I would be glad to try to help you work through your problem, although I doubt you're going to like some of what I have to say. Often these kinds of problems have no "easy" fix and you need to be aware that you have an uphill struggle.

First of all, you don't mention where you are from. You need to get enrolled in a *good* Basic Training class immediately! If you are local, please call the school and get signed up. If you are not from Huntsville, please check out the list of schools on the website at 'www.otch.com" and call someone for help right away. The longer you wait, the worse this situation will become. It will *not* fix itself and you need professional guidance.

I'm glad you got your Lab neutered. It's a good and healthy thing to do. Although neutering can help aggression problems that are the result of hormonal changes, it does nothing to curb aggression that is the result of environmental or pack issues. Neutering without training in those cases will not be enough. A dog does not "grow out of" undesirable behaviors by itself.

Obedience training will be effective in helping establish some control measures with this dog (you don't mention his name, so I'll just call him Lab). If you get hooked up with a good school, Lab should learn (a) he is not in control, (b) certain behaviors are unacceptable and (c) it is not his right or responsibility to determine who can and can't enter the house, pet the dog, or interact with you.

What I think you have here is a pack leadership problem. Lab probably thinks the world revolves around him. I suspect he gets petted when he wants, gets fed when he wants, he goes where he wants in your home and sleeps where he wants. Does he nose in when you are "snuggling" with the kids and expect to be included in any play or cuddling between other pack members? Lab has interpreted his place in the pack as one of significant importance. In a wolf pack, the lower members of the pack groom and serve the higher members. Examine your interactions with Lab and see how many examples he could interpret as you "serving" him. Look for examples where he is the "leader", determining what games are played or dominating the situation in some way. Basically, he is assuming the pack leader role, which includes determining who is and is not allowed to interact with the other pack members. The goal will be to make the point with him that *he* is here to serve *you*, not the other way around. When he no longer views himself as "pack leader", it will no longer be his right or responsibility to "guard" you or isolate you or any other member of the pack.

To establish pack leadership is a book in itself and you need a good trainer can help you. Obedience training is just one of many things you need to do to establish a healthy pack.

Until you can get hooked up with a trainer, kick Lab off the couch and off your lap until such time that you are absolutely convinced he understands he is dog and not the pack leader he perceives himself to be. He should be crated (in a wire cage or large plastic travel kennel) on a regular basis, especially at night . . . because the pack leader controls the movements of the other members of the pack. Sleeping in a crate at night is a great way to reduce his status. He won't be happy, but don't give in! Remember, it is not "his" house, it is *your* house. Lab should be made to wait until after you eat to have his own dinner. He must be taught to always come when he is called.

Only when Lab understands he is a lowly member of the pack will you be able to convince him his behavior is inappropriate.

Please seek out a good trainer. Unless you confront this problem with determination and vigor it *will* continue to worsen. The longer you wait to deal with it in a very serious way the harder it will be to turn him around. Without drastic changes in the household and the way you interact with Lab he will continue to get worse until there will be no hope of changing his behavior. If you resolve in a very serious way to deal with the problem, however unpleasant, you could quite possibly turn Lab into a loving stable family member, but you *must* be strong and determined to set it right.

Most good trainers advocate "motivational" methods for training. The *best* trainers are those that strive for motivational methods but realize that different dogs need different things. Dog training can be very fun and motivational when we are training for enjoyment and not for safety. In this case though things have progressed to an unsafe level and re-training Lab's behavior is probably not going to be very much fun for either of you, although after this behavior pattern is extinguished, you will find that training in general can be fun. Lab is still pretty young and with the right guidance and barring any other unseen problems, he should be pretty good working material. Labs are typically not aggressive dogs and if they are showing aggression at this age it is typically the result of pack leadership issues.

It could be a long time before you can really trust Lab around kids. Lab should not be left to run with the kids - he has already demonstrated his willingness to bite and should absolutely be physically prevented from doing that again! You must take care to always supervise (ie - have Lab on a leash!) when children are afoot. He should be on lead or crated when you have guests visit. 

I would like to ask that you not consider placing Lab in another home at this point. If he were offered up at a shelter he might be adopted by another family with children and might bite someone. As much as I know you are afraid, I also am sure you wouldn't want to pass that problem on to someone else.  

