Some simple facts about dogs and food –

• Our dogs need food every day and as their caretakers it is up to us to feed them regularly.
• We can give a dog his food for free in a silver bowl or we can make a dog work for all of his food. Making a dog work for his food is part of reward training.
• Reward training and hand feeding actually helps to reduce food aggression issues because while doing these things we can teach our dogs proper eating manners including bite inhibition, no jumping, and staying calm.

Why Dogs Get Aggressive Over Food and Toys

Why Do Dogs Get Aggressive With Food

There are two primary reasons why dogs get aggressive with food.

Reason 1 – Getting free food at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

Shiba Inu working for his supper.

Most dogs love food. During meal times, a dog will get excited and want to get at the good stuff as soon as possible. Many dogs will jump to try and get at the food bowl, bite at our hands, and/or crowd our space so that they may pounce on the food as soon as it is available.

This is normal canine behavior. Our dog is simply trying out a range of behaviors that he thinks will help him get a much needed resource – food.

Food aggression problems develop when we give in to these undesirable behaviors and feed our dog so that he will stop making such a nuisance of himself. However, when we do this, our dogs learn that jumping, biting, and being a nuisance will get him the food that he so desires. By giving food at the wrong time, we are encouraging behaviors that could ultimately be seen as aggression.

Instead of giving food to our dog for free, we can use that food to teach him proper eating manners. We do this by ignoring unwanted behaviors and rewarding good behaviors with food. My dogs learn very quickly that the best way to get food from me is to Sit or Lie Down and wait patiently while I prepare their food. From time to time, I will reward their calm behavior. If they jump or bite, I no-mark the behavior and stop preparing their food.

In this way, they learn the following –

• Sitting calmly and waiting = food gets prepared quickly and they get rewarded, but
• Jumping and biting = food preparation stops and they get ignored.

Instead of giving food to our dog for free, we can use that food to teach him proper eating manners.

Reason 2 – Learning that if food is not protected, it will get stolen.

Husky puppy being rewarded with a tummy-rub while playing nicely with a stick.

Husky puppy being rewarded with food for doing good work.

Some trainers encourage people to take food away from their dogs. According to these trainers the pack leader should be able to take anything away from the dog. Meanwhile, the dog should just submit, not think for himself, and accept whatever we choose to dish out.

Consider this from the dog’s perspective-

• First we give him his free food bowl.
• Once he starts to eat, we take it away from him for no reason.
• After a bit, we give the food bowl back, again for no clear reason.
• He starts to eat again but does not know when or for how long this will last.

This type of training not only increases stress for the dog during meal times, but it also encourages food aggression. When we repeatedly take food away from our dog for no clear reason, our dog learns the following –

• Food may be taken away at any time so I had better gorge myself as fast as I can. Tomorrow, I may not get any food.
• Food always gets taken away when a person comes near me so I should keep people away while I am eating.
• Food is given and taken away in a random unpredictable pattern so I had better protect my food while I have it by whatever means necessary.

To stop food aggression, we want to do the opposite.

We want to provide our dogs with a stable and low-stress environment where the rules are clear and our behavior is consistent. We want to teach our dogs that if he is willing to work, then he will be rewarded with food and much more. We want show him that as his pack leader, we will protect the pack’s resources and he does not have to do so himself.

We want to provide our dogs with a stable and low-stress environment where the rules are clear and our behavior is consistent.

Below are some of the exercises I do with my dogs to prevent food aggression. If a dog is already food aggressive, it is best to get help from a professional trainer.

Do not try the techniques below on a dog that is aggressive and already causing bite wounds.

For these more serious cases, it is best to slowly desensitize the dog under the direction of a trainer. Other safety measures such as a muzzle or a gate may also be necessary.

Stop Food Aggression 1 – NILIF Program

Siberian Husky puppy Lara working for her food.

Food can also be used as rewards for grooming exercises.

One of the best ways to discourage food aggression is to follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program. NILIF simply means that my dogs have to do something for me first before they get anything in return including food, toys, play, affection, access to the backyard, etc.

Meal time usually goes as follows –

• I measure and bring out their kibble and chicken.
• I collect all the relevant interactive food toys and call my dogs to me.
• They come and lie down calmly beside me. I reward them for coming when called and for being calm.
• I start to prepare their interactive food toys. In the meantime, they continue to wait calmly for me to finish. If they do not stay calm, I stop working.
• Once I am finished, I give out one toy to each dog. When they have finished with their toy, they can come back to me for the next toy.
• There is no stealing from each other. I supervise to make sure that nobody steals. If someone tries to sneak off with food that is not his, I will replace the food that is stolen. The thief gets a verbal reprimand. If he continues with his rogue anti-social behavior, he goes to timeout and does not get to eat until the next meal time.

