Can dominance aggreession be corrected keeping children safe

[robynnlee]

We have an urgent situation in our house. We have 3 boys ages 5,7, & 9. We have 2 dogs. One, Darby, is almost 14 years old and a wonderful family dog. She has never snapped at or bitten anyone.

The other dog, Indy, is our newest addition. He is 18 months old. We adopted him from my husband's coworker at 8 weeks old. He went back to stay with some of his litter mates and mother while we went on vacation for 10 days when he was about 3 months old.
He is now 18 months old.

From the start, he has been sort of skiddish. He sometimes ducks when you go to pet him (not always). He seemed to exhibit anxiety about meeting new people and animals early on.
We tried to get him out to baseball games, the bus stop, and walks. He never really improved.

He has shown a little improvement at the vet's office, but he still barks at everyone and every animal incessantly. It takes him a long time to get used to new things.
He has spent the last year and a half growing up in what I would say is a very active house.

He plays in the yard with the boys who do all the things boys do. They hug him, lay on him, kiss him, play games with him, etc. Some of the stuff could be considered teasing. He seemed to roll with it- always wants to be with them, lying in bed reading stories with them, sleeping with them. Anywhere they are, he wants to be.

He never got over the mouthing. He still does it. It seems as if his jaws are always open and he is swinging his head around. He seems to use it as a way of communicating.
When I arrive home from being out, it is as if he can't tell me enough how much he missed me by mouthing my hands and whimpering a little. We have been through a lot with him in the area of separation anxiety.

He has broken out of every enclosure we tried, including his metal crate, to the extent where he could have injured himself. I have seen improvement in this area. We have 2 family members that come to the house if we are going to be out for an extended period. He seems much better now about chewing or being destructive. I do feel fairly comfortable letting him have the run of the house at this point.

In recent weeks, we have experienced some very worrisome behavior. He normally has been kind to any people that visit our house once he settles down from the initial greeting.
Recently, I witnessed him growl at a little boy as he walked past him. There was no action by this child to prompt it, and he wasn't even that close to him.
He has also growled at our kids a few times (the younger 2) and has caught them with his teeth when mouthing. Then, my middle son was in the kitchen standing right next to me, and he was patting Indy's back, not hard. I have seen him do this to the dog a lot. The dog never reacted before.
This time, it was so fast. Indy jumped up on him and put his mouth near his neck and shoulder and growled. It happened so quickly. I think I screamed. Then I told him NO!! and put him outside.

He has also been exhibiting signs of dominance aggression by climbing onto our laps (the grown-ups) at the table and licking our faces. We thought it was affection, but I have been reading that if he was not invited to do it, it is a show of dominance aggression.

We have been pushing him down and telling him NO!, but it doesn't deter him. We also never had success stopping the mouthing with saying NO! We have seen some progress when we yelp like a hurt puppy instead.

Oh- and Indy is a golden retriever mix. He is a big dog.

The most upsetting thing happened the other day when my youngest went over to Indy while he was lying on the floor and gave him a hug.

My husband was sitting nearby and said he thought maybe Indy was sleeping. Indy reacted by biting my youngest son's face.
He just missed his eye. It was terrible and he drew blood. He has terrible marks on his face and I can only imagine what could have happened if he had bit a little harder or even a little closer to the eye.

Now I am living in a house with this dog trying to keep him separate from the kids and wondering what to do. We all love him and feel that he is a good-hearted dog.

I have done research on the treatment of dominance aggression and realize that punishment will only worsen the aggression. There are very strict steps that must be followed consistently.
I am very worried that my kids, especially the younger 2 will not be able to follow the rules and will be in great danger. He is not a bad dog, he loves us and we love him.

But- he needs help and training. He may even need medication for his anxiety issues. Dominating our other dog is one thing. But- trying to dominate the kids is another.

