Help!! Do Labs only see one person as the Alpha?

[LauraWestbrook]

My husband and I have a 3 month old female Labrador that we got from a reputable breeder in Texas. She minds my husband pretty well but not so much with me. She bites me and jumps on me a lot even when I’m very firm with her. I often have to push her off and she comes back at me showing her teeth trying to bite me. I tell her NO and even put her on time out in her expen. It’s more like play aggression but still aggression. She clearly doesn’t respect me.

I am wanting to know if dogs (Labs, in particular) only see one person as the Alpha. I need some tips on how to nip this in the bud ASAP!!! 

Really appreciate any insight you all can offer. 
 

Laura

[JessicaNorth]

It has been my experience with Labs that we have had over the years, that they make excellent family pets and are highly intelligent.  Is it possible that you feel nervous about dogs, in general?  We had a Golden Retriever/Aussie mix, loved everyone he ever met, he never showed any aggression until my son's girlfriend started spending time at our house.  It wasn't instant aggression, but developed over time.  She was never around dogs growing up and had a bit of fear of the unknown and after a time of her being mis-trusting  of the dog, he became mis-trusting of her.  She would try to 'rush' by him to avoid contact and he we then bark at her.  It was the strangest thing, this dog literally treated every stranger like his bestest friend, but he never did bond with her.  

There are some really good ideas under the "Behaviour Training - Online" section that may help, such as, when she jumps up on you, try turning away from her and even walking away, but when she is calm, get her to sit, give her a pat and a treat.  Find instances of good behaviour where you can reward her and hopefully a bond will develop with you as well.

I hope that this all works out ok for you.

[JoanSmeets]

Let's just start off by saying that the whole "Alpha dog" theory has been proven to be based on wrong assumptions. I know there should be an article on that in the library of this course which can explain way better than I can.

I notice you are saying that she responds differently to you than she does to your partner, but in my experience this is only partially affected by your relationship to the dog and more so by your way of responding to the dogs behavior. You talk about pushing her off and telling her no and to us humans it's clear that you clearly do not want your dog to behave that way. To your dog however it's attention and the pushing her off may even feel like play to her. If you first give her attention and play and then all of a sudden put her in a time out, which does feel like punishment to her, she is most likely only going to be confused.

I notice this difference in our Belgian Malinois as well, who is a pretty mouthy dog because of his breed. My partner handles the situation much like you do and will often end up with bruises because the dog gets more excited, thinks he is being played with and goes over his threshold. On the other hand I rarely get nipped because I take away all attention when he uses his teeth to interact with me and will put him in time-out without further attention if he carries on.
And with a dog that is often described as "only has one owner" I can say that there is definitely a difference in relationship between our dog and my partner and our dog and me, but that is based on a lot of factors but none of them being "who he respects as a leader".

I would however keep an eye open for Adrienne's reply because I think she can help you along with some solid advises on how to handle your specific situation.

[LauraWestbrook]

Joan and Jessica,

Thank you so much for your quick responses. I truly appreciate your input. 

Laura

[Adrienne]

Hi Laura, 

As Joan pointed out, the alpha theory has been disproved by several studies and research on the topic. The basis of the alpha theory was very popular in the past due the fact that it was presumed that, since dogs are descended from wolves, their behaviors must have reflected wolf behaviors. Therefore in order to attain authority, it was important for dog owners to obtain the alpha status since wolves in captivity were found to have an alpha in charge.

This belief led to decades of harsh training techniques including alpha rolls, scruff shakes and the adherence to several "pack rules" such as always eating before the dog, not allowing the dog on the bed, not letting dogs out of doorways first and not letting the dog walk in front of the owner. Today, we fortunately have researchers who have brought to us a better understanding of wolf and dog behavior compared to 30 years ago. More on this can be found here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dominance/ but here is a summary. 

1) Dogs are Not Wolves

Firstly, we know that dogs are not wolves, indeed, there are many differences between dogs and wolves. Courtesy of domestication, many changes have occurred in dogs both from a morphological and behavioral perspective. So while it's true that nowadays most scientists agree that our domesticated dog (Canis familiaris) descended from the wolf (Canis lupus), comparing our dogs to wolves nowadays is similar to comparing modern humans (Homo sapiens) to great apes.

2) Wolves Live as Families

Secondly, research by David Mech's studies has revealed that behaviors of wolves held in captivity were quite different than the behavior of free roaming wolves previously studied by Robert Shenkel in 1947.  Shenkel's initial studies conducted on wolves in captivity demonstrated that groups of wolves living together were held in check by a strict pecking order enforced by the violent interactions between the alpha wolves and subordinates. 

Mech's studies on free roaming wolves, on the other hand, revealed that the social structure of wolves living together were fundamentally family units with adult parents guiding their offspring. This latter study has therefore revolutionized how we interact with our dogs and train them.

3) Humans are Not Dogs

Thirdly, dogs know for a fact that we are humans and not dogs and relate to us accordingly. Their powerful noses know that we don't smell like dogs. Research has shown that dogs respond to our pointing gestures, gaze into our eyes and interact with us humans in the same way toddlers do with their parents. Even when given the opportunity to pick their kind, dogs prefer to rely on us humans for both affection and protection.

Yet, it goes without saying that puppies and dogs need guidance to learn to control their impulses and that is done through training and behavior modification. It also helps providing exercise, mental simulation (brain games) and outlets for natural behaviors (safe items to chew, an area for digging, balls to chase etc). 

The fact that your 3 month old puppy is biting you more than your husband may be because your puppy gets more engagement from you (are you moving a lot, pushing her? making noises when she bites?) I know it's hard not to with those sharp puppy teeth, but I think your puppy is having fun and seeking you out more to play/engagement.

Rather than being firm though using a deep tone of voice or punishment, which may elicit defensive behavior in the long run (puppy no longer biting for play but because finds us threatening), I would aim to provide outlets for the biting behavior and training alternate behaviors that are more productive and rewarding. Note: It is always best to catch her before she starts this behavior than once she has already jumped on us and latched on. 

So if this happens for example in the evening when you sit to watch TV and want to relax a bit, you can prevent it by providing her with some entertaining toys to work on such as a stuffed Kong, Kong Wobbler or Lickity mat with a portion of her meal that will keep her occupied for long. Ensure your pup gets sleep throughout the day as often these fits are seen when pups get cranky. So it's not a bad idea to give them a break from being overstimulated by inviting them to a pen or crate with some chew toy and quiet time.

If these jumping/biting episodes happens at random times during the day, you can aim on taking advantage of her energy levels for some productive training through play. Here are some helpful games:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

Also make sure to train her to learn to inhibit her biting with this guide:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

If you do a random search of the forums, you'll find lots of threads on nippy puppies with many more tips. Here are just a couple:

Your puppy is very young so nipping and jumping is very normal at this age.  However, we can work on these behaviors early through redirection and training so to start them on the right paw. 

Best,

Adrienne

[LauraWestbrook]

Adrienne, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to me. All of this is very very helpful. 

[Adrienne]

Happy to hear you found the info helpful, happy training!

Best,

Adrienne