Please seek out a good trainer and please don't give up. Labrador Retrievers are usually a great choice for a family pet. If you really put forth the determination to fix this problem I doubt you will be disappointed. Goodness knows we've needed some assistance in growing up ourselves! Just look at Lab as a wayward child. Although we're unhappy with where he is now, we can envision where he could be and we accept that it's our job to help him get there.

Good luck to you,

Brandy . . . and Ginger and Tara (my Lab sisters)

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FOLLOWUP CORRESPONDENCE:

97-12-03 12:48:02 EST
Dear Brandy:

Thank you for your informative message regarding our aggressive lab, Jake. When exploring the web for solutions to dog aggression, I came across the OTCH webpage and assumed that after writing, I would receive a generic response, and thus did not offer too many details. I must admit, as you suspected I would be from your opening sentence, that I was somewhat offended by your response that this problem is a product of his environment. I only assumed that this aggression problem was a product of genetic makeup. After reading your message over many times, and digesting it overnight, I have concluded that your reasoning behind the source of the problem may be fairly accurate.

Although Jake may be "spoiled" in some ways, I think it is important that you be aware of a few more factors. Jake is not a housedog. He and our 11-year-old black lab, Molly, (who does not have this problem) live amicably in our fenced backyard. Occasionally, perhaps 2-3 times per week, both of them will come in the house for an hour or so, but that's it. Both dogs eat, sleep, get their baths, and for the most part, live their life in our backyard. However, Jake definitely does want our undivided attention when we are outdoors or indoors with him, and yes, he normally gets it. He noses his way between Molly and me when I am petting her, and also noses his way between my children and me. If I am wandering around the yard, he follows me everywhere I go, and if I sit down at his level he plops all of his 80 pounds right in my lap. I only assumed he was being loyal, as I am his main caregiver....the feeder, bather, waterer, ball thrower, etc. Other than his trying to climb into my lap when I am sitting on furniture, I don't think I have ever objected to this so-called "affection".

Your theory on pack leadership seems very logical, and something I had never thought of. What is funny is that my father told me just the other day that I need to remember that Jake is an animal and not another child. So, obviously, by not taking control of this dog early on, I have exacerbated the problem, and do accept the blame.

With regard to your suggestion that we begin by crating him (especially at night), there is another problem. When he was neutered six weeks ago, he had to stay overnight at the vet...I was supposed to pick him up at 10 a.m. the following morning, but they called me at 8:30 a.m. and wanted me to come and get him because he was so "upset" that he eaten his way out of the chain-length fencing crate. The fact that an animal would act so crazed that he would even hurt himself....he cracked his tooth and scratched his nose pretty bad....appalled me and I spoke to the vet about it. He told me that the neutering may or may not take care of these "tantrum" and "aggression" problem, and only after I suggested obedience training, did he say that it also may help. He concluded by saying that if the neutering and training did not help, we could try medication...similar to Prozac (GOD HELP US!).

Yes, it sounds like I have my work cut out for me. I agree with you that these problems should not be passed on to someone else, and it is my responsibility to take care of them. We intend to do so immediately. I wish you were located in our hometown....Millington, Tennessee (7 miles north of Memphis). I am surprised by the fact that there are few dog trainers in our area. Are trainers regulated by any official agency, or should I ask anything in particular about their qualifications?

Thank you so much for your time and help in this matter. Although the truth is sometimes hard to accept, I do appreciate your candor as it has opened my eyes a little wider. I fully realize the danger of this situation and intend to work hard to develop a solution.

I'll keep you posted.

Barbara

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Hi Barbara,

Thanks so much for your kind note. "Positive Reinforcement" such as yours is what motivates us dog trainers to keep on keepin' on <vbg>.

I am so glad you are going to work with Jake's dominance problem. I know you will not be disappointed.

I apologize for there not being a training school listed on the website. The ones that are were gathered from those schools who requested to be included in a (free) listing. I can, however, recommend two people to contact in your area that I know personally. (recommendations made privately).

There is no national (or local or regional) agency that governs dog trainers. That is both good and bad. I hate it when I hear of some of the bad things that other trainers do to dogs. It's awful that we do not at least need to have some kind of formal education or pass some kind of test before being allowed to hang the sign. It makes it possible for unqualified or dangerous people to make a living doing something they may not be very good at. On the other hand, if we had a regulating agency, I'm sure there would be disagreements about acceptable methods. . .and I'm sure the government would find some way to torture us with ridiculous amounts of paperwork, in triplicate no doubt, leaving no time to actually train dogs or help others <vbg>.

