Is your dog guarding food but not eating? This is why.
A dog that guards food can be dangerous.
Anyone who gets close can be attacked and bitten.
So… is your dog guarding food but not eating?
No worries.
This is what you should do if your dog is guarding food but not eating:
- Understand exactly why your dog is guarding food
- Rule out health issues
- Train your dog to stop guarding
But there is more you need to know!
This is why this article will also tell you everything you need to know about:
- What causes resource guarding
- How to stop or prevent resource guarding
- When to call a professional
Let’s do this – the safety of both your family members and your dog may be at stake.
What is resource guarding?
Resource guarding is a behavior where a dog asserts its ownership over a certain item or space.
This may include a bowl, toy, crate, food, or a favorite spot on your bed or couch.
Resource guarding related to food is called “food aggression”.
While resource guarding is a normal behavior in dogs, it can cause serious problems.
Anyone who gets close to the guarded food or other items may get attacked and bitten.
This is especially dangerous in a household with kids and elderly family members.
But resource guarding is also dangerous to your dog.
If your dog is guarding its food but not eating, the poor pup may quickly develop health issues due to nutritional deficiencies.
DID YOU KNOW?
If your dog hasn’t been properly socialized, the poor thing may suffer from behavior problems.
These behavior problems may include:
- Resource guarding
- Excessive barking
- Anxiety
- Hyperactivity
- Aggression
This is why we created this FREE Puppy Socialization Checklist
How to recognize resource guarding
Resource guarding can quickly escalate to aggressive behavior.
This is why it’s so critical that you correctly recognize when your dog is guarding resources.
The signs of resource guarding include:
- Tensed or frozen posture
- Lowering of body posture
- Gulping food
- Growling
- Hard staring
- Snarling
- Snapping
- Chasing animals and people away
- Biting
But also:
- Eating very quickly
- Covering food with the head or paws
- Laying on top of food
- Running away with food (or any other guarded item)
- Hiding food (or any other guarded item)
- Increased attentiveness to other dogs
Note that not all resource guarding is severe.
In developing (or mild) resource guarding, a dog can show less intense (less obvious) signs of guarding.
The signs of mild resource guarding include:
- Eating faster while resource guarding
- Freezing (brief tension of the body)
- Braced body position over the guarded item
- Subtle shifting of body weight in order to block the guarded item
- Eye tracking the approaching pet or person
- Raising lips and barring teeth
- Flattened ears
DOG TRAINING COLLARS CAN HELP
Dog training collars can be very useful.
So you should know:
- What are the key benefits of dog training collars?
- Are there any risks?
- What are the best dog training collars on the market?
Check here for the answers.
What causes resource guarding?
Here are the most common causes of resource guarding in dogs.
Natural instinct is one of the most common causes of food guarding.
Your dog evolved from wolves.
In the wild, a wolf has to protect its food to survive. A wolf may even need to fight for food.
This is why your dog can (instinctively) feel it needs to protect valuable resources, such as food, toys, and places (territory).
If your dog had to protect its food or fight for it as a puppy, it may continue resource guarding in adulthood.
But even an adult dog who had food stolen from it in the past may start guarding its precious resources.
Resource scarcity in previous homes or environments may trigger (or increase) resource guarding in some dogs.
Some dogs are more prone to resource guarding than others.
Also, dogs with different personalities will guard resources for different reasons.
For example, naturally dominant dogs guard resources for different reasons than dogs who are timid or fearful.
If you have more than one dog in your household, one of your dogs may be the alpha dog.
Alpha dogs often display territorial aggression or aggression around food.
A stressed-out dog may start guarding resources.
Stress in dogs can be caused by factors such as:
- A new or strange environment
- Fear
- Separation
- Loud noises
- New people or animals
- A sudden appearance of new objects in the house
If you’ve chased your dog who stole a sock from the laundry basket, that sock may suddenly become a high-value item worth guarding against you and others.
A hungry dog is more likely to guard food items compared to a dog who is not hungry.
To ensure your dog is never too hungry, feed your pooch high-quality dog food. For example, we recently rated The Farmer’s Dog as the best overall dog food for German Shorthaired Pointers. Yes, this food is also suitable for many other dog breeds.
A lack of physical exercise and mental stimulation may increase the chance resource guarding
Senior dogs usually eat less (need fewer calories) than puppies and adult dogs.
This is why a senior dog may sometimes not be hungry at mealtimes but will still guard its food against other pets or persons.