I think he hasn't done anything to my 9 year old because he is bigger and older. My husband thinks that my suggestion to re-home him to a family without kids, or with older children, means I am giving up on Indy too soon. I could never live with myself if anything ever happens to the kids. As much as I love Indy, I feel that I will never be able to trust him. Our other dogs have experienced the same actions from the boys, including being touched while sleeping and they never reacted by biting. Growling would at least have been a warning in both that incident and in the one where he jumped and growled while mouthing my sons shoulder and neck area.
There just wasn't any warning. If there was, it was way too subtle for me or my kids to notice. I think he will be a great addition to the right family.

I don't think that experimenting with training for his problems is a good idea with our kids and could be extremely dangerous to them and any friends they have over.
I am just wondering if anyone else has had a situation like this involving small children and if they have any advice? The last thing in the world I want to do is give him up.

I spent a lot of time the past 18 months getting him to where he is. It is a very difficult decision, but I have to put my children's safety first. This behavior is relatively new, and I read that dominance aggression appears around 18-24 months of age. Thank you!!!


*mod edit - just to add some paragraphs to break your post up so no one misses anything important*

[Leigha]

If my dogs crawling up in my lap licking me uninvited meant they were showing dominance then I'm up the creek living with a great big ole bunch of heathens. My dogs are forever getting up in my lap to give me "kisses" and none of them are attempting to dominate me.

Now, if this is brand new behavior like coming out of no where you probably want to take the dog to the vet to make sure it's okay.

Reading this link might help--it explains behavior in dogs during their puppihood. http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=1981

My Bruiser has recently begun being freaked out by random things. On a walk several weeks ago he growled at balloons tied to a mailbox, a bunch of ghost decorations on a neighbors porch, and a little girl and her mom that were coming out of their house--they were about 30 feet away from us and didn't even acknowledge our presence. Growling isn't a bad thing--it's just the dog saying it doesn't like whatever's going on and would like for it to stop. You'd much rather your dog growl than to randomly bite without warning.

This link about dog's body language might also help http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=1981 it's a series of videos. Dogs don't talk, but they use their body language to show a lot of different things. Perhaps when he reared up at your son the dog had actually shown signs that he didn't like what your son was doing, but neither you nor your son realized it. I'm not by any means saying that it's okay for your dog to have done this though.

The sleeping thing is completely understandable. He was laying on the floor, asleep, completely unaware of his surroundings and something came and jumped on him. Thinking about it from the dogs perspective he might have thought in his sleepy state that he was being attacked and was defending himself. Dogs are vulnerable when they're asleep and need to be left alone. He didn't have a chance to growl if he was asleep. There have been times that I've been asleep--not just a doze, but a really deep one-- and my fiance has come up to hug on me and I've woken up swinging. It scared the life out of me because it didn't click in my head what was going on.

Have you done any obedience training with him at all?

I'm sure when the other more experienced board members see your message they'll reply with something much more useful as they've been doing this for years and I've been dealing with mine for just months. Hopefully I didn't screw up too bad though

[robynnlee]

I appreciate you sharing your experience. The link on puppy stages was great and interesting- he just might be acting normal. I was wondering if you could re-post the body language link- I think when I clicked on it, it was the same page as the puppy info. Maybe you copied the same link twice accidentally? I have also found some other info about dominance theory that has me questioning the book my vet gave me. I guess it is a new opinion that dogs do not have a goal of becoming dominant in a family. That dogs do not have pack-like behaviors like wild wolves. I am glad that you think that he didn't really mean to bite my son. The fact is that he could have been seriously hurt, and I'm not sure if I will ever be able to trust him with my boys again completely. We have always been very affectionate with our dogs and have never worried when they were hanging out with the kids. We are taking him to a training facility in a few days to have him evaluated by a trained who specializes in Dominance problems. I am interested to hear what he has to say about him. I am also interested in his views on dominance theory. I never realized how many different opinions are out there on dog behavior!! Thanks again!!

[Leigha]

Sorry about that! This should be it: http://www.victoriastilwell.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=2959

It's coming from the Sticky Notes at the top of this section of the forum. Emmabeth also has a Sticky Note about dominance at the top of the "Methods" section that's really good reading too.

