My 8-month puppy is aggressive with food and toys. How to train?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This is undesired behavior and it is ideal to correct now while she is young and small. I would recommend leash training her and using treats as positive reinforcement for good behavior. If she stops biting you when you say "off" or "no" then you should reward her with a treat. Another training method is negative reinforcement. When she does the undesired behavior, a spray bottle filled with water is used to spritz her in the face while saying "off" or "no". If training is unsuccessful you might want to consider contacting a trainer for advice and for puppy training classes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Food aggression or toy aggression is a common behavioral concern that can often be worked through. I would recommend hand feeding Sadie for each meal and teach her to “wait for it” before allowing her to eat. Once she is sitting and listening then allow her to eat. Start with a small amount in your hand, then put some in her bowl from your hand, then desensitize her to your hand in her bowl. I would also train her to “wait for it” for any toys she may love. If she is food motivated then she will associate this training with lots of reward and will learn not to “guard” her food or toys. If she is fully vaccinated then she is at a great age to begin puppy kindergarten. These classes are a great way to bond with her, establish boundries, and strengthen your relationship.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I find that flipping puppies that misbehave on their back in your arms or on the ground and holding them in place for a minute or two helps. I've had some fairly aggressive puppies that this trick worked well with. Also, saying in a stern voice "off!" or "stop!" when the unwanted behavior happens can help correct this as well. I would also consider incorporating a spray bottle filled with water and using this every time the puppy becomes aggressive. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using PetCoach! For food aggression problems, I typically direct clients to the ASPCA website for a detailed write up on dealing with food aggression. If these measures do not work, then I typically recommend using a service such as Bark Busters to come to your house and help correct this behavior. This can be frustrating to overcome but with persistence and patience, Buddy will likely improve. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. https:// www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/food-guarding

I would recommend hiring a trainer to come to your home. I feel that at this point if he is that aggressive when you are trying to take food from him them a trainer should be involved to help you learn commands on how to deal with the situation and teach Chewy about this situation also. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. At 2 years of age, Jalen is still at a good age to train. I would recommend behavioral training with a certified trainer / behaviorist. If that is not an option, I would recommend using a pinch collar or gentle leader collar to help train. If she is anxious and high strung, I would also recommend using NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin, which can be found online or at your local pet store. You can also use a spray bottle filled with water and whenever she barks or begins to become aggressive, you can spritz her in the face and say "off" or "down" and when she follows the command, reward her with a treat. A trainer is most likely your best option though for faster results. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hazel is adorable! As she is such a big dog and young I recommend you take her to a group obedience class. Then she can learn to behave with you on a leash with other people and dogs around. An experienced dog trainer can help you work with her to have her pay attention to you and ignore other dogs. As she is large and could hurt someone or another dog I would not take her to the dog park at this time. Also when walking make sure you use a no pull harness or pinch collar so you have control. I take many tasty treats and ask her to sit and look at you to get a treat when there are other dogs in the area. Offering her another behavior that you can reward is more effective instead of always saying no or correcting her. I'm sure you want a well socialized companion so please look into some dog training classes in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Hazel.