Need advice, partner’s dog aggressively growls before getting fed.

my partner’s dog is becoming increasingly frustrating to deal with. when it’s time to eat he’ll run into his kennel and start growling before he even gets food. as we approach with food his growling becomes more intense/aggressive.

I’ve never seen or heard of a dog being possessive over food before they even get it in a way that prevents them from being able to get the thing they want. he’s fine with toys and being fed by hand, it’s just the bowl of food on its way to him. Given the growling and how quickly he eats, we’ve not tried to take the food away from him once he has it.

We’ve tried ignoring it, praising him when he’s calm, correcting the growling. Nothing seems to dissuade him from this behavior. Any advice?