If there's one thing that brings out dogs' possessive tendencies, it's food. Among any group of mammals, from lion prides to wolf packs, nothing affects survival as much as getting enough to eat - and eating it before someone else does. Some dogs have elevated their protective instincts to a speed sport. They hunker over their dishes and inhale the food to ensure that no one else gets a crack at it. All the while, they look around furtively for food thieves. Some get downright aggressive, giving a guttural growl if anyone gets close.
The bowl doesn't have to be full to trigger protective feelings. In fact, lots of dogs see their bowls as their possessions. They probably imagine that food might appear there at any time. So the bowl isn't just any possession - it's highly prized.
It's not just the bowl they're protecting, but the space around it. This is due in part to what is called their denning instinct. Dogs in the wild always lived in cozy, enclosed spaces called dens. A den might have been a cave or an abandoned shed. Or it could have been a hollow in the ground, surrounded by trees. Dogs viewed their dens as their castles, and they didn't welcome strangers coming around. So they did whatever they had to do to protect their space.
In addition, dogs like a little peace and quiet when they eat. It's their way of making sure no one gets close enough to steal their food. They may get cranky when there's too much activity around their food bowls, even when mealtimes are a long way off. For a dog, an empty dinner dish is just a meal waiting to happen.
Some dogs guard their dog dish simply because they're not getting enough to eat. Even though about a third of dogs in the United States are overweight, some dogs still aren't getting all the calories they need, because their owners are overly concerned about keeping them trim. Dogs who are truly ravenous won't be on their best behavior, and they certainly won't let their food bowls out of sight, if they can help it.
Even when a dog's stomach isn't growling, she may protect the dog feeding station if she has gone through lean times. This tends to be an issue for dogs who spent their early months as strays. Like children of the Depression, they remember what it's like to be hungry, and they aren't going to let it happen again.
Since every dog needs a different number of calories, the only way to be sure that your dog is getting enough is to watch her ribs. They should be almost visible, but nicely padded. If they're too prominent - or, conversely, if you can't see them at all - you should make some adjustments to the amount of food that you pour into the bowl.
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