Cow Cow is a handsome and gentle 9-year-old male with a dignified face, striking yellow eyes and a black and white coat. This sweet senior is looking for a calm environment filled with love (and treats). Consider Cow Cow ID# A821159. Adoptable pets are available at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA’s Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, 1450 Rollins Road, Burlingame. Call 650-340-7022 or visit www.phs-spca.org. (Thelma Andree / Peninsula Humane Society)
Dear Miss Behavin’: I have two adorable corgis that get along great, except when there is food involved. They’ve been in fights over their food dishes and crumbs that fall on the floor. How can I get them to stop sparring over snacks?
Reply: If you think about it, possessive behavior in dogs makes sense. Their wild ancestors would have had limited access to resources, and recent scientific theory suggests that dogs evolved as scavengers, seeking discarded food on the edges of human settlements. So it stands to reason that some modern-day dogs would retain an instinct to protect their food.
First, possessiveness over food can be instinctual for some dogs, making it nearly impossible to get rid of through training. That means you’ll need to employ management strategies to prevent these situations from happening. The easiest thing is to feed them separately, either on opposite sides of a room or, better yet, in separate rooms entirely. You can train them to “wait” by their respective food dishes before mealtime to help streamline the routine. If they need to be in the same room, supervise to prevent one dog from sneaking over to the other’s dish. After mealtime, remove the dishes from the floor.
The kitchen is usually a hot spot where doggy siblings can compete over food, since it’s common for tasty tidbits to fall on the floor. Consider teaching them both a reliable “leave it” command so that if you do drop food, you can use the command to keep them both at a safe distance. To teach the “leave it” command, work with each dog separately. If you have never taught your dog “leave it” before, stay tuned for an upcoming column on how to teach this useful trick.