What would you have done about this biting dog?

[Shodan]

@NinetyWt

Good points all, re: the alpha female bit.

It does seem from your brief description that the dog might not have been feeling well.

That having been said, you should consider establishing the alpha female role in your dog’s mind. It does not sound as if you have all that much interaction, which means you have the opportunity to pull rank on the dog.

The crate should be safe, but if the alpha says, “Come”, the dog comes, even out of the crate. Then the alpha says, “Sit”, and the dog sits. If the dog seems agitated or frightened, the alpha says, “Stay”, and the dog stays for a few minutes while he calms down. Then the alpha comes and wipes the spit off him.

You don’t have to be mean or harsh, but you do need to establish that you mean business. The dog eats when you say so. If he pulls any crap, he doesn’t eat until he stops pulling it and submits. You own his crate, you own his food, you own his toys, you own his time and attention. He gets your stuff (food, crate, attention) when you decide he does.

Dogs usually bite because they are mean, scared, or trying to establish dominance. If he is mean, get rid of him. If he is scared, reassure him, and a good big part of that reassurance is to let him know that there is someone else in charge who will make all the decisions for him, so he doesn’t need to concern himself with that. If he is trying to establish dominance, merely show him (with obsessive consistency) that you hold all the cards.

Basic obedience training is a good thing. Sit/stay/down/heel/come, that sort of thing. The dog will be much more pleasant and happier if he understands that The Master has things in hand.

Regards,
Shodan the Veterinarian’s Son Who Nonetheless Trained All the Dogs in My Family of Origin

[Cat_Whisperer]

Shodan, you’ve just confirmed everything I thought about dog training. I look at the cats the same way; it’s MY house, and MY rules. End of story. (It does work for cats, too - not exactly the same, but they get who’s in charge, too.)

[John_DiFool]

@bobkitty

I am going to respectfully disagree with you without calling “bullshit,”[sup]*[/sup] especially on your second point. Dogs should always be “safe” in their crate- it’s one of the major points of crate training, one that distinguishes it from a punishment. Imagine if you never had a place to “get away” from those around you- no place where you could rely on to retreat to when you were tired/not feeling well/scared, and no way to effectively communicate your feelings to those people. What a horrible way to live. [/sub]

My mom’s Shih-Tzu, normally the sweetest and most lovable mutt you’ll ever meet, snapped at me one day when I reached underneath the bed to grab her (so as to play fetch or whatever).

[Jackmannii]

I will just mention in passing that if one objects to dog saliva, a Labrador is not the best breed to have.

Nothing quite like a matching set of Lab drool strings to go with a holiday meal.

Biting is not to be tolerated in your dog except for a rare, extreme circumstance. While this one doesn’t exactly qualify, it also doesn’t sound like you have a vicious dog, but rather one that’s fearful of you and wasn’t handled right. You need to be able to work with the dog, so some training is needed. And the dog needs to be checked out at the vet.

[Will_Repair]

From When your dog bites

Husbands are often more assertive than their wives that is why many dogs that I see in my practice obey the husband and not the wife. To gain control of your dog you need to dominate every aspect of the dog’s life. When you play tug of war with the pup or dog; do not let it end up with the ball or rope when you are finished. When you feed the dog do not let it eat until you command it to come.

So, you, not your husband, feed the dog for a while and the dog doesn’t eat, even after the food is in front of him, until you say it’s okay.

If that doesn’t work you should explain to your husband how while he was at work that his dog ran away to the Happy Puppy Farm.

[Shodan]

@featherlou

Shodan, you’ve just confirmed everything I thought about dog training. I look at the cats the same way; it’s MY house, and MY rules. End of story. (It does work for cats, too - not exactly the same, but they get who’s in charge, too.)

I never tried to train our cat to do anything much - if I wanted him to come running, I just turned on the can opener. And he was not allowed to bite anyone, obviously.

One of the advantages of being raised by a veterinarian is that I am almost completely un-sentimental about animals. You get used to handling creatures so that you can do things to them that they don’t necessarily enjoy but have to do anyway.

There was only one dog in my life that I couldn’t get out of his cage (I was working for my dad as a kennel boy, feeding animals and cleaning cages). My dad could, though - he was amazing, and he never lost his temper, even if he got bit. One of the most amazing sights of my life was this great big, hysterical Siberian Malamute coming into the office out of her head and snapping at everything and everyone.

The first thing he did was get the owners out of the room. Then, calm as you please, he caught the head (while I grabbed the back end), he muzzled it with gauze, and within ten minutes, my dad had the thing up on the exam table, and standing still while he clipped the hair off her leg and started the IV. And he never even raised his voice.

His advantage was that he knew how the dog was going to act, but the dog had no idea what he would do. And he’d been doing for twenty years, and he wasn’t about to stand for any nonsense. No yelling, no hitting, just instant domination.

Ever see the movie Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control? Listen to what the lion tamer says, and you start to get the idea.

Regards,
Shodan

[Magiver]

Dogs are definitely hierarchical animals. I would have said NO in a very loud voice and ordered him out of his hiding place. There are ways to show a dog who is higher on the food chain and you can google that but I’ll pass on one I saw on TV. Your hubby puts the walking leash on the dog and gets his attention with a command. He then hands the leash to you.

I don’t recommend whacking the dog because they will respond better to basic training techniques. A firm NO with a cross look is enough to get your point across. I also thump my pets in the head like a melon to drive the point home.

Finally, the dog probably is upset at the loss of the top dog and is confused. Labs make pretty good pets if you don’t have furniture that is at tail height.

[Freudian_Slit]

I have to ask…what’s “deer camp”?

[Hello_Again]

A cabin (or other rustic shelter) in the woods from which deer are hunted. Watch the movie Escanaba in da Moonlight and you’ll know aalllll about it.

[Freudian_Slit]

Awww. And I was hoping it was where the does and stags dropped off the little fawns to go make lanyards and salt licks and whatnot.

[Cat_Whisperer]

@Hello Again

A cabin (or other rustic shelter) in the woods from which deer are hunted. Watch the movie Escanaba in da Moonlight and you’ll know aalllll about it.

Or “Brokeback Mountain?” (I’m just entertaining myself here - pay me no mind. )

[Jennshark]

My lab got persnickety when he got older and was in pain from arthritis and dysplasia. He never snapped at a person, but he did let the younger dogs know, in no uncertain terms, when they were hurting him. It sounds as if your partner isn’t big on vet visits, but hip dysplasia/arthritis can make doggies grouchy.

Labs are magnificent dogs. Can you take him for a few walks and try to establish a better relationship?