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K9Deb
Food Guarding
Food Guarding
Before beginning any kind of behavior modification program take your dog to a veterinarian for a
complete physical examination. To treat any kind of behavior problem without first ruling out a
physical cause is grossly unfair to the dog. Take a printed copy of this page with you and get your
vet's opinion on whether this technique would be appropriate for you and your dog. Aggression is
something that is best handled in person, by a professional. The causes of aggressive behavior in
dogs are many and varied and there are many different types of aggression. This technique is
designed for dogs that are in good physical health and of sound mind and stable temperament
that are exhibiting signs of aggression only when guarding their food.
Food is an issue over which sub-dominant dogs will argue with more dominant dogs. If, in the
wild, dogs gave up their food to anyone (even higher ranking dogs) they'd soon starve to death.
Most of the time lower ranking dogs will wait for the higher ranking ones to get their fill, then they
will eat. Sometimes not. Sometimes a lower ranking dog will fight for his share of the food, but will
approach the higher ranking thief afterward with lip licks and much sorrow for having acted that
way. He's not really sorry, but he doesn't want to get his butt kicked, he just wants to eat his own
food. The fights happen most often over small kills. Imagine that you've not eaten for days and
then you catch a rabbit or a mouse. Just as you and your grumbling belly are settling down for the
feast your brother comes along and tries to take it away from you. Normally you'd be very
respectful to your relatives, but you're very hungry! Your dog doesn't have the experience of
hunting for his food, or being hungry for days at a time, but he does have all of the instincts and
hard wired behaviors that come with all of the basic drives, including resource guarding.
So, what we do with our pet dogs is teach them that they don't have any food. We own the food
and we not only let them have some on a regular basis, but we make it pleasurable for them to
temporarily give up what we give them. There is no need to frighten or intimidate your dog into
giving you his food. You can get him to voluntarily (and happily!) let you have anything you want.
GROWLING
A growl is a warning. It means "stop what you're doing or things could get ugly". Some dogs take
years to work up the confidence to actually follow through with a bite, others only need a split
second. Take all growls seriously, but don't punish for them. The most you're going to accomplish
by being aggressive towards a growling dog is to teach him not to warn before a bite. You might
decrease his confidence enough that he won't bite you now, but don't count on next time. The
only way to use aversives to permanently change behavior is by making the aversive very strong
and very severe. Not only is there no reason to do that, it's not a humane or ethical way to
change your dog's behavior. The other thing that happens when you get aggressive with a
growling dog is that you add a negative to the presenting situation and add additional fear to any
subsequent situations. In other words, you started with a dog that fears his food will be taken
away. By being aggressive towards him when he protects his food you add additional fear that
he'll be attacked for protecting his food. The next food guarding situation that comes up is going
to be twice as nasty because there is double the fear or anxiety.
By being aggressive towards him when he growls you're telling him that he wasn't aggressive
enough to ward off an attack. Dogs will usually go out of their way to avoid conflict and keep
aggressions on a low level. Growling, as odd as it seems to humans, is an attempt to avoid
aggression; it's a warning that things could get messy, so please back off. If the growling doesn't
work (he gets attacked and/or his food is taken from him) he'll be the one to escalate the
aggression the next time. Unfortunately, the next time could be with someone else who is taken
by surprise and reports that the dog bit "without warning and for no reason!".
Dogs aren't able to say, in words, "Hey! Don't do that! It makes me afraid (or nervous, or
anxious)". They use body language and vocalization to get their ideas across. Think of growling
over food as your dog's way of saying "I am hard wired to believe that if you take my food I will
starve to death, please don't push me into a fight over it". Your answer is going to be "No
problem! I am going to take control of this situation and change your mind and make you want to
give up your food".
Practice this technique one step at a time. Be patient. You might be singing the first verse for days
or you might be able to get to the second verse in one sitting. Don't rush it. The slower you go,
the more permanent the change in behavior is going to be. Even if it takes weeks or months to
get to verse three, that's a very short time compared to the next 10 years or so of living with a
dog that you can trust not to injure someone over food.
If your dog seems to tense up or you have any inkling at all that he could bite you during any part
of these exercises, don't do it. I don't know your dog as well as you do. This technique is designed
for dogs who are basically well behaved and don't have dominance confusion issues -- in other
words, the ones who are growling only because they are food possessive.
