Hi, I am new and am a novice dog owner. I have a mixed breed puppy who is four months old. He is part lab, chow, and german sheperd. We got Taz when he was eight weeks old from a private rescue. This might be a little long.
Taz was a fearfull younger puppy. He would try to run inside at the sound of cars going down the street, horns blowing, etc.. He seemed to outgrow that as he is fine outside now.
I should let everyone know that I have six kids and was looking for a family dog. We all have grown attached to him. Here's my problem he bit my son for playing with the baby.
I was playing with Taz on the floor in our playroom when my son walked in. My youngest daughter who is one followed him in. My son was already sitting on the floor with me at this point. We were talking and Taz was calmly chewing on his toy. My daughter tottled over and plowed onto my sons lap. She ended up laying on the floor in front of him. He bent over and blew rasberries on her belly. Taz stopped what he was doing and looked over at them, placing his had sort of on her belly. Then he looked back to his toy and started chewing away again. Me and my son were still chit chatting in between his blowing rasberries. Well, when he did this the second time and fully bent over the baby on his hands and knees to do it again, Taz growled and bit him.
It did not break the skin. I immediatly grabbed the dog and yelled and put him in his kennel. My problem is I am thinking that I should give him back and find him a new home. I called the rescue place that we got him from and she said that she would be willing to take him back but wants me to meet with a trainer/behavioralist first to assess the situation.
So , I am looking for other opinions as I want my children to be safe. I think Taz is a wonderfull dog but I am not sure if this is dominance or a fear thing. I should also tell you he does not like the vacuum cleaner as he thinks it should die. He bites it everytime it moves, barks at it from the time it is turned on till it is off. Also, there is the garbage disposal, food processor, aerosal spray cans. He barks everytime we use them.
He doesn't run away though he runs towards it, ears up, strong posture, and his tail up if that helps. Then there is the issue with strangers. Not in the house, if I let them in then they are fine and he gets excited. However it is outside in our yard that he gets nervous?? He barks at strangers that walk in front of our house but that is only at night when he is with me. Same stance as with the vacuum cleaner etc.
In the backyard it is with the niebhors who are in their own yard and that happens in the day and at night. Otherwise, if you are walking him on the street there are no problems. Though he does occasionally start barking at other dogs.
Since the incident I have not let him near the other kids much to his dissapointment. I also must add that this was not the first incident. Please before you go bashing I didn't find out about the other one until after. I had someone helping with the kids as I was in the hospital and then I got a "oh yeah" when I was discussing this incident.
During my hospital stay his routine was completely alterred. They didn't put him in his crate at night, let the kids play with him unsupervised, hence the bite. He bit my four year old that was basically trying to get a toy from his mouth using the drop command. Though, she is not as clear with it. I was told by my younger son that she was yelling for him to drop while trying to pull it out of his mouth then he growled and nipped her. I wasn't there so I can't give any other kind of details.
Ok, now that this is becoming a book...Do you think having a behavioralist check him out is worth it? I am worried!! I care about Taz but my kids come first. I feel torn. The kids are begging to let him stay and my son is in the dogs defense saying it was a misunderstanding. He is twelve and just wants to keep our dog. I know this is not the case. Except for these issues he has been great with the kids. They all play with him. Even the baby has been able to take toys from him and he didn't care. I was right there with them. Please, any help, opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I think it's more of a puppy thing combined with zero structure.

Puppies react differently to sounds that are out of the normal. Some get super excited and get mouthy, others just investigate, some try to hide. Sometimes it changes week to week at this age. I imagine with cool noise, weird motion, and excited interaction it created an impossible event to resist tasting. It's normal imo along with all the other behaviors you're describing because your dog has no leadership or training to tell it how it should be behaving.

That said this is a phase that most dogs do grow out of with structure. You mentioned your puppy wants to eat your vacuum cleaner, you should preempt this with crating until he understands leaving these things alone. You're a novice so you should be getting trained for how to train your dog. 4 months old is not too young for a puppy class not so much for your puppy but to help you get the understanding for basic dog training and life skills to help make your puppy a good dog.

