Creative Dog Training

Food bowl guarding

The Food Bowl Test
Issue: Guarding the Food Bowl

Our dogs are always communicating with us. Sometimes we just do not understand what they are really saying! For instance, I don’t believe that dogs bite ‘out of the blue.’ I believe that dogs send us clear body language cues we fail to interpret. Resource guarding (including food bowls) is typically a good example of this physical communication.

Try the food bowl test we outline below (remember, it’s a test, not a training exercise). It is designed to tell you how your dog really feels about his food bowl. Please do this test only once!

Preparation for Test:

1. Prepare your dog’s food.
2. Take his food to the center of a room.
3. Call your dog to you. (For the test to be valid, it is important that he seems excited about his food!)

CAUTION: This test involves your ‘challenging’ your dog over a major issue in his world: his food. Since we are not with you, watching your dog, we must assume that you will use common sense and caution in performing this test.

Performing the Test:

1. Set the bowl on the floor, giving no instructions to your dog.
2. Walk away from your dog (at least 8-10 feet).
3. Look directly at your dog, approaching him in a direct quick fashion.
4. NOTICE your dog’s body language as you approach!

Test Analysis and Response

Note: The dog’s only acceptable response to this test is that he continues to eat with absolutely no shift in body posture or speed of eating.

If your dog demonstrates that model behavior, congratulations! (Remember, just because your dog does not react adversely today it does not mean that he will not do so to you or to someone else tomorrow!) We advise maintaining your dog’s current sunny disposition concerning his food by using the training tips below.

Signs of Potential Food Bowl Guarding:

• Eating faster
• Lowering head or body over the bowl
• ‘Cutting’ the eyes towards you as you approach, so that you see the whites of the eyes.
• Walking away from the bowl

If you see any of these behaviors, STOP!!!!!

Continuing to approach may cause your dog to:

• Growl
• Snap and/or snarl
• Lunge with intent to bite

Understand that resource guarding (in this case, the food bowl) has nothing to do with pack ranking. It is simply resource guarding. In a wolf pack, even the lowest ranking pack member owns the resource that he currently has.

The purpose of this test is to alert you to a problem or a potential problem, so let’s look with more detail at each of the following warning signs:

1. Your dog eating faster as you approach means that your dog is not willing to share his food with you. He desires to eat it all quickly, so he does not have to share.
2. Your dog lowering his head and/or body over the bowl means that he is issuing a threat. He is warning you that your continued approach is NOT making him happy. Depending on your respect relationship with your dog, he may or may not pursue the warning.
3. Your dog showing the whites of his eyes is a sign of imminent aggression. Your dog is telling you in his language that he is not pleased with your approach and that he is willing to defend his ‘resource’. Once you see this sign, continuing to approach will force your dog into showing aggression directed at you. Immediately STOP your approach if you see the whites of his eyes.
4. Does walking away mean that your dog is fine and does not care about his food bowl? NO. The dog that walks away as you approach his bowl is not happy about your approach. Remember that the only acceptable response is for your dog to continue eating as if you had not approached. Walking away means that your dog does not (yet) have the strength to attempt guarding his bowl from you. Remember that while resource guarding is not dependant on pack ranking, every dog knows a true top dog when he meets one! Just because your dog recognizes you as alpha dog does not mean that he will walk away when a non-alpha person or child approaches his bowl.

Actions to AVOID When Your Dog Exhibits Warning Signs:

• Taking your dog’s bowl away: This action tells your dog that he has the right to guard his food.
• Continuing your approach as you see ‘warning signs,’ thereby forcing your dog to become aggressive.

Actions to TAKE:

Remember, helping your dog welcome your approach to his bowl can be a slow process.

1. Watch your dog’s body language closely. At the first sign of guarding, STOP your approach and move away from your dog’s bowl until he becomes comfortable again.
2. Notice the distance between you and your dog when he reacts. Suppose the distance is 3 feet. Walk past your dog 4 feet in another direction, tossing him treats as he eats. Gradually walk back closer to your dog, as he begins to anticipate this positive reinforcement.
3. Adding treats to your dog’s bowl as he eats also helps him understand that you present no threat.
4. Once your dog is comfortable (does not shift his body posture or speed of eating) with you at his bowl, you still have work to do. Bump into your dog as he eats, then offer him a treat. Put your hand in his bowl, and move the bowl around as you give him treats. Remember to watch his body posture and speed of eating — indicators of how he is adapting to your closeness! Your goal is to help your dog welcome you at his bowl, not to defend his bowl. While doing this, always remember the common sense dictum!

Avoid leaving your dog’s food bowl on the floor after he has eaten. You may miss subtle signs of his guarding the empty bowl when you walk by. (It is best to deliberately feed your dog and to remove the bowl afterward, instead of allowing him to ‘graze’.)

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