Help..my lab pup is starting to scare me!

Hi everyone, i am new to this forum and amnin desperate need of advice/help. My family and i have a beautiful 6 month old chocolate lab, Jasper. He is very smart and loving and we have had him since he was 7 weeks old. I have 3 daughters ages 16,11 and 8. We all love Jasper and he definitely gets enough attention when we are home with him. He is protective and always happy to see us,whether its in the morning when we wake up or when we get home from work/school. Jasper has completed puppy training for beginners and is going to start intermediate class soon, so he knows basic commands like "sit","stay", "leave it" and "wrong". Lately, Jasper has been scaring us though because everytime any of us correct him when he does something wrong like jumping on the girls, jumping on the beds or taking toilet paper out of the trash cans, etc, he will get in a stance that looks like he is going to lunge at us and he growls and bares his teeth. He will in fact jump at us and nip, and because he is a big boy and has all his adult teeth it hurts. My 8 year old will only go near him when he is asleep because she is afraid of being bitten. This wasnt happening at all before and when he is not acting this way he is the best dog ever with all of us. We have tried the yelping loudly when he bites and giving him a time out by ignoring him for 10 seconds, and putting a toy in his mouth when he bites and everything else the internet says, but NONE of this works. All the articles i read say it is normal for dogs to play bite aggressively but i dont think its supposed to make us afraid. Im not sure what to do. Can anybody help?!?

 

Also, i forgot to mention that it seems as though this aggressive behabior started AFTER he was neutered.

 

He's not being aggresive this is normal 6 months old puppyhood stuff. Yelping will just get him more excited ignoring leaving the room or distracting work better. Children should not be disturbing a puppy when he's asleep. He's resting because he's tired if they disturb him he will be upset, I would too. If you go to the main site there's loads of stuff about this stage, it's ok honestly

 

It's hard to know exactly what is happening without being there, but it sounds as if it could be over-excitement - for example your description of what happens if you try to take something from Jasper that he shouldn't have, sounds a bit as if he's teasing you and saying, 'Come on chase me.'
I would suggest that the children are told that only adults take things from Jasper and that you should offer Jasper a swap for whatever he has. I do know that this feels like ' giving in' or rewarding bad behaviour, but it does work - none of the dogs I've had from puppies have taken things they shouldn't once they grew up.

Is Jasper left alone all day while you're at work /school? If so he may just have so much pent up energy that he can't contain himself. In that case you could think about getting a dog walker or asking a friend to help out while you're away from home.

Building a relationship with Jasper will help to stop him jumping up and being too boisterous. Have you taught him many games? Playing fetch, tug, hunting for objects, chasing a soft toy tied to a rope - all of these with release cues, which you train initially by swapping for food and then starting the game again - will make Jasper see you as fun to be with.

Just growing up and maturing also takes time - he will be so different in a few months time.

Have a look at Absolute Dogs - they have some free videos and some paid content that may help. Also the YouTube videos by Kikopup are brilliant. I believe training / engagement with your dog is the way forward. I'm a bit concerned about your mention of 'corrections' - can I ask what you are doing? Certain 'corrections' can make things worse.

 

Thank you for your advice. Yes, i have noticed that wheen we are home all day, like on the weekends, we don't see this behaviour. During the week,he does stay alone while we are working/school. I have an adult niece that comes in only a couple times a.week when her schedule allows to take him out. I have thought also that its him wanting more attention but wasnt sure. When we correct him it's simply saying "wrong" and prompting, so for example, when he jumps on the bed i will say "wrong jasper, off the bed!" and thats when he might start his growling. Then if he doesn't get off i will physically prompt him by trying to carry him off the bed and thats when he will bite at me. I also will say "wrong jasper. No biting" to this behavior. Sometimes i will try to pure him off with one of his toys. Most of the time it wont work because what he really wants it to be on the bed. Should i be doing something different?

 

Bless you, it's a shock when this starts to happen.