[Fundog]

The climbing into your lap thing is not dominance aggression, but rather, is born out of insecurity. This behavior is also known as "groveling." In wild dog packs, particularly coyotes, for example, when the pack leader returns from a hunt, the other dogs will surround him and start licking his face to get him to cough up the kill that he has already ingested, so they can eat too. In pet dogs, licking the people's faces is a very common begging behavior. The only way to stop it, of course, is to never ever reward it by giving in.

As for the other stuff, while your dog does indeed sound more insecure and unstable than the "average" dog, he really doesn't sound that abnormal. However, I do believe that you would be better off re-homing him to a family with older, more mature children (teenagers), a family that will be more soothing to his hyper-sensitivities. I don't think re-homing him is necessarily synonymous with "giving up on him" but rather, putting his needs and your family's safety first. Every dog needs to be placed in a home where his temperament is compatible with that of the other family members, both human and pet.

[Nettle]

It's the boys you need to train as much as the dog. Playing is okay: roughhousing, teasing, and jumping on a sleeping dog very much is not.

Dogs are not toys. Are you willing to train your family to respect the dog's needs? Then we can help you how. And once the dog is feeling more secure, he will behave better, and we can help you every step of the way with him as well.

If not, rehome him and don't get another dog until the boys are grown.

And also be aware you are heading for trouble of the same kind with the old dog because he will be getting elderly issues and may hurt where he didn't used to, not see or hear so well, and one day one of your children will jump on him and he will snap out of fear or pain.

[mum24dog]

I have also found some other info about dominance theory that has me questioning the book my vet gave me.

I know it may be difficult but if your vet is giving out incorrect and possibly dangerous advice in the form of this book, s/he needs to be told that it is outdated.
It isn't so recently that labelling innocent behaviours as "dominance" has fallen by the wayside - not so recently that a professional shouldn't be expected to be up to date with knowledge on the subject.
Most vets know very little about behaviour but their clients think they do. It is their responsibility at least to know the basics.

Pam

[mum24dog]

We are taking him to a training facility in a few days to have him evaluated by a trained who specializes in Dominance problems.

This rather worries me.
If this person is claiming to deal with "Dominance" problems then it suggests to me that it imay be someone who does not have an open mind or relevant and up to date knowledge to be able to diagnose your dog's behaviour correctly.
Most reputable and experienced professionals in the field of dog behaviour would not assume "Dominance" to be the problem with any dog to human behaviour.
Taking your dog elsewhere will only give part of the picture since most of the behaviour you describe occurs in the home. Ideally you need someone to come and observe what is actually happening.

The 10 day absence at 3 months was right in the middle of the vital socialisation period. What happened (or didn't happen) while you were away may have a bearing on his anxiety, it may not.

I agree with Nettle that your first task is to train your children to respect your dog. He isn't a plaything - he's a living creature with feelings, fears and needs - and it sounds like a very anxious one at that.
"Let sleeping dogs lie" is very good advice. My own youngest daughter was bitten in the same way by our first dog. Did I blame him? - no.
Did I blame her? - no.
Did I blame myself? - yes, for not having drummed into her not to bother him when he was minding his own business. Did he do it again? - no.

One good book to read is "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell. She explains (with pictures) that hugging is a primate behaviour, not a canine one. Most dogs learn to tolerate it but it isn't normal for a dog.

Did you see the episode where Victoria showed the boys what life was like from the perspective of a tiny poodle? The son of the family had been firing rubber bands at her. He wasn't a bad child - far from it - he just didn't understand what it was like for her.

You said in your OP -

I have done research on the treatment of dominance aggression and realize that punishment will only worsen the aggression. There are very strict steps that must be followed consistently.

You're right about punishment and the need for consistency, but I suspect that the rules you refer to are the old fashioned "Pack Rules" or "Rank Reduction Programme" like eating before your dog, never letting him on the furniture and going out of doors first.
There is no reason on earth why those rules should be followed in preference to any others. You decide what rules you want to apply in your situation. It's the consistency that is important, not the rules themselves. Consistency provides boundaries, security and predictability for the dog.

