Food - one of life’s great pleasures, for humans and animals.Our bodies are made to need food to give us fuel and keep us alive.But sometimes the desire for food develops into unhealthy patterns.Some humans may overeat or might binge on the wrong types of foods.Although dogs cannot overeat unless we give them too much food, they also may have abnormal eating behaviors.Food-related aggression is a classification of undesirable behavior when dogs growl, lunge or try to bite you if you attempt to pet them or take their food while eating.Why it is that some dogs protect their food and others don’t?Probably the same reasons why some humans crave certain foods and others could care less.Myself, I can’t go a day without dark chocolate.Like a food aggressive dog, don’t try to take away my chocolate!!Really. Dogs can inherit the gene for food aggression, often an in-bred trait.And sometimes it can be a result of not getting enough food as a puppy, possibly from being pushed out by his or her littermates. Food aggression in dogs is serious business.If you have a food aggressive dog, chances are you just leave your dog alone when he or she is eating.You’ve told your children and visitors not to bother the dog.But what happens if your child drops a piece of food on the floor, and as your child tries to pick it up, the dog bites the child?Or your dog is outside and encounters someone with food who drops it on the ground?Food aggression may not just occur around the dog’s food bowl.It can be with any food, and frequently with bones and rawhide chews. Even though food aggression can be an inherited behavior, it can be made worse or it can be improved by the way the dog’s owner responds to the dog.All puppies must be taught that it’s okay for humans to touch them and their food while eating.It’s a good practice to lightly touch and then praise your dog while he or she is eating, but not for more than a moment.However, by all means do not remove the bowl before the dog is finished eating.This will teach the dog to be afraid that you are going to take the food away, and can cause the dog to protect the food more.Never scold your dog if he or she growls at you when eating.That will only reinforce the behavior. If you have a puppy or an older dog who protects food or bones, there are methods to help improve the behavior, but it takes knowledge, time, patience and consistency. Please contact a qualified behavior specialist for help.