My sister recently got a lab, he is now 12 weeks old. He regularly growls at her husband and kids. He bites them, and its not to play. Especially when food is involved. Last night her 7 year old sat near him while he ate and he literally attacked her throat. The kids are terrified if him now and I am at a complete loss.
At 12 weeks a labrador puppy can bite hard. Certainly hard enough to draw blood and even tear clothes. Your sisters pup simply has not learned bite inhibition yet, they don't usually at this age, the croco-pup stage, as it's referred to on the forum! This process of bite inhibition starts with a puppy's siblings, this is why it is recommended to leave a pup with its mum and siblings till at least 8 weeks old. Humans are much more fragile than dogs! . Although it sounds rough, puppies are only playing at 12 weeks old. They have little control, and find it hard to self regulate, so puppy play can get quite rough quite quickly, especially if they get excited or wound up. We have to help calm things and provide an area for downtime. Does your sister have a crate for puppy? It would also help to understand their daily routine with the pup, especially with young children around. Regarding the 7 year old, although it looked scary, it was probably play. Have you seen two young pups play? It can be ferocious! Lots of biting, teeth showing and grabbing each other. Regarding your comment about the pup attacking the child when eating.. is very,very important to make sure the pup always has his own space when feeding. It is not fair otherwise on the pup. Children should always be taught to respect a dogs space when eating or resting. This is to prevent problems developing when the dog gets older. There are lots of articles on the main site you may find useful. Good luck and please do let us know how you get on! You will find lots of support and sympathy on the forum http://www.thelabradorsite.com/labrador-puppies-biting/ A really good book which covers all the bases, invaluable for new labrador owners.. http://www.thelabradorsite.com/books-for-labrador-owners/
Absolutely agree - keep the kids away from the puppy when it is eating. Puppies guarding food is not at all unusual - they have just come from a litter where it was likely a bit of a competition to get enough grub! Here is an article that might help: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-to-stop-your-dog-growling-over-food/
