a 3 month old male gray and white kitten,
a 6 week old, male chocolate lab mix,
This is such an important behavior to avoid in your new dog, especially if there are children in your home. Everyone in the home should work on this with the dog so that he will be comfortable with every member of the family.
 | Start off by putting pieces of food in his bowl one at a time. This will get him used to having your hands close to his bowl. These should be pieces of something especially yummy so that he will look forward to you being by his dish. |
| After he is okay with you by his bowl, touch it, and move it around a bit while he eats the treats. |
| Finally, pick up the bowl and then set it back down. |
| This will also work if he is guarding his toys. Give him a treat while you take his toy or bone. |
| If he ever growls during these exercises, shake him by the scruff and say "No!" This correction shows him that you are dominant, and will go a long way towards having him accept that you are the boss. If you are frightened that the dog will actually bite you, it's time for professional training. |
| Food aggression towards other dogs is an acceptable behavior as long as the dominant dog is allowing the other dog to eat. Food guarding towards people is not acceptable and should be corrected immediately. |
| Studies have shown that dogs with food aggression are not typically dogs that have ever been starved, and are in fact, very obese. |
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