THE DOGGIE FOOD RAGTIME BLUES
First verse:
Start with a hungry dog. Give him a small breakfast and work at dinner time or delay his meal until
he's hungry. Put just a few pieces of kibble in the bowl. Have the dog sit, then put the bowl down
and walk away. (The "sit" part is important.)
Chorus:
When he's done he'll come looking for you to ask "Hey! Can I have more of that please, huh? Can
I?" and you'll say "Of course!! You are such a goooood dog!"
Second verse:
Pick up his empty bowl, put a few more kibbles in there and tell him to sit. When he does (don't
tell him twice) put one hand on his neck or back and with the other hand put the bowl down for
him. If he starts eating while you're still touching him, great! Walk away.
Repeat chorus.
Third verse:
Pick up the bowl, put a little bit of food in it and remain standing. Tell him to sit and hold the bowl
out for him. If it's a small dog you can squat down, but don't bend at the waist or hover over him.
Don't put the bowl down. He'll look at you as if you're nuts. That's OK, since you're a dog person
he's probably right. If he's hesitant encourage him to eat while you're holding the bowl. Praise
softly while he's eating.
Repeat chorus (except he doesn't have to find you, you're right there).
Fourth verse:
Put a few more kibbles in the bowl. Hold it out for him with one hand and put your other hand on
him in the same spot you did during the second verse. How's he feeling? If he's just too nervous
to eat with your hand on him, remove it. If he's OK with it let him finish while you're still touching
him. Repeat this verse as often as it takes for him to be comfortable with the idea.
Fifth verse:
Put a few more pieces of kibble in your hand and put your hand in the bowl. Hold the bowl with
your other hand and have him eat around your fingers.
Warning: You will have food crumbs mixed with dog spit all over your fingers.
If all went well, alternate verses three through five, for half of his meal, for as long as it takes for
him to feel really comfortable with the whole thing. For example, at one meal give him half of his
kibble while your fingers are in the bowl and the rest he can eat by himself. For the next meal
keep your hand on his back or neck while he eats the first half, leave him alone for the second
half. It should take less than a week of doing this for him to get the message that there is no
need to guard food. Don't make meal times a neurotic, unhappy time for either of you. Take things
slowly. Do only as much as you're both comfortable with and make sure at least part of his meal
time is stress free. If you hit a stumbling block, go back to the level where there was comfort and
stay there for a few meals.
Now it's time for the glory hallelujah choir to take the stage. You've been singing the first part of
this song to teach him that nothing bad happens when you're near his food. He's going to sing
along with you on this last verse because you'll be teaching him that very wonderful things
happen to dogs that willingly surrender their food.
Final verse:
If all has been going well do exactly what you've been doing, but now say his name while he's
eating (to get him to look up), tell him to "sit" and then toss something very yummy into his bowl.
Cheese or a piece of hot dog works well. Right before you toss the yummy give your action a
name. I say "yummy time!" It will only take a few repetitions before saying "yummy time!!" will
result in your dog responding with an automatic sit and pleading eyes that say: "Here ya go! Take
my bowl! I love yummies!!"
In case I forgot to mention it, he must sit for every meal and every yummy. The reason the "sit" is
important is that we need to underscore the idea that you own all of the food in the universe and
he has to do something for you to get some.
When he has the hang of the word and the activity progress to saying "yummy time!" and then
placing it in the bowl, don't toss it. When he's very comfortable with you putting your hand in the
bowl to add a yummy, begin removing the bowl to add the yummy. Don't dawdle! We don't want
to cause anxiety, we want to teach him that if you take his bowl away you are going to return it
immediately with better stuff than he had before.
IMPORTANT: The yummy should be something that is only eaten from his bowl and only appears
during a meal. Don't use something that he'd normally get as a hand delivered treat, such as milk
bones. The only way, the only time, he gets this particular type of food is when he gives up his
dinner to get it. You can change yummies if you want, from cheese to roast beef, for example, as
long as the new yummy is not something you're going to give him in any other context.
Congratulations! What you now have is a dog that has developed a conditioned response to a
verbal cue. It's the same principle of learning that Pavlov proved with his bell. In an emergency
situation, such as a baby crawling toward your dog while he's eating, all you need to do to avoid
disaster is announce in a happy voice "yummy time!". You may not have a yummy readily
available, but the cue, all by itself, will cause a conditioned response in the dog that something
very good is about to happen. Get the baby first, then give the dog lots of yummies and tons of
praise. A wonderful side effect of this is that he may readily assume that a child near his food
means extra special rewards. Don't test or train for this though, it's not worth the risk. As soon as
the baby is safely removed from the area, and the dog is enjoying his well deserved yummy
bonanza, get a rolled up newspaper and smack yourself severely while repeating "I will never
leave a dog and child unattended".
