I have nowhere else to put this, but I just wanted a little celebration for a small step forward. TL;DR puppy asked for help retrieving a resource guarding trigger item multiple times!
Cypress first started showing resource guarding in December. I think this is partially genetic and partially a result of my husband and I pulling stuff out of her mouth without teaching drop it/leave it/etc. (stupid). After several OCD spirals I bought the book Mine! and started loosely following the protocol, (meaning I didn't "set up" training sessions, because I wanted it to be as applicable to real life as possible. Her resource guarding has never been severe, it's just you have to be actively messing with her/the item to get a reaction.)
Today was the first day of working with her on guarding lick mats. I gave her a licky mat this morning with peanut butter and had some treats on hand. The first treat she got stiff, grumbly, & whale-eyed, but gradually she began to understand the "game" we were playing and that she was getting extra snacks and she eased up.
I put her down for her afternoon nap, and when she woke up I gave her another licky mat. She was ~a little~ apprehensive at first, but significantly better than the run this morning. She was still working on the mat when I ran out of treats, so I went to go sit down. While she was licking, she pushed the mat under the dishwasher a bit so she couldn't reach it. When she realized it was out of reach, she barked a few times and looked at me to come get it. No issue with me handling it at all! And this happened a few more times!
It's nice to have a little bit of trust back. That's all
submitted by /u/largedragonwithcats
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