But this is very, very normal for young Labs, my Mollie was really, really difficult at that age - here is some great advice - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/excited-puppy/

 

What does Jasper do for exercise? Are you taking him to training classes? He and you both will benefit from a combination of mind work and physical work. Plus, as well as getting a better behaved puppy, classes tend to form a bond between owner and pup. They teach you how to train him and in the process he learns to look to you for direction. Some trainers might let the older girl work the dog but it sounds like you should as well. Good luck, it can be trying to have a pup but it's mostly fun when you understand what's going through his mind. Or at least have a better guess at it. He is trying to understand you too.

 

Yes.

I wouldn't physically move him at all, ever. To get him off beds and furniture teach the word 'off'. To do this throw a treat on the floor and, as he gets off to retrieve it, say 'off'. Repeat this many times for a few weeks and he'll know the command. Be sure to treat for good behaviour. I also would block access to the bedroom until he knows he's not allowed on there, maybe with a baby gate.

 

In that case it does sound as if during the week he's getting bored and frustrated being alone. Have a look at what day-care or dog walkers are available near you - where I live they are very reasonably priced.

 

Hi there, I too have a six month old puppy, and I know that he is quite a big strong dog already - with the brain of an exuberant toddler!!! It's quite a combination... I agree, Jasper probably needs more companionship and exercise during the weekdays, and some training with you to increase your bond.

 

I agree with Mags - don't physically move your dog, it's asking for trouble.

I would also avoid thinking of using the likes of "wrong" - whether or not you think you've trained it, it's meaningless; how is he supposed to know what is "wrong"? Jumping on the bed - wrong. Standing up against you - wrong. Barking - wrong. Begging at the table - wrong. Taking food from the counter - wrong. Biting too hard - wrong. Chewing your shoes - wrong. Can you see how confusing that is? "Wrong", to you, means "don't do that", but dogs have no concept of "don't do", just "do". So, instead of focusing on what you don't want him to do, train behaviours that you do like that conflict with those nuisance things. Instead of jumping up, teach "four feet on the floor". Instead of begging, teach him to settle on his bed. Get the idea? Look for the things that you like and make sure you reward him for them.

Imagine it yourself; you're transported to a place where you don't understand the rules and don't speak the language. You go about your business doing what feels right to you, and at every turn, you're talked at with unfamiliar noises, physically moved around. You don't know how to live in this world. It's frustrating - all you want to do is make yourself a cup of tea and a sandwich, and someone keeps sighing, picking you up and putting you somewhere else, obviously a bit irritated, taking the kettle away from you, not letting you in the fridge. You'd probably snap after a while, I'm guessing. Compare this to how you'd feel if, when you, say, sat on a chair, you were told "bkargh" in a friendly way and given an Oreo. You may get up and move about but, the next time you sit down "bkargh" again, and a nice cup of tea. You'll pretty soon get the idea, even though you don't speak the lingo, that sitting on that chair gets you nice things and friendly faces, so you'll keep on doing it. You know what, you may start associating "bkargh" with "sit on the chair and get a treat", so next time you hear it, you go sit down. Get the idea?

As others have said, training behaviours like this, in a positive, fun-filled way, will really help work his brain and develop your relationship - not to mention improve his manners. It's a win-win.

 

This sounds very much like resource guarding and trying to move the dog or remove an item will push him to growl and then bite if you don't back off. Please get a proper assessment from a qualified trainer/behaviourist as resource guarding with a dog that is biting needs action which can not be provided by a forum or a video on the internet.

 

We take Jasper for walks 2x a day, once in the morning before breakfast with my husband and once after dinner before bedtime with me. He has playtime with our 3 girls for 30 min before they go to school and then after school tuey all take turns playing with him. He goes to puppy training classes 2x a week as well for an hour each time where he has social/play time with other pups. The trainer is great, she allows the entire family to attend training classes and we all take turns working with him on the different commands. He is thriving but he has only finished tye beginner class so far. Intermediate class starts next week.

 

Thanks! I will look into both! I would love for him to have company during the hours we are at school/work!