I would certainly ask a potential trainer about qualifications. Let them tell you why they are a good choice and compare that with what the other school(s) have to say. Go watch a class or a training session and see firsthand how they handle the dogs. Asking for references, in my opinion, isn't necessarily productive. I mean, they're not going to give you the name of an unhappy student, so I'd rather go watch a class, talk to those students afterwards or during a break and make a decision based both on what I saw and what the students have to say.

As far as qualifications, the best way to evaluate someone's experience is through performance event titles. While most of our students come to us for home manners and basic training, with no intentions of competition, an instructor who has trained for competition has (a) been doing it for a while, (b) has achieved a pretty high level of training, which in itself requires an understanding of dogs and motivation and (c) is proud enough of what they do to show off the results by competing with other dog trainers.

The base level title that is offered by AKC is the "CD", or Companion Dog Title. The second is the "CDX", or Companion Dog Excellent. The third title (and highest level of training) is the "UD", or Utility Dog title. Anyone that has earned a UD is a pretty awesome trainer! Once a dog is trained through Utility, they can continue to compete in the top two levels for the "UDX" (Utility Dog Excellent) and the "OTCh" (Obedience Trial Champion). Then there are other performance event titles in Tracking, Agility and Hunt Tests.

Someone holding one CD title surely has more experience and knowledge than someone who has never trained a dog for competition, but someone holding a CDX or higher is, obviously, even more experienced. If you have enough choices, you would also look for "width" as well as "height". Putting a CDX on one exceptional dog might be easier than putting three CDs on different dogs (and would take less time). I also look for experience with different breeds, as the different breeds present a wider variety of training challenges. You might also ask about the achievements of the trainer's students, which I think is a very good indication of how well that trainer imparts his or her knowledge to others. A trainer who has trained to at least a CDX is surely highly accomplished, but a trainer who has *students* who have achieved that may be the better instructor. Again, your gut instinct after meeting the trainer may be your best indication of which trainer is best for you and Jake.

On average, it takes about a year or more beyond basic training to train a dog for CD, another two for CDX, and another two years minimum to train for UD. Although nearly every dog can be trained for the CD, it takes a special kind of dog to be able to compete in the higher levels. The pass rate on the CDX is about 30 percent and the UD is only about 1 in 25. The OTCh is a lifetime goal - there are approximately only 16 issued annually nationwide - and it is the mark of truly excellent competition trainer, and truly exceptional dog.

I know some dogs (and people) that *should* be on Prozac <vbg>, but most times their anxiety can be worked out more reliably in other ways. Although drugs certainly do have their place in helping calm a dog with irrational fears, it does so by masking the problem. Sometimes when taken in conjunction with training it can help soothe a dog with phobias while desensitizing him to the object of his fear. I prefer to use that only as a last resort, and only when the dog is endangering his life though and I don't think you will need to resort to that with Jake. (Although, if you ever have to board him again you might want to look into getting some tranquilizers just in case).

Jake's frenzy about being caged at the vet is quite common, especially if they are not used to being confined or crated and especially in a strange place with scary smells and sounds and coming off of having surgery. I would consider getting a crate for him and bringing him in and crating him for very short periods while you are there to get him used to the idea. It will help him come to terms with not being "top" pack member and also help him out if you ever need to leave him again. Start by putting him in it for only a moment, feeding him cookies through the wires. Try putting him in it to eat meals and work up from there. You don't *have* to employ a crate, as Jake is primarily an outside dog, but it does serve a very useful purpose.

I appreciate your additional information about Jake. There is nothing in the world wrong with keeping a dog primarily outside. Many dogs prefer that anyway as long as outside does not mean "isolated", which it clearly does not in your case. Often times when a young dog grows up with an older one, the older one, being sweet, mature and nurturing, allows the young dog to "rule the roost", so to speak, which does encourage the younger dog to be a big brat. Basically, by showing the younger dog love and acceptance he has misread that into confirmation of his pack status. Getting control of him so that he is not allowed to dominate you when you go outside will help a whole lot with your problem.

By the way, although having an aggression problem that is caused by poor genetics takes the "heat" off of us, it is far more difficult, if not impossible, to control. Aggression that is the result of a young dog misunderstanding his pack position is much, much easier to fix. Your thoughtfulness in seeking a solution and willingness to consider the options shows an enormous amount of common sense and understanding on your part, not to mention dedication and love for your dog. You are well on your way to having a great relationship with Jake!

Keep up the good work!

Brandy