What's your favourite food? (Resource Guarding & Aggression)

What's your favourite food? Crinkly chips would be at the top of my list.

When I sit down to eat my dinner I enjoy the experience. No one bothers me. No one touches me or strokes me(!!) And no one keeps taking my plate of chips away from me. I'm allowed to just eat in peace. This allows the experience to be pleasurable and means meal times are nice & stress free.

There's no need for anyone to walk up to me or to prove that they can remove my food from me. What would be the point? For what purpose would it ever be useful that someone can remove food from me? In case the food is poisonous?? Well, I've been taught to understand that so, on the rare occasion that I may be eating some poisonous chips a simple "leave it" would work ….

If, whilst I was eating my chips, someone walked up to me and threw a £20 note next to my plate then I'd soon be excited that people approach me. It wouldn't take very long for me to be excited that someone is approaching me - theres no pressure, this person just walks up to me, throws a £20 note down and walks off again …. Jeeeez, I'd soon learn how cool it is when people walk up to my plate of chips!

Repeated over & over I would soon start predicting what was coming next. I'd see the person getting closer and start to feel excited for my £20 note.

I'm learning that people approaching my plate of chips is AWESOME.

Or, someone could just walk up to my chips and take the plate away. Then they'd give it back a minute later. Just as I was enjoying my meal, this person walks over, lifts my plate up and takes my chips away.

Now, I'm dreading this person walking over to me. Mealtimes are becoming stressful. I'm starting to hate the experience. I might start gulping my food as quickly as I can so, in turn the person tries grabbing the plate quicker & faster.

Repeated over & over I would start predicting whats coming next. I'd start to tense up as soon as I see this person approach. I'd become anxious. I'd start to lose my temper. I might shout at you to back off or slap your hand away.

I'm learning that people approaching my plate of chips is AWFUL.

If you don't want your puppy to learn how to growl at you around food then don't teach him too …. Don't teach him that people approaching food is awful. Teach him its awesome. Build up that positive history in your dogs head that theres nothing to worry about.

You can create a dog that growls & snaps over food or you can create a dog that feels happy & comfortable around food.

Which would you like?

Resource Guarding / growling / snapping / biting whenever someone tries to take something which you consider valuable away from you is perfectly normal - we all do it