Advice about my dog?

i have a male labrabador that is about 6 months old, not more, the point is i was about to touch him while he saw he coming to him and when my hand was close to his head he turned his head around and almost bite me, i do not know why, i use to play a lot with him but he almost bite me, something that scared me because it had never happened to me, i got so pissed, and inmediately told him it was bad and punish him for trying to bite me, i did it because i have a 5 yo nephew and two nieces of 9 and 1 yo, and they play with my labrador, what should i do, i am confused not even my big dogs who are about 10 yo or more have tried to bite me, it scared me, should i punish him harder, i am sending him to sleep outside the house, is it enough or am i overreactingAdvice about my dog?
emilystar gave you great advice!





All breeds of dogs are capable of this 'bad behavior'! Don't let anyone convince you Labs won't do it and that they are only playing. Labs are dogs. And some, for no reason, have a more aggressive temper than others.


I had a AKC registered male Lab that was aggressive like this. Had him obedienced trained to try and correct it, with no luck. He still occasionally showed aggression to other smaller animals and small children. We had him put down at two and a half years, because he seem to get worse with age. And killed my female Rat Terrier. I also talked to 4 different people that had similar experiences with there Lab males.





I admire your concern and intelligence for worrying about your nephew and nieces. The children are more important than ANY DOG!


I personally would not take the chance with the children with this dog. It just isn't worth being wrong and the dog biting one of them.Advice about my dog?
He is probably not pure-bred labrador. I do not think punishing is the way to go and dogs do not understand the concept of good/bad. I think you must find a way to train him (obedience classes?) and use tough love to show that you are the dominant species - even the master - and that he should be thankful to have a caring owner like yourself. I do not think he should be around the children these days - definitely not alone with them ! He will not understand their advances - I do not want this to have a bad ending - Labrador is just a wonderful breed ! I am really pulling for you - we are all in this together.
what ever you do, don't hit him with your hand, use a rolled up new paper, this works well, sometimes if you use your hand, to punish they well nip, or bite,
i don't think putting him outside is the answer...my puppy is a black lab/shepard mix and he likes to keep his mouth open and bite at ya when he plays...if he does get us we just stop the play hold his mouth shut and say ';no biting'; very firmly...or you could try a spray bottle and spray him if he tries to bite you..or if you see it coming, just turn your back to him until he stops...they are very smart dogs...he will catch on...just remember he is a puppy..give him some chew toys..if he tries to bite, put a chew toy in his mouth to show he can bite that but not you
He's still a pup so keep that in mind, but your concern is well warranted with the little kids around.


Remember act - reaction if he tried to bite you need to correct him right then. Kicking him out for the night will do very little for him maybe only you.


One way to teach him not to bite is to take him by the chin or lower jaw in the palm of your hand then stick your thumb into his mouth and press down on the tongue. He will try to get away from you. But each time he tries to bite do this and he'll stop.
Your dog is testing you to see who the Alpha leader is. The next time this happens, take him down, growl at him, get on top of him, tell him no in a loud voice, hold his head in a locked positon then hold his neck with your teeth and shake it slightly. Make him stay in this position for a few minutes and then let him up . He wont do it again. But whatever you do, dont let him see your fear. Take command of the situation and dont let him even growl at you or anyone in your family. Nip it in the bud immediately. If he stays aggressive, get rid of him. Having someone get hurt is not worth it.
get your dog fixed. a buildup of testosterone can cause momentary agressive behavior. warn the children that the dog has been snippy lately. also consider taking obedience classes with your dog. it will bond the two of you and reassert that you are the ';alpha dog'; and he is your lesser. some dogs get cocky when they think they are top dog.
i don't have much experience with big dogs expect at work.


I'm sure he wasn't doing it to be mean, he is a puppy and is still learning. Maybe you should try puppy classes,





putting him outside is too much, just being away from you is bad enough(in his eyes) so just take time with him and it has NOTHING to do weather he's a full breed or mixed. i have both full and mixed and the mixed is more well mannerd than the full breed
your over acting labs are gentle family dogs...your sending him outside too sleep ...hows he gonna know thats a punishment..even tho he saw your hand ..it still started him...havent you jumped when you saw something..even though you knew it was coming...hes a puppy ..he will learn dont be harsh on him...
if it is 6 months old its still a puppy. maybe he was only play biting. if he was showing aggressive signs like:growling, baring fangs, his hackles going up (the hair on his back and neck) then he is showing aggressive. that is not normal for a labrador retriever puppy. if he only bit you without any of those signs i'm sure it was only a play bite. puppys have sharp teeth so it hurts. my labrador always did that when he was a puppy and i only had scratches.
have you ever hit him with your hands. If so he mightve thought you where going to hit him and was just trying protect himself. My pup that will be a year old in Jan bites at my hands all the time. He does it to play with me even though I only want to pet him. I have another dog that is 5 yo and dont bite my hand. So it depends how you play with the dog. I wouldnt send it outside cause it wont know it is being punished. I usually point my finger and change my tone of voice and tell the dog no thats bad. Dogs do understand us whether people think so or not.
please be careful about the advice you are getting about this as you have children involved. it is not appropriate to use physical punishment towards a dog that bites. you are not over-reacting, and it is very important for you to train your dog well at this age so he will grow to respect you and other people, especially kids. punishing him ';harder'; may make him more aggressive. it is much more effective to teach him that you are the leader of the ';pack'; in your house through obedience. it can't hurt to speak with a behavior specialist or a vet about this, they can give you good tips on what to look for to find out what instigated the bite and how to avoid them. also they can tell you appropriate ways to reprimand without punishing a dog when they do something like this. and just because your puppy is a lab doesn't mean he can't have aggressive tendencies. any dog can bite at any time. the best thing you can do for him and your family is make sure he's healthy (take him to the vet), make sure he knows who's in charge (train him in basic commands), and socialize him well (take him to puppy classes). when it comes to kids and dogs that bite, intervene early and get help.
if it is a pure-bred lab (vs a mix-breed/mutt) the dog will learn ... and very rarely makes the same mistake twice. He is still young, but usually a good hard wack on the nose ... or even a yell/punch will mean more than punishing him outside (i would still put him outside though).
Its natural dog behavior, you have to train it out of him. One good thing is to establish dominance over him. Whenever he gets agressive at all, even playfully, flip him on his back and stand over him. This establishes you as the dominant one, and him as more submissive. This makes him less likely to show dominant agressive behaviors like biting.


Any ';punishment'; like having him sleep outside won't work. If you do something even a few minutes later as a response to something he did, he wont get the connection. Dogs aren't smart enough to understand the concept of a past event carrying weight later on.