Why is my dog ​​possessive of toys?

The possessive behavior of the dog towards toys can be little problematic in those cases in which the dog is limited to avoid us when we try to remove the object in question, however, this situation can become worrying in those dogs that, in addition, get to grunt and bite when we approach In both cases the dog sends us a message that is: "this is mine, take another".If in your case the situation is mild, it is important that you take action now, before losing control of the situation and becoming dangerous.

As owners, we tend to think about the problem of possession behavior when we observe that when we approach our dog it grunts or teaches the teeth.But, as always, it is better to be safe than to reach these situations and , therefore, a correct education is essential, although they have not yet shown or signs of possession with their toys.

Whether you have a possessive dog with its toys or if you are looking for how to prevent this problem, keep reading this Animals and Pets Online article and discover the causes that can explain why A dog is possessive with his toys .

The primary cause: an insecurity in your dog

A typical scenario of aggression by possession occurs when a dog claims possession of an object or a toy, or sometimes even a piece of territory.This type of behavior is called " protection of resources "The dog will try to defend what he considers his with a hostile attitude that can range from a chattering of teeth or grunting, to a lunge and full bite.

The initial motivation behavior usually comes from deep insecurity or some fear, such as the fear of losing control of their toys or their surroundings.But the real problem lies in what your dog discovers after the aggression produced about humans: it scares, intimidates and backs them down to leave him alone.

This effect is beneficial and acts as a "positive reinforcement" for the dog to use this aggression-possession behavior over and over again.once you feel somehow challenged by a rival.In this way, we see how the origin of the behavior is in an insecurity or a fear of the dog, a cause that evolves and becomes a learning by positive reinforcement after the reaction of the owners to the aggression.

Wrong approach

Another frequent cause that can explain why our dog becomes more and more possessive with his toys or even aggressive is the way in which the owners try to solve aggression aggressively .When a dog shows aggressiveness towards its owners for possession of an object, the owner becomes aggressive in return and, for example, physically punishes the dog or tries to recover the object by force.

This It causes the dog to become more and more aggressive in order to defend itself and very few owners get good results through this nothing recommended practice .They usually only get some wounds and a dog that is even more aggressive and possessive with his toys than before.

Genetics and stress

Although the behavior of possession with toys that can even lead to aggressiveness can appear in any dog, there is often a genetic component , which is why this problem of Canine behavior occurs significantly in certain breeds or lines of dogs such as cocker spaniel, border collie, rottweiler, jack russell and golden retriever, among others.

Generally, behind a possessive impulse in a dog there a perception of the hypersensitive or even paranoid threat that usually has a genetic origin, but which can be aggravated by stressors and a few weeks of insecure life, with deprivation or abuse.

Anyway, this is what leads the dog to have an obsession with the control of its territory or its toys, to scream before being hit or continue to show aggressive behavior, even when the person has not shown danger signs for him.

A major problem

In many dogs the problem of possession with toys, or more generally, can be greatly diminished or even completely solved thanks to authoritarian handling but without confrontation by the owner.

However, with other dogs the problem is too deep and lies in the misperception that the dog in the world around him has, since he sees it as a site of continuous threats in the barracks he has to try to exercise control constant.This misperception of the world is what makes possession with toys seem illogical and that is why it can become so dangerous.

If your dog has shown signs of aggression by possession with its toys, it is important to understand that it cannot be treated like any dog ​​that does not have this problem, you should consult a veterinarian or a canine educator trained to get help.

How to prevent your dog from being possessive with his toys?

When adopting a puppy it is important that from the beginning all household members give him food and treats in his bowl, move his hands around his bowl while giving him food., your puppy learns that the people around his food are not something bad but quite the opposite.

In the same way, to avoid the protection of resources, we will offer food directly from the hand (occasionally ) and we will let you observe how we fill the bowl.It will also be very useful to touch your personal spaces and other objects.Then we teach you how to:

Order "leave it"

To teach the order "leave it and come" wait for your puppy to take a toy, and instead of chasing him to take this toy Call him with a treat.When he releases his toy, say "leave it and come" to learn this order by association.I thank him very much for his cooperation, then give him the treat and also another toy to play with.Quickly recover the toy you didn't want him to have and repeat this exercise several times a day.

Order "give it to me"

To teach the order "give it to me" wait for your dog to take a toy in its mouth, with one hand gently hold the toy without throwing and with the other teach a treat, as soon as you release the toy to take the treat Tell him "give it to me" and congratulate him.Just then return the toy to him.If you don't want this toy to be left, give him another one in return., your dog will learn that he has to be more possessive because he will understand that if you take something from him it will be forever.That is why we recommend giving him another toy at all times.

Both exercises, practiced regularly , avoid confrontation and teach the dog how positive it is for him to cooperate with you and obey your order s.

It will be important in this training to use treats or snacks for very tasty dogs, which will call more attention than the toy you want to own.Also, remember that it is basic that the dog does not think you are trying snatch it.The confidence of releasing it and knowing that you will play again later is a very important aspect of this procedure.

If you want to read more articles similar to Why is my dog ​​possessive of toys? , we recommend that you enter our section of Behavior problems.