| So what exactly is food bowl aggression? It's just your | | | | two minutes. |
| dog being overly possessive and territorial of his food | | | | Tip #4: Week 7 - Put the full portion of his dog food in |
| and he doesn't want anyone around him while he's | | | | his bowl and have him "sit" before you let him eat. |
| eating. This aggressive behavior is something that | | | | Make sure you praise, praise, and praise some more |
| comes natural for your dog because of his ancestor, | | | | when he does this. You may not understand this, but |
| the wolf. The Alpha wolf that is in the wild can take | | | | he has to learn obedience. Then when he starts eating, |
| anything from the lower ranked wolves at any time. | | | | pet him and tell him what a good boy he is. (more |
| So as you can see, your dog just sees you as | | | | praising) |
| someone lower than him. It doesn't make any | | | | If at any point toward the end of this training session |
| difference if you are a human or a dog, they don't | | | | your dog shows any aggression at all, make sure you |
| know the difference when it comes to them thinking | | | | immediately "take his food away and ignore him". Wait |
| they are the "Alpha" in your house. | | | | about five minutes and then put the food back. He will |
| Correcting Your Dog's Food Bowl Aggression | | | | get a very clear message that he can't show this |
| Tip #1: Weeks 1 and 2 - Take away your dog's bowl | | | | behavior. He needs to know that you are in complete |
| and feed him straight from your hand for both his | | | | charge of all food resources plus any attention he is |
| morning meal and his evening meal. | | | | getting. They will BOTH be removed if he behaves in |
| Tip #2: Weeks 3 and 4 - This may sound crazy, but | | | | this way. |
| put your dog's bowl on the floor without any food in it. | | | | As you can see it will take some time to break this |
| Then add some food from your "hands" once every | | | | habit. Some dogs take less time than others, so just |
| two minutes until you have given him a full portion. | | | | have awareness. This training also works for meaty |
| Tip #3: Weeks 5 and 6 - Now begin filling his bowl | | | | bones or toys that you give him. Train him in the same |
| "HALF" full and feed the rest from your hand every | | | | way. Be patient and make sure he gets lots of praise. |