I appreciate that you are trying to educate yourself as to how best to help him and it's hard to judge whether you are looking in the right place. People on here can help with that. You obviously have your dog's best interests at heart and once you learn to read him and see things through his eyes, you will be able to teach the rest of the family to do the same. That is your starting point for helping him through this behaviour.

However, noone here can tell you whether anything will work as we don't know you, your family or your dog and your prime concern is to keep everyone safe while you try to sort out his problems.

Having said that, I'm sure any advice you get on here will be designed to help you do that and will be as safe to follow as what Victoria does in her shows. You may have noticed that she doesn't have a "Don't try this at home" warning - she doesn't need it.

Pam

[mum24dog]

One important thing I forgot to say is that you need to make sure that there is no medical reason why his behaviour is worsening.
Has he an injury?
Are his hips OK? GRs have quite a high incidence of hip displaysia.
How are his thyroid levels?
Does any of this seem to ring any bells?

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-ang ... havior.htm

It might be worth ruling out if nothing else.

Pam

[Mattie]

We have an urgent situation in our house. We have 3 boys ages 5,7, & 9. We have 2 dogs. One, Darby, is almost 14 years old and a wonderful family dog. She has never snapped at or bitten anyone. The other dog, Indy, is our newest addition. He is 18 months old. We adopted him from my husband's coworker at 8 weeks old. He went back to stay with some of his litter mates and mother while we went on vacation for 10 days when he was about 3 months old. He is now 18 months old. From the start, he has been sort of skiddish. He sometimes ducks when you go to pet him (not always). He seemed to exhibit anxiety about meeting new people and animals early on. We tried to get him out to baseball games, the bus stop, and walks. He never really improved. He has shown a little improvement at the vet's office, but he still barks at everyone and every animal incessantly. It takes him a long time to get used to new things. He has spent the last year and a half growing up in what I would say is a very active house. He plays in the yard with the boys who do all the things boys do. They hug him, lay on him, kiss him, play games with him, etc. Some of the stuff could be considered teasing. He seemed to roll with it- always wants to be with them, lying in bed reading stories with them, sleeping with them. Anywhere they are, he wants to be.

I also had 3 boys and a dog, a wonderful Rough Collie/Labrador, very active dog to go with 3 very active sons. My sons were never allowed to tease her, lay on her etc, they were not allowed to go near her if she was in her basket. They were brought up to respect Samantha and were rarely seen without her. If they went down to the woods she was with them, not matter where they were, Sam was there as well. Sam protected my sons and my sons protected Sam. She would join in games of football and cricket, slide down slides etc.

He never got over the mouthing. He still does it. It seems as if his jaws are always open and he is swinging his head around. He seems to use it as a way of communicating. When I arrive home from being out, it is as if he can't tell me enough how much he missed me by mouthing my hands and whimpering a little.

My Joe gets hold of my hand when I come in to lead me into the living room, I can barely feel his teeth, to me this isn't mouthing, it is communication. From your description of what your dog does it sounds more like he is nervous.

We have been through a lot with him in the area of separation anxiety. He has broken out of every enclosure we tried, including his metal crate, to the extent where he could have injured himself. I have seen improvement in this area. We have 2 family members that come to the house if we are going to be out for an extended period. He seems much better now about chewing or being destructive. I do feel fairly comfortable letting him have the run of the house at this point.

Well done, it isn't easy to get a dog over seperation axiety.

In recent weeks, we have experienced some very worrisome behavior. He normally has been kind to any people that visit our house once he settles down from the initial greeting. Recently, I witnessed him growl at a little boy as he walked past him. There was no action by this child to prompt it, and he wasn't even that close to him. He has also growled at our kids a few times (the younger 2) and has caught them with his teeth when mouthing. Then, my middle son was in the kitchen standing right next to me, and he was patting Indy's back, not hard. I have seen him do this to the dog a lot. The dog never reacted before. This time, it was so fast. Indy jumped up on him and put his mouth near his neck and shoulder and growled. It happened so quickly.

This sounds like it is a very sudden change in behaviour, have a full vet check including blood tests, he may have something wrong with him and he can't tell you if he has.