If this sounds outside of what your initial commitment was on getting a dog then yes, I agree with your choice to return it to the rescue. Some people realistically are not the right home for a puppy, however if you're willing to work on things and learn it's not out of reach.

Final thing, rough play with the kids is out of the question at this point. The behaviors you're describing between your kids and your dog are unhealthy to developing a good relationship between your dog and the family. It doesn't mean eventually that you can't get to that place where your dog is safe for the kids to play fetch with but until then your puppy is behaving as a puppy and may bite on taking objects out of his mouth.

PS There is nothing to be gained from yelling at a puppy.

In addition to the above, do some reading on marker training - there is a ton of free info on this site about this form of training. It is simple to learn, non-confrontational, and is also something your older children can master as well!

This will give you a positive, no stress way to work with your pup. There is a great beginning video you can purchase as well that will walk you through the how, why, etc... BUT if you can't get the video, you can EASILY begin learning how to do this! Literally today.

Jacqueline,
This dog is going to be a hand full before it's all over.
Look for professional help in how to handle him now.

If my dog isn't learning, I'm doing something wrong.
Randy

Edit to add: It depends a great deal about who the behaviorist is, and what their training philosophy is, if the visit would be considered worthwhile.

all depends on how much time you got to spend, imho a puppy shouldn't be biting out of fear or aggression issues, suggest returning the puppy to the rescue. I have one nervy GSD and the reality is they can't be "cured" only managed. He's alot better but I can never trust him and when out and about I got to watch him continuously for signs of stress

Anything wierd or exciting and my 4 month old puppy is biting it. Okay, anything not weird and exciting he is probably biting too.

I think blood is drawn here every day as drive kicks in and the pup gets excited. At 4 months not seeing a lot of real aggression in mine. I am sure I could not have my 4 month old pup out and about with children much. He is fine with kids as far as temperament, but its the age think. He would cause havoc with little kids just being out and about. Heck, my husband doesn't really want to be out with him!

Someone who is knowledgable might be helpful in observing what the behavior is really about. In my case, 4 month old puppy grabbing you, lauching at movement, biting for fun... happens all the time.

I was going to add, not all dogs are good with kids. There are some breeds that are typically more laid back and kid tolerant, though there are always exception pups. Also,I have found it pretty intense as far as management when kids were young and pups in the house. I wasn't getting a dog for the kids though, so I had to manage my high drive pups around them.

If this pup is not workable, perhaps you can find another home for it.

Thank you all for your help and input. We did take him to puppy classes that my vet recommended. Of cource, it was at petco. That was a month and a half ago. From what I have read on this site trained and obedient are two different things. I thought from are classes socialization, heeling, learning to sit, walk on a leash, stay, positive training(food) were it. There was no mention of dominance issues or anything of that nature.

I never let the kids play rough with him. They know not to run around him,wrestle or anything like that because when he was younger and they did this he would go into hyper drive. What i meant by play with the kids is that I let them throw his balls, give him treats for following commands. I let him outside with us and he loves playing in the sprinkler with the kids. He finds it fun to try and catch the water that is coming out.

I read the articles on here about dominance in puppies and that is my Taz almost to a T. That is where I got confused between fear and dominance in dogs. Not to mention the preventing dog bites in kids article. That is why I got really scared in keeping him. I must admit I am still a little confused because the articles seem to be talking more about adult dogs.
I work with him now twice a day and quick ones in between. I realize now that this is just tricks not obedience. I am going to order Ed's video's either way so that I am an informed dog owner. I am still in the process of deciding. I want very badly to keep him but at the same time I want the kids to stay safe. I am more than willing to learn. So, today I made an appointment with the trainer to come evaluate Taz. I will wait to see what he has to say about him and go from there.

It sounds like you are making an excellent effort to learn and to find a way. It is difficult for people to tell wholey what is going on without seeing in person. Hopefully, you get some good help and support. Keep asking! Dogs are an adventure in learning and growing really.