[RottiMomCT]

Ben was given a rib bone from a prime rib dinner and once he got the meat off of it I took it away from him...he let out a growl like I had never heard from him and bared his teeth at me. I told him to "KNOCK IT OFF!" and proceeded to place my leg between his feet and pushed him out of the way so I could get that bone.

I will never ever ever tolerate that kind of behavior from any dog in my home, especially around kids!

That being said, I would not mess with the food bowl by simply putting hands in it or randomly moving it or taking it away. That can and often DOES lead to protecting it even more. Allow someone in your home to screw around with your dinner plate every night for a week at random times until you are finished - if they allow you to finish. Annoying scenarios isn't it?

Well, that's what your dog is going through and it's just not nice, is it? Have a handfull of the dogs regular ration of kibble and place a few nuggets into the bowl while talking to the dog "hey, got some yummy stuff for you - lemme put it in your bowl...". Do the same thing with bones or other non-regular food stuffs. Trade for a small cookie or a stuffed toy and then give back the original item. Tell the dog to 'give' or 'drop it' and when the item in their mouth is released, praise! You should always be able to approach your dog if he or she has something in their mouth.

EVERYTHING in your home belongs to YOU, including whatever the dog may have in their mouth. God forbid yor dog gets ahold of a smelly rotten dead animal and begins to eat it - having proofed the command "LEAVE IT" or "DROP IT" will certainly come in handy.

Reading a book that tells you to mess with your dogs bowl certainly works on paper but your dog can't read...know what works for YOUR DOG and you'll have much more success than what's read in a book...

Raven didn't know what your daughter was going to do when she sat down next to her and she perceieved her as a possible threat. Personally I would have moved the child away from the dog or never allowed her to sit that close to her while chewing on what the dog sees as a 'high value item' that needs to be protected from the little person sitting next to her.

When Raven has a high value item (I call anything that has ever come off of a living creature a high value item), allow her to enjoy it in peace - crate her or restrict access to the area she is in.