My Saint Bernard has began to be aggressive

Question
I have a 7 month old Saint Bernard male.  He is great with kids, people, other dogs, and even my hamster! Just recently he has began to growl at people when they smack his butt, to get off the counter, or the door outside, and sometimes will snap at (but not bite) other people in the house.  He recently lashed back at one of the dogs, and bit their neck.  He usually does not do this, so I am confused on what has brought on this recent behavior.  He also does not like to be cornered (which is understandable)but my fiance insisted on "spanking" him to punish him.  He has now stopped, b/c I beleave the best way to punish a saint bernard is to isolate them for a while on their own, b/c they are very social dogs.  We are now scared that he may try to lash out on our 3year old neice.  He is great when everyone is aroung and playing, but can I prevent this behavior for good???? please help me..I would never want to get rid of him...

Answer
Hi, Sarah.

Thanks for the question. I hope I can help.

Dogs have two basic approaches to life: "Am I safe?" and "What can I do to get rid of my energy?" Dogs don't learn well from punishment. It doesn't teach the dog WHAT to do with his energy, and it doesn't really teach him what NOT to do. It just teaches him that he's not safe. When a dog is threatened, and especially when he's physically attacked, he will feel a natural need to defend himself from being hurt. It's only natural. Also, if this feeling of danger permeates through a lot of his social experiences, he may feel the need to lash out at another dog or even a child. So the first step is no punishment! That's probably the main cause of his snapping (which is just a warning sign, and indicator that the dog is feeling threatened).

You also have to address the second question, "What can I do with my energy?" The answers to that question are play, play, and play. The more your dog engages in positive social play, the happier and more well-behaved he'll be. Since his urge to bite has been overstimulated by feelings of being threatened, you should play tug-of-war with him, outdoors, on a regular basis. You should always let him win and praise him enthusiastically for winning.

Here's a link explaining why: http://www.tiny.cc/tug

If you have any questions or need further information, let me know.

LCK