Aggression at Dinner Time

Question
QUESTION: Hi - I rescued a male 5 yr old Labrador about 3 months ago and I am having problems with him at feeding time.
Basically he is very possessive over his food & will growl & snap at anyone who approaches him whilst he is eating - this is true whether it is his main meal (he is fed twice a day) or a snack/treat.
It started off with him just growling at me or my partner if either of us got too near him whilst eating his main meal but yesterday he snapped at me as I walked past him whilst he was eating a treat. Fortunately he didn't make contact with me but it has really unnerved me & I want to address the situation asap as apart from this one thing he is a really fantastic dog & deserves a second chance in life with me.
We have actively ignored him as far as possible when he is eating so as to try not to provoke the situation but this clearly isn't helping!
Any advice you can offer me would be very much appreciated. Many thanks.

ANSWER: A few years ago I would have suggested getting tough.  Along with much of the dog world, I am moving to more positive methods.  This is out of the puppy training manual from a large dog guide training school:

Start out with only part of the food in the dish.  When the puppy finishes it, add more, and more when that is finished.  The puppy will quickly welcome you hands near its dish.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi - thanks for the prompt reply. I will certainly try that re food bowl but I don't see how that helps with treats! Any ideas? Many thanks.

Answer
I guess since I have been give a solution for the food bowl, I concentrated on it.  Maybe try obedience training.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm