How to stop my dog from lunging towards toys?
My dog Otto is super sweet at home but is horrible to play with. Tug of war starts out fine but when he drops his end or you manage to pull it from him, he lunges for the toy and latches on. My family knows this so we've avoided getting fully bitten but there are times he has nicked us.
Another problem is fetch. I've watched videos on how to teach your dogs fetch and they all recommend using two balls. I've tried this because once he has the ball he refuses to drop it. Having one ball in my hand while he already has one doesn't do anything. I throw the 2nd one and he chases it with the other ball in his mouth. The real issue is he jumps and bites at you if you are holding a ball.
He's energetic and extremely reactive to vehicles by our property and dogs so we usually avoid long walks or dog parks. Playing with the ball is a good way to get his energy out but it's so frustrating to play with him because you're constantly avoiding getting bit.