Cure or avoid your dog being possesive of food!
December 14, 2009
Preventing or curing your dog of food possession is so simple I have to let you all know, please pass this on to all the dog owners you know, there is no need for any dog to be possessive or aggressive around food! Prevention is always better than cure so a few simple steps repeated as often as necessary will keep your dog relaxed around food.
I will post a short video highlighting the steps in the next few days for anyone wanting more guidance!
At feeding time, put your dogs food in one bowl and have an empty dog bowl to hand, put the empty bowl on the floor, your dog will wonder where his food is :), now add your dogs food one handful at a time until it is all gone!
If your dog is food possessive already, wait for him to clean the bowl each time before adding more.
You are training your dog that your hand coming near him at the bowl brings more food, he will soon accept anyone near his bowl as likely to bring more food and in this way will not be at all resentful!
Do not ever take your dogs food away from him, this will teach him to be possessive instead of accepting. What would you do if someone kept taking your food from you? I know that I would soon get very protective of my dinner!
The goal is for your dog to accept anyone falling in his dinner, which is the worst that is likely to happen!
If you have any questions please post them in the comments and I will answer them!
Avril Munson's Blog 
December 14, 2009 at 7:37 pm
I dont have a problem with taking food away from one of my labradors!! she takes food away from me uninvited from work tops. I have tried tin cans & noisy objects but doing that scares my other dog. The culprit could care less!! I wonder if you have any ideas please?? The thief geta regular dressing down but it doesnot seem to bother her much.
Regards
Jane Bailey
December 17, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hi Jane, thank you for a great question! I always like an opportunity to clear up muddy areas of dog behaviour:)
The reality is that dogs are first and foremost scavengers by nature, it is a survival instinct and one that has worked for century’s! Therefore it is very unlikely and at the least very hard work to persuade them not to help themselves when the opportunity arises!
With my own dogs my only goal is to teach them not to help themselves in front of me, I do not ask any more of them than that as it is unrealistic.
I fully expect that if I leave food out in the kitchen when leaving the room that the food will be gone on my return, and I am not often disappointed in this:)
The food is so rewarding that any amount of scolding will not stop them from trying their hand again the next time.
My best advice to you is to make sure all food is well out of reach when you leave the room, I suspect you are already getting good at that? 🙂