Luckily, there are dog food brands that make outstanding food specifically designed for senior dogs. One such brand is Orijen, whose food we recently rated as the best dog food for senior Poodles. And yes, this particular food is also suitable for many other dog breeds.
Pain or illness can also cause your dog to guard its food but not eat it.
In other words, your dog may be hungry but unable to eat due to pain or illness. This is especially true if your dog suffers from dental issues.
DOG TOYS CAN HELP YOUR DOG
Dog toys can help you stop your dog’s resource guarding.
Dog toys:
- Help eliminate problem behaviors (resource guarding, excessive barking, and more)
- Prevent boredom (can keep your dog busy for hours)
- Provide comfort during sleep
- Help relieve anxiety
- Provide company when left home alone
- Reduce barking, whining, and nervousness
- Provide security during stressful times
- Teach appropriate chewing
- Provide mental & physical stimulation
- Promote clean teeth & fresh breath (chew toys)
- Help remove plaque & tartar (chew toys)
Check here for the best dog toys for your dog.
Resource guarding between dogs and other animals
When your dog is guarding resources against other animals, we call it animal-directed resource guarding.
Resource guarding against other dogs is called dog-directed resource guarding.
Note that dog-directed resource guarding may increase when resources are limited. For example, when there’s only one chew but two dogs.
Guarding of resources may also increase when a new pet joins the household.
Interesting
Most dogs will assess whether a particular resource is worth fighting for.
There’s no point in risking injury by fighting with another dog or pet for a low-value item.
This is why dogs will usually communicate with each other through body language and vocalizations to express their desire for a high-value item.
Dogs can also “tell” other dogs to leave them alone.
These guarding “conversations” are called ritualized aggression.
During ritualized aggression, dogs will posture and act “tough” but will usually avoid fights.
For example, my German Shepherd (Max) considers its favorite chew a high-value item.
But Max is conflict-averse.
This is why Max gives low-level guarding signals to other dogs, including to my sister’s Dalmatian when they occasionally visit our home.
These low-level guarding signals include eye tracking the approaching dog and subtle shifting of body weight to block the guarded item.
We always quickly step in if matters become too tense.
It goes without saying that in households or environments with several dogs, resource guarding can quickly become a problem if the guarding is not properly managed by humans.
Also, if ritualized aggression escalates into true aggression, it’s essential to address the issue to prevent serious injury to dogs and other household members, including humans.
Also, while ritualized aggression is part of normal dog communication, it can also indicate underlying stress or other negative emotions.
Why is your dog not eating when guarding?
A dog usually stops eating when it’s guarding its food.
This is because food guarding requires active monitoring of the dog’s surroundings.
Also, a dog guarding its food may be simply not hungry.
Common items that trigger resource guarding in dogs
While resource guarding usually occurs around food items, a dog can develop resource guarding with any item it perceives as valuable.
An old sock can become your dog’s most precious possession, worth guarding and fighting for.
Here are some of the most common items that can trigger resource guarding.
Food items:
- Regular food
- Treats
- Food bowl (filled with food or empty)
- Bones
- Edible dog chews
Non-food items:
- Toys
- Stolen items (socks, laundry items, shoes, and more)
- Space (crate, dog bed, feeding area, a specific place on a couch or bed, and more)
- Dog owner
Interesting
Not all guarding during walks is true resource guarding. During walks, some dogs will bark or lunge toward pets or people because of leash reactivity or fear-based aggression.
Is your dog guarding food but not eating? This is what you should do.
Resource guarding by your dog can be dangerous to other pets and humans.
A dog guarding its resources can attack and bite anyone who gets too close.
This is why it’s so important that you know how to stop resource guarding in your dog.
Here is what you can do if your dog is guarding food but doesn’t eat it.
Contact a professional
Working with a professional to fix your dog’s resource guarding should usually be your first step.
Not only will a professional help you achieve optimal results but the expert will ensure safety for both you and your dog.
To resolve your dog’s resource guarding, contact any of the below experts:
- Certified applied animal behaviorist
- Board-certified veterinary behaviorist
- Certified professional dog trainer
Understand your dog
The critical step to solving the resource guarding issue is to understand your dog.
You need to find out why your dog guards things.
Is it because your doggy has some negative experiences?
Or is the guarding part of your dog’s personality?
Submissive dogs
Your dog may be guarding food because the pup is timid or fearful. These are often traits of a submissive dog.
To work on this, you need to boost your dog’s confidence and earn its trust.
You can improve your pup’s confidence by teaching it some basic commands.
Determine the severity of guarding
You also need to determine the severity of resource guarding in your dog.
