Hi John,
I would like to ask a question about my 2.5 year old chocolate lab. He is considerably calmer than his puppy days and very sociable and friendly with humans and other animals. Unfortunately he has developed a strange behavior when being fed. When his bowl of food is routinely given to him, he immediately starts to growl and become physically protective of the bowl. He will not eat the food unless you stand beside him and get him to lay down. If you try to ignore this behavior his barking escalates. If you put the bowl out in the garage he will bark but will not eat the food. In case you’re wondering, I don’t believe anyone has ever teased him or withheld his food from him. Can you tell me why he is doing this behavior and what we can try to eliminate it?
Thanks, Nancy
Dear Nancy,
Odd that he is protective but still wants you close by while he eats. I don’t know what to make of that. Usually proximity results in an escalation with this sort of aggression. Aggression around food can stem from several sources. Some dogs were low puppy on the totem pole while with the rest of the litter and often went hungry. Coming from that sort of background they bring to their new homes an attitude of competitiveness. Some lose it after a bit once they realize that food is no longer in short supply and yet others seem to believe they’re being satiated because they are finally being aggressive enough to get their share and only by maintaining that attitude will they have their needs met.
Another related cause is when the dog’s owner only provides one or two feedings a day when they’re little. Their bodies are growing too rapidly for this to suffice and by the time meal time arrives they find themselves in an agitated state that can turn into aggression depending on their personalities. The larger the breed the greater the number of feedings required during their major growth phase.
You can go about this in a few ways. First tune up his training. Sometimes when a dog is easy to get along with, it’s not very well trained. A well trained dog, knows who’s the teacher and who’s the student and therefore is less likely to be confused as to whose food they’re eating.
If you’re feeding him once a day, try twice a day. Some dogs, by the time dinner time rolls around are besides themselves with hunger and their blood sugar is off making them susceptible to irritability and this may be behind his anxiety. Also, instead of putting all his portion in his bowl put ¼ and once he’s finished put another ¼ etc. so he sees your approach and proximity as a signal of more of a good thing. I’d also try starting to feed him in a new area and with a new bowl to distance him from any other attachments that may be associative triggers.
If that doesn’t work and he isn’t the sort of Labrador Retriever that eats everything in sight, keep a bunch of bowls of food throughout the house at all times and see if demand is less of an issue when supply is unlimited.
I’m hoping this is solely food bowl related and has nothing to do with treats, toys, bones etc. When the aggression is wide spread there is significant risk to family and guests and sooner or later someone gets nailed. If this is the case get professional help.
Either way, leave his leash on during feeding time and pick it up whenever you have to approach the bowl so you have some leverage if he decides to pull a Cujo.
