§The way to solve this problem is to teach the dog that people are
food-bringers, not food takers.This is easy to do and
requires only a few well-spent minutes a day.The least
food-protective dog is one that knows it’s about to receive
another helping when someone approaches.Create this
optimistic attitude in your pup by putting only part of its
dinner in the bowl at first.Let the puppy eat that, then
pick up the bowl, put the remainder of the meal in it and give it
back to the pup.Other techniques include:
§When you set the food bowl down for your pup, keep one hand in
the bowl.While the pup eats around you also offer some
food from your open palm in the bowl.This reduces a puppy’s
worry about hands near its food.
§While your pup eats, reach into its bowl and drop in a few
morsels of some very yummy food.The pup will quickly learn
to welcome such mealtime interruptions.
§Pick up the bowl while the pup is eating, drop in some tasty
tidbits, then set the bowl back down.This will help your
pup learn to be optimistic when it sees a hand reaching toward
its food.
§Feed your pup part of its rations by hand each day.This
can be done at dinnertime or as between meal snacks.
Use dog kibble as training treats.This helps prevent
over-possessive attitudes about food because the pup learns it
can earn more – that the supply is inexhaustible.