For example, your dog may simply stop eating when you approach. And it may cover the food bowl.
Your dog may also freeze but show no signs of possessive aggression.
In more severe cases, your dog will growl and snap when you approach its bowl.
Note that if your dog’s guarding seems severe, you’ll need to contact an expert.
Start slow
If you’re trying to fix the resource guarding issue yourself (without the help of an expert), make sure to start slow.
This is because frequent triggering of your dog’s guarding instinct will only make the problem worse.
So start by desensitizing your dog.
This is how:
- Step 1: Stay at a good distance from the bowl
- Step 2: Then approach until you can see the first signs of agitation
- Step 3: Back off a bit
Over time, you should be able to get closer and closer to the bowl, without upsetting your doggy.
The goal is to eventually approach the bowl – and even pick it up – without triggering food guarding behavior.
Approach and reward
The best way to handle the guarding is to create a positive association.
This is how:
When you approach your dog, give it a treat.
Bud don’t get too close.
Instead, just toss a treat into your dog’s bowl or as near the bowl as you can.
This will give your pup something to look forward to when you approach next time.
Over time, your dog should start seeing your approach as a positive and tasty situation.
Puppies
Puppies are especially prone to resource guarding.
This is because a puppy often needs to compete with other puppies for food.
For example, dog breeders often feed puppies from one large communal pan. The puppy who manages to eat the most will often become the strongest puppy in a litter. This may lead to a situation where one or two strongest puppies monopolize most of the food.
Such an experience of being rewarded for food monopolizing behavior can become firmly established in some puppies. This may lead to aggressive resource guarding.
Also make sure to feed your puppy food specifically designed for puppies. Getting all the necessary nutrients will reduce the chance of resource guarding.
By the way, we recently rated Open Farm as the best dog food for Dalmatian puppies, which is also suitable for puppies from many other dog breeds.
Sufficient resources
To avoid resource guarding between dogs, ensure there is enough food, toys, and dog beds in your house.
Note that if you get a second dog and buy it a new bed, your first dog may decide to try the new bed as well.
Remove problem items
If your dog is excessively possessive about a specific item such as a toy, remove that item from your house.
Also, if your dog tends to guard things like a chew or long-lasting treat, give these items to your pup in a crate or other areas where the doggy won’t be disturbed by others. And yes, make sure all family members know that if a dog is eating or enjoying a chew, they should let the doggy be.
Environment
If you have more than one dog in your house, each dog may feel it’s in competition for resources, including food.
This may lead to resource guarding.
So consider separate bowls and feeding locations for each dog.
If using a different bowl for each dog doesn’t work, try different mealtimes. This should help your dogs feel less threatened during meals.
Pro Tip
Use a gate to block off your dog’s feeding area during mealtime. This will ensure no one can get too close to your pup’s precious bowl.
This is especially important if you have young children or elderly people in your home who may not understand that they shouldn’t pet a dog during mealtimes.
Reward good behavior
If you have more than one dog in your house, assign each dog a bed and train it to go there on cue. Make sure to reward each successful action with a tasty treat.
If a dog goes to the wrong bed, no treat.
Build your dog’s confidence
Expose your dog to new environments, people, and animals.
Reward your doggy when it does well in new situations.
This will build your pup’s confidence and should minimize the chance of developing resource guarding.
Remove potential problems
If a new dog visits your house, create a neutral environment that is free of items that may cause tension over resources. For example, close your dog’s crate and put your pup’s toys and bowl away.
Also, don’t bring your dog’s toys to the dog park.
Furthermore, if your dog guards food from guests visiting your home, remove all food items from the area. That’s right, sometimes it’s easier to manage a behavior than fix it.
You can also simply keep your doggy in a separate area during guest visits.
Also, don’t allow your dog on your bed, couch, or any other furniture if your pup likes to guard that space.
And remember to keep your laundry basket up high. Out of side, out of your dog’s mind.
Interesting
Some dogs may guard food intended for people, even if the food is situated on a table or countertop.
Teach your dog “drop it” and “leave it”
Both the “drop it” and “leave it” commands can be very useful to manage the resource guarding behavior.
“Drop it” means to let go of something that’s already in your dog’s mouth or possession.
“Leave it” means to turn away from something.
Teach your dog to come when called
Teaching your dog to come when called can also be useful if your dog is resource guarding.
Calling your dog away from something your pup is guarding is better than trying to grab it yourself.