Just because we didn't see a reason why a dog growls doesn't mean that the dog doesn't have one, dogs always have a reason for what they do.

Tommy would jump up at anyone who she thought was going to kick her, she would bark in their face and push them with her front feet. Some said she had bitten them but as I saw it each time I knew she hadn't. It was Tommy telling them that she won't tollerate being kicked and she had every right to do so, her previous owners had kicked her round quite a lot. Your dog will have had his reason for doing this, he could have bitten quite badly but he didn't, well done Indy.

I think I screamed. Then I told him NO!! and put him outside. He has also been exhibiting signs of dominance aggression by climbing onto our laps (the grown-ups) at the table and licking our faces. We thought it was affection, but I have been reading that if he was not invited to do it, it is a show of dominance aggression. We have been pushing him down and telling him NO!, but it doesn't deter him.

There is no such thing as a dog being dominant aggressive, dominant aggression is the handler using aggressive methods to solve an aggressive problem with a dog and they never work. You dog wants attention or is trying to communicate with you. Of course it won't deter him, he doesn't understand what "NO" means because he speaks dog not human.

We also never had success stopping the mouthing with saying NO! We have seen some progress when we yelp like a hurt puppy instead. Oh- and Indy is a golden retriever mix. He is a big dog.

Dogs don't understand "NO", which is why it isn't working, what may work is if the person being mouthed got up and walked out of the room, wait 10 seconds then walk back in again. If Indy starts to mouth again, walk out again. this is the best way of teaching him that mouthing doesn't work.

The most upsetting thing happened the other day when my youngest went over to Indy while he was lying on the floor and gave him a hug. My husband was sitting nearby and said he thought maybe Indy was sleeping. Indy reacted by biting my youngest son's face. He just missed his eye. It was terrible and he drew blood. He has terrible marks on his face and I can only imagine what could have happened if he had bit a little harder or even a little closer to the eye.

Your sons should have been taught never to disturb a dog that is lying on the ground or asleep, he must have given Indy a fright and anything that has a sudden fright reacts in a similar way that Indy did, this was your son's fault and yours for not teaching him never to desturb a sleeping dog. I am very crabby if I am woken suddenly, if I was a dog I would do more than what Indy did.

Now I am living in a house with this dog trying to keep him separate from the kids and wondering what to do. We all love him and feel that he is a good-hearted dog. I have done research on the treatment of dominance aggression and realize that punishment will only worsen the aggression.

You are right, punishment won't work and will make Indy aggressive, he isn't aggressive at the moment. If every Samantha growled at any of my sons, it was my sons that were in trouble for giving her a reason to growl.

There are very strict steps that must be followed consistently. I am very worried that my kids, especially the younger 2 will not be able to follow the rules and will be in great danger. He is not a bad dog, he loves us and we love him. But- he needs help and training. He may even need medication for his anxiety issues. Dominating our other dog is one thing. But- trying to dominate the kids is another. I think he hasn't done anything to my 9 year old because he is bigger and older. My husband thinks that my suggestion to re-home him to a family without kids, or with older children, means I am giving up on Indy too soon. I could never live with myself if anything ever happens to the kids. As much as I love Indy, I feel that I will never be able to trust him.

Indy wouldn't stand much chance if he went into a rescue because you have labelled him as being aggressive when all he is doing is trying to communicate. You need to teach your children to respect your dogs, never approach them when they are lying down or asleep. They are not stuffed dogs to pull around, they are living animals who have feelings, need rest and sleep as well as exercise.

Our other dogs have experienced the same actions from the boys, including being touched while sleeping and they never reacted by biting. Growling would at least have been a warning in both that incident and in the one where he jumped and growled while mouthing my sons shoulder and neck area. There just wasn't any warning. If there was, it was way too subtle for me or my kids to notice. I think he will be a great addition to the right family.

You have been very lucky, NO dog should have to tollerate this type of behaviour from children, maybe Indy has learnt that warning doesn't work, he has always been ignored when he warned so now he has upped the warning by snapping. Dogs don't behave like this without a reason, Indy hasn't done any harm YET, but he will unless you learn to communicate with him and teach your sons to respect him.

