I have a yorkie and she is 8 yrs old. every time my daughter comes into my room which is also the dogs room?

Question

the dog runs to her food tray and guards her food. Sometimes she puts her nose in food and just moves it around. She just started doing this maybe a year ago. She only does it if my daughter comes around. My daughter does not mess with her food so we don't know why she does this. She will stand guard at food as long as daughter is in room. Help. Thanks

Yes, I do leave her food out all the time, because she just nibbles a little at a time, she wont eat a lot at one sitting. And yes she does growl low growl when she runs to her bowl.

Answer 1

Sounds like your dog is jealous of your daughter. She see's her as a threat. Try holding your dog and giving her love when your daughter comes in there. You have to reassure the dog that your daughter is not going to harm her. If that doesn't work try taking the food bowl away when she is guarding it. She will eventually figure out that you are the one in control of everything, not your daughter.

Answer 2

I would only leave to food out for 1/2 hour at a time. If the dog is growling at your daughter because he's worried about her taking his food, remove the food.

Another idea is to let your daughter feed the dog. That way the dog knows that she is giving him food, not taking it. If your daughter is old enough to do it, you hold the dog and let her watch her put the food down for her.

You should be the one that takes it away after the half hour is over.

Answer 3

Interesting. I don't know. My guess is that she is guarding her territory - she thinks it is her room.
If you think it is a problem, I would feed her somewhere else - somewhere more neutral.
My dog is not territorial about her food at all.

Question: Do you leave food out for your dog all the time? Most dog trainers would say to feed the dog and then after 20 minutes take the food away.
If you leave food out for the dog to graze as she pleases, the dog will get the idea that she is the leader of the 'pack' and therefore is the boss. That may be why she is being territorial with her food.
Because in the wild, the pack leader dog gets to eat before all the other dogs.

My dog eats her whole meal once a day.

Answer 4

I have two Yorkie's, you need to leave dry food out all the time for them as they can become Hypoglycemia.

Food guarding is a common problem encountered by canine behaviorists. This is not surprising since canine's are predisposed to protecting their food when their ancestors needed to survive in the wild (or even from pushy litter mates). If your puppy learned to growl or snap at his litter mates in order to get any or the most food, he is simply carrying on this early learning behavior with his human family. If the owner smacks the dog for this behavior or takes the food away, this will in some cases confirm his need to guard his food. Typically, any food guarding that is challenged once the dog has possession is likely to increase his defensive behavior and become more dangerous. If your canine companion learns that aggression wins over food, he may later begin to try this tactic with other things like trophy possessions or space on his favorite couch.
The method of choice for solving this problem is to first put the behavior under stimulus control. Assuming you have taught your dog to come and sit, call your dog to you and make him sit. When he does, immediately give him a food treat and say "Take it" at the same moment. Soon a conditioned response will be established. If the dog "snaps too hard at the treat say "Gentle!" in a harsh voice and try to withhold it until the dog takes it gently. Then be sure to praise with a warm "Good". Next, begin to delay the treat a few seconds. If the dog jumps to get the treat, simply close your hand and give the instructive reprimand "Off" (see "Jumping"). Soon the dog should learn that the owner has the right to control the small, quickly consumable treats. This can later be expanded to the treat being offered in the food bowl.

This method will work with dogs who have recently displayed food guarding behavior. We caution that this should not be tried with older, more serious and dominant dogs with a history of this behavior. With these dogs, you'd best consult with an animal behaviorist who can develop a safe program of behavior modification for your situation.

Answer 5

Because it is the ONLY thing in the room that belongs to her & her alone.
Have your daughter try feeding her some treats when she comes in the room, maybe as a peace offering. It's worth a try.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Your daughter is eating dog food when you are not around.

Coach

Answer 7

your yorkie thinks your daughter is invading her space does she or he growl ? i think it is a case of the yorkie thinking your daughter is invading her space . good luck and god bless and happy holidays.