How to stop my 8-month-old Goldendoodle puppy from resource guarding?

Question

I have a question about my dog guarding. I have an eight month old golden doodle that is as sweet as can be but when she has something she doesn't want to give up (treat or something she shouldn't have) she guards it. We have tried persistently using treats to "trade" but she seems to only get more worked up. High value treats did the same. Now we're at a loss. We're not sure what to try from here. Pet's info: Dog | Goldendoodle | Female | spayed | 8 months and 13 days old | 60 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Resource guarding can be a difficult problem to manage in some dogs. It sounds like you are doing lot of things right (trying to "trade" for higher value treats, avoiding punishment, etc.), so good for you! Since you are doing most of the things we usually recommend and are still having problems, I would really encourage you to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Sadie in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to work on this issue. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would also highly recommend the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson. It gives a great, very detailed overview of resource guarding in dogs including some examples of treatment plans to help guide you.

How to stop my 8-month-old Goldendoodle puppy from resource guarding?

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