Does your dog ever growl when you walk by their food dish? Maybe they get possessive of treats, carrying them far away and giving you side-eye when you start to approach — or snarling at your other pets or children if they get too close.
These are symptoms of food aggression, a common (yet scary) behavior problem many dog owners face. Per Sniffspot's proprietary research, 25% of dog guardians report having a dog that has had food aggression.
In this article we'll dive into what food aggression is, common situations where you might see aggressive behaviors, how to prevent it from happening in the first place, and how to treat it if your dog already struggles.
You've got this. Let's dive in!
What is food aggression?
Food aggression is a form of
resource guarding. Resource guarding is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's when a dog “guards” a valuable resource, such as a toy or a food bowl, through behaviors like running away with the item, growling, or biting. Other signs of resource guarding include
stiff behavior and side eye.
Food aggression is specific to food and treats
Food aggression, as the name implies, is specific to food. If your dog is displaying aggressive behaviors — like growling, lunging or biting — in non-food situations, then something else is going on. You'll want to call your vet and a qualified trainer to help make sense of your pup's behavior.
Resource guarding can be a natural canine instinct!
Food aggression is quite common in dogs. To a degree, resource guarding is a
natural behavior inherited from your pet's canine ancestors. Although your domestic dog doesn't
need to guard their food like this (if only we could tell our pets we'll always take care of them!) the instinct might remain.
And it makes sense — think about if someone kept trying to stick their fork onto your plate to steal pieces of your favorite meal. You'd probably guard your food by showing signs of aggression, too!
While it often comes from a natural place, resource guarding still needs to be dealt with in order for your dog to thrive in modern human society — especially if they struggle with severe food aggression.
Do bad experiences create food aggression?
It's not necessary for a dog to have a negative experience around food, like fending for themselves on the street as a stray, to develop food aggression. Those sorts of circumstances can definitely exacerbate the problem though.
Every dog is an individual, and some pets are more likely to resource guard than others due to a combination of genetic and experiential factors. If your dog shows signs of food aggression or other aggressive tendencies, it does not mean anything bad has happened to them or that you've failed as an owner!
Food aggression may be more likely to occur in younger dogs
Dog guardians with dogs that have had food aggression report via Sniffspot's proprietary survey that the resource guarding developed at the following ages:
- 42% report food aggression developing when their dog was <1 year old
- 51% report food aggression developing when their dog was 1 - 5 years old
- 6% report food aggression developing when their dog was 6 - 10 years old
- 1% report food aggression developing when their dog was 11+ years old
Common situations where dogs show food aggression
Puppy food aggression
It's
common for puppies to guard food because they often feel they are in competition with their littermates. This might be especially true if they came from a breeder who fed them from a communal dish or if their mother struggled to produce enough milk for all of their siblings early in life.
Food aggression behavior with other dogs
Food aggression in dogs toward other dogs is common. If you have other pups who eat at the same time, chances are you've encountered at least a moment of tension as they learn to respect each other's food supply.
Communal free feeding is likely to cause problems in dogs with possessive tendencies. (Again, those tendencies are a natural instinct in many of our pets!) We recommend giving each dog their own separate meals in separate food bowls (or puzzle toys, if you're going the meal enrichment route). Don't allow dogs to bother each other as they eat. You can do this with management protocols like:
- Crates
- Baby gates
- Different rooms of your home
- Close human supervision
Food aggression toward cats or other pet animals
Maybe your dog doesn't compete with other pups for their meals. But you have cats who like to steal bites of dog food... or simply get too curious and enter your dog's space while they're eating. In these situations, your dog may show food aggression to try to protect what's theirs.
A simple way around mild cases of resource guarding here is the same solution as above: feed multiple pets in different rooms, separated by baby gates, or safely in their own crates.
You can also work to create a positive association with the approach of another pet. For example: When the cat approaches, your dog gets extra treats — nothing gets taken away. (More on training through resource guarding later in this piece.)
