How do I stop my dog from being so aggressive when she's nibbling on her favorite toy?

Question

Whenever I give my Beagle her favorite toy, she immediately gets defensive. Anybody who walks near the dog is growled at. Petting her is putting yourself up at risk for a dog bite. Just a day ago, I was petting her on the head when out of the blue, she attacked me ferociously. I ended up with a decent sized bruise and two small holes on the top of my hand. I feel as if I'd have to give the dog away if she continues to keep this up. What can I do to stop her anger!

Answer 1

Your dog is resource guarding. You need professional help as there this is a serious issue.
Check out http://apdt.com to find a trainer near you.

Next read some articles on it. Here are some that may help.
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_ResourceGuarding.html
http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/RG.html

I could retype what is in those articles but they do a much better indepth description that I can in this limited space. There is help, just follow what it says in the above articles.

Do take the toy away when you can at a safe time, ie when the dog is not playing with it.

You should also start a Nothing In Life Is Free program. All that means is that the dog does nothing unless you give him permission and he does something first. So you feed you dog in the morning. You hold the food dish and tell you dog to sit ( if you dog does not know how to sit you need to teach this behavior.) You put the food on the ground, when you dog starts to lunge at it you pick it up. Don't say another word, just wait until you dog sits again. You may have to prompt a little or recue the word. Again start to put the food down. When the dog sits nicely you say okay and allow her to eat. If you think you dog may become aggressive with this activity then don't do anything until you get professional help with the food. But you can still tell you dog to sit before he goes outside, block him he is try to go out before you release him.

Letting dogs on the couch or in you lap does not make them aggressive, but your dog needs to sit and be invited up.

Also your dog needs more exercise. Take a walk for at least 20-30 min. If you already do that increase the amount of time you walk.

Train you dog to do basic obedience and tricks. Then more commands your dog knows and follows the more you dog will understand that control all things.

Answer 2

Your dog is a resource guarder. Stopping this behavior requires some changes in your behavior - begin by understanding that your dog has given you fair warning about the toy. Growling means, "Leave me alone." This is meant to be taken seriously - and since you didn't, you got bitten.
Dogs do warn us before they attack. Lip licking, blinking, and yawning are all clear signs of nervousness and "Please stop what you're doing, I am uncomfortable." If these signs are ignored, the dog progresses to the next level of growling, moving stiffly, adopting defensive postures, and showing teeth. The next stage is biting.
You can counter this behavior by desensitizing her to you being around when she has her toy. Wait for her to settle with the toy, and be "armed" with chicken or other valuable treat. Something that she never gets at any other time would be good. Don't approach her enough to make her nervous - if that distance is 15 feet, you can still do this. Say, "Drop!" and toss the chicken all around her. Then, leave. Let her have all of those rewards for choosing to drop the toy.
Your goal is to be able to stand next to her and say "Drop" and toss the rewards - but don't move too quickly on this. Always work with your dog quietly, and never push her too far - watch and listen to her. If you see the old signals coming back, just leave. Try again later.
I strongly suggest a Google search for "Positive Resource Guarding Dogs" for other tips. I also suggest that a trainer would be good for both of you. Not a trainer who's going to hang your dog on a choke chain or give her electric shocks. You want a positive "clicker" trainer who is very experienced with aggressive dogs.
Good luck!

***Edit - NILIF is an excellent suggestion and you can work on this exercise while doing that program.

Answer 3

Put the toy away,or throw it away and take the dog to obedience school.Beagles are very sweet,but they are stubborn and can be possessive. I know,because I had one.He was fine with sharing toys,but he would fight with my other dogs over rawhide or other treats,so I stopped giving them to him,and started making him sit for any treat or even for his dinner.Also, DO NOT let the dog up on the furniture or beds.This makes him think that he is your equal or even above you and can lead to all kinds of problems. Good luck.

Answer 4

From what I can tell, the problem is that she thinks the toy is her's, and it really isn't -- the toy is YOURS and you are simply letting her play with it. I would try NILIF - Nothing In Life Is Free.