Luther was a 6-year-old mixed breed dog adopted by the Paine family as a puppy. He went everywhere with the family of five, including the children’s soccer games and family camping trips.
He was a sweet, lovable dog, and the family never noticed any signs of aggression that they considered serious. One afternoon, the oldest daughter gave Luther a treat. He jumped up on the couch to enjoy it. The mom didn’t want him eating on the couch, so she took the treat to move it to his bed.
Without warning, Luther attacked her. He bit her seven times before her husband was able to pull him off and isolate him in the bathroom.
The mom didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries, but the family was devastated when Luther, an important member of their family, had to be put down.
“I couldn’t take a chance of him turning on one of the girls,” said Mrs. Paine. “Maybe it was an isolated incident, but that’s not a chance we could take.”
Mr. and Mrs. Paine agreed that, looking back, there were behaviors they shouldn’t have ignored. For example, Luther would sometimes growl if anyone got close to him while he was eating.
They knew he was being protective of his food, but they didn’t understand how crucial it was to address any signs of food aggression immediately. If only they had asked about how to stop food aggression in dogs, Luther’s aggression might not have escalated. Had the Paines taken the proper steps, the food aggression could have been controlled before anyone was hurt.
Food aggression is a behavior that can occur in all breeds and sizes of dogs. In the wild, dogs would need to protect their food from other packs. Therefore, if another dog approached while he was eating, it would be a natural instinct for him to growl and act aggressively to protect his food.
It is a myth that only dogs that have been abused or starved show food aggression. While those circumstances increase the likelihood of aggressive behavior, any dog—even one who has been spoiled his whole life, like Luther—can display food aggression.
Does Your Dog Show Signs of Food Aggression?
- Does he stop eating and watch you out of the corner of his eye when you get near him while he is eating?
- Does he move his body around his food bowl to prevent you from touching it?
- Does he keep an eye on other pets or people in the room while he is eating?
- Has he ever growled or bared his teeth at people or other pets that approach his bowl while he is eating?
Understand that if your dog shows any sign of food aggression, it is not cute, funny, or something to ignore. Even if you only notice the behavior occasionally, it needs to be addressed. Failing to act could lead to your dog attacking another family pet or, as in the Paine family’s case, a person.
A dog with food aggression isn’t necessarily an “aggressive dog.” Some dogs are aggressive in a variety of situations. While it’s possible to work with these dogs, retraining a truly aggressive dog is much harder than addressing food aggression.
The sooner you catch and begin to correct the behavior, the better. If you feel your dog is so aggressive that approaching him while he is eating is dangerous, you should contact an animal behaviorist immediately, rather than trying to work on the behavior yourself.
Don’t Punish Your Dog
A common mistake many pet owners make is punishing a dog that displays food aggression. Hitting or yelling at the dog when he exhibits such behavior will only reinforce his insecurity about his food. This will worsen the behavior rather than improve it. Pet owners should never hit or yell at their dogs, but doing so in response to food aggression is particularly counterproductive.