Food aggression towards children
Similarly, dogs may feel that children loitering around meals are a threat to their food. If possible, keep any children out of the room (or at least out of the immediate space) whenever the dog is eating. Creating a peaceful “food zone” free of people and other pets is the ideal scenario!
Food aggression towards adult humans
While food aggression towards other dogs and young children is most common, since they tend to move more quickly and erratically, it's also possible for your dog to guard their meals from any people in the vicinity.
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Get in touch with a professional trainer or veterinarian right away if your dog shows:
Food aggression with biting
If you think your dog may bite you, the
ASPCA recommends that you do not try to deal with their food aggression on your own. Consult with a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB or ACAAB) or a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB). (Our article
When And How to Think About Medication for Anxious Dogs has a breakdown of the difference between vets, Veterinary Behaviorists, and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists.)
In the meantime, give your dog as much space and peace during mealtimes as possible. Make sure everyone in your household knows not to go near the dog during feeding times. Provide them with their food dish and leave them be.
Sudden food aggression
If your dog is
suddenly displaying food aggression when they didn't before, take them to a vet. They may have an injury or ailment causing physical pain and altering their behavior as a result.
This is a good idea before implementing any training plan. Our pets can be stoic when they're hurting — a thorough vet check is never a bad move.
How can you prevent your dog from developing food aggression?
All dogs benefit from occasional resource guarding drills. While you may not feel it's necessary if your dog
does not have food aggression, that's actually the best time to work on it — before symptoms start! The following steps can show your dog they don't need to worry about you taking away their food.
Some sources recommend hand feeding, but we don't
Many articles about addressing food aggression recommend hand feeding your dog. There isn't an across-the-board consensus, and what works for one situation might not for another — but we generally advise against it. Hand feeding can actually lead to bites if your dog learns to suppress their body language but still feels uncomfortable.
How does this happen? When your dog only gets access to food through a human, that person is in control. It's natural to remove the food or otherwise react if your dog shows undesirable behavior. Your dog then learns to suppress their warning body language and might appear to “suddenly” snap. We want to avoid this! Your dog already has anxiety around food — and you don't want to make it worse.
Occasionally give your dog extra treats while they're eating
Another great way to prevent resource guarding is to only approach your dog during meal times to give them something else extra, like high-value treats they don't get often. When your dog is calmly eating, walk nearby and toss a special treat into their food bowl. This creates a positive association with you coming close!
Take care to not bother your dog or get in the way of their food. Tossing treats from a few feet away is a better option than putting your hand all the way in your dog's food dish, even if they're very tolerant. You want to create a clear picture that your dog's food is completely safe around you and won't be messed with.
Don't take food or treats away from your dog without offering them something else in return
As pet parents, it can be our first instinct to snatch off-limits items away — like if your dog jumps on the counter and snags the chicken you were marinating for dinner — but that can actually create resource guarding problems down the line. As much as possible, always offer your dog a trade in return for giving up their current item.
Practicing drop, leave it, and other impulse control exercises (with lots of positive reinforcement to keep your pup motivated) can help too.
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How can you treat your dog's food aggression?
First up: Remember food aggression is a common dog behavior and is “normal” from an evolutionary standpoint. You should never punish a dog for food aggression! Instead, use a force free approach to reduce stress and avoid creating additional fear.
Training methods to address different forms of resource guarding
There are some great training guides for dogs with signs of food aggression. Here are a few favorite places for advice on food aggression:
Food aggression can be challenging to overcome, especially in dogs who have a long habit of the behavior. According to Sniffspot's survey,
80% of dog guardians with dogs showing some form of food aggression report trying to train their dog to reduce resource guarding.
60% of these pet owners report succeeding.
Common training steps to address food aggression
Desensitization: Get your dog used to your presence while they eat
Over time, some dogs who have shown mild signs of food aggression are able to feel more comfortable with a simple desensitization approach.
