He looks like a typical golden retriever but his owners brought him to me because he had a big problem. He'd bitten his owner when she reached for his food bowl. Not just a little nip. He bit up and down her arm like he was munching on a juicy steak.

Many food possessive dogs are dominant, bossy dogs, but not Ben. He was polite and even submissive. We tried several methods of counter conditioning to get him to associate good things with people around his bowl. After four months he was still dangerous. At that point, I took him into my own home and worked with him. Ultimately we taught him to automatically sit when someone walked up to his food bowl. Two or three times at each meal I would approach his bowl while he was eating and stop just outside his bite zone. When he sat, I'd give him the treat. After several weeks, he was sitting as soon as I approached his bowl. Now he's back with his owners and he's doing great.

Ben's case is interesting because it stresses that if one technique doesn't work, you need to keep trying different techniques. It also shows the importance of using a technique consistently and for a long enough period of time. I was able to practice with Ben at every meal. I probably had more time to practice with Ben than his family did.