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snapping at children & aggression towards maless

20 9:47:26

Question
I have a 2 year old female yellow lab.  She showed signs of aggression as a puppy(she used to draw blood from me during obedience classes!) I originally purchased her for breeding, but she showed aggression toward males, especially the vet, as well as my grandchildren.  I had her spaded following her 1st heat.  The older grandchildren (7 and 11 years) have taught her simple commands (sit, stay, etc.).  She is OK with them, but not great.  However, the dog has snapped at my year old grandchild twice in the last week. Is it possible additional training could make her "kid safe"?  Also, I have discussed my concerns with the breeder but she says the unacceptable behavior is my fault because she's "never had any other complaints."

Answer
Let me start by saying how pleased I am at your decision not to use a dog with behavior problems as breeding stock.  It upsets me that so many people refuse to spay/neuter a problem dog because they plan to breed it.  

It can be difficult to be sure why a dog has problems.  I feel we have plenty of well behaved dogs to choose from, so why take chances on a problem one?  I see carefully bred and socialized dogs fail as dog guides.  Of course, the school looks at the whole litter before planning future breedings or selecting breeding stock.  Informing the breeder was another responsible thing.  I would be happier if she was more concerned.

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/  That she does fine with the children that work her in obedience may be part of the answer.  

Frankly most of my experience and training is in the proper socialization and care of young dogs, not correcting problems in older dogs.  Nobody knows everything.  The most reliable advice comes from those willing to admit their weak spots and send you elsewhere.  You should find better advice at http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm than I can give. Also look for their page specific to children.