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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