Resource Guarding

[Cuchulain]

For the first time tonight Max has growled at the Siamese who showed an interest in his food. Should I be worried about this? What, if anything, should I be doing about it? I can approach him and even take his food without any reaction at all.

That said, he did get a treat tonight as somebody gave him Pedigree Puppy Food in a sachet - stinks to hell and it's not something I will be buying him but it seemed churlish not to give it to him because I don't like it! I added the sachet to his meal. Oh, and he did decline lunch for no obvious reason today too - would it be connected? As in, he didn't have lunch and is now extra hungry?

Sorry to be thick, but if it's something I need to deal with I'd rather catch it early on.

TIA

[Guest Ams]

Did he just growl a warning at the cat or did he then "protect" his bowl? If it was just a growl then I wouldn't worry too much at this stage. It is natural for a puppy to warn another animal away from its food. You could just calm him by telling him it's okay and steering the cat away, that way he will know you will help protects his food for him.

I have one girl who growls when the cats approach her bowl... but then lets them eat with her anyway... ????

Or if you think it may escalate you may wish to crate him for his meal so he doesn't feel the need to resource guard it.

[Cuchulain]

Thanks Ams, no, he just growled and then gave a little bark. He doesn't often do either so I looked up from the PC to see what was going on. Mickey, the Siamese, was approaching to see what Max had and if it might possibly be better than what he'd been given. Cats! I got up and removed Mickey, in fact, I put him up on the cupboard right at his food dish - but obviously Lamb in Gravy wasn't what he had in mind when he asked for dinner.

When Max had finished Mickey again returned to investigate Max's dish - Max was lying down in his bed. Max got up to see what Mickey was doing but there was no problem - Mickey got the last kibble and took it into the kitchen to eat it while Max stood and watched.

While I have to admit that having a dog for the first time is wonderful I am stressing big time over some things. I speak cat quite fluently but I'm still learning dog!

[Guest Ams]

Sounds like he was just telling kitty to back off and let him enjoy his dinner in peace.

If he let kitty have the leftovers then I can't see a problem at this stage but be vigilant in case he progresses.

Dog is a difficult language to learn... mainly because dogs want to have more interaction with us so the vocabulary required to understand is larger.... have fun

[luvsdogs]

Tilba chases my cat away when she has her food bowl ready & is on guard the whole time unless I lock the cat in another room. She learnt this from our older dog who has always been protective of her food from all types of animals we've had, fur & feathered. It's not something I like so the dogs are fed separately to prevent issues.

[Cuchulain]

It hasn't happened again but they are fed at the same time in difference places. Open plan housing can be such a PITA sometimes!