Food possessiveness can be quite difficult. As quickly as the dog is given his food his behaviour can change to become possessive and assertive. This is a troublesome behaviour to address and can be dangerous if not changed and monitored scrupulously.

When I feed my dog I walk away , leaving him to eat in peace. Infrequently with a food bowl possessive dog this is forced by a snap or growl. The most important thing not to do, with a dog that is food bowl defending, is approach the bowl and try to take it away. The defending behaviour is straightforward fear of losing the crucial resource and if you approach the bowl then you're augmenting the terror.

To modify any kind of protecting behaviour it's very important to teach the dog to be relaxed round the item that he is defending. By inspiring such relaxation you'll be making your own and your dog’s life simpler. To teach relaxation you have to right away take all focus from the item that your dog is defending.

During feed times this can be done by feeding your dog in a few different feed bowls. Placing three or four empty bowls on the ground, then in turn putting part of the dog’s meal into them will tweak your dog’s belief the single feed bowl is precious. By approaching each bowl and placing food into it you'll be training your dog that by coming near a bowl you are providing a good experience.

Wait till your dog is eating from a specific bowl and in his full view simply drop some food into another one. He'll then follow you to that one for the next part of his meal. By doing this regularly you'll be taking away the specter of someone taking his valuable food and also showing him that some other person being near his food bowl has benefits.

This draft wants to reinforce your relations with your dog. For full info on how I train and feed my dog for the most satisfactory results, and the benefits of positive dog training feel free to visit The Dog Trick Academy.