Behavior Modification in Action

Meet two dogs who displayed food bowl aggression and were helped by behavior modification.

Billie: Adult Dog with Food Aggression

Watch how the Food Guarding Program protocol addressed this dog's food guarding behavior.

Bobbi: Food Modification Was Born!

Bobbi was a puppy at the Wisconsin Humane Society who showed food guarding behavior. At the time (2004), this shelter was seeking to save more lives by supporting more at-risk dogs. His guarding behavior shown in this video planted the seeds for the development of a food guarding behavior modification protocol at the shelter.

Bobbi's food aggression was identified during his Meet Your Match Puppy-ality™ Assessment.

The second video shows Bobbi after three weeks of a process of trial and error to develop a food guarding protocol. During this time, Bobbi was free-fed in his kennel and offered enrichment. He had one session a day in which he was taught that feet approaching (and hands taking the bowl) meant something great: canned food dropped into his kibble bowl.

The last part of the food program involves proofing Bobbi with different people in different settings. This video shows him in his adoption suite as someone goes in to approach the bowl. With the food guarding protocol now well established, puppies can go through the program and be made available for adoption in less than a week at many shelters.

Video of Bobbi courtesy of the Wisconsin Humane Society.