She tried to bite me!!!

Well, generally there isn't a such thing as "tried to bite". If she wanted to bite you, she would have bitten you. She was warning you to get away from her and her "prize".
 
What you have there is a resource-guarder. There's a great book I'm working through at the moment called Mine! by Jean Donaldson that will help you. [linkhttp://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB740]http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB740[/link]
 
My resource guarder is a lot less severe than yours, but I've had her for 7 years, so...
 
Also, I'm going to venture a guess to say that your dog thinks she's the boss. You don't need to be mean to her or anything to show her you're the "top dog", there's a great program called Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) that will help you. Here's a good basic site about it. [linkhttp://k9deb.com/nilif.htm]http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm[/link]
 
I'm sure some other more experienced folks will come along and offer more advice, but I just figured I'd offer what I can. Good luck.

My first suggestion is until you can work on this, don't challenge your dog to get things back.  Creating a situation where she feels no other recourse than to fight for her prize is not the kind of pattern you want to instill.  If she grabs something you absolutely must get away from her, find something even more enticing and make a big deal out of it.  Most dogs will relinquish something for something better.

The book Chelsea recommends is one of the best. It'll take some work on your part, but it's really possible to teach a dog to trade even super yummy things for something else.  My younger lab is a resource guarder but with work, she's much better.  Yesterday I was able to give her an ice cube to take her bully stick.  I gave her the bully stick right back, but it's work I try to continue to do with her so she doesn't forget [].  More than anything it's about trust, so whatever you do, try to imagine things from your dog's perspective and it makes it easier to understand and work with.

I absolutely agree with both suggestions.  Dogs that are fine with kibble, might guard a "prize".  Fortunately, if you stick to the protocol in Jean Donaldson's book, chances are that most guardy dogs can be retrained. Had she actually taken a chunk out of you, the advice would be different, but since she didn't (and a dog's mouth is four times faster than the human hand), that's actually a good sign that at least you have a dog that prefers to warn, rather than jump right to the bite.  Don't "test" her - get the book.  I think you will be pleased with the result.  However, don't have this dog sitting by the Thanksgiving table.  Not the dog you want to have there if a three year old drops food...

Anne-I'm just curious. . .what would you had suggested if the dog had bitten?? 

I would want to know the circumstances, how many times previously they had tried to remove things from the dog's grasp, and the severity of the bite.  A dog that scratches your skin because you have continually tested, and basically sent the dog over the edge to "discipline" you more is way different than the dog that immediately responds with multiple punctures, for example.  I would be asking if there are kids in the home, and how committed the owner is to the dog, before attempting to rehab.  But, the protocol is essentially the same once you begin.  But, with some dogs, you might take additional precautions, like a basket muzzle.  Some dogs are not safe around kids - period.  And severe food guarders fit that category.  That's because a dog that does not guard from his owner might guard from someone else, and children are prime candidates.

How old is the dog? uppies do occasionally "bite" by accident especially when trying to grab a toy-- I have a huge bruise on my leg right now from an exuberant ill-mannered puppy grabbing at a toy I was holding next to my leg. You might just need a good "drop it" or "leave it" command with this dog. All dogs should be taught to drop what they are holding on command. If you do searches you can find the training protocol somewhere. The trade game-- trade the dog a treat for the "prize".

I know that feeling... when I first got Shippo, I was carrying a toy, and he leapt up and tried to grab it, and got my hand instead... with those puppy teeth, he got my hand so bad, it drew blood! Even so, it was just an accident... darn needle teeth!

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

How old is the dog? uppies do occasionally "bite" by accident especially when trying to grab a toy-- I have a huge bruise on my leg right now from an exuberant ill-mannered puppy grabbing at a toy I was holding next to my leg. You might just need a good "drop it" or "leave it" command with this dog. All dogs should be taught to drop what they are holding on command. If you do searches you can find the training protocol somewhere. The trade game-- trade the dog a treat for the "prize".

My sense was that this was an adult dog, but if it is a pup, this certainly applies.

Yeap you were trying to take away something that "belongs" to her, of course that it can be fixed but maybe the problem is deeper than just claiming things for her, this time was just an used paper towel, later can be something else, food, toys, even she can claim your couch or your bed
 
You have to find a behaviorist that can help you to minimize the aggression and the "dominance" over things

One of my other dogs a few years ago got a hold of a t-bone.  It was not easy to get it away from the pup, but I did.. He didn't bite, but he was growly and curling his lips! 
 
I took the bone in the kitchen and carved off what was left on the bone.  After that I didn't have any problems taking a thing away from him.  He trusted me that I would either give him what he wanted back or I would find a more appropriate substitute of something to chew on/ snack on!  (none of the above included me!!lol)

That's because a dog that does not guard from his owner might guard from someone else, and children are prime candidates.

 
This is true. . .Willow no longer guards from me but still continues to guard things from my husband and I'm sure if others were around it would be the same.

Thank you for the replies everyone.  I'm going to pick up the Mine! book and read through it.

Sasha is great at dropping her toys for me, and she get's off the couch when I saw "off" no problem.  It's just food and yummy stuff that she gaurds. 

I'm also going to take an obedience class with her as well, and I certainly hope that will help establish "who's the boss" in our household. 

keep in mind that resource guarding has nothing to do with "who's the boss".  Some of the worst resource guarding cases you'll see are with very submissive dogs who have repeatedly had treasures forcibly removed from them and have been punished for guarding their treasures. These dogs learn that the only way to keep their stuff is to be extremely aggressive towards everyone. If you go into this thinking "that dog better give me his bone because I'm boss" you will NOT succeed in re-training him. I speak from bitter experience.
The approach you need to keep in mind is that you teaching the dog that it's GOOD for the dog to give you his things, because the dog benefits. It's a matter of gradual training and building trust between dog and owner. My dogs LOVE to have their bones taken away, because they are sure that they will get something better in return, and probably get their bone back as well. They LOVE it when people walk up them while they are eating, because frequently people who walk up to them drop yummy treats into the food. They enjoy dropping their toys on command because they know they will get something better in exchange.

ORIGINAL: mudpuppy

keep in mind that resource guarding has nothing to do with "who's the boss".  Some of the worst resource guarding cases you'll see are with very submissive dogs who have repeatedly had treasures forcibly removed from them and have been punished for guarding their treasures. These dogs learn that the only way to keep their stuff is to be extremely aggressive towards everyone. If you go into this thinking "that dog better give me his bone because I'm boss" you will NOT succeed in re-training him. I speak from bitter experience.
The approach you need to keep in mind is that you teaching the dog that it's GOOD for the dog to give you his things, because the dog benefits. It's a matter of gradual training and building trust between dog and owner. My dogs LOVE to have their bones taken away, because they are sure that they will get something better in return, and probably get their bone back as well. They LOVE it when people walk up them while they are eating, because frequently people who walk up to them drop yummy treats into the food. They enjoy dropping their toys on command because they know they will get something better in exchange.

Yup, couldn't have said it better myself!