Resource Guarding - So Much for Progress

I'm sorry, that sounds like no fun.  Maybe start working on "leave it!" commands?  I don't have an awful lot of advice, but tons of sympathy because I know I have all this to come.
 
Kate

Thing is, it was already in his mouth before I realised he had found it.  I'm trying to teach "drop it" but it's still a work in progress.  For the life of me I can't remember how I taught Eevee to drop it, but hers is perfect.  If she found a dead, rotting squirrel and actually lost her mind and picked it up, she's drop that sucker on the first command.  I want Shippo to be like her in that respect... but it's gonna be a while... >-.-<  I was so pissed while I was posting this, I was actually in tears.  I feel like I've failed...

Inexperienced as I am, the one thing I can definitely say is that you have NOT failed.  Cross species communication is not easy at the best of times, and with a 5 month old almost-hitting-puberty puppy, I am sure stuff like this is to be expected.  Keep an eye on him to make sure he suffers no ill effects, learn from it, and don't beat yourself up over it.  From everything I have read in your posts, you sound like a great dog owner.
 
Kate

We had an incident today too - Wesley snarled instead of trading his rmb for a ball (which to this point had been going really well)...  I got really mad too and as soon as he snarled - I literally snarled back - and much louder and fiercer (I had NO plan to do this - it literally just came out).  Wesley looked shocked and backed up.  I quickly tried to regain my head, I calmly walked to the kitchen and called him, told him down, and then gave him a treat.  I then had him stay, went to the living room, got the bone and put it away...  Then, because I thought I had screwed up, and didn't have any idea what to do - I just pretended it was dinner time (although it was an hour early) and started the feeding process!!  I totally hear you about feeling like a failure - but, you're not, and I'm not - we are trying really hard - and it takes time...  not every day can be a good day [&o].

This problem is really, really difficult and those two both had really high value stuff.  Willow also did that a while back when she snatched a ice cream sandwich wrapper off the floor that had fallen and DH tried to get it back.  You guys didn't fail, the dogs just made a mistake, they are going to do that sometimes.  Keep moving forward. []

Well, I practiced with him and a chicken neck today, just trying to work on "drop it," and it went OKAY, even though he was still being a bit stubborn...

Anybody got any ideas of other high-value things I could trade with? He's only done this with edible things. I need to start practicing this EVERY DAY. I can't let him mature with a resource guarding problem... >X.x;<

I know how this feels! Maddi used to grab everything and wouldn't drop it unless it was really low value (like a flashlight). I felt like I was constantly pulling things out of her mouth when she was 5 months old, lol!
 
I've found that little bits of cold-cut turkey will get Maddi to leave a chicken drumbstick alone... although not the easiest to put in your pocket, you can put them in a baggy during training time [].

For Willow, the only thing higher value is going for a ride.  So, when she's got something and I'm having trouble, I leave the room, grab my keys, she hears the sound and forgets all about the food.   I learned this somewhere just can't remember if it was here or not.

oooohhh - a ride....  goooood idea!!  I wonder if Wes likes the car as much as it seems like he does, or if he just likes it because he usually goes to really good places...  hmmm.

Don't be so hard on her, or yourself - a dead thing is quite a freakin' prize in dogdom LOL! 
You need to overcome the instinct to run and grab stuff out of her mouth - you coming over to get it makes the likelihood of her swallowing it greater, not less.  Even if she mouthed it and ate part of it, I would have run away using my squeeky "where's the party" voice, and I would have gone straight for the roast beef, or whatever I could find, and tossed gobs of it on the ground.  Then, and only then, would I grab the "prize".
It is often the fact that we keep taking their stuff that makes dogs want to guard more.

As for "leave it", you can teach that with ever-increasing ante, so that the dog just "assumes" that what you have is always better than what they are going after.  So, the one time when they do "leave it - come" away from a dead bird and all you have is a Frito, they won't be permanently upset.  That's what happens when the fifty good experiences that they have with "leaving it" outweigh the few bad ones.

Just chock this up to "dogs will be dogs" and go on with your training)

I will work on it more... I need to come up with more high-value things that would work for this.  Because next time he grabs up a nasty dead animal, I still might not have access to roast beef sitting right on my patio table where I need it lmao...  That was my problem... I had nothing, bird (and dog) flu is apparently rampant around CO right now, I didn't have time to look up whether or not he could catch it from eating a dead bird, and so I just went for it because it scared me to death.  >X.x;<
 
Is there anything really tasty (and not expensive) that I can carry around in my pocket without needing a ziplock bag?  I takes time to pull out a bag and open it up lmao...  When Shippo grabs another dead animal or something possibly toxic off the ground, I don't really have much time to fumble around with the contents of my pocket lol...  I'd say maybe bully sticks but they're EXPENSIVE!  And so are those freeze-dried liver things ($10-12 for a SMALL container?!).  Is there something I could make at home?  Anything! >O______________O<
 
Oh, BTW, I forgot to mention that he doesn't do this for stuff I give him inside.  >X.x;<  I even tested him this morning by reaching into his crate and removing his bowl while he was eating (and putting a treat in it lol).  Nothing.  Darn puppy.
 
See his breeder didn't practice trading or anything... she just did ultra-dominance.  >X.x;<  So he came to me guardy and nippy.
 
Eh, well anyway I'll work with him more tonight.

For less expensive bully sticks, try here: [linkhttp://stores.ebay.com/Bullysticksonline]http://stores.ebay.com/Bullysticksonline[/link]  I got a bunch that were great - non-stinky, didn't give Roscoe gas, etc.
 
Beef heart microwaved until it is dry and crunchy will get Roscoe to leave alone a living bird (which is usually his most favorite thing in the whole world).  Cut into 1" pieces and put on a paper towel.  Microwave 'til it's dry.  For long-term storage, you should freeze or refrigerate it, but I keep pieces in my pocket for several hours at a time with no ill effects.
 
Good luck!

Holy crap.  Those are cheap! >O_O<
 
Wow, I wonder if it would be worth it to just buy a dehydrator... >o.o<

a dead thing is quite a freakin' prize in dogdom LOL! 

I can one up that.  The only time my little darling has growled at me when I was trying to take something away was the time when she found a deliciously shitty baby diaper at the park and started chowing down.  I almost puked, but I had to get right in there and grab it. [:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(]