3 Effective Tips to Solve Your Dog's Food Guarding Issu

Why Do Dogs Guard Their Food?

Dogs' tendency to guard their food is actually an instinctive behavior, a relic of their primitive nature that serves to protect their sustenance for better survival. This is a genetic imprint left by the wild, natural world.

How Can We Eliminate a Dog's Food Guarding Behavior?

Adjust Feeding Techniques

To correct a dog's food guarding, it's crucial to make sure they understand: their owner is the giver, not the taker, of food. During feeding times, it's important for the dog to see that their meal is prepared by their human, ensuring they grasp that "food is controlled by the owner."

Keep portions moderate during meals, allowing the dog to learn to come to you when they're hungry. Additionally, when there are two or more dogs in the household, it's essential to provide each dog with their own bowl to prevent disputes over food.

Feeding in Order

In a pack, the alpha leader usually eats first, and dogs carry this genetic memory. Many pet owners overlook this and often prepare food for their dogs before they eat, which can make the dog feel like the alpha and may cause them to growl at you when you approach the food.

To address this, owners should wait until after they've eaten to feed their dogs. It's also important not to leave immediately after putting the food down; instead, it's best to observe the dog while they eat. This helps prevent the dog from becoming wary of others' presence during meals due to prolonged solitary eating.

Compliance Training

To strengthen the bond between a dog and their owner and improve the dog's obedience, owners can engage in regular compliance training. This can include basic commands like sitting, shaking hands, and lying down. Reward the dog with treats when they follow commands, which not only fosters a deeper dependence on the owner but also makes the dog realize that obedience is the key to receiving food.

The golden period for training a dog's behavior is between 2 to 6 months of age. If a dog has already matured, correcting their behavior can be more challenging and risky. Inexperienced owners are advised not to attempt training adult dogs and should consider sending them to a dog training school for professional guidance.