Food guarding is an instinctive response in dogs and is innate. Dog food guarding is a very bad behavior and can even harm the dog owner or bystanders. Many new dog parents encounter this problem. Maybe your dog cooperates well in other areas, but shows food guarding behavior during feeding, making it impossible for you to approach. Therefore, how to prevent dogs from guarding food has become an essential lesson in dog training. So, what to do if a dog guards food? How to train a dog not to guard food?

　　Dog food guarding is a bad behavior. If this behavior is not corrected during puppyhood, it can develop into guarding toys, territory, etc., and eventually lead to attacking humans, which is very dangerous. Many people advocate using "violence" to break a dog's bad habit of guarding food, but I do not agree. Because dog food guarding is an innate instinct, hitting the dog when it guards food will have the opposite effect and only stir up its desire to protect the food. In the wild, animals are willing to risk their lives to fight for a bit of food. Food is very precious to dogs and something they need to defend. Therefore, training a dog not to guard food requires patience; do not snatch its food at the beginning, as this is dangerous.

　　Training methods are as follows:

　　1. When feeding the dog, feed the food from your hand.

　　Delicious food or snacks placed on the palm to feed the dog. This feeding method is very safe; the dog will lick the food and won’t bite your hand. After the dog gets used to this, you can try holding the food bowl in your hand.

　　2. Let the dog get used to someone being nearby while eating.

　　When feeding it, put your hand on its body first. While petting it, pour the food into its bowl. Don’t stop petting the dog while it’s eating. Movements should be gentle and slow, and you can talk to it to build trust so it believes you won’t steal its food. Don't rush the petting; proceed according to the dog’s acceptance. You can start by petting its rear body, and when it doesn’t oppose, gradually move towards the head. This process may take several days.

　　3. After the dog gets used to having someone nearby and being petted while eating, i.e., feels no threat,

　　start trying to take away the food bowl. During the entire meal, if you notice signs of threat—such as wrinkling the nose, growling, or side-eyeing—scold loudly and remove the food. When it calms down, praise it, pet it and say: "Good." Then give the food back. Repeat this process continuously until the dog doesn’t resist, and the training is accomplished.

　　【Editor’s Summary】

　　When doing these exercises, your friends or family should use a training leash to control the dog. Do not feed the dog before training; provide a small amount of bland food like rice during training to let the dog smell these foods. When the dog smells bland food, add a small amount of tasty food. Repeat this exercise every time before feeding the dog. After a few days, the dog will welcome you approaching its bowl. Over time, the dog will become less sensitive to people passing by or touching its bowl while eating. Since dogs will gradually become more picky and less eager to eat, the issue of food guarding naturally resolves itself.