My puppy is becoming possessive over certain toys when other dogs are around. Can I do anything to prevent this behavior?

Question

Lauren Adelman · Answer

Anytime we're talking about like possession or guarding behavior, the key is twofold. The first thing is obviously prevention. So if you know it's going to happen, you know there's going to be other dogs around maybe don't have their favorite toys around that other dogs can go after. The other thing would be redirection and you know, instead of saying no and constantly punishing the pet for doing the wrong thing, it's all about finding redirection and positive reinforcement to replace that behavior. So if you can, you know, when they are showing or exhibiting behavior, get them to do something positive that you can reward them for, that would be great. But getting to the bottom of this now before it becomes a bigger deal or before aggression becomes involved is a good idea. There are also veterinary behaviorists. So I'm not talking about trainers. I'm not talking about dog trainers. I'm talking about veterinary behaviorists that are very useful, board certified behaviorists that can help you with these issues as well. So you can just look up and see if there are any in your area.

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"My puppy is becoming possessive over certain toys when other dogs are around. Can I do anything to prevent this behavior?"