Teach your dog to go to place
If your doggy is guarding a particular place, such as a spot on your bed or couch, you can use the “go to another place” cue to make your pup move to another designated spot.
This is called “stationing” by dog trainers.
Rule out medical issues
It’s important to rule out any underlying medical issues that may be responsible for resource guarding.
As discussed earlier in this article, your doggy may be guarding food but not eating due to pain or illness. This may be especially true if your pup suffers from dental issues.
If you think your dog is guarding resources due to health issues, contact your vet.
BONUS: Step-by-step guide to fix your dog’s resource guarding
Unfortunately, I have personal experience with a dog who was guarding food but not eating.
My male German Shepherd (Max) developed severe resource guarding behavior.
Yes, my beloved dog became dangerous not only to our second dog but also to us.
So I contacted an experienced board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
This is how this expert fixed my dog’s resource guarding.
Important
Fixing my pup’s resource guarding took some time but was totally worth it.
My dog no longer guards its precious items, including food!
As mentioned earlier, you should contact a professional to fix your dog’s resource guarding. Not only will the professional build a trainer-client relationship between you and your doggy but this expert will help you through the steps and ensure safety for both you and your dog.
I simply share the below training steps to show you how a board-certified veterinary behaviorist fixed resource guarding in my dog.
The idea of this training is to help a dog relax and anticipate tasty treats rather than feel threatened and become aggressive when people approach its bowl during meals. Thanks to this training, a dog will learn that people are approaching its food bowl to bring tasty treats, rather than to steal its food.
This training uses desensitization combined with counterconditioning.
By the way, we recently reviewed the best treats for most dogs when reviewing the best dog food for Dobermans. And yes, these treats are suitable for most dog breeds!
Stage 1
Stand a few feet away from your dog while it eats kibble from a bowl. Keep your distance and don’t move toward your dog.
Say to your dog “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone and toss toward your pup a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat.
Continue tossing treats every few seconds until your dog has finished eating kibble.
Repeat this exercise each time you feed your doggy until you see that your pup eats in a relaxed way for 10 meals in a row.
Important
Make sure the treats you’re using are high-value treats that you only use for training your dog. My dog best responds to cheese and cut-up pieces of turkey. You can of course try other high-value treats such as peanut butter or cut-up pieces of steak or chicken.
If your dog leaves the bowl during the exercises and moves toward you to ask for more treats, just ignore your pup. Wait until the dog returns to its bowl and starts eating again before tossing more treats.
If your dog eats so quickly during this training that you have few opportunities to give your pup treats, consider buying a special bowl designed to slow down dogs’ eating.
Find out the distance at which your dog begins to guard resources. Dog trainers call it the “distance threshold”. Some dogs don’t start resource guarding until you’re a few feet away, while others get tense if you’re even in the same room when they eat.
If at any time during training your dog shows any signs of guarding, go back to the previous exercise and proceed at a slower pace.
If you’re unsure about your dog’s reaction during the exercises, tether your pup to something sturdy.
DO NOT attempt this training with anyone under 18 years of age!
Stage 2
Stand again a few feet away from your dog while it eats kibble from a bowl.
Say to your dog “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone and toss toward your pup a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat.
Next, take one step toward your dog and toss another treat. Then immediately step back.
Repeat this sequence (one step forward, toss a treat, one step back) every few seconds until your dog has finished eating kibble.
Each day, take one step closer to your dog before tossing treats.
Continue this sequence until you come within 2 feet of the bowl.
Repeat this exercise each time you feed your doggy until you see that your pup eats in a relaxed way for 10 meals in a row.
Stage 3
While your dog eats kibble from a bowl, approach your pup saying “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone.
Stand next to your dog’s bowl and drop into it a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat. Then immediately walk away.
Repeat this sequence (drop a treat into the bowl then immediately walk away) every few seconds until your dog finishes eating kibble.
When your pup eats in a relaxed way for 10 meals in a row, you’re ready for the next stage.
Stage 4
While your dog eats kibble from a bowl, approach your pup saying “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone.
Stand next to your dog, holding a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat in your hand.
Bend down slightly, holding the treat out an inch or two in your dog’s direction.
Encourage your pup to take the treat from your hand.
After your dog eats the treat from your hand, immediately walk away.
Repeat this sequence (bend down, offer your dog a treat from your hand, immediately walk away) every few seconds until your doggy has finished eating kibble.
Each day, bend down a little more when you’re giving your pup the treat so that your hand moves an inch or two closer to your dog’s bowl.
Stay at this stage until you can bend down and hold your hand with the treat right next to your pup’s bowl.
