Hi,

Recently we left my 50 lb dog and our 23 lb dog with friends to watch while on vacation. Our 50 lb dog maggie has recently started guarding buscuits and chews (once burried) and now she seems to have started guarding the counter where people are preparing food, or bags (which had her food/treats contained) that have these items in it. She will look around, find the bag/location of the food- then the other dog and go after them. We don't know what to do. She is 3 and has never acted like this prior. Our friends had to give our dogs to another friend after maggie attacked their 14 lb sheltie mix. She is not like this(yet) with our other dog...only when a buscuit is burried- which we stopped giving her.. now this. She is bigger and seems to know it. I know one of our friends dogs are a dominent and shows this to Maggie which causes issues, and the other (which she pinned and bit) guards her sleeping area...we have had problems with that when they stayed with us previously. Any ideas? I need to get this one in the bud. Right now it seems to be more of an issue with our friends Sheltie mixes, but I don't want her to get worse. I was thinking of immediately correcting, when I start to see the teeth (thats how it starts) and getting out a spray bottle.. but I need a professional's help. I would hate to see this escalate. She had always been such a great dog, and well socialized...always at dog parks. Perhaps we spoiled her too much. I am really disapointed in her.

Thanks