Possessive Dog

Question
Rufus is our 2 year old Goldendoodle and he loves balls.  He loves them so much that he is very possessive of them.  When we take him to the dog park he will chase other dog's balls, leap up at the ball throwers and he has bitten dogs who have tried to take his ball away.  On his third visit to a doggie daycare, we were told he was not welcome back - his level of excitement and enthusiasm was causing problems - he was first to get to the toys and when other dogs tried to get the toy from him, he bit them.  This is the only circumstance where he shows this aggressiveness, but it means we can't leave him at a daycare, kennel or go to the dog park...

Answer
Not all dogs are great candidates for daycare or a dog park. He sould still be able to be boarded, as that wouldn't require him to interact with other animals. It sounds like he could really use some training, and to learn some self control. It's not abnormal to object to another dog trying to take something away from him. If that's all that's happening, it may be the other dog who is rude and inappopriate - though most dogs can make a point without biting. Jean Donaldson's book "Mine" is actually about resource guarding against humans, which you don't mention him doing, but it may give you some good thoughts on dealing with it with other dogs. I'd start some classes, NILIF http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm and various exercises to lower his overall arousal level.  It may be that you can find some appropriate dogs (with no toys present) who can help him get manners, but until that happens, you need to not put him in situations where he may injure or frighten other dogs, or be himself injured if he tries it on the wrong dog. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com