I agree that the growling can't be allowed to continue. I would immediately take away the toy (if he won't let it go, trade him for another toy). Make sure the truly prized toy is out of sight for a while. Then I would work with him, teach him "drop, " give him a treat and/or praise, when he drops the toy. Do this a lot. Whenever a toy becomes so prized that he becomes territorial over it, get it out of sight until he's more under control. Keep training "drop".
In my experience some toys or chews bring out the territoriality in your dog. Observe which ones these are and only get them out when you are in full control. One growl, the toy disappears again.
One of my dogs, who was a mellow old sweety, just couldn't have pig ears because he became a different dog. After too many tries and couple of close calls I learned that he just wasn't ever going to be able to be around pig ears. Oh well, life is full of so many other things to chew on!
Good luck. Oh, also, Have you tried growling back? I tried this a few times and got sudden looks of pure surprise out of my doodles. It was a great way to defuse a potentially escalating situation but I would save it for special circumstances. Growling at your dog in public could produce unexpected results!
In my experience some toys or chews bring out the territoriality in your dog. Observe which ones these are and only get them out when you are in full control. One growl, the toy disappears again.
One of my dogs, who was a mellow old sweety, just couldn't have pig ears because he became a different dog. After too many tries and couple of close calls I learned that he just wasn't ever going to be able to be around pig ears. Oh well, life is full of so many other things to chew on!
Good luck. Oh, also, Have you tried growling back? I tried this a few times and got sudden looks of pure surprise out of my doodles. It was a great way to defuse a potentially escalating situation but I would save it for special circumstances. Growling at your dog in public could produce unexpected results!
