Agressive Mini Daschund- New behavior

Question
I have an 11 month old male mini daschund. He has been neutered. He has
been brought up by my wife and I. Last night he growled and barked when I
kissed my wife good night. I thought it strange, so I kissed her again and he
came running over and jumped up on the couch and barked at us. This
morning I kissed her goodbye and he barked and jumped up and down
behind us.

Tonight he was in my lap as I sat in my chair and my wife came over to pet
him and then kiss me. Not only did he growl really nasty, but he also tried to
bite her.

For punishment, we have always placed him into the bathroom for 3-5
minutes and then let him out. We have been doing that tonight as well.

He sleeps in his cage and is well adjusted to it.

I am very worried becaus i do not want an agressive dog. I do not kn ow what
to do at this time, but we have to stop this behavior now.

Please offer me some suggestions and hope. He a a very loving dog and very
people friendly. He loves meeting new people and has NEVER shown any
signs of aggression, even when meeting new dogs.

Answer
Hi David,

You have a teenage dog who thinks he can guard or dictate the behavior of other. It seems like he is guarding you. Adolescence/young adulthood is a time to test and try.

Now would be a great time to take hi to group class with both of you taking a turn at telling him what you want him to do instead of vice versa.

Dogs do what works, if he "gets something" for this barking/yelling at you behavior he will do it again. If it gets him nowhere, he will choose another path. Figure out what he is trying to get and offer it in another context. If its attention he's seeking then only give it to him when you ask him to do something first..