As far as strangers, children, etc., are concerned, my position is that my dog is entitled to eat his
dinner in peace, so I train the humans instead. But, I still want a dog that will tolerate the clueless
among us. A good thing to do with kids is to have the kids feed the dog little treats once in a
while, but the dog has to "down" for these, not sit. This will teach him that even children are
owners of the world's food supply and that submission to children is a good thing.
FUN STUFF TO DO TO GIVE YOUR DOG HAPPY FOOD THOUGHTS
Now that the food issue is resolved, it's time to have some real fun!
1. There is no reason why your dog has to eat out of a bowl. Try tossing his kibble into the yard or
on the porch. He'll enjoy hunting for each piece.
2. Sit comfortably and watch your favorite TV program while you toss one kibble at a time down
the hallway or up in the air for him to catch in his mouth.
3. Got some old rags laying around? Wrap his meal in an old T-shirt or towel (make lots of knots!)
and let him dig and tear his way to his food. If you think your dog might swallow pieces of cloth,
use a margarine container or a cardboard box. If your dog is one of those that has no limits to the
inedible things he'll swallow, forget this idea completely!
4. Stuff a Kong toy with his dinner so he has to shake it and roll it to get it all to come out.
5. Divide his meal into four portions. Have him sit/stay out of your sight, or put him in the
bathroom and then hide the portions. You can put one under a table, another behind a chair,
another under a magazine or newspaper -- look around -- where are the good hiding places??
When you're done hiding his food call him (or go get him) and tell him "find it" and give him a hint
about where the first hidden treasure can be found. If he needs help, show him the other places
too. When he's found them all say "good dog!" or "all done" or something that means the game
(and dinner) is over.
You know your dog! Use your imagination to take activities you already know he likes and turn
them into fun food activities.
Debbie McKean
P.S. I need help with this website! If you are experienced at such things click here: Website help
complete physical examination. To treat any kind of behavior problem without first ruling out a
physical cause is grossly unfair to the dog. Take a printed copy of this page with you and get your
vet's opinion on whether this technique would be appropriate for you and your dog. Aggression is
something that is best handled in person, by a professional. The causes of aggressive behavior in
dogs are many and varied and there are many different types of aggression. This technique is
designed for dogs that are in good physical health and of sound mind and stable temperament
that are exhibiting signs of aggression only when guarding their food.
Food is an issue over which sub-dominant dogs will argue with more dominant dogs. If, in the
wild, dogs gave up their food to anyone (even higher ranking dogs) they'd soon starve to death.
Most of the time lower ranking dogs will wait for the higher ranking ones to get their fill, then they
will eat. Sometimes not. Sometimes a lower ranking dog will fight for his share of the food, but will
approach the higher ranking thief afterward with lip licks and much sorrow for having acted that
way. He's not really sorry, but he doesn't want to get his butt kicked, he just wants to eat his own
food. The fights happen most often over small kills. Imagine that you've not eaten for days and
then you catch a rabbit or a mouse. Just as you and your grumbling belly are settling down for the
feast your brother comes along and tries to take it away from you. Normally you'd be very
respectful to your relatives, but you're very hungry! Your dog doesn't have the experience of
hunting for his food, or being hungry for days at a time, but he does have all of the instincts and
hard wired behaviors that come with all of the basic drives, including resource guarding.
So, what we do with our pet dogs is teach them that they don't have any food. We own the food
and we not only let them have some on a regular basis, but we make it pleasurable for them to
temporarily give up what we give them. There is no need to frighten or intimidate your dog into
giving you his food. You can get him to voluntarily (and happily!) let you have anything you want.
