Being protective of one’s property from people or other animals is normal behavior for dogs. Resource guarding in dogs can range from generally friendly behavior, such as running away with a desired item or growling at a person approaching, to outright aggressiveness, such as gnawing or pursuing a person away. Some canines only focus their wealth protection efforts on humans.
Best Sellers List
Other canines keep an eye on their asset from every angle. What dogs value changes throughout time. Some dogs simply defend their toys or bones. Food guarding should not be treated in many situations. Food safety behavior can begin at any age.
Why do dogs guard their food?
A few dogs will display the fear-based behavior of guarding food. Remember that it is a natural, instinctive action even though it is not one that is attractive in the home. Food defense begins at a very young age, when puppies must compete for scarce rations of food, such as their mother’s milk or food from a bowl.
The theory behind why the snappiest puppies are the ones who eat the most is that those puppies are getting paid for consuming the maximum amount of food, creating a history of receiving payment for withholding food from them.
Resource guarding may develop because of a dog needing food or being refused access to resources; however, it should be noted that some guarding dogs have never experienced abuse, neglect, or starvation. Dogs use guarding, a fear-based behavior, to prevent something vital from being taken away.
The environment may cause food guarding.
You must keep in mind that the safe house atmosphere is a very distressing one, and the evaluation of how dogs express their hatred of food probably won’t reflect how a dog would react in a typical scenario. The likelihood that shelter dogs won’t be aware of the approaching feast enhances their unease. By allowing their dogs free care, ensuring they always have access to a full water dish, and ensuring they approach food on a predictable basis, many owners have developed feeding projects that assist reduce the amount of food guarding observed at the sanctuary.
Hereditary qualities
It might affect the protection of food. Dog behavior may be influenced by your genetic makeup. But regrettably, there is little research on guarding. We lack conclusive studies that can identify specific varsities as being more prone to the behavior when it comes to food guarding. Genes may be to blame for dogs’ increased aggression.
What must you do if your dog is guarding their food?
Free feed
It’s important to avoid free-feeding a dog who checks its own nutrition, which entails keeping food out for them to consume all day. If you make food available all day, the dog will begin to believe that it must always be on guard. Only give your dog food on scheduled days and times.
Change the behavior
Change your dog’s behavior by teaching them to associate you walking towards their food bowl as a good thing, not a treat, rather than having them accept that you’re going to take away their food. When your dog is eating, slowly approach them, place a treat into their dish, and then turn around and go. If your dog guards their food, teaching them to drop it will be especially helpful.
Create a barrier
If your family includes more dogs, set limits for when it is dinnertime. For example, if your dog starts to defend their food, feed them in a separate room and don’t ever take away their bowl. They now need to keep a closer eye on their nutrition.
Manage your dog’s behavior
To avoid physical confrontations, you must be cautious in how you handle your dog’s behavior. When your dog is eating, don’t let anyone else get close to it. Avoid engaging in these activities with any children if your dog watches what the family’s children eat. Instead, look for assistance from a licensed applied creature behaviorist or an expert dog trainer with training and expertise in managing aggressiveness.
Conclusion: It’s important to pay attention to any signs of food protection and not ignore them. Your dog won’t change his or her behavior, and typically, problems with behavior that started out on their own tend to get worse rather than better. You can keep yourself, your dog’s best friend, and your family safe and content by finding a strategy to help check food guarding.
