worried!!!

Question
I there, we have had our yellow lab puppy now for just over 8 weeks...she is 16 weeks now...she is a very smart pup(she sits, lays, comes, stays, knows off,  shakes a paw-from sitting, standing, or laying, spins, and is learing take a bow), she is also bell trained to go outside...we have been working on the "nippy" puppy thing and she is getting so much better...we are concerned with something though, and need to know if we are in trouble with her or if it is correctable puppy behaviour...she has growled at us about 7 times(never about her food-she just wags her tail if we put our hand in her dish or remove it from her)...she growled once when the kids tried to take away a bone she found in our yard, but they had taken it away many times before and after and she was fine, she has growled a few times when she has been hyper and playing and the kids have tried to pick her up, and she growled once at me when she had climbed into the dishwasher and i removed her) BUT today my 11 year old daughter had chased her upstairs because she had gotten a toy(not a dog one) and the dog growled...i corrected her and we both attempted to get the toy again and the dog growled and bit my daughter...i was angry and corrected her and put her outside...i need to know if we can fix this, i can not have a dog that bites but we love her and 99.9% of the time she is great, very submissive, will roll on her back..also, if she is nippy from playing and we yell ouch, she usually resorts to kissing us...please tell me what we can do or if we can fix this...

Answer
The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog.  Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones.  You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm  Also follow their link to the page on dogs and children.  Here are some things that work well with younger puppies:

''Elevation for small puppies:  Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up.  He is facing you.  Hold him for 15 seconds.  Repeat until he no longer struggles.  If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.  

Cradling for small puppies:  Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby.  If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds.  With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down:  Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you.  Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position.  When he is quiet, praise him.  Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position.  When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work.  It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual.  I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective.  You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too.  Helps bonding.  There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly.  The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Yes you have a serious problem.  Merely obeying commands doesn't mean the dog accepts you as leader.  She is still young enough, youshould be able to.  

Check with the vet.  Have her spayed as soon as the vet will do it.  The current trend is towards 4 months.