When your doggy eats in a relaxed way 10 meals in a row as you repeatedly (every few seconds) approach to bend down and give your pup a treat next to its bowl, you’re ready for the next stage.
Stage 5
While your dog eats kibble from a bowl, approach your pup saying “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone.
Stand next to your dog, bend down, and touch the bowl with one hand while giving your pup a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat with your other hand.
Continue giving treats every few seconds until your dog has finished eating kibble.
When your doggy eats in a relaxed way for 10 meals in a row, you can move to the next stage.
Stage 6
While your dog eats kibble from a bowl, approach your pup saying “What have you got there?” in a conversational tone.
Stand next to your dog, bend, and pick up the bowl with one hand.
Raise the bowl about six inches off the floor and drop a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat in the bowl.
Then immediately return the bowl to the floor.
Repeat the sequence every few seconds (raise the bowl, drop a treat into it, return the bowl to the floor).
As you repeat the sequence, raise the bowl slightly higher off the floor each time until you can lift it all the way up to your waist.
As you continue raising the bowl, add the next step of standing upright with the bowl in your hand, after which return the bowl to the floor.
Continue repeating the sequence, but this time when you pick up the bowl, walk over to a table or counter with it and put a bite-sized piece of a high-value treat into the bowl.
Then walk back to your pup and return the bowl to the same place on the floor.
Continue the whole sequence until your pup has finished all the kibble in the bowl.
Stage 7
In this stage, all adult family members will go through all 6 stages.
Each family member needs to start at the beginning and progress through the steps the same way you did.
But DO NOT attempt this training with anyone under 18 years of age!
Make sure your doggy continues to look relaxed during exercises with each family member.
Important
Don’t assume that because your dog is okay with one person approaching the bowl, your pup will automatically be okay with another person doing the same thing. Your dog needs to learn that the rules work the same way with every family member.
Also, look for changes in body language during this training so that you know if your dog is relaxed or not during each stage.
Signs that your dog feels relaxed include:
- Relaxed posture (muscles are relaxed, not tense)
- Normal breathing (slight panting is fine)
- Eating at a normal pace
- Wagging and wiggling
Signs of aggression include:
- Tensed or frozen posture
- Gulping kibble
- Growling
- Staring
- Snarling
- Snapping
- Biting
- Chasing people and animals away
If you observe any of the aggression signs, stop the training immediately and contact any of the below experts:
- Certified applied animal behaviorist
- Board-certified veterinary behaviorist
- Certified professional dog trainer
What not to do
Avoid the following actions if your dog is guarding resources.
Do not punish your dog
Don’t punish or intimidate your pup if it guards certain items, including food.
Some dog owners suggest that showing your pup who is the boss will make it stop guarding resources.
This is not true.
In fact, punishing or intimidating your dog for guarding can make the behavior even more severe. It can also damage the relationship with your dog.
Interesting
If you punish your dog for growling, the pup may next time skip the growl and go straight for a bite. And remember, growling is not a challenge to you. Your doggy is simply asking you to stay away.
Do not play with your dog’s food and chews
That’s right, don’t stick your hand in your dog’s bowl while your pup is eating. Also, don’t take away their toys and chews.
All this will only annoy your dog and may lead to your dog snapping whenever you get close to its food, chews, and toys.
When to seek professional help
If you’ve tried our above tips but your dog’s resource guarding hasn’t changed, it may be time to seek professional help.
You can start with your vet, who may recommend an animal behaviorist or a professional dog trainer.
If you’re not sure if you need an expert, try this simple test:
- If you’re worried that your doggy may bite someone, it’s time to call a professional
Is your dog guarding food but not eating? CONCLUSION
Is your dog guarding food but not eating?
As you learned in this article, a dog that guards its food can be dangerous. Anyone who gets close can be attacked and bitten.
This is why we wrote this article.
So that you can understand:
- Exactly why your dog is guarding food
- How to rule out medical issues
- How to train your dog to stop guarding
We also told you everything you need to know about:
- What causes resource guarding
- What to do exactly to stop your dog guarding
- When to call a professional
Our team wishes you good luck with fixing your dog’s guarding behavior!
YOUR PUPPY NEEDS THIS
In addition to your love, your puppy needs essential supplies!
So your puppy can stay happy & healthy – and can become the best it can ever be!
This is why we created this FREE New Puppy Checklist
The checklist covers everything your puppy needs.
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Check out our Editorial Process for details on how we research and review pet products and topics.
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This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of illness, pain, or distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.