Toy aggression in dogs can be very scary, especially when you have children in your home. This behavior can begin as early as their puppy stage.
In the early years, your pup would yip and growl when their toys were being shared with other animals. However, this can easily become disturbing behavior if not properly managed.
In this ultimate guide, we will provide you with all you need to know about toy aggression in pups. First, you will learn about the reasons for toy aggression in pups. By this, we mean the reason your dog growls when he has a toy and how you can stop your dog from being possessive of toys with other puppies.
What Is Toy Aggression In Dogs?
This is also known as dog possession aggression for toys. Hence, dog aggression for toys is when a dog shows aggression to stop others from using their toys. Also, you can define it as a violent reaction to others when their toys are being shared.
There’s certainly no smoke without fire. Toy aggression in dogs starts from other possession aggression, from guarding their territories to guarding their foods and people.
For instance, when you try to share the dog’s food from their food bowl, they would display acts of rebellion and show signs of aggression in defense.
This gets worse when you encourage or praise them for their ability to protect what is theirs. Sometimes, it might be because they’ve never owned a toy.
Therefore, they exhibit some levels of aggression as a defensive response while protecting their toys from other puppies. For others, it can be a lack of trust or fear of losing their toy.
Their defensive response can go from snapping to growling and eventually biting those that try to share their toys. Doing this is a warning to the person to stay away from their toy. The severity of toy aggression in dogs varies. This means that some dogs are more aggressive than other dogs.
The variations in toy aggression in dogs depend on their breeds, age, gender, and past experiences, among others.
Common Examples Of Toy Aggression Or Food Aggression In Dogs
Dogs do not only show aggression with toys. They also do the same when it comes to their food. So touch their food bowls, favorite toys, or other valuable items at your risk.
Regardless of whether it is toy aggression or food; here is some behavior you should look out for:
Injuries
Dogs are like babies. They cannot speak to us directly. However, they can express their thoughts through their non-verbal actions. Your dog can exhibit aggressive habits by inflicting injuries on himself within the house.
Growling
It’s not accidental for a canine for your pet to growl. He keeps growling to scare away intruders or other pups. This is possession aggression of the highest order. It’s typically due to envy.
Aggression
Any form of biting is certainly an unpleasant sign.
Other signs include:
- Whining.
- Inflicting injury on another person or animal.
- Lunging.
- Snapping.
- Fighting with other pets over food bowls or toys.
- Snarling.
Why Does My Dog Growl When He Has A Toy?
Well, your dog growls when he has a toy because he feels a sense of protection from it.
This is also known as resource guarding. For example, dogs growl as a defensive response when someone tries to invade their territory, take away their food bowl or share their possessions.
Therefore, it is perfectly normal for your dog to be possessive, especially with other dogs or other animals around. Nevertheless, you should aim to put a stop to this behavior as soon as possible.
If you continue to overlook such behavior, you will find it challenging to control it in the long run.
This aggressive habit becomes very difficult to control, especially in older dogs. In most cases, you might need to contact a professional dog trainer in cases of older dogs.
Even when your dog is not old, there are still instances when it might need further attention. For instance, when your dogs move from growling to snapping to baring their teeth or lunging at you, you need to seek a professional dog trainer for help.
Reasons For Toy Possessive Aggression In Dogs
There are several reasons for toy aggression in dogs. This includes lack of proper training, large family size, abuse, and many others. In addition, this behavior could cause injuries to them and the people around them.
Toy aggression in dogs is not hard to come by. Also, the reasons for toy aggression in dogs are simple and understandable. It’sHowever, it’s important to note that the reasons for aggression in some dogs vary. Regardless, they have some common grounds. They are as follows:
Possessiveness
Dogs are very possessive. Hence, you must come to terms with this. Their possessions include their food bowls, water, puppies, and toys, among others. If they perceive a threat to any of their possessions, they become defensive.
While this might be a phenomenal behavior in some cases, it could also be toxic. Before you know it, you begin to nurse a dangerous and jealous dog. Possessive aggression and jealousy in canines bring nothing but havoc to other animals. That’s why it’s always important to look out for this behavior.
