My 2-year-old lab growls at me when I get near her food bowl. It just started a few weeks ago. I've been making her sit before I put the bowl down but it's gett

Making her sit is irrelevant. The problem happens when you approach the bowl, not before. She's guarding because she expects you to take the resource. Most likely someone practiced 'taking the bowl away to show dominance' or reaching in while she eats to 'prove you're the boss.' Now she's defensive. Here's how you undo it. For the next two weeks, hand-feed her entire meal. Sit on the floor and give her kibble one piece at a time from your hand. This recalibrates the association: your proximity means food appears, not disappears. After 10 days of zero guarding during hand-feeding, put a few pieces in her bowl. As she eats, drop a high-value treat (chicken, cheese) into the bowl and walk away. Repeat daily. Gradually increase the amount in the bowl. The pattern you're building: human approaches bowl → something better appears. If she's guarding toys or bones, stop giving her those entirely until the food bowl is resolved. Don't punish the growl. The growl is information.