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I'll preface this with: I haven't read everything Adrienne wrote. :D I agree that there's no reason to put our hands in their bowls. A well-trained "leave" and "drop" is a much better, and safer, option. I dealt (poorly) with food aggression for 8 years before finally getting professional help. Between that trainer and Adrienne we're going on a year without incident (Mo is 10½ now). It took a Lot of work and a Gob of patience and Oodles of repetition with the Most Boring Training Ever, lol, but we got there. :) Y'all have a major leg up on us in that you're addressing it and instilling good behavior early on. For the kiddos, if Adrienne didn't address it already, I'd recommend teaching them to respect a dog's space, especially when they're eating. That should extend to friends', relatives', and strangers' dogs. One of my favorite metaphors is to imagine you're sitting down, eating, and suddenly someone comes and puts their hand in your food or takes your plate away. Or heck, even starts scratching your head - how annoying! For children you can use their sibling as the example of that someone. ;) And play up the value of that meal because to us food is food, to dogs food is like . . . ice cream or cake - super important high value. The other thing I'd personally do (and practice with Mo) is to feed on a schedule and away from commotion. That helps the kiddos because they know that at x time it's puppy time and they have to stay out of that area only for that time. Lastly, oh em gee, that face! What a handsome boy!

Aww, what a cutie! Giving these pups a stress- free area to eat and helping them gradually is key. If they feel stressed by too much commotion, they'll feel like eating really fast and get tense which can predispose to guarding more. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to helping these pups learn trust with us around their food. Recognizing subtle signs is also important through behavior modification. Below is a general list. A professional working with you can help pinpoint some of these signs so to ensure you work at the pet's comfort and don't go too fast. The most common cause for setbacks in behavior modification is going too fast. A Ladder of Aggression Most of us are capable of recognizing the most obvious signs of resource guarding, but there are many subtle signs that precede the most obvious ones that may not always be easy to recognize. It’s important to recognize these signs so to nip behaviors in the bud before they escalate. Recognizing early signs is also important for behavior modification, so to ensure the puppy is not sent over threshold. Following is a ladder of aggression often seen in resource guarding. Consider though dogs don’t always follow these in a textbook fashion, and they may skip through the rungs. If you notice any of these signs, please refer to a behavior professional using force-free behavior modification for help. Eating Faster Caution is needed with puppies who start eating faster the closer a person approaches. These puppies are worried about their food being stolen, and therefore, decide to take the “eat it fast and stop worrying” approach. This behavior should be tackled considering that countless dogs end up on the surgery table for swallowing objects and bones to prevent their owners or other dogs from "stealing" from them. It often happens along these lines: a dog may get ahold of something that he or she perceives as very valuable. The dog tries to hide with it or run away with it, but the moment the dog notices the owner’s interest or the moment the owner comes near in hopes of retrieving the item, the dog gulps it down quickly. Freezing Freezing is seen when a dog is approached while eating something perceived as valuable and the dog feels threatened. When dogs are comfortable eating, they will be relaxed and eat at a normal pace, without worrying. A dog who is resource guarding is worried and getting increasingly stressed and, will, therefore, typically stop eating and freeze. A dog who is freezing typically will keep his head lowered over the resource he is guarding, at the same time though his gaze may be directed at the approaching threat. Growling At some point, puppies who resource guard will growl which often is the owner’s first wake-up call if they failed to recognize the earlier signs. Growling, is a distance-increasing behavior. The dog is telling the owner to back-off because he doesn’t want him/her anywhere near his resource. Growling should never be punished. Suppressing a dog’s growl, is like removing a dog’s alarm system. Next time, the dog may go straight to a bite. Snarling Some puppy owners decide to ignore a puppy’s growl. They think that, just because the puppy is small and very young, it is not a big deal. Some may laugh about it and keep moving towards the puppy. An escalation of a growl is often a snarl, a dog showing his teeth. Dogs may lift their lips and show their pearly whites silently or accompanied by growling. This is a more serious warning. The dog is saying: “You see these teeth? I will be using them if you keep getting closer.” Snapping Snapping takes place when a dog bites the air, hence why it’s also known as “air-snapping.” It’s easy to assume that snapping dogs are trying to bite, but miss aiming, but dogs are much better than that. Snapping dogs are purposely missing because they are trying to not bite. They are deliberately trying to avoid using their highest level of force. Rest assured, if a dog really wants to bite, he will bite and will do with accuracy and speed. Biting And there you have it: the dogs highest level of force in action. The amount of damage done when a dog bites is often a matter of how much bite inhibition https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/ the dog has. It’s unfortunate when puppies or dogs are pushed to this when they have been trying their best to warn. Often, the cause is a dog owner who is trying to fix the resource guarding the wrong way, increasing the dog’s tension rather than alleviating it. Grabbing the puppy’s possession just to make a point, threatening to steal or stealing things from pups or scolding the pup or physically correcting them makes only matters worse proving to the pup we're not trustworthy. This will only exacerbate things. ***Something to consider: Health conditions or medications known to increase appetite may result in an increase in food guarding behaviors in dogs. Have your puppy or dog evaluated by a veterinarian to rule this possibility out. Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.