biting/growling

Question
QUESTION: I adopted a one-year old Shepherd mix. Maybe Rhodesian Ridgeback. He is feisty and likes to try and put my hand in his mouth at times, or sort of try to back me into a corner. I am going to obedience class with him and trying to curb his dominance. I am willing to stick with it. I just want to be relatively assured he will not attack me or my kids (4 of them, all over 12)and that, as time goes on, he will gain our trust and vice-versa. I do not want to be fearful of him, but he was abandoned and I do not know what happened to him in his past.

ANSWER: Yes, I strongly suggest a good obedience course.  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

Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find one that won't yelp, jerk their hand away, and leave.

You just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens. Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords. Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your response! I was at the vet today and she suggests he is probably beyond the puppy/teething phase, although not entirely, and he has some really sharp adult teeth! She, like you, stresses the need for me to continually do exercises which let him know I am top dog. My concern related more to how to tell if he will ever actually bite someone, since he is a year old now. Oh, and he has been neutered. I suppose I just need to work with him, develop mutual trust, and of course not reward him for inappropriate behavior. I really appreciate your time. Thanks again.

Answer
You certainly do want to go ahead and neuter him.  Statistics show most bites are by unneutered males.  There is some evidence a male is better oof not being neutered until a year old, so there is no reason not to go ahead now.  It should help with the problems you are having.  It also has some long range health benefits for him.