Fear Of Losing Their Toys
Some dogs have probably never owned a toy, especially in cases of rescue dogs. We have learned that a dog behaves aggressively when their possession is taken away. Another trigger for your dog’s behavior is the fear of losing his highly-desirable objects.
Like human beings, dogs appreciate and love their possessions. This is not limited to their luxury of having such possession. It also captures their fear of it being taken away from them. Hence, they behave aggressively when you try to take away their favorite toys.
Defensiveness
This is often called resource guarding.
Possessiveness may trigger defensiveness. When you have something worth fighting for, you give your all to protect it. This is also true in cases of dogs.
They yip, snap, growl, and sometimes lunge at their threats to instill fear in potential threats. For instance, even when other pets take a friendly step towards their favorite toys, food bowls, territories, and many others, they get overly emotional.
Sometimes, you need to respect who they are and what they seek to protect. The last thing you want is to have a timid pet. You should allow them to protect their highly-desirable objects to an extent.
At the same time, you should watch out for any aggressive tendencies, such as defensiveness, and figure out a way to curb them.
Tips and Training To Stop Toy Aggression
You have made every effort to stop toy aggression in your pet. However, all efforts have proved abortive. In this case, you’re fed up.
We understand that aggressive behavior can be disturbing depending on your dog’s behavior. For example, if your pet dissociates himself from you when you want to touch his toy, that’s not a cause for concern. However, if your pet attempts to bite you as you edge closer to her, then you need to pay mind to it.
Don’t give up. Your dog can receive proper training when you secure the right resources. You can still work around your pet’s horrible behavior. All you need is some sort of positive boosting.
One surefire way to start tutoring your pet is as soon as you find out that their behavior has changed. However, before working around your dog’s aggression, you need to understand typical commands. Chances are that a well-trained dog will respond faster to your attempts to curtail food or toy aggression.
In any case, here are a few tricks to manage this behavior.
Limit Aggressive Dog Access To The Valuable Item
One fail-safe way to get started with tutoring your canine is to restrict his access to his favorite toy. For example, you could reserve a separate room in your home for a pet playroom.
In this way, you should allow your dog to have the luxury of playing with his toy for a substantial time. However, once your pet is done playing, make sure you leave her favorite item behind when you allow her out.
This practice intensifies your canine’s sense of security that his item is in good hands. In addition, it guards against toy aggression in an external space.
Divert Its Attention
Most pets are receptive to positive boosting. Unfortunately, punishment doesn’t cut it. Instead of seizing your pup’s highly desirable object, you should divert his attention with a new toy.
The unfamiliar treat is enough to help her let go of her current entanglement. All you need to do is to persuade your canine to abandon his favorite toy in place of a new one.
It Wouldn’t Hurt To Seek Vet Help On Dog Aggression
Toy aggression and food aggression don’t happen on the spur of the moment. Instead, it may be due to medical issues. If you’ve explored counter-conditioning lessons to no avail, it’d be best to seek professional help.
A professional trainer can modify your pup’s character with positive reinforcement activities.
To Stop Dog Aggression, Teach It How To Let Go Of Those Toys
A reputable organization as far as dog education is concerned, the American Kennel club affirms that this is one of the best approaches to stop dog aggression.
All you need to do is to tell your canine to abandon a less-liked item in exchange for a treat. In this way, she gets rewarded for obeying you.
How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Being Possessive Of Toys With Other Animals?
If you want to stop your pet’s aggressive behavior, you need to be intentional. By this, we mean that you might need to take active steps.
For instance, dogs with possessive behavior should be given a less inviting diet. Allow him to eat it in a room far from family members.
It’d be best to track your canine’s actions with a long chain fastened to her head collar. In this way, she wouldn’t be able to steal the toy and escape.
The goal is to help your pup realize that you have prepared a special treat that’s more rewarding than his current craze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Toy aggression does not mean that your furry family member is not worthy of your care and attention. This behavior only gets worse when you don’t have the requisite knowledge and experience to treat your canine. We hope that this ultimate guide has helped you to learn two or more things about what a dog’s aggression is and how to manage it. Help your dog learn how to control its possessive behavior.
Related topic: Mastitis in dogs
*photo by lipa23.ukr.net – depositphotos