Biting my husband/food aggression?

[~Kate]

Since we've had Monroe with us we have noticed she is not a fan of men. This is understandable because she came from a home where her owner (my sister) was abused by her boyfriend. So she saw a lot of abuse and was also apparently smacked, kicked etc. by him. We are trying to correct the problem, but we think we're doing it wrong as we're not getting anywhere.

Earlier today my husband took her for a walk, and Monroe found a piece of hotdog on the ground (yuck). She did NOT want to give it up, started growling at my husband, and snapped. It actually drew blood. I'm not sure if it was because she wanted the food, or it was my husband trying to get it from her, but she has never been this vicious before. She has once growled and snapped at me when she snatched a chocolate chip cookie from my toddler's hand, but that was only once before. I am concerned this is going to become the norm. She has always been nippy at ankles and hands when she gets too excited, but we used the squirt bottle of water and that really helped the issue. With this we're not sure how to approach it.

I guess I am just looking for some suggestions so this does not escalate. Should I bring the squirt bottle out in public so we can spray her with it if she finds some food on the ground? How can I get the food safely from her mouth before she eats something (which could be toxic...)? Any help is greatly appreciated.

-Something to add: she is not aggressive when she eats from her food bowl. She is not aggressive with treats. JUST human food.-

[CSollers]

Obedience classes should help immensely. The easiest way to deal with her picking stuff up is the leave it command. It's one of the few commands that actually work with Minni, LOL.

[CountryPug]

This sounds like resource guarding....if you do a search here, I'm sure you will find lots of info on how to deal with it. Hoping someone else will chime in with advice here.

[MonicaS]

As far as "leave it", this is one of my favorite videos for teaching that behavior: How to teach leave it - without intimidation - YouTube

[Lola's Mum]

Leave it and drop it are commands you should work on...

[Hellas]

Very common behavior. I agree with previous advice. I practice the trading method, which works very well.

[Wonka & Nilla]

I agree with everyone else.... teach "leave it" and "trade." Those are the best methods for dealing with this type of issue. For Trade, you simply offer the dog something really great in exchange for what they have that you want them to drop. For example, let's say we're on a walk and my pug goes to pick up a discarded cigarette (which thankfully mine don't, but I've heard of it happening many times), if I see it in time I give the "Leave it" command and, assuming we've trained it enough, the pug will leave it. If pug already has it in his mouth though, then I get out a yummy treat (like chicken or cheese) and offer a "Trade," pug will drop the cigarette in order to grab the treat. The best way to practice this at home is with toys or low-value chew bones. Wait until your pug is active and engaged with the toy and then show a really exciting treat, something she normally wouldn't get. Say Trade and offer the food with one hand while holding out the other to take the toy. Don't forget to praise the dog when she gives up whatever she was holding to do the trade. After the dog has eaten the treat, give the toy back and repeat. Start with taking away a low-value item and giving a high-value reward and praise, don't start training by trying to take away an entire cookie or steak that she grabbed off the table!!!

As far as "leave it", this is one of my favorite videos for teaching that behavior: How to teach leave it - without intimidation - YouTube

Kikopup is one of my favorite online trainers and her videos are so helpful for learning about positive-based training, clicker training and problem solving.