Chuck, you're right, you should be able to take anything from your dog at any time. I never meant to imply otherwise. I do think that if you end up with possessive aggression, then there is something that you are not doing correctly in your training. That's why I don't recommend corrections for the behavior; it's not fair to correct the snot out of your dog for something that you have trained him to do (even if you didn't mean to train the behavior), plus the fact that your aggressive response will most likely escalate the dog's aggressive behavior. I suppose that's alright if you are willing to get into a knock-down-drag-out with your dog. Me, I'm not. My preference is always to outsmart my dogs. Does that make sense? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Anyway, Kokosmom, I do hope Recruit Koko will be reporting to Boot Camp soon! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Kokosmom,

LSwanston has laid the ground work for you to follow. Advice is very sound. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Your dog growls and attacks you when petted in his sleeping spot.??????? :rolleyes:

Where does he sleep? If not in a crate, he should start sleeping in one.

Follow advice given, hopefully after boot camp you will have a pleasant companion.

Do take control of all his actions,feeding, sleeping,playing,releiving himself.

Remember he is a dog. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

L Swanston:

My only point is that I will not tip toe around my house because my 1 year old lab is eating. If I’m petting my house dog at in inopportune time then guess what? Tough. That’s all. Good posts.

This lady's problem (among others) probably happens to a lot of pet owners. Which is why there are so many dogs around 1 year old in the shelters. It illustrates the fact that the 1st year of dog ownership is perhaps the most important. It's where you set the ground rules, and when most of your foundation work is done.

If more people would read, research and ask questions BEFORE they got a dog they might be better prepared to handle, diagnose and treat a problem before it escalates into a major issue. New owners should also never feel embarassed to seek professional help if a situation like this develops. Any size dog has the potential to rule the "rule the roost" and develop behaviour problems. Solving a problem that you helped create is in both the dog's and your best interests. Kokosmom, please be persistent. And good luck. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Having had an opportunity to sleep on this one and ponder it a little more, I just have a few more comments. It always disturbs me when I hear of a Labrador being aggressive toward a human. Among many of their wonderful features that they are known for is their friendliness and tractability. With a Lab, you shouldn't have to go to extensive lengths to establish leadership. They're the kind of breed that you can allow furniture priveleges and unstructured play and not end up with dominance problems. Your Lab should worship the ground you walk on. That's why I often refer to my Lab as a cupcake. They're a great "beginner" breed, and this is also why they are so good as assistance animals. While many of them are not the brightest crayon in the box, they are fairly smart, eager to please, happy, friendly animals. They are NOT a "serious" breed. All of this is why I love them.

Caniche brought up a good point also, which is that the first year of raising a Labrador is probably going to be the most maddening. This is the time most ripe for mistakes. Researching ahead of time should prepare a person mentally for what to expect. Nobody is going to be a pro just by doing some reading up, but knowing ahead of time that your Labrador will be a bouncing pair of jaws is certainly better than finding this out as you go along! I would venture to guess that Koko has probably spent a good portion of his first year having objects pried from his jaws as he's being scolded! This would certainly help to set up a possessive aggression issue!

With that said, correct me if I am wrong, but the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in the US. We all know what that means; puppy mills and backyard breeders. So when I hear of a Lab that is aggressive, my first instinct is that it is a learned behavior, but I can't help but also think that there may be a genetic component, given the popularity of the breed.

To kokosmom, I think you should treat this as behavioral, and follow the steps outlined. But I would be curious to know where you obtained your Lab? And please don't think I'm being hard on you. It's easy to make mistakes, we all do! Best of luck with Recruit Koko!

L Swanston, yes I always push research (on any topic). Practical experience is the only way to truly learn, but a good base of theoretical knowledge is a great place to start. Having an idea of what to expect and reading about someone else's experiences (and their solutions) can come in handy if you're having the same problem. Many good training books will give you excellent tips on how to handle your puppy and prepare him for the world. I learned about the food thing from a book (Good owners great dogs / by Brian Kilcommons).

I still stand by my opinion that a good obedience class is a Godsend. It may not be the ideal place for some dogs to learn commands, but having to bring your dog to class and prove to the instructors and others that you are teaching your dog......well, it is the kind of structure that some people need. Also, it provides an excellent forum to ask questions and demonstrate your problem with your dog (while he is physically present). Kokosmom should enroll her dog and herself in class when he is ready, and her husband's attendance should be mandatory. If the dog never listens to him that does not a good relationship make. It may make him resent the dog's presence and make it difficult to retrain this dog if the husband is not willing to abide by, use and enforce the same rules.

