my dog is acting strange towards her toys

Question
this is the second time i have noticed a strange behavior with how my dog (female 2 yr old pitt) she is acting protective over 2 of her toys. wont let them olut of her sight, constantly licking and moving them, sometimes even whining at them??? its like shes acting like they are her babies. and when i can actually get her away from the toys to try and give her attention, she keeps looking around for them and she even shakes a little. its so strange and like i said this is the second time ive noticed her doing this. she just isnt acting like herself and i was wondering what kind of explanation could be behind this?

Answer
There are a few things to consider here. First, since this behavior is fairly sudden, I would consult a veterinarian (or better, a veterinarian who has a specialty in behavior) just to rule out a physical ailment that may be causing her to act like this. As far as training goes, my suggestion without having seen the dog would be to remove the problem toys for a few days, or a few weeks if needed. This will help you determine if it's an issue with just those toys or toys in general (i.e. she starts dislaying the behavior with other toys). If she doesn't get weird over the other toys, wash the toys you've hidden and you can try re-presenting them nonchalantly. You can also reward behaviors that are counter productive to the behavior you are trying to eliminate. For example, working on "leave it" and "drop it" with non-anxiety producing toys, then graduate to the toys you're having a problem with later. This will help her learn to focus on things other than toys. Take it slow, you may have to start by rewarding even the smallest behaviors (such as looking away from her toy for a moment). Reward every successful attempt with a treat or praise. Repeat until she is no longer displaying anxiety around the toys. Then youll want to take preventative measures...every once in a while surprise her with a treat or lots of praise when she is not anxious over the toy. Never scold her for the bad behavior, since that draws unnecessary attention to the behavior and she will be more likely to do it again. Hope that was of some help. :)