How to Stop Dog Aggression Over Food

In case you have a dog that acts aggressively when it is time to eat, it is important that you train your dog how to relax around the food bowl and enjoy his meal. Any type of aggression like this could morph into more serious aggression problems and even lead to someone getting bit.

The watch signs of this type of aggression are very distinct and not all that uncommon. The aggression only shows up at mealtimes when the dog feels the urge to protect his food. A dog may act out aggressively at mealtimes towards either another nearby dog or a person that is near its food.

The aggression over food in the presence of another dog during feeding time means your dog feels the need to protect his food from the other dog. sometimes dogs get too worked up by nearby dogs to eat-they end up just trying to intimidate the other dog so much, they can’t concentrate on enjoying their meal. In some cases, the aggressive dog will not let the other nearby dog eat its own food-he’s so aggressive he wants to have all the food.

Normally this problem is easy to correct with some common sense. A good idea is to feed the dogs in completely separate areas, so that the need the aggressive dog feels to safeguard his bowl is now removed. When you feed your dog, watch him while he eats, so that he doesn’t leave his bowl to go bother the other dog. You want to be sure he finishes up his dinner without any distractions. If your dog leaves part of his meal uneaten, do not leave the bowl out-put it away until the following meal. Leaving either of the 2 dog’s uneaten food out is going to create a source of contention that you want to avoid. Also, it is a good policy for your dogs to learn to eat their entire meals at the designated meal times.

A second frequent type of dog aggression over food is when the dog is aggressive towards humans. Of course, this is something you cannot ignore, because it could lead to someone in your household getting bit. Your dog’s aggression can be solved once you have made sure he understands that you are the boss-by teaching your dog that you are the Alpha dog-the pack leader.

Correct your dog’s food aggression by first teaching him you are the one in complete control of the food source. You will show him who is boss by immediately taking away his food bowl the moment he displays any aggression towards you growls for being nearby at dinnertime. For instance, if you reach to move his food bowl and your dog growls at you to keep you away-immediately remove the bowl of food and put it somewhere out of his reach. His growl has cost him his food privileges for the time being. This is a very direct way to demonstrate your point about who controls the food around your house. He will soon understand that if he behaves himself, he gets to eat, and if not, he doesn’t.

Another form of food aggression is demonstrated by dogs that snap at treats (and the fingers holding them) when they are offered. You can also correct this, by denying the treat. You should only give your dog his treat (milk bone or whatever you give him) if he refrains from snapping at it. Snapping aggressively for a treat could easily cause a finger to get bitten. A better way to offer the treat is to hold it out on the palm of your hand. By doing this, the dog has to take the treat without snapping, and he will learn to be gentle.

You must establish yourself as your “pack’s” Alpha dog, in order to earn your dog’s respect, confidence and trust in you. Unless your dog understands that you are in charge, you will have a lot of trouble obedience training or solving behavior problems with your dog. If  you notice that your dog has any type of aggression problem, you need to make sure he can be corrected through training, or those problems could lead to something dangerous happening.

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