The Trade-Up Protocol

A reliable fix flips one belief: people coming near my stuff can mean something better arrives.

During training, never reach for the guarded item. The instant you grab it, you prove the old fear right: humans steal.

You are rewriting one link in your dog's mind — "a person walks up" should now predict "jackpot." You know it worked when your dog looks up at you hopefully as you near the bowl, tail loose, instead of hunching over it. That hopeful glance is the whole goal.