They come and lie down calmly beside me. I reward them for coming when called and for being calm

Stop Food Aggression 2 – Hand Feeding

Training puppy Lara to have a soft mouth.

I only feed my dogs a small part of their food during meal times. I use the rest of the food as rewards for work done during the day. Some work activities may include handling exercises, grooming exercises, obedience training, bite inhibition training, and play time.

I reward my dogs by hand. Hand feeding is a great way to teach dogs to be gentle when taking food from us with their large teeth. If my dogs bite too hard, I yelp and stop feeding them for a short time. This teaches them that –

• Gentle mouth = the food keeps coming, but
• Hard mouth = the food stops.

Stop Food Aggression 2 – Hand Feeding

Stop Food Aggression 3 – Positive Associations with People

Shiba Inu Sephy working for his daily food supplies.

To reduce food aggression we want to help our dog associate people with positive events.

I will sometimes add food into their interactive toys.

Dogs often develop food aggression towards people when their food and resources keep getting removed or taken away by us.

If every time a person comes near a dog, his food, toy, or stick gets taken away from him, he will learn that he needs to hide his resources from people or that he needs to keep people away with his growls, claws, and teeth.

To reduce food aggression we want to help our dog associate people with positive events.

Some things that I do with my dogs to help create positive associations with people –

• I help them get food out of their interactive toys. As a result, they see me as an ally and will often bring their food toy over and drop it by my feet.
• I will sometimes add food into their interactive toys. My dogs are very happy when I go over to them during meal time because then, their toys usually come back a little heavier.
• I bring food with me during walks and let my neighbors feed my dogs. This helps them create positive associations with different people and not just the people in their pack. I only do this after I have taught my dogs good bite inhibition (soft mouth training).
• I exchange objects with them so that they learn that giving me something of theirs is not really a bad thing after all.
• I do group obedience training sessions. In this way, my dogs learn that when they work together, they all get rewarded.
• I supervise closely during meal time and prevent stealing. If there is any stealing, I settle disputes and replace the stolen food. In this way, my dogs trust me to handle the situation for them in a peaceful manner.

I supervise closely during meal time and prevent stealing. If there is any stealing, I settle disputes and replace the stolen food.

Dealing with Food Aggression

With food aggression, as with many other dog behavioral issues, I always try to set my dogs up for success. The more positive and successful encounters that we have, the less likely my dogs will practice bad behaviors and use aggression to get what they want.

• I remove high priority items, especially when new people and new dogs are visiting the house.
• I teach them the Drop command so that I can get items from them freely, and reward them well for that behavior.
• I show them that I will protect them and also help protect their resources so that they need not do so themselves.

For me, being a pack leader is not about forcing my dogs to do whatever I want just so I can be macho and they can be submissive.

Being a pack leader is about protecting my dogs and giving them a stable and happy environment. In this environment, they do not need to use aggression because they know that I will be there to deal with the difficult situations that arise.

Being a pack leader is about protecting my dogs and giving them a stable and happy environment.

• Maybe we have a rescue dog, that had to fight for his food in an earlier life.
• Maybe we have been inadvertently taking food, or other objects away from our dog by force.

Now, he thinks he needs to guard his belongings.

Certain dog breeds, for example protection dogs, may also have a higher tendency to guard.

Stop Food Guarding, Stop Resource Guarding.

To reduce food aggression, we want to make sure our dog associates people approaching him, with something positive.

Never try to take food, or other items away from an unknown dog. Even seemingly easy-going dogs, may sometimes try to guard their food and toys.

Note – The exercises below, help to prevent food aggression. Do not perform these exercises on dogs that are already food aggressive, and/or causing bite wounds. Instead, contact a professional trainer.

1. Add something really good to our dog’s food bowl

1. Add something really good to our dog's food bowl.

Shiba Inu Sephy is not aggressive over his food, toys, or even food toys.

A good way to solve food aggression issues, is to show our dog that people and other dogs coming near him, during dog feeding time, is a positive thing.

When my dog is eating, I throw some good treats into his food bowl, for example little pieces of cheese or bacon. I keep repeating this, until he is looking forward to my visits.

Note – Do not reach down to pet or stroke, food aggressive dogs.

