Food guarding – possessive, defensive or aggressive behavior around food or food bowls – is not a death sentence for a shelter dog. How to assess and modify this behavior is something all animal shelters can and should learn in order to save the lives of more dogs, and ensure their safe and successful placement in new homes.

On Saturday, July 13, at the 2013 ASPCA/Cornell/Maddie’s^® Shelter Medicine Conference in Ithaca, NY, Emily Weiss, PhD, CAAB, Vice President of Shelter Research and Development for the ASPCA, will share what the latest research has to tell animal shelters about food guarding in dogs.

From the schedule:

Let them eat!
8:45am – 9:45am

Research on food guarding from the ASPCA’s Shelter Research and Development department has led to a significant increase in the number of dogs leaving shelters alive. Attendees will explore the differences between food guarding and possession aggression and learn about a simple protocol that can quickly modify the behavior and ensure an increase in live releases.

The conference will be held July 13-14, 2013, at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. The complete schedule is available here (PDF).

Fees to attend are $75 for veterinarians, $25 for veterinary technicians, $10 for individuals and free for students. You can register and see continuing education credit information here.

Also of interest: Study finds dogs who guarded food bowls in shelter did not continue behavior in homes