by-step training instructions to address it.

It's good you are trying to get control of this issue while Bruno is still young. Food guarding or resource guarding can be a serious issue. 1st make sure no children or other pets are around as you try to control this. You can't leave the food or food bowl out for Bruno. This gives him something to guard. Only put it down at meal times and put it down while empty then walk away. Then come back and give him 1-3 pieces In the bowl. Continue to do this so he associates you approaching the food bowl as putting food in not taking it away. Here are some articles with good info. This is a serious behavior issue so if these exercises don't help please seek out a behaviorist who can help with Bruno. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1740 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1462&S=1&SourceID=47 http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/resource-guarding-treatment-and-prevention

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)

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! I would recommend getting a really special, tasty treat (something like chicken or roast beef, for example). Let him see that you have it, and toss it on the floor a little distance away from where he is. If the treat is exciting enough, he should leave the bully stick to go and eat the treat. Toss him a whole handful if needed to keep him busy while you pick up the bully stick. Alternatively, if you don't *need* him to come out of the conference room right now, just leave him alone until he's finished. Either way, this is probably something that you want to work on, so I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you put together a plan to improve this behavior. Treatment for resource guarding is based on teaching the dog to associate good things with having you approach them, so they don't have any reason to guard their treats or food from you. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org I also highly recommend reading the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson - it's a great resource for understanding and working with dogs who have resource guarding issues.

Resource guarding can be a difficult problem to manage in some dogs. It sounds like you are doing lot of things right (trying to "trade" for higher value treats, avoiding punishment, etc.), so good for you! Since you are doing most of the things we usually recommend and are still having problems, I would really encourage you to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Sadie in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to work on this issue. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would also highly recommend the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson. It gives a great, very detailed overview of resource guarding in dogs including some examples of treatment plans to help guide you.