GROWLING
A growl is a warning. It means "stop what you're doing or things could get ugly". Some dogs take
years to work up the confidence to actually follow through with a bite, others only need a split
second. Take all growls seriously, but don't punish for them. The most you're going to accomplish
by being aggressive towards a growling dog is to teach him not to warn before a bite. You might
decrease his confidence enough that he won't bite you now, but don't count on next time. The
only way to use aversives to permanently change behavior is by making the aversive very strong
and very severe. Not only is there no reason to do that, it's not a humane or ethical way to
change your dog's behavior. The other thing that happens when you get aggressive with a
growling dog is that you add a negative to the presenting situation and add additional fear to any
subsequent situations. In other words, you started with a dog that fears his food will be taken
away. By being aggressive towards him when he protects his food you add additional fear that
he'll be attacked for protecting his food. The next food guarding situation that comes up is going
to be twice as nasty because there is double the fear or anxiety.
By being aggressive towards him when he growls you're telling him that he wasn't aggressive
enough to ward off an attack. Dogs will usually go out of their way to avoid conflict and keep
aggressions on a low level. Growling, as odd as it seems to humans, is an attempt to avoid
aggression; it's a warning that things could get messy, so please back off. If the growling doesn't
work (he gets attacked and/or his food is taken from him) he'll be the one to escalate the
aggression the next time. Unfortunately, the next time could be with someone else who is taken
by surprise and reports that the dog bit "without warning and for no reason!".
Dogs aren't able to say, in words, "Hey! Don't do that! It makes me afraid (or nervous, or
anxious)". They use body language and vocalization to get their ideas across. Think of growling
over food as your dog's way of saying "I am hard wired to believe that if you take my food I will
starve to death, please don't push me into a fight over it". Your answer is going to be "No
problem! I am going to take control of this situation and change your mind and make you want to
give up your food".
Practice this technique one step at a time. Be patient. You might be singing the first verse for days
or you might be able to get to the second verse in one sitting. Don't rush it. The slower you go,
the more permanent the change in behavior is going to be. Even if it takes weeks or months to
get to verse three, that's a very short time compared to the next 10 years or so of living with a
dog that you can trust not to injure someone over food.
If your dog seems to tense up or you have any inkling at all that he could bite you during any part
of these exercises, don't do it. I don't know your dog as well as you do. This technique is designed
for dogs who are basically well behaved and don't have dominance confusion issues -- in other
words, the ones who are growling only because they are food possessive.
THE DOGGIE FOOD RAGTIME BLUES
First verse:
Start with a hungry dog. Give him a small breakfast and work at dinner time or delay his meal until
he's hungry. Put just a few pieces of kibble in the bowl. Have the dog sit, then put the bowl down
and walk away. (The "sit" part is important.)
Chorus:
When he's done he'll come looking for you to ask "Hey! Can I have more of that please, huh? Can
I?" and you'll say "Of course!! You are such a goooood dog!"
Second verse:
Pick up his empty bowl, put a few more kibbles in there and tell him to sit. When he does (don't
tell him twice) put one hand on his neck or back and with the other hand put the bowl down for
him. If he starts eating while you're still touching him, great! Walk away.
Repeat chorus.
Third verse:
Pick up the bowl, put a little bit of food in it and remain standing. Tell him to sit and hold the bowl
out for him. If it's a small dog you can squat down, but don't bend at the waist or hover over him.
Don't put the bowl down. He'll look at you as if you're nuts. That's OK, since you're a dog person
he's probably right. If he's hesitant encourage him to eat while you're holding the bowl. Praise
softly while he's eating.
Repeat chorus (except he doesn't have to find you, you're right there).
Fourth verse:
Put a few more kibbles in the bowl. Hold it out for him with one hand and put your other hand on
him in the same spot you did during the second verse. How's he feeling? If he's just too nervous
to eat with your hand on him, remove it. If he's OK with it let him finish while you're still touching
him. Repeat this verse as often as it takes for him to be comfortable with the idea.
Fifth verse:
Put a few more pieces of kibble in your hand and put your hand in the bowl. Hold the bowl with
your other hand and have him eat around your fingers.
Warning: You will have food crumbs mixed with dog spit all over your fingers.
If all went well, alternate verses three through five, for half of his meal, for as long as it takes for
him to feel really comfortable with the whole thing. For example, at one meal give him half of his
kibble while your fingers are in the bowl and the rest he can eat by himself. For the next meal
keep your hand on his back or neck while he eats the first half, leave him alone for the second
half. It should take less than a week of doing this for him to get the message that there is no
need to guard food. Don't make meal times a neurotic, unhappy time for either of you. Take things
slowly. Do only as much as you're both comfortable with and make sure at least part of his meal
time is stress free. If you hit a stumbling block, go back to the level where there was comfort and
stay there for a few meals.
