turning bad

[blackdog]

we have a seven year old female lab\shepard mix. Since we,ve had children she has become agressive when confronted for bad behavior,such as stealing food off counters,raiding the garbage can,and stealing diapers.Our dog is particulary agressive toward my wife.If my wife catches the dog in the garbage ,the dog will come after her with hair raised ,teeth showing,and growling.The dog has bitten her more than once during these confrontations.When i confront the dog for similar behaviors,she may growl and show her teeth,but she backs down if i move toward her.She has never shown agression toward our small children,but this is a fear of ours! Most of the time our dog is loving,playful, behaved,and very tolerant of our children.When we get in these power struggles she can be like a wild beast.We,ve tried different approaches to these situations (raised voice,soft voice,gentle,stern)but the results are always the same.We love our dog and most of the time she loves us.We are frustrated and wondering if we are sitting on a timebomb.Any suggestions?

[suki]

...yeah, I have a sugestion, time for a behavorist, BEFORE things turn ugly, and get too out of hand. You dog, imo, has established itslf as the alpha in your household, and needs to take a few steps back. a dog that has suddenly "turned" needs to be retrained. There are some great folks on here, that I'm sure, will give you some keener insight. Good luck!

[DiggityDogs]

I absolutely agree on this one- I had a similar situation with a dog of mine as a kid- looking back I can see all the warning signs that led up to the final attack he carried out on me, but at the time I had no clue why he was doing the exact same things your dog is doing. You DEFINITELY need a professional's help, as aggression problems are not to be taken lightly. In the mean time, a few things to do:
1) if the dog is not already crate trained, start right away. Cutting down on the dog's free roam gives it less of an impression of power over the living space.
2) if you leave food down for the dog to eat when it wants, take it up immediately and begin a feeding schedule, where the dog eats in the morning and evening, give her 30 minutes to finish and if she walks away from the bowl without eating it all, take it up and toss it or try feeding it at the next feeding.
3) Until you are able to contact a behaviorist, take away all chew toys and bones you may leave around for the dog, the fewer possesions there are available, the less the chance for the dog to be posessive.
4) Take ALL precautions to prevent this behavior, such as putting the trashcan in a closet or under the sink, and keeping things the dog normally likes to steal out of reach. Try to avoid 'confronting' her, as every time you do (and loose) you give her more fuel for the fire. Her confidence will continue to grow until it's not just a snap or bite but a full on attack.

Once you are able to begin working with a behaviorist I would also suggest doing some routine obedience classes, even if you have already done them, have your wife handle the dog through the classes.

The dog I had was a black lab mix, Max, my first dog. We got him as a pup at the shelter, and I taught him a few obedience commands and tricks for fun. I was 9 when we got him and 16 when he attacked me- he had bitten me several times before, but we (much like you) were at a loss as to what to do with him. He was stealing things, and it progressed to the point where he would growl at us if we walked into the room and he was eating or chewing something, so that we had to keep a kitchen chair at every entrance to the living room to fend him off in case he had stolen a bone from the trash. He finally attacked me for petting him when he was sleeping. He jumped up, bit my forearm, which I was using to try to keep him away from my neck, he bit my chest and ripped my shirt (i have the scars to this day) and he put his foot on my face during all of this and his claw went completely through my eyelid. My entire left forearm was bruised and covered with puncture wounds. He started out acting a little bossy and pushy and we never thought he would get that bad, but it's a natural progression for a dog who is starting to feel like the pack leader. Now 10 years later, I look back and realize that there are so many simple things that could have been done to prevent it. I really hope this info helps and that you take our advice to get a professional's help.
Good luck!