Food has been made an integral part of dog obedience training because it appeals to a dog's survival instinct; it's an effective motivator.
But when that food becomes a mechanism for aggression, causing a dog to guard his meals with violent means, that dog's food instinct has overcome his enjoyment of that dog training motivator.
Your dog's ancestors guarded food because they often didn't eat for days at a time.
When a kill was brought back to the pack, the wolves that fought for the right to eat got to eat the most, and the best, meat.
This instinct sometimes carries over into modern day mealtimes.
A submissive dog might guard his food from more dominant ones, or he might eat it hurriedly, to prevent his food from being stolen.
Or, a dominant dog might guard his food from other dogs who could, at any moment, pounce in an attempt to usurp food power.
Just because a dog behavior is natural, doesn't mean that it belongs in modern day society.
The best way to deal with this particular behavior is to properly train your dog and stop it from developing.
These dog training techniques can help to keep food guarding habits from forming: Divide your puppy's meal into segments, adding a few pieces of food to his bowl at a time, then picking up the bowl, putting more food into it, and replacing it.
Stroke your puppy while he's eating.
Train your puppy by having him eat from a bowl that you hold in your hands.
Command your puppy to sit before feeding him.
Then, while he's eating, ask him to stop and sit again.
Reward him with a piece of turkey or chicken, or anything that he prefers over what is in his food bowl.
While he's eating, command your puppy to stop eating and to sit.
Put a piece of meat into his dry food and dig your fingers into the food, stirring it around.
Now, allow him to finish.
Train your puppy by picking up his bowl while he's eating, adding some tasty meaty treat to it, and then replacing it for him to finish.
Ask children and other family members, along with visitors, to try these dog training techniques, too.
These dog obedience training techniques will teach your puppy or dog that his food is safe, that mealtime is meant to be free of stress, and that when you're around, mealtime is full of bonuses.
Add clicker training techniques to these food guarding prevention tips, and you've got the perfect way to accomplish all of this, quickly and easily.
It's important that you understand that these dog training techniques can only be performed safely if your dog isn't already guarding food.
If he raises his lip or his hackles, growls, barks, or shows his teeth while eating, you could be injured if you attempt to intervene.
The ultimate message to your dog is this: food guarding is no longer necessary in this new, safer world.
Sending this message during puppy training is the best way to make this belief part of your dog's life.
Your dog is no longer responsible for his own longevity.
That's up to you now.
With the methods that make up positive dog obedience training, clicker training, and the dog training tips that prevent food guarding, he's bound to pick that up in no time.