Dogs that display aggressive behavior towards food or toys must have the behavior corrected as soon as possible. It probably makes no sense to you that your dog views you as a threat to his food bowl. After all, you are the one that provides the grub! Without you he would starve! But the issue is really who is the alpha leader of the pack.

Hidden layers and reasons for dog aggression

When you bring a dog into your life, you are now part of the dog pack. Every member of the house is part of the pack. Every pack has to have a leader. If you are not the leader of your pack, your dog will assume that role. Your dog’s brain is wired to understand that a pack without a leader is in danger. Your dog learns acceptable rules for the pack he is in, such as where to go to the bathroom, what toys are permissible, and couches are for people. The alpha will set the rules for all these behaviors. You must be ready to assume the alpha role for all issues relating to the dog.

Being the alpha leader in the dog pack does not imply that you need to be mean or aggressive yourself. In fact, being aggressive will only make dog food aggression worse, as your dog ups the ante. Remember he has fangs and knows how to use them. Being the leader means banishing the dog from the pack for bad behavior and rewarding acceptable behavior. Your tone of voice, facial expression and body stance will speak volumes to your dog. Your dog really does want to please you and fit into the pack.

Word of Caution

Before we get started with how to remedy this situation, a word of caution is in order. This is a potentially dangerous situation. Depending upon the size of your dog, serious injury can occur if your dog defends his food dish vigorously. A dog who displays this aggression with protecting his food dish may also be possessive with his toys, or anything that he claims as his possession. You will need to separate any children in the house from the dog while he is eating, until you get this problem in check. If your dog scares you with his behavior, you may need to seek a professional trainer.

Control Puppy Food Aggression

Dogs that show aggression with their food are really just trying to climb into the alpha position in the pack. Your job is to gently, but firmly, take back your position of the alpha leader. This problem is the easiest to correct in puppies.  While it may seem cute when your tiny puppy growls and tries to protect his food dish, this is really the beginning of a big problem. You must nip this behavior in the bud and make sure that all other family members are on board also. Your puppy may simply not realize that this is unacceptable behavior. When he growls at the food dish, say “no” in a low growling voice. This lets him know the real alpha leader is displeased. It is absolutely essential that all family members let the dog know this is unacceptable pack behavior.

The alpha leader in the pack gets to eat first. If you are like me in the morning, you stumble to the coffee pot, get the coffee going and then feed the pets. If you have a dog with food aggression, you will want to change your routine. You are going to eat first from now on. You might need to change your dog’s feeding time to match your eating schedule. The alpha will ALWAYS need to eat first.

General Tips to Control Dog Food Aggression

If your dog is still guarding his food dish after those first simple steps, you will need to remove the dish and feed the dog by hand for awhile. You are the alpha, and all food will come from you, or someone else in the family. This is a time consuming process, but you can not allow dog food aggression to continue. The time you spend now will be well worth it in the long run.

After you have feed your dog by hand for a week or so, you can reintroduce the food dish. All the food must still come from you. The timing still must be after the alpha has eaten.  After you have the dog in a sitting position, put about 1/3 of dog’s food in the dish while the dog is watching. Then let your dog go to the food dish. If he eats that without a problem, put another 1/3 portion of food in the dish. Reinforce good behavior and stop any negative behavior immediately. Finish up the last 1/3 of the food.

Stand next to the food dish as he is eating. Initially this may make him nervous or edgy.  Remember you are the alpha and you get to be the boss. Don’t antagonize him, just focus on the task at hand. This is the normal dinner routine where he learns to trust you as the alpha leader. Do not rush this step. Do not cut back on your dog’s food to make this go faster. A hungry dog can also be a dog that is aggressive with his food.

After a week or so, let your dog have the complete meal all at once. Again, let him see you pour the food into the bowl from a sitting position. And always let him eat after you have eaten.  Gradually add other distractions back around the dog. Watch him closely during this period. Any negative behavior needs to be addressed immediately with a stern “no”. You may even need to begin the training all over again.

Your dog should be able to eat his meal with his tale wagging, relaxed, and enjoying his food and time with the pack. He will be a happier dog when he is rid of all food aggression issues.  And you will be a much happier owner and leader of the pack.

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