At a safe distance where your dog notices you but isn't showing signs of stress (this is called a “threshold” in reactivity training) just hang out calmly while your dog enjoys their meal. Don't make any sudden movements, don't immediately try to get closer, and don't try to distract your dog. Simply coexist with them while the resource is present in their food dish to show that you have no intentions of taking it away.
Counter conditioning: Show your dog you give food, you don't take it away
Many resource-guarding dogs have strong negative emotions about other animals or people approaching them while they eat. Counterconditioning can be a great approach! By pairing something positive with the previously scary stimulus (in this case, someone getting near their food) you can work to change your dog's emotional response over time.
The simplest way to counter condition your dog's food aggression involves tossing treats into your dog's bowl, or on the floor nearby, as you walk by during their mealtimes. Be sure to keep a safe distance and don't linger over them. You want this to be a positive experience — for your dog to go “hey, when they came by me, I got more things!” — and not to weird them out.
Practice the “trade” game
The trade game is a positive reinforcement training technique that can be used to address resource guarding with food-aggressive dogs. It involves teaching your dog that giving up a valued resource — like part of their meal — will actually result in receiving an even
better reward in return.
To play the trade game, you need two sets of high-value rewards, such as small pieces of chicken, cheese, or other favorite special treats. First, offer your dog a low-value resource, such as a dry dog biscuit or their regular food. When the dog takes the biscuit, immediately show them the second set of tasty treats and offer them one in exchange. Speak in a conversational tone and keep things calm.
Over time, gradually increase the value of the low-value resource and practice the trade game in different situations.
When in doubt, get in touch with a professional!
Pet parents can often address some mild food aggression resource guarding at home by ensuring that their dogs know they won't take their food away and creating a positive association with their presence. Some cases are more severe, though — and aggression is never something to take lightly.
If you think your food aggressive dog is a bite risk, aren't seeing progress, or just want to know someone else has your back, reach out to a professional force free trainer. They'll be able to offer individualized guidance to set you, your dog, and your entire family up for long-term success depending on the degree of food aggression you're dealing with.
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Trainers Reviews of this Article
There is so much misinformation out there, we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community.
We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers.
The trainers that review our content are reviewed by other trainers to ensure that we have the best quality filters on our content.
These are the trainers who reviewed this article:
Hallie Wells
Owner-Lumos Dog Training, Atlanta, GA
Certified Professional Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Fear Free Certified Professional (FFCP)
Applied Animal Behavior Analysts (UW-AABA)
Danette Johnston
Owner - Dog's Day Out, Ballard, WA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Licensed AKC CGC Evaluator
NW Coordinator, Doggone Safe
Sniffspot's Proprietary Survey Statistics on Food Aggressive Dogs
Sniffspot Research 2023, n = 4,092
David Adams is a man of many passions, but his love for dogs stands above all. He is not only a dog lover, but also the founder of an innovative platform called Sniffspot. This unique platform connects dog owners with private property owners who are willing to rent out their space for off-leash playtime. While the idea of Sniffspot was initially conceived by his wife, Rebecca, David has been the driving force behind its remarkable success, tirelessly overseeing its growth and development.
David's dedication to providing safe and enjoyable spaces for dogs to play, explore, and socialize is evident in his unwavering commitment to Sniffspot. He strongly believes that dogs need ample space and opportunities to stretch their legs and have fun. As a result, he has worked tirelessly to build a network of private property owners across the country who share his vision and are willing to offer their space for the benefit of dogs and their owners.
Despite his busy schedule, David always finds time to indulge in his passion for the great outdoors. He loves nothing more than exploring new hiking trails and embarking on thrilling outdoor adventures. Whenever he is not working on Sniffspot, he can often be found hiking or visiting multi-acre fenced sniffspots with his two beloved dogs, Soba and Toshii. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys the fresh air, breathtaking scenery, and the sense of freedom that comes with being in nature.
David is based in Salem, MA.
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