Once my dog is comfortable with my presence, I sometimes take the food bowl away, show him that I am adding yummy treats into it, then give it back to him. I also take other objects (e.g. paper, sticks) away from my Shiba Inu, add food to it, and return the enhanced object. Sometimes, I add food into his food toys, or help him get the food out.

This teaches our dog that having people around during feeding time, means more food. It also shows him that when we take something away, it usually comes back with an added bonus. If we do all this often enough, our dog will be looking forward to us coming over, during his meals.

My Shiba Inu sometimes brings a toy over to me, in the hopes that I will add some food to it!

2. Hand-feed our dog

2. Hand-feed our dog.

Siberian Husky Shania licking me after a hand-feeding session.

Only do this if our dog is not aggressive, and does not have a bite history.

Hand-feeding occurs naturally when we use reward obedience training. I also hand-feed my dog during dog grooming and handling exercises.

Hand-feeding teaches our dog that the human hand is a really good thing, and yummy food comes from it. It can also strengthen our bond with him, because he sees that food comes directly from us.

Feeding with our hands, helps us establish pack leadership because –

• We can set the speed of feeding.
• We can demand good eating manners. For example no grabbing, and only take food from us gently.
• We can ask our dog to work for us. For example doing a Sit or Down, before getting any food.

It is generally a good idea to keep up with some hand-feeding, throughout our dog’s lifetime. This helps him maintain good bite inhibition.

Shiba Inu Sephy and Siberian Husky Shania have no food aggression issues because they have been hand-fed since puppy-hood.

3. Teach our dog the Drop command

3. Teach our dog the Drop command.

Shiba Inu Sephy is willing to drop his toy because he knows he will get something good in exchange.

• First, give our dog a fairly low priority and safe toy.
• When he takes it in his mouth, bring a high priority treat to his nose, and say Drop. Chances are, he will drop the toy, and try to get at the treat.
• As soon as he drops the toy, mark the behavior (i.e. say Yes), give him the treat, and give him back the toy.
• Let him play with the toy for a bit, before repeating the exercise.

Once he understands the command, we can use higher priority toys, and ultimately, food toys.

If my dog is refusing to drop objects, then I try using a higher priority treat. If he bites on me, then I usually do a time-out. I try not to overtax my dog, and keep sessions short and positive. In this way, he will be motivated to play this game again.

I also practice Drop sessions during walks, with sticks and other safe objects. This helps a dog to generalize the Drop command for outside the house, and for outside objects.

When we are out on walks, I try my best to keep my dog away from questionable objects. If he manages to pick up an undesirable item, I no-mark him (say Ack-ack), then hold a good treat by his nose. As soon as he drops the item, I praise him, and treat him.

If I really want an item back, I will hold firmly onto it (close to my dog’s muzzle), and give the Drop command. It is important that we do not pull back, and make it into a tug game. I just hold it still, and try to be as uninteresting as possible. My dog will usually lose interest, and drop the item. If he does this, I praise him, and treat him.

Do not try this technique if our dog is aggressive, and is likely to bite.

If an object is dangerous and is too small to hold, we may have to forcibly go into our dog’s mouth. He will probably hate it, but if we must do it, then we must do it. Make sure to do some simple commands afterward, so that we can treat him for his positive actions.

If we frequently remove items by force, our dog will likely get aggressive, and start guarding food and belongings from us.

This is why we want to set our dogs up for success, and prevent him from picking up dangerous objects in the first place. In this case, prevention is much better than cure.

4. Play the “object exchange” game

4. Play the 'object exchange' game.

Shiba Inu Sephy is willing to give up toys in exchange for a tummy rub.

An alternative to simply teaching the Drop command, is to play the object exchange game.

• First, bring out several toys of about equal priority.
• Give one of the toys to our dog, and let him play with it for a short duration.
• Issue the Drop command, and exchange the old toy with a new one.
• Initially, it may be necessary to sweeten the pot with some additional treats. Sometimes, I stuff the new toy with some food. Therefore, not only does my dog get back a new toy, he also gets one with food in it. He is usually very happy to make that exchange.

Once we notice that things are going well, we may slowly phase out the treats, and just do the object exchange. If our dog is unwilling to give up his current toy, then we can try to lengthen the time that he gets to play with it, or add food into the equation again.

If our dog misbehaves in any way, for example bites on our hand, then the game stops, and all toys and food are removed.

5. Get strangers to toss food to our dog

When we have guests, give them some good treats to toss to our dog. This will help him associate new people with his favorite food, and lessen his food aggression when strangers are around.