I don't think that experimenting with training for his problems is a good idea with our kids and could be extremely dangerous to them and any friends they have over. I am just wondering if anyone else has had a situation like this involving small children and if they have any advice? The last thing in the world I want to do is give him up. I spent a lot of time the past 18 months getting him to where he is. It is a very difficult decision, but I have to put my children's safety first. This behavior is relatively new, and I read that dominance aggression appears around 18-24 months of age. Thank you!!!

Forget about dominance aggression, in fact forget the aggression, Indy has upped the communication because it has been ignored in the past.

I would go with clicker training, this is something all the family can do and have fun with, your sons can each teach Indy a different trick and learn how to respect him at the same time. They will also get pride in teaching him to do something, and will bring everyone closer and be able to understand Indy a lot better.

Indy is just a nervous dog who has been labelled as aggressive because nobody has understood what he has been trying to tell them, instead you have responded with using aggressive methods to solve his problems. This never works but I am sure everyone will soon be feeling a lot better and happier if you use clicker training.

How much exercise does Indy get? He does need quite a lot of exercise both mental, (clicker training) and physical, a well exercised dog is a happier dog.

You just need to turn round your thinking, that is much harder to do than say but it can be done. My 3 sons all had a wonderful relationship with my dogs, especially Samantha which was the dog they grew up with. Samantha didn't have a good start in life, at 6 months old she had never been for a walk but had been teased a lot by children, yet she was a wonderful dog for 3 active boys and I am sure with the right training Indy will be with your 3 sons.

[emmabeth]

I agree with the previous posters....

This isnt 'dominance aggression', whatever that is supposed to mean!...

What this IS is that your dog is allowed to play with your boys as if they were also young dogs.

Ill guarantee if a young dog puts his paws on the back of one of my dogs in a playful way, a jump up to the shoulder and mouthing and growling may well occur.

In fact in this photo of my dog Errol (then 10 months old) and Ty (2) this is exactly whats happening.

Ty is the blonde sighthoundy, Errol is the hairy black Tibetan Terrier..



In this photo they are playing, Ty was putting his paws on Errols shoulders and Errol jumps up at Ty, and Ty is then mid 'roar' about to retaliate. It ended with Errol pushed over to the floor and Ty the 'winner' for that particular round. All in play!

If you allow your boys to lay on, push around, roughhouse with the dog he is going to think its appropriate to instigate play in the same way ie, roughly, with his body and his mouth.

You have to teach him that where humans are concerned, he must be gentle and that means not allowing children to lay on him and playfight with him. Otherwise how on earth is he supposed to know?

I am also not surprised that a slightly anxious dog in a fairly high energy rough and tumble household, reacted to being woken from sleep with a warning 'go away!'... he must be allowed to sleep uninterrupted so that he never mistakes a gentle touch for someone about to leap on him.

Climbing up into your lap and licking yoru face is an appeasement gesture, significant of an anxious dog who isnt sure about things.

YOu do need to change the rules in your household, and train your kids to not treat the dog in this way.

We can help you with how to handle and train your dog, and we can do so in a way that minimises risk to your children (by firstly managing the problem, educating all the members of the family, and then sorting out the dog), but.... you do have to want to do this, and I do think part of your original post suggests that you just want rid.

If you go into this half hearted and not really wanting to sort it out you arent going to get anywhere. And you really have to let go of this dominance idea, its a load of hooey and its a dangerous 'faux-theory' that causes more harm to dogs than I like to think about!

[mum24dog]

I do think part of your original post suggests that you just want rid.

To be fair, that's a natural reaction for any parent who thinks their children may be in danger.
Once the trust in a dog has been damaged, it's hard to get it back. (I don't trust our BC 100% in certain circumstances.)
However, she is obviously having doubts about what she originally believed - she is willing to do some research and is seeking advice.
I think she also has a realistic view of whether she can get her children to understand the importance of consistency. Heck - I've never managed to train my husband to understand the dogs. He still doesn't grasp that Down and Off don't mean the same.
I think she's willing to give it a try.

