Does
your dog growl and/or
snarl over his food bowl? Have you been adviced to take the
bowl away from them to show that you are in control? PLEASE
read this article before you do anything!
Excerting dominance in a situation where an animal, be
it a dog, guinea pig or human, is in a protective mindset,
will only aggrevate the situation.
You need to fix the fear issue before you try to teach
your dog how to behave around the food. You can only fix
the fear of loosing their food by making it clear to them,
by way of action, that
Human + Food
bowl = Keep
food AND Get
Better food!
(without any messy handling
of bowls, which will make them nervous)
This is what you should do:
Put the food bowl down with
a small portion of their regular food and
back away from the dog.
No matter what the dog is doing - snarling, growling,
snapping, or just eating fast - you throw him a handfull
of extra yummy treats over his head or right next to him,
so he can't miss it. These treats have to be extra good,
not just Smachoes, you are better off with ham, chicken,
meatballs, sausages, etc. As soon
as you've given the treats, walk away.
Avoid
conflict at all cost
There is no point in telling
them NO or removing the food bowl, it would only aggrevate
the conflict between you.
Wait until they've left the bowl well alone (walked out
of the room), fill it up with another little portion of
their regular food and start the whole process again.
When your dog rather looks at you and your treats than
eating their boring, regular food, or eat their food but
lift their heads from the bowl at just a gentle whisper
off their name, you are getting somewhere.
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