If our dog has a bite history, make sure we have him on a leash, so that our guests are always safe. We may also place him behind a secure dog gate. Then, our guests may feed him by extending a chopstick or wooden spoon with food, through the gate.

6. Ensure there are no high priority food items lying around

To reduce food aggression, it is important that we do not let our dog practice that behavior, especially with people. Remove all food items, as well as food toys and high-priority toys, when we have friends and family over.

It is important to remove all food and all toys, when our dog is meeting with new dogs, or dogs that he does not know well.

6. Ensure there are no high priority food items lying around when guests are present.

7. Supervise our dog and prevent food aggressive behavior

7. Supervise our dog and intervene when he starts to show object or food aggression.

If there is any food guarding or resource guarding, I remove the resource, and nobody gets it.

Make sure we are always there to supervise and intervene, when our dog starts to show any food aggression. When I am not around to supervise, I remove all high priority items, so that my dogs do not guard food or resources, from each other.

I have a simple house-rule –
“All resources are mine, and I decide which of my dogs get what.”

Whenever I give them food toys, I keep them away from each other, to prevent stealing. In this way, they do not practice any resource guarding or food aggressive behavior.

If they start any guarding behavior, I remove the resource, and nobody gets it. If they show any aggressive behavior with me, they get a time-out, and the play and food session stops.

Shiba Inu Sephy and Siberian Husky Shania each have their own food toy. No stealing and no food aggression allowed.

8. Do not give our dog constant access to food

If we leave food or food toys around, our dog may feel that he has to guard it, and become food aggressive. This can be very stressful for him, and may also lead to obesity issues.

Leaving food around may also weaken our leadership position, because our dog can get food by himself. He may decide not to follow our commands or house rules, because he does not need us for anything.

To be a good pack leader to our dog, we want to follow the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program. Only give him something, if he does something for us first. Stuff left-over food into his food toys, and make him work for all of the things that he wants. Remove the food toy once it is empty, or after a fixed period of time.

A busy dog is a good dog.

Shibas think that everything, including food, toys, the house, the neighborhood, and even their supposed owners, belong to them.

If not properly handled, many Shiba Inus, and indeed dogs in general can get aggressive about guarding their resources. Shibas are bred to be guard dogs so they have a strong guard instinct.

Dogs often guard objects from people because they associate people coming near them with their objects being taken away.

Resource Guarding - 'Mine!', Says the Shiba Inu

I was inadvertently teaching my dog that ...People coming near him = Loss of resources

When my Shiba was a puppy, he used to pick up all these dirty items from the street including tissues, pieces of plastic, etc. I did not want him eating the stuff, so I would always take them away from him. Ultimately, he started guarding his toys because he thought I would take them away from him as well.

I did not know it at the time, but I was teaching him that …

People coming near him = Loss of resources

When dogs show aggression and we back away, they also learn that …

Aggression = People backing away = Get to keep resources

What helped my Shiba most in breaking this resource guarding cycle is to help him re-associate people coming near him to be something positive rather than something he should guard against. In essence I want to retrain my dog so that he associates …

People coming near = More resources

In this way, my dog will seek out people rather than try to get them to back away with aggression.

Here are some food aggression and resource guarding techniques that helped with my Shiba Inu.

People coming near = More resources

The key is to set my dog up for success and not expose him to situations where he feels he has to resort to aggression. The less he practices that aggression, the less it will become a habit.

Do not give our dog anything to guard.

Therefore, it is also important to take away all high priority items (such as bones and rawhide) and not give my dog anything to guard. I only give him very low priority items. I cut food up into small pieces and give those to him one at a time so he has nothing to guard.

Make sure that everyone remains safe at all times. I use leashes, baby-gates, or a basket muzzle as necessary. My Shiba still wears a drag lead (with a flat collar) around the house so that I can more easily control him when I need to.

NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) - Sit calmly before getting anything in return.

To discourage resource guarding behavior, I also follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program. This just means that our dog has to do something for us, before he gets anything in return including food, toys, going into the backyard, or coming into the house.

In this way, our dog learns that we are the source of all his resources, and he has to work for us to get what he wants.

Teaching my dog that I am the source of his most valued resources, and he has to work for me to get what he wants.

If your dog is already aggressive and causing bite wounds as a result of resource guarding, contact a professional trainer.

Never try to take items away from an unknown dog. Even seemingly easy-going dogs may sometimes try to protect a high-priority item.

Shiba says, 'Come sit by me and give me more chicken!'