Now it's time for the glory hallelujah choir to take the stage. You've been singing the first part of
this song to teach him that nothing bad happens when you're near his food. He's going to sing
along with you on this last verse because you'll be teaching him that very wonderful things
happen to dogs that willingly surrender their food.
Final verse:
If all has been going well do exactly what you've been doing, but now say his name while he's
eating (to get him to look up), tell him to "sit" and then toss something very yummy into his bowl.
Cheese or a piece of hot dog works well. Right before you toss the yummy give your action a
name. I say "yummy time!" It will only take a few repetitions before saying "yummy time!!" will
result in your dog responding with an automatic sit and pleading eyes that say: "Here ya go! Take
my bowl! I love yummies!!"
In case I forgot to mention it, he must sit for every meal and every yummy. The reason the "sit" is
important is that we need to underscore the idea that you own all of the food in the universe and
he has to do something for you to get some.
When he has the hang of the word and the activity progress to saying "yummy time!" and then
placing it in the bowl, don't toss it. When he's very comfortable with you putting your hand in the
bowl to add a yummy, begin removing the bowl to add the yummy. Don't dawdle! We don't want
to cause anxiety, we want to teach him that if you take his bowl away you are going to return it
immediately with better stuff than he had before.
IMPORTANT: The yummy should be something that is only eaten from his bowl and only appears
during a meal. Don't use something that he'd normally get as a hand delivered treat, such as milk
bones. The only way, the only time, he gets this particular type of food is when he gives up his
dinner to get it. You can change yummies if you want, from cheese to roast beef, for example, as
long as the new yummy is not something you're going to give him in any other context.
Congratulations! What you now have is a dog that has developed a conditioned response to a
verbal cue. It's the same principle of learning that Pavlov proved with his bell. In an emergency
situation, such as a baby crawling toward your dog while he's eating, all you need to do to avoid
disaster is announce in a happy voice "yummy time!". You may not have a yummy readily
available, but the cue, all by itself, will cause a conditioned response in the dog that something
very good is about to happen. Get the baby first, then give the dog lots of yummies and tons of
praise. A wonderful side effect of this is that he may readily assume that a child near his food
means extra special rewards. Don't test or train for this though, it's not worth the risk. As soon as
the baby is safely removed from the area, and the dog is enjoying his well deserved yummy
bonanza, get a rolled up newspaper and smack yourself severely while repeating "I will never
leave a dog and child unattended".
As far as strangers, children, etc., are concerned, my position is that my dog is entitled to eat his
dinner in peace, so I train the humans instead. But, I still want a dog that will tolerate the clueless
among us. A good thing to do with kids is to have the kids feed the dog little treats once in a
while, but the dog has to "down" for these, not sit. This will teach him that even children are
owners of the world's food supply and that submission to children is a good thing.
FUN STUFF TO DO TO GIVE YOUR DOG HAPPY FOOD THOUGHTS
Now that the food issue is resolved, it's time to have some real fun!
1. There is no reason why your dog has to eat out of a bowl. Try tossing his kibble into the yard or
on the porch. He'll enjoy hunting for each piece.
2. Sit comfortably and watch your favorite TV program while you toss one kibble at a time down
the hallway or up in the air for him to catch in his mouth.
3. Got some old rags laying around? Wrap his meal in an old T-shirt or towel (make lots of knots!)
and let him dig and tear his way to his food. If you think your dog might swallow pieces of cloth,
use a margarine container or a cardboard box. If your dog is one of those that has no limits to the
inedible things he'll swallow, forget this idea completely!
4. Stuff a Kong toy with his dinner so he has to shake it and roll it to get it all to come out.
5. Divide his meal into four portions. Have him sit/stay out of your sight, or put him in the
bathroom and then hide the portions. You can put one under a table, another behind a chair,
another under a magazine or newspaper -- look around -- where are the good hiding places??
When you're done hiding his food call him (or go get him) and tell him "find it" and give him a hint
about where the first hidden treasure can be found. If he needs help, show him the other places
too. When he's found them all say "good dog!" or "all done" or something that means the game
(and dinner) is over.
You know your dog! Use your imagination to take activities you already know he likes and turn
them into fun food activities.
Debbie McKean
P.S. I need help with this website! If you are experienced at such things click here: Website help
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