How To Prevent Food Aggression In Your Dog
Something I have unfortunately seen is dogs becoming food aggressive. This can happen for a variety of reasons and it is a huge safety concern if your dog develops food aggression. Below you will find effective tips at preventing food aggression.
Train young: The best way to prevent food aggression is to train your dog young. Between 7-16 weeks is the ideal window. However, even if you missed that particular window it’s still important to train your dog to accept when their food is taken away or played with.
Have them wait before they eat: Get their food ready and let your dog see that it’s in their bowl but have them sit and wait for you to tell them they can eat. Having them wait communicates that you are in charge of their food and when they eat. This is an important component in preventing food aggression. You will train your dog that it’s ok to wait for food and that even if they have to wait to eat they will still get their meal. It removes fear of starvation which leads to food aggression.
Invade their space while eating: It’s important to note that these tips are for BEFORE your dog has food aggression and not after. While they are in the middle of eating sit next to them and put your hands in and around their food bowl. Doing this with a dog that already has food aggression will get your hand bit which is why it’s important to train them not to fear this behavior. You should also completely take away their food bowl from them forcing them to stop eating and then give them the food back. This again shows them that even if you have to take away their food they will get it back. You should also tap and make noise against their food bowl. This trains them to not fear their bowl getting bumped or making noise.
Treats: Make sure to reward your dog when they act appropriately and safely while doing these exercises. Treats are an important part of training.
