A dog wanting to guard their possessions like food and toys is a normal behavior that is learned as a small pup competing for food with their litter mates; however, this behavior can easily become a problem if the behavior evolves to more serious instances like people. From our own dogs we see them growl and snap over a treat when they think another dog is going to get it or beat them to it. We also see this behavior with toys as well; however we let them work it out between themselves because the behaviors are not extreme by any means. The problem can start when, for example, you have a 10 week old puppy that growls at you when they are chewing on a bone and you try to take it away from them. Some people think that it’s kind of cute that they are possessive over the bone, the cute part goes away when the dog meets maturity and by then their behavior has gotten worse, especially if it is not corrected at an early age. Dogs have to understand that you, the owner, are a source of food and that they can depend on you feeding them on a regular basis. If your pup or even your full grown dog is showing the beginning signs of food aggression, the best thing to do is to make them sit or down or any other trick you can think of and reward them with a treat. You are also going to want to pet them while they are eating so they get used to human contact during their snacks or meals. This lets them understand again that you are a source of food, you are in charge, and the dog doesn’t need to guard their food.

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Engaged in military as well as civilian occupations, guard dogs serve on sentry duty, patrol duty, shore watch, riot control, store and warehouse security and many other similar missions. Whatever the nature of their mission, all guard dogs have one thing in common: their high degree of training.

Every guard dog is trained to maintain a peak performance for the entire time it is on duty. Ordinarily this is for extended periods of time. Such sustained performance requires huge amounts of energy. The guard dog also needs large amounts of energy to cope with the extreme emotional stress that occurs while the dog is on duty. Often, during periods of sustained performance, a guard dog’s energy needs exceed that of a female during lactation.

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Most dogs used as guard dogs are German Shepherds, with an occasional Doberman Pinscher, Boxer, or Labrador Retriever. The average weight of an adult male guard dog is about 70 pounds. None should weigh less than 50 pounds. To satisfactorily provide a guard dog with adequate amounts of energy and nutrients every day, its food should have the following three characteristics: 1) It should contain approximately 2000 calories in each pound. 2) It should have the nutrients balanced to be fed at about 40 available calories per pound of body weight. 3) The overall digestibility of the food should not be less than 80 percent.

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People want to feel protected in their homes and many feel that they can achieve this peace of mind by acquiring a dog that has been bred to guard. The truth is that any dog with a bark loud enough to scare away a stranger or alert you to the presence of an intruder makes a good guard dog; and, for the average homeowner who is seeking a four-legged “early warning system”, just about any breed will do. Every dog is territorial to some degree and will know who does and doesn’t belong on his territory.

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