Our pup is still having a problem with this. She's 7 1/2mths and we did a reward based training course with her from 3-5mths. She is half golden retriever/half mini poodle and the trainers said that retrievers can be possessive although I hadn't heard that before. As recommended we do 'trade' with her when she gets something she shouldn't have - we give her a better treat in exchange and for the most part it works. I do it with her for toys as well and reinforce on a daily basis. However sometimes she wants to keep her prize and will actually go for you if you try to remove it. To the point of snarling and trying to bite. It doesn't help that my MIL lives with us and often has her lunch or snacks in her room, I just bought her steel mini trash bins that have a heavy foot operated lid, but she still sometimes leaves something out accidentally and doesn't close her door. Last week I sat with Biscuit almost half an hour before I was able to get her to drop some chicken wing bones she'd nabbed from my MIL's room. Also sometimes, although you'd think we'd know better by now, we accidentally leave something on the table. She can jump up on a chair so fast and snatch, it's amazing.

So my question is if we stay on the same path with the reward for dropping will it get better? Or always be a problem? My husband (we say Dh for 'darling husband' - N. American internet speak and I notice you use OH here and am wondering what the O is for) gets rather upset about this and I do tell him that it is normal instinct behaviour especially in puppies. I've also noticed that she is more willing to give something up if you use a soft voice rather than an angry or determined tone and have told him this as well. It would be nice to find out how others have fared and just how long it might take before it's no longer a struggle. We have no problem with her food bowl, in the days trying to find suitable foods for her to eat we often fed her by hand so she has no issues there. It just seems to be stolen food or occasionally a dead bird, mouse or some tidbit of garbage off the street on walks.

We had resource guarding with our cocker at about the same age. You really need to find a decent trainer and get some professional help as it is impossible to advise on this sort of thing over the internet

The problem with RG is if you don't get a handle on it it can escalate. I don't believe it is something you can ever resolve 100% but you can significantly reduce the liklehood of the dog showing aggression and learn to manage it.

OH = Other Half

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RG issues usually escalte during adolescence, but are generally present in the puppy albeit very subtley and thats obviously the preferable time to deal with this issue.

Has she ever bitten and if so what damage was done? What tells you about her behaviour that she is guarding?
The early signals are very subtle.

Yes, Golden Retrievers are associated with resource gaurding - they are the most common breed I see with this issue, second only to Cockers.

But saying that guarding valued possessions is a noraml doggie behaviour.

Its great that you have been doing preventative work but with an established case more intensive and systematic work is needed.

Trading exercises are good but these need to go back to basics and be more systematic.

Because there is a stealing issue that MUST be managed thoroughly. If your MIL isn't on board then the dog must be closely supervised or confined from areas where stealable items are more available. Using management devices such as crates, baby gates, tethers etc.

Also work on self control is a must.

Next a thorough understanding of guarding and distance increasing body language is vital. I am actually pretty impressed that you got those bones back off her despite it taking time.

But the problem is that if you are not systematically working up through a hierarchy of difficulty in regards to trading and trading up all the time, then random trading of stealable items will just further reinforce the idea that you take really lovely stuff off her.

You need professional help, quite possibly from someone with behaviour qualifications rather than being solely a dog trainer.

This is a great article from Grisha Stewart on guarding: Resource Guarding | Ahimsa Dog Training, Seattle | Dog and Puppy Tips from Seattle |

And get Jean Donaldson's book MINE as its probably the best and most complete manual on modifying guarding.

Best of luck

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"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

"If you don't want your dog to bite you, don't be an a**hole to him." ~ Dr. Ian Dunbar

Thank you for your responses.

Yes she's bit a few times. Once when she had a live bird (and she had a soft mouth with it, she didn't hurt the bird) after my husband pried her mouth open and another time she bit our son when he took a brownie from her. Both times they were fast snaps that just happened to land.

She doesn't guard toys and with chewies if she's chewing one, there's three or four other ones lying around (deliberately) so that she knows if we take hers she can go get another. We've made chewies non valuable. She doesn't guard any of her toys.

It's really just food items and always those that are dangerous for her. We do trading up often and she will easily let go of a sock or a shoe or underwear she's stolen out of the laundry. I've talked to my MIL, but she has mild dementia and denies leaving anything out. When she goes for her walks now I do a fast search in her room. But again, yesterday she got some dried up Christmas turkey from I don't know where (my MIL must have forgotten about it herself) and because it had a bone in it we had to get it off her. After 15minutes I was going to be late picking up my son from school so I had my daughter sit with her, then I put on my coat and shook my keys. She dropped the turkey, grabbed the treat and ran for the door. And I took her with me too so she didn't think it was a trick.

Her guarding behaviour is classic. First she will try to go off by herself. Then crouching or sitting, staring or whale eyes. Growling, but only if you reach for what's in her mouth. You could sit right beside her.

The training course we did is run by a behaviourist that lectures at the vet university. Before you can even start puppy classes you have to attend a three hour seminar on dog behaviour. They were the ones that taught us to trade up. I wanted to do the second clicker training course with them, but my OH (thanks!) nixed the idea. He thought they cared more about the dogs than the owners and I have to say I agree, but I didn't think that was a bad thing! I can certainly contact them if it's warranted.

Sorry, I can't seem to help being bloody long winded.

Sorry, no comments apart from - Tripod offers excellent advice and the courses/behaviourist you mention sound fab!