Dog Health Questions: Please, please help me with my aggressive dog!!!?

He is 5 1/2 months old and neutered. He is a pure bred golden retriever, I thought he would be the perfect family puppy... We took him to a dog training place since he showed hints of aggression as a pup and he was fine. He is okay-trained can sit, down, stand and walk on a a leash, but I am 14 and sometimes he gets wound up and jumps up on me, growls, bites, barks, and lunges! I get so scared I say "Hey, stop!" loudly and I tell him to sit, he stops after he sits but still barks. He also does this to my mom but not as often, he does it when he is at the top of the stairs (which is scary), while swimming in a pond, or if I start to run with him or jog. Now, he has no freedom off leash. He gets plenty of exercise by the way. My dad says I should hit him but I would never want to and that would trigger him to bite more, my dad is head strong about that idea... What ON EARTH can I do I feel in danger with him and I also want to help him. Thank you so much!

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Your family is not capable of handling a dog. This dog is controlling the house and nobody is stepping up to correct the situation.

I think it would be better to find a new home with owners that understand this behavior. He is only 5 months old and can be corrected. If he is not corrected, as he gets older he could remain out of control and seriously hurt someone. The fact that he is acting this way and the closest result your father has is to hit him says you should not own this dog and it is only going to get worse as the dog gets older and has no discipline.

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• It sounds like your golden retriever has had some bad breeding. That just isn't a breed that is known for this kind of behavior.
  
  The type of training you have given him is alright, but he needs more. He needs to be aware that the humans in this family are the dominant ones, not him. Try NILIF--Nothing In Life Is Free http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm . Also, YOU be the one to initiate everything. If he tries to get your attention, ignore him until he gives up. Then YOU be the one to get HIS attention. I have read that in the wild, the dominant dog would be the one to decide when the other dog gets attention. The other dog has to sit around and wait for it.
  
  I think he is still young enough that you can get this under control, but don't do any type of training without talking to your parents about it first. Also, until this biting stops, I would muzzle him. I hate muzzles, but it's better than you or someone else getting hurt.


• Hitting will definitely not solve the problem!! I once watched an episode of 'Its me or the dog' show. The great dane was biting during play. The trainer on the show said that when the dog bit, to let out a high pitch noise, cross her arms and turn from dog and continue to turn away from dog till the dog found her to be no fun and ignored her. You need to show dominance to your dog... You are alpha dog. Do not be scared .. your dog will pick up on that. All of you in your family need to discipline the same way (no hitting) or nothing you do to correct this problem will work. this means your dad too.
  If you can watch some episodes of Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer or It's Me or The Dog. I think you will learn some great techniques there. Remember don't be scared, and be firm ... but dont yell!!!
  You may want to seek the help of a dog trainer!! One that can do private training.
  Good Luck!!


• Your dog is not aggressive, but he does not respect you or your mom. First of all stop being afraid! Some of this behavior is puppy, but now he is a "teen" and you must take control before he be comes a liability. You and your Mom need some assertiveness training toward the dog. You do not need to hit him to get respect.
  Rules of engagement....
  1. Never back away from him again, step into him before he can do it to you. Stand tall over him and keep moving forward, make him back up. Do not get angry, do not yell. You must have respect, not fear. (respect = you the boss, Fear = I must protect myself from humans).
  2. Look him dead in the eye and tell him what you want - then make him do it. Never repeat yourself, I said NEVER REPEAT YOURSELF...(get it).
  3. Play gentle games with him, (never tug of war), try "find the kibble". Put him in a down stay. Hide a piece of his kibble in a spot on the floor where he can get it, but will have to look a bit. Start easy and then get trickier as he gets better. The reason I suggest using his kibble is he may get less excited than he would for a biscuit.
  Work up to games that involve some gentle wrestling with the dog. It is good for the dog to know you are stronger than he is (or at least think you are).
  Do not let him Mouth you.
  
  I strongly urge you and Mom to take a class or hire a trainer to address this issue.
  
  My son was bitten by our neighbors Golden, I knew the dog was an accident waiting to happen I just never figured it would be my kid. He was locked up for two weeks, returned only to maul an even younger child a few months later. The dog was returned to the breeder where he lives in a dog run.
  It was NEVER the dogs fault. NEVER is.
  His owner was a shy