adopted Poodle Lab mix aggression

Question
Hi -- my husband and I adopted an adorable black Poodle Lab mix (although someone told us that he might have some Pointer in him) from a local shelter. I grew up with a Labradoodle before they were all teh rage and he was the best! Jake, our dog now, has not as fortunate as our previous dog in having a good puppy upbrining. Long story short, he had some obedience training when he came to us but he also had a mountain of problems -- allergies, being left outside all day, problem skin and fur, runny tummy... you name it, I think Jake had it. That was almost 1.5 years ago and we have gotten his physical problems worked out and he is a lovely dog at home. We have since taken him to more obedience training. I have a couple of questions 1) he has dog-to-dog aggression only while on leash (he is fine with the other dogs at the kennel and nothing we have tried has helped 2) he growled at a family member (who he didn't know) while the person was coming through the door and went to lunge at him which is out of personality for him. Any ideas? 3) We are thinking down the road to starting our family -- what type of things should we be doing now to ensure that our adopted dog handles the transition well? I was told that Poodle mixes can be quite hyperactive until after 3 years old or so (which he is almost at). Can you give me any specific Poodle advice to help us with Jake? Thanks, Kate

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

The dog breed site has some material on dogs and children too.  If you are clearly in charge, the dog should accept the new pack members as his to nuture.

Also, if you are in charge, then it is your place to deal with people he doesn't know.  He should take his clue from you.  If you aren't thrilled by that family member showing up, try not to focus on it, instead leaving him wondering why you seem friendlier.