 

The throwing the treat on the floor is a GREAT idea. I will start trying this immediately. Also, i am just confused because i hear people say not to use the word "wrong" but thats the exact opposite of twhat the trainer has told us. She says never to use the word "no" and always use the word "wrong" when Jasper does something thats unwanted.

 

To Jasper it doesn't matter if you say "no" or "wrong" or "snowball"!!! He doesn't speak English... The thing is, he will react better to being taught what you DO want him to do, than being constantly confused and frustrated by the things you DONT want him to do.

 

Well, there's no difference whether you use "no", "wrong" or "elephant". The dog doesn't understand the meaning of the word. It's your job to teach meanings, and my point is that it doesn't matter which word you use, they are all as bad as each other - you are assuming he can take the word (let's stick with "wrong") and understand, in any one of the hundreds of situations you may use it in, exactly what part of what he's doing you don't like. He's sat on the rug in the hallway, leaning against the wall and chewing a shoe. You say "wrong". How does he know what exactly is "wrong"? Is it, that he's in the hallway? On the rug? Leaning against the wall? Or chewing the shoe? It's easy for you to work it out, but dogs don't think "oh, it must be the shoe thing". Why would they?

Take it a step further - what is the consequence he associates with the word to ensure learning? There has to be either reinforcement to make a behaviour happen more regularly, or punishment, to diminish it. If you're just saying "wrong" in a neutral tone of voice, it is doing neither. If you're growling it at him, and that scares him, that's punishing*. It would be very wrong to punish a dog for doing something he really doesn't understand is "bad" (and believe me, he doesn't).

So, instead of looking for things to correct him for, when he, at best, won't understand that word and, at worst, will get even more confused and frustrated by it, why not give him the opportunity to make good choices, and reward him for them? Proactively train behaviours you like (such as, go to your bed) and use them as an incompatible behaviour when he's doing something you don't like, like sitting on the sofa.


* Just a note about this; I could growl, scream or shout all I liked at my puppy and it would make no difference to her. It wouldn't be punishing, but she wouldn't change her behaviour, either.

 

My pup (5 and 1/2 mths) behaves similarly when she's bored, I equate it to a young child's attention-seeking behaviour. Some great advice here and it's so reassuring to hear it's normal!
When Tansy is attention seeking we do some training, game playing or scent work - she's a whizz at 'find it' and then earns praise instead of irritation.

 

i read somewhere that your verbal cue should be short, hence "yes", "ok", "no" are ok. When you mark a certain behavior, your cue word must be said right when the desired behavior has been performed occurred. So trying to say "wrong" although its a monosyllabic word takes longer to say than "no." You would already have missed marking the wrong behavior before you completed saying "wrong." That is why clickers work very well since the marking click is consistent and quick, while "yes" "no" "ok" "good boy" are not.

And don't worry about the words or verbal cues you use. You can always retrain and use another word. Just like your trainer, my trainer has different meanings for the commands she taught us. For example, commonly the leave it command means for the dog to give you whatever he is holding in his mouth. For my trainer it means to ignore an object, person, or another dog. I had to retrain the leave it command to give me instead.

Also, all he really needs to know is that "yes" or a "click" (if you are using a clicker) means what he did is right and he gets a treat (yummy!) and "no" means what he is doing gets no reward.

A good trick to do I do with Sparky when he misbehaves is I try to distract his mind away from whatever he was focused in by doing a series of tricks or mini training sessions. Once you progress to intermediate, you can start doing "patience" commands like wait, stay, leave it, etc. I make him go to his bed and have him stay there while I walk around and back giving him treats. Teaches him that if he is calm he gets more treats rather than a nutter and get no treats.

I see you also had him neutered. How long ago was that? They said it takes upto 4 weeks for the excess testosterone to leave his system. He "should" be calmer by then. Although, that's not always the case for every neutered dog.

 

It's useful to have a marker that you don't use in normal conversation - so as not to confuse the dog.

I use 'good' in a short clipped way I never use otherwise.

Yesterday I was teaching a class of 11 year olds and found myself using it. It worked!


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