I have an 11 month old golden doodle (Mac) that is aggressive with non-food items. My wife and I have a 3 year old son that feeds Mac and touches his food consistently without issue while he is eating (same with me and my wife). However, we have a lot of small toys, socks, etc. (dangerous to swallow) around the house that Mac will hold in his mouth and get aggressive/possessive when we try to take them away.
I have been trying the “pack leader” approach of mimicking a nip on the neck with my hand and saying a stern “no” to assert dominance and claim the object, but I know there are other methods of trading the item for a higher value item (treat). What do you recommend in this situation…especially with a toddler that will likely try to pull his toys out of Mac’s mouth?
Side note: I have not seen any aggression toward our son. I just worry about the time Mac is overly possessive of a toy.
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