With the popularity of labs and goldens I am seeing more and more dog aggressive and bullheaded ones in my daily walks. What a shame. No, they're not Einstein's, but they used to be a lot of fun to have around.

Hi everyone again,
First I want to thank everyone so much for being as concerned as I am about this problem!
Mr. Swanson I just have a few more questions if you don't mind? But first I will try and give you some more background on Koko. We did get him from a backyard breeder that wasnt in it for the money, they just wanted to breed their female, and he does have a great line of field champions in his background. We got him when he was 8 weeks old, I didn't use a crate for training so he has no idea what one is. I brought him to work with me to cover the housetraining, and I was surprised when he was completely housetrained at 10 weeks, then after when I left for 8 hrs. a day I blocked him off to the kitchen. As far as sleeping he started sleeping at the foot of our bed,(but not by my choice). He always got plenty of excercise as we live in the country with acreage. But not to point fingers or anything, I believe his problem started with my husband. He would never be consistant with Koko, he allowed begging, he allowed the mouthing, he played rough with him, he gave him free access to his treats, he was the one wanting him on the bed. He would scold him one minute for chewing on his boot, then turn around and think it was cute and allow him to chew on my slipper. But he does not understand at all about any of this Alpha stuff, he calls it humbo jumbo. So I hope you can understand what I'm up against. His first instinct when Koko bit him was to have him put to sleep, but I wanted no part of it, I told him we are not being fair to Koko seeing we made him the way he is. We love Koko very much and I want to do anything possible to undo what WE have done. Can you give me an artinerary of what exactly should do? Plus like I said I did not train him in a crate, can I use another room or something? And as far as obedience training he is EXCELLANT at it. He is very eager to please he will retrieve ANYTHING you ask for. By the way I have raised dogs all my life, and NEVER had a problem like this, so this isn't my first time with dogs, thats what makes me think this problem stems mostly from my husband, to bad we couldn't put him to sleep, just kidding!! Your honest opinion, should I hire this trainer I had mentioned, she charges $35 an hour, and would it take very long? I did do the hand feeding lastnight,he did excellant, no growling. I get so much conflicting ideas, the idea of taking his bones or food away from him and put him in a down stay was from a certified veterinarian that specialized in animal behavior. But I did find that it was not working. If I follow your guidelines how long to you think this should take before we give him any priveleges? Thanks again so much for your advice, I really need it!!
Kokosmom

Kokosmom, You at least seem willing to work on the problem. Your husband needs an attitude adjustment though. If he is not with you 100% on retraining this dog everything you do in a positive way will be undermined by your husband's continuing irresponsible behavior.

If he (your husband) doesn't behave perhaps the dog should go to a rescue club to be retrained and placed in another family. I know you love your dog, but having a strong, large dog in a family where he doesn't respect half of the family is not a good thing. The most expensive trainer won't be worth a dime if both of you don't get on board with the new program

Just a note about the rescue option...

90% will not take or place a dog with a KNOWN bite history. Even if we are not talking serious bites. They have limited resources and taking on a dog with a serious problem when there are dogs that are more adoptable on death row in shelters is really not possible...We can't save them all. It is hard enough to go into a shelter knowing there are 3 dogs of your breed there and that you can only take one..... we all know what happens to the other 2. Do not write this off and not talk to rescue though, sometimes they have resources and know good people to work with these types of problems in their breed best. (sometimes not though so take it with a grain of salt)

Kokosmom... I am with you on Euthanizing the husband <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> you can get a new one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It is really hard to be in your position with an unruly dog and husband. Taking away all sources of joy from the husband may help <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Remember you are the alpha here

I think all the above info is good and you do still have time, but as with any training consistancy is key. If your husband has already given up and wants to euthanize the dog you may be best to try and find another home for the dog. Talk to some local trainers, a good retreiver with a dominance problem placed into an experienced home may be able to eventually be used in detection(if the ball drive is there and he is as willing to please as you say)

at any rate get the dog evaluated and follow the guidelines above.

Just my $.02

Originally posted by Schnauzergirl:
Just a note about the rescue option...
90% will not take or place a dog with a KNOWN bite history. Even if we are not talking serious bites. They have limited resources and taking on a dog with a serious problem when there are dogs that are more adoptable on death row in shelters is really not possible... Yep, you are correct. We do not take biters.