Training / Food Guarding

We followed the step by step guide in Jean Donaldson's book for food guarding. The sequence we ran through:

Level 1: Empty Food Bowl

1. Approach dog and the empty bowl from 6ft away, drop treats in bowl, walk away. Repeat. Change angles.
2. Approach from 10ft, drop treats in empty bowl, walk away. Approach from different angles.
3. Approach from 20ft away, drop treats in empty bowl, walk away.
4. Approach from 10ft, bend 1/2 distance to the bowl as if to pick it up, drop treats in, walk away.
5. Approach from 10ft, bend all the way to bowl as if to pick it up, stop with treat hand an inch from the bowl, drop in treats, walk away.
6. Approach from 10ft, bend over as if to pick up bowl, pause 2 seconds, drop treats in, walk away.
7. Proof random distances, angles, with 2 sec pause and treat drop.
8. Approach from 10ft, reach toward bowl, but do not pick up, drop treats in bowl with opposite hand.
9. Approach from 10ft, reach toward bowl, touch it for 1 sec, add treats with opposite hand.
10. Approach from 10ft, touch bowl for 3 secs, add treats with opposite hand.
11. Approach and touch for 5 secs before adding treats with opposite hand.
12. Approach and touch for 10 secs before adding treats with opposite hand.
13. Approach and touch for 20 secs before adding treats with opposite hand.
14. Approach and touch for 30 secs before adding treats with opposite hand.
15. Proof random distances and angles with 30 sec bowl touch prior to treat drop with opposite hand.
16. Approach, grasp and move bowl for 2 secs, then add treats with opposite hand.
17. Approach, grasp and move bowl for 5 secs, then add treats with opposite hand.
18. Approach, grasp and move bowl for 10 secs, then add treats with opposite hand.
19. Approach, lift empty bowl to waist height, add treats and return.
20. Approach, take empty bowl to counter or table and add treats and return.
21. Approach, pat dog's back for 1 sec, add treats to bowl.
22. Approach, pat dog's back for 3 sec, add treats to bowl.
23. Approach, pat dog's back for 5 sec, add treats to bowl.
24. Approach, pat dog's back for 1-2 secs, take bowl away, add treats, return bowl.
25. Proof random distances and angles.

It went really well. I was working with a high value food: raw mined lamb. You could see it got him thinking. He seemed pretty comfortable with all of it. I think I saw a slight flinch when we started the patting him sequence. But basically he was fine with it.

Not sure what to do the next level up as supposed to train with kibble. Hmm. will have to work that one out.