Pam

[Noobs]

There is a lot of great advice here. Your situation sounds like what happens a lot when dogs hit their adolescent stage and it becomes one big household full of miscommunication. First of all, to echo everyone else, let go of the dominance aggression thing. It sets you and your dog up for failure when your mindset is in that area. I hope you haven't taken your dog to that dominance expert yet because you will get tons of wrong information.

I was told by trainers like that, "you don't exist to your dog," "your dog doesn't respect you," and they put a prong collar on him and manhandled him and wrestled him when he struggled because the prong collar was hurting him. It wasn't until I dumped that mindset and started using positive methods that I saw light bulbs go off in my dog's brain during training and his ears perked up and found that his focus stayed strongly on me; because I was training him with pleasant rewards he WANTED to figure out what I wanted him to do. It is very encouarging and a step in the right direction that you are aware that punishment won't help your situation. I am willing to bet sweet cash money that the "dominance aggression" expert will use exactly that, which is why everyone here is warning you against it.

Basically, dominance "trainers" set your dog up to make mistakes so they can "correct" them with leash jerks, sprays, shock collars, and the like, so the dogs - in the handler's presence - will work to avoid punishment or shut down altogether ("If I don't do anything at all, nothing bad will happen.") Positive trainers set your dog up to succeed and give them pleasant rewards for getting things right (toys, food, praise, affection), and that way the dog is motivated to figure out what you want from them and want to work with you and TRUST you.

Stick with this forum, you will learn so much about your dog and you'll be so much happier if you follow the advice here and forget about anything dominance based.

My dog at 16-20 months was like that - mouthy, jumpy, we thought he was aggressive toward us, and he was actually just out-of-control playful and we didn't know how to play with him correctly. We started clicker training and playing indoor games that involved him using his brain. We exercised him more outside, taught him leash manners (using methods found on this forum), etc.

As an aside, he also entered a fearful stage and would lunge and growl and bark at strangers and cats and some dogs, so we worked through that using positive methods as well. I'm not sure if you have that problem though so I won't go into that.

Please reconsider taking him to the training facility. If they manhandle your dog, it may make things worse at home, especially if he's already skittish. I know your situation is urgent, but if you manage FOR NOW and then train for the long term, you can work things out. Good luck and please stick with us. There are great people here who can help you. In the 16 or so months I've been visiting this forum, they've helped me turn my dog around, and my dog was (sometimes still is) pretty bad.

[emmabeth]

I do think part of your original post suggests that you just want rid.

To be fair, that's a natural reaction for any parent who thinks their children may be in danger.
Once the trust in a dog has been damaged, it's hard to get it back. (I don't trust our BC 100% in certain circumstances.)
However, she is obviously having doubts about what she originally believed - she is willing to do some research and is seeking advice.
I think she also has a realistic view of whether she can get her children to understand the importance of consistency. Heck - I've never managed to train my husband to understand the dogs. He still doesn't grasp that Down and Off don't mean the same.
I think she's willing to give it a try.

Pam

Oh absolutely, hopefully in understanding what the issue really is rather than being scared by talk of 'dominance aggression' Robynnlee can feel more confident in sorting the actual issues out...

Ive never yet trained my partner to do or not do certain things around our dogs... management works very well though (of him AND the dogs!).

[Mattie]

I think she also has a realistic view of whether she can get her children to understand the importance of consistency. Heck - I've never managed to train my husband to understand the dogs. He still doesn't grasp that Down and Off don't mean the same.
I think she's willing to give it a try.

Pam

It is a lot easier to teach boys than to teach men, boys are not set in their ways like men are and if handled right boys are willing to learn, men arn't.

My boys used to have such a lot of fun with Samantha and I would love all children to have this sort of relationship with their pets, unfortunately the majority don't.

When my first grandson arrived, my DIL was quite put out because I wouldn't let him jump on Dixie or Tommy when they were asleep, she seemed to think that dogs should take that, she was soon put right.