New extreme behavior

[duckiller]

I have a male black lab who is about to turn two years old and is not fixed. He has been a great companion and learns well. He is a very loving dog. The first part of his life he was kept in a crate while I was away from the house and also slept in his crate at night. Since becoming house broken he is now allowed to stay out in the house while gone and doesn't sleep in his crate anymore. I make him sleep on a large chest that sits at the end of my bed and not on the bed. Now he does sneak up from time to time in the middle of the night but knows he is suppose to be on the chest at the foot. Ok that's a little history now onto the issue. He has now been displaying aggression not only towards me but also to my wife. The first time he did it was when I fed him one morning . He did not want to obey my commands to sit before he eats. He started to growl and posture at me. I figured he was defending his food which didn't set well with me to begin with. That situation has happened to me several other mornings and once with my wife. Not every morning but now when I get up for work he will growl and posture at me when I approach the bed after getting out. I can call him down to me after some time and he will lean up against my leg shaking and still growling. Tail will be down but wagging slightly but it's like he can not snap out of this trance he gets into. It's starting to really bother my wife and concerns me greatly with having a baby in the house also. If someone could please offer up some advise on causes and correction for this it would be greatly appreciated. If you need anymore information to make a better diagnosis just ask. I want to keep my buddy but if he continues I will have to get rid of him for the safety of my family.

[coot nasty]

Show him who the boss is.

[SCSwitchback]

I'd have a hard time trusting him around a baby. As your kid gets older he/she will pester the dog regardless of your efforts to stop it. Better watch him like a hawk and hope he quits before your child gets mobile.

[duckiller]

He never eats without being told to have done a lot of the basic things to show I am the alpha male but then he starts this.

[hightech1953]

What have you done to show him you are the Alpha male ?

[JayhawkLee]

Show him who the boss is.

Yep. Until then it would only get worse.

[Tha Dick]

What have you done to show him you are the Alpha male ?

This.

Sounds like he needs a good ole choking out...... (AKA come to Jesus)

First time he even thought about posturing, he'da got him one.

Let me clarify. All dogs are different. Some you can be the alpha by just making them obey, some you actually have to grab them by the throat and wrestle them down and lay on top of them till they submit. The second takes constant maintenance. That being said I don't know if I'd trust him around small children, not worth the risk. Sorry, just my experience.

[YoungBuckTX]

i had a Rottweiler pup that did that. i beat him up side the head and took his food away. he figured it out pretty soon

[duckiller]

I always eat before him and when I put his food down he never eats until I let him. Basic obedience training as sit and stay, heel, I always go before him. He has been disciplined at times. I guess it's just going to take a little more swift and old fashioned methods.

[trash2]

3 choices:
A. Iron fist
B. Takes his nuts away from him
C. Get rid of and start over

[YoungBuckTX]

for the pro dog trainers.. better to use heavy hand or an e-collar for this?

[scbulldog]

I think you should sexually assault your dog! That will let him know who is boss! On a serious note, I would get rid of him. If you have a small child and a dog together, it is very hard to keep an eye on them both 100% of every day. I would not risk it.

[Sportin' Woodies]

Option D. 2x4

[Zephyr]

No dog in this world is worth the life of a child.

[Hardwoods]

I would put a choke collar on him tonight before bed. When he growls or "postures" in the morning i would jump on his ass and choke the shit out of him while lying on top of him. Do it until you think he's close passing out. You have to make him think you're the meanest, baddest son of bitch on the earth! One time should correct it. If not he needs to go.

[Five Oh]

for the pro dog trainers.. better to use heavy hand or an e-collar for this?

Heavy hand for sure. E collar is for correction at a distance. It only takes one time watching a dog come back at a handler while he's screaming no and burning him at 127 to realize somethings have to be handled with your hands.

[SouthernWake]

My dog growled and nipped at me one time when I was grabbing food from him. I got after him to the point he wouldn't come in the same room as me for a few days.
Never had the problem since.

[buckpro]

I would put a choke collar on him tonight before bed. When he growls or "postures" in the morning i would jump on his ass and choke the shit out of him while lying on top of him. Do it until you think he's close passing out. You have to make him think you're the meanest, baddest son of bitch on the earth! One time should correct it. If not he needs to go.

From what i have been told......
If he can get up after you choke him out, you didn't do it long enough. Press down his chest and get all the air out of him.

[Mars Bluff]

Make sure he doesn't have some type of injury. Sometimes being forced to sit while injured can make em act out.

If not, beat that sumbitch senseless.

Had a male growl at me one time. I put his bowl down & while eating, he had pushed it in an ant pile. I went to move the bowl & he stiffened up & growled. After a swift kick, he ran for the dog house which was a 55 gal drum. I picked it up with him in it & threw as far as I could muster. He rolled out & I was on his ass again. I stopped when I couldn't breathe anymore. The next day when I fed him, I walked towards him while he was eating. He turned away, tucked his tail & walked off. At that point, we had an understanding.

Then there was the time he stopped on the bank short of the boat & commenced to eating a duck but that's for another time.

[PBiz]

Punch him in the ear and then pee on his face..