2 year old Aus. Labradoodle started to bite...

[Denise]

Hello, we have a loving Australian Labradoodle from Country Labradoodle in Paso Robles and he just started to bite. We have had him for almost two years since he was 8 weeks old. I am very concerned because his aggressive behavior has slowly been getting worse. We have established the pack order, been through Sirius Training and read every article out there to help with this behavior.

Just this past week he bit on two occasions. Both happened to two of my children when they tried to get an item he had taken out of their bedrooms. Then last night he bit and broke the skin of my son when he picked up an empty wrapper from the ground that the dog tried to get. It was not just a bite but also a growl with teeth. I have never heard of a labradoodles biting with serious aggression (enough to break the skin).

Earlier this week he also went after my handyman after I introduced him by having him sit and then having the handyman put a hand out for Baxter to sniff. A second later he lunged for the handyman and would have bit him except I had a hold of his collar.

I had him checked out by a vet and everything is fine physically.

We take him for two walks a day and he has access to a quarter acre backyard throughout the entire day. When we go for walks he often times tried to mount other dogs and he is not well accepted by other dogs during playdates.

I called Elizabeth Ferris from Country Labradoodle and she said that she has never heard of this type of behavior before. 

We love Baxter dearly but I cannot allow this to happen. My children have always treated the dog with respect and we have never hit him or physically disciplined him. I would like to know if anyone else has had experience with this type of behavior with their labradoodles.

Thanks!

[Deborah Brown]

Thanks for posting the response that I was too impatient and lacked the words for this morning.  (Dealing with the flu here!)  We've lived with a reactive dog for 5+ years and I agree 100% about the trust issue.

[Debbie Daniels]

Joanne , well said as a matter of fact one of the best post  I've read about loving and training a dog ...thanks for sharing ! 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

This is so concerning, especially where children are concerned and I hope you will find a workable solution very soon. Does he have a strong reliable "Leave it' or "drop" command? I have young grandchildren and it has been the most useful command for my two leaving their food, toys and papers alone. The children are also taught to never grab anything from the dogs as those little hands and faces are too close for comfort. I have always thought that ALL dogs have the potential to bite and have respected that, however, it is never acceptable. Good luck and let us know what works for you.

[Denise]

Thank you All for the great advice! I will start with seeking a Behaviorist with Veterinary degree to begin with as well as getting the thyroid panel.

A few people mentioned that he may be stressed and nervous but this is not the case with Baxter. He is normally very calm with occasional bursts of energy when he acts like a puppy and wants everyone to play with him. I take him under control when the doorbell rings and people visit. He is told to sit by my side and I hold his collar. 

He is used to people coming to our house on a regular basis because I run my business out of my house. I am a newborn photographer and often times I will have toddlers here. This has been the same since he was a puppy. 

Now though, I must put him in his room when people come over because I fear he might bite a child. 

Also mentioned previously about the pack order, I do believe that when you have children the dog must understand that he is not the equal to the children. This is a home with children and friends of children so we cannot rely on everyone to remember about  things like, food left too close to the edge of the counter or a bedroom door left open with toys in it.  I feel that Baxter has to be trained not to do these things.

Baxter is the most strong headed & intelligent dog that I have ever had. He will follow any command that I give him ... if he choses to do so, which is about 95% of the time. He knows when he has done something he isn't supposed to do, like flipping the trash can, pulling food off the counters (his face is green in the picture because he pulled a St Patrick's Day cake off the counter and started to eat it), sitting on the antique chairs, or any other naughty thing he does. I know this because the moment I walk into the room he goes into his submissive stance with his tail between his legs and jumps off the chair or backs away from whatever he has that he not supposed to have and he always has that look of guilt on his face. 

When you read about the problem that we are having with him, you might think, "Wow these people need to spend more time with him" or "They need to get him under control", but the reality of the situation is that we spend all our free time with him. We have consistent rules that the children have been taught to follow when dealing with Baxter. Before we even picked him up from the breeder, we all met with a highly regarded trainer and she set down rules for the kids to follow when dealing with Baxter and the kids have always consistently followed them. He gets attention from everyone and is the most loved dog you will ever meet. That is why this biting issue concerns me so much. 

I brought this question to the Labradoodle community because we all know that Labradoodles are not like other dogs. I've had several other dogs throughout my life and I know that Baxter is different. 

I will seek the best Behaviorist out there and we will do whatever is needed to get Baxter help with this situation. I can't imagine ever giving him away or the effect this would have on my family. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm so happy to hear you say this.  We were so fortunate when our Murphy started to display fear aggression that we found a Behaviorist who helped us to put together a program to address the problem.  It was only one very long visit and we left with a strategy that with the help of our Trainer has gone a long way toward addressing  his issues.  I still have to manage his environment and watch his visual signals, but we have come so far.  I'm even comfortable now having him around the grandkids which is a huge step.  You are clearly a great dog owner, committed to doing what you need to to turn this around.  I wish you all the best, and please keep us posted.  I've been there so I really understand.

[Deborah Brown]

So glad to read your follow up.  Since Baxter's behavior is unusual for him and you don't yet understand the root cause behind it, I think you are very smart to work with a vet behaviorist.  Please come back and let us know how it goes.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I have a feeling you will have this resolved in no time. Sounds like Baxter has a great foundation to build on and it may just take a few sessions with the behavorist to get him back on track. Good luck.

[Debbie Daniels]

BTW Baxter is adorable even with the green cake on him ..I'm Irish and i love St Patricks Day... I wish you all the luck in the world, Baxter is a lucky little guy ! 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Hmmm, have you heard of Cocker Rage?  It is when a friendly dog suddenly lashes out and bites.  Then, moments later, returns to a normal and happy go lucky dog. Like nothing ever happened. Some theorist believe, they don't even know or remember the episode.   Certainly, you are not faced with severe situations you will read about on the internet but I've also read there are mild forms considered Cocker Rage.

Most often though, you will see a stare or an almost seizure like after the episode lasting a few moments.  Some mistake this as a moment of shame but it just might be a neurological  episode?

Since your dog may have some Cocker Spaniel in the mix as many ALDS do, read up on this subject.  It's certainly a shot in the dark but I threw this out there for thought.  It is NOT only in Cockers but was first diagnosed in a Champion Cocker Spaniel. 

Read about it some to recongnize the symptoms.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

just found some videos that help you recognize the symptoms also.

Remember, there are many disagreements about CRS so just read between the information and take what you need. It seems so many have opinions and arguments about what and why it really happens.

[Jennifer & Truffle]

Baxter reminds me of our puppy, Truffle, who has similar parti markings - your little guy is adorable.  We're currently dealing with Truffle's resource guarding issues that have resulted in his biting me on a few occasions.  We are eager to work with our trainer to make sure we manage it properly and help Truffle overcome the need he feels to guard.  While I don't have any specific advice for you (and the advice others have provided sounds great), I wish you the best of luck getting it sorted it out.  I'll look forward to hearing about your progress.  

[Leslie J]

If snapping at the handyman is a first, it might have been something about him that upsets your dog- an aberration. If he was scared, perhaps he felt threatened. I think a dog that is afraid is the most likely to bite. I'm not saying it was okay for him to snap, but it may be an isolated incident.

There is a family we know that Cocoa is terrified of. She has seen them a few times a year since she was a puppy (she liked them as a puppy) and she runs and hides when they come over. They love dogs, and are so disappointed she won't let them near her. They've never been alone with her, so I know that they've never hurt her in any way. Everyone else who comes over she loves- even people who don't particularly like dogs! It's very strange.

It sounds like you are a very conscientious family- I have the feeling you will resolve the issues before they become habits.