Possessive over food

In the last few weeks, Maisy (7.5 months) has become increasingly possessive over her food. At first she wouldn't let my old cat near it and would bark at him if he went near it. She is in love with the younger cat and would allow him to eat from her dish (not that he was very interested really as it wasn't cat food) but tonight I caught Maisy rushing at Wally because he went too close to her dish. The other thing is that she has started acting really weird with her food ...it looks like she is trying to bury it; she whimpers as she 'piles dirt'(?) up around it with her nose. She doesn't eat it right away ..she burys it and protects it.

I've been getting her to sit and wait when I put her food down. I'm a bit worried that she might snap at my 3 yr old. I've told Rachel to leave the dog alone when she has food but she is 3 afterall and doesn't always listen.

Are there any dog psychologists out there who can explain this behaviour?

With a three-year-old around, you might want to Maisy in a crate or x-pen until you've worked on her behavior with a APDT certified trainer. Your daughter's safety is of utmost importance.

For the time being, you need to completely avoid having the situations arise where Maisy feels the need to defend her food, as her behavior will only become more ingrained.

Cathy Moon said:

With a three-year-old around, you might want to Maisy in a crate or x-pen until you've worked on her behavior with a APDT certified trainer. Your daughter's safety is of utmost importance..

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What is an APDT certified trainer?

Cathy Moon said:

For the time being, you need to completely avoid having the situations arise where Maisy feels the need to defend her food, as her behavior will only become more ingrained.

Click to expand...

Okay. That makes sense.