B iting

Question
We sent this dog away last year for one month obedience training.  He's been train very well on basic commands, sit, stay, down, heel, etc.  (I continue to work with him on the commands).  This dog listens very well to my entire family, especially me (he knows I'm the top dog, trust me).  If I have a stranger ring the door bell or walk into the house and I have the dog in a down stay and I still within his sights, he won't move.  It's when no one from my family is around and he sees a stanger walk in the front yard or something like that, he will bark, growl and show teeth.  My concern is, I won't or my family always won't be there.  Now with a new baby, my wife is concerned.  Do you think it has anything to do with my wife being pregnant and he has become over protective?  He's always been very protective but for him to actually bite two people in the last month is very concerning.  Any additional thoughts would be helpful....

Thanks.

Joe


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Followup To
Question -
I have a two in a half yellow lab.  Very protective of his space and barks at strangers.  He bit our babysitter a month ago when she reached in the laundry room (he was gated) to pet him.  He just bit my brother in law when the dog was staying at my in-laws.  My brother-in-law appartently walked into the house with a laundry backet, the dog was barking at him and he told him to be quite (probably yelled at him) and when my brother-in-law set down his laundry basket, he bit him.  These are the only two incidents where he bites.  He does bark a boat when the door bell rings or strangers walking towards our house, joggers, etc.

My wife is pregnant with our third child and wants to get rid of the dog, I don't.  Will this behavior get better, worse?  Let me know your thoughts.

Joe

Answer -
At 2 1/2, his personality is largely developed.  He will not get much worse if any, but will not get any better without a lot of hard work.  Frankly, the best thing might be to give him to a Lab rescue.  Rescues take dogs into a foster home to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.   You may find a rescue near you starting at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

If you keep him, the first thing is to neuter him if not already.  It often helps with difficult behavior problems.  It also makes sure he never passes on any genetic inclination toward biting.  Next, you must take over as top dog.
Having a good pack structure reduces such problems.  The 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/.


A top dog does not put up with biting by a lower status one.  Give a warning
stern "Bad Dog!".  In
stubborn cases, I repeat the "Bad dog!" right in its face with the dog on its
back. Hold it down until it lifts one back leg to show submission.  Use one
forearm under his jaw to keep his teeth away from your face.  Another very
effective technique if the dog is small enough, is to pick it up with your
hands
behind its front shoulders and hold it out with its back to you.   Make sure it
is far enough out it can't fling its head into your face.   Hold it until it
quits struggling and relaxes.  If you can't do either of those, try the squirt
bottle.  Fill it with water and a little vinegar or lemon juice.  Give it a
squirt in the face as soon as it misbehaves.  Dogs hate that.  The solution to a stubborn dog is an owner that is even more stubborn.  Every time he snaps or
growls, he immediately gets which ever bad consequence works best for you.
Don't forget the praise and petting when he finally yields.

A biting dog is no end of problems.   I suspect he has had 2 1/2 years of doing
as he pleased.  I doubt he will give it up easily.  In time, he will and be a
happier dog for having the strong leadership dogs need.


Answer
Your wife's pregnancy could be a big part of it.  There is anecdotal evidence they are well aware of both other dogs and women being pregnant.  As they mature, they want to take on more and more responsibility for the protection of their pack.  Many dog guides must be replaced at about 3 years old because they become too protective to be acceptable out in public.  You can also expect him to be overly protective of the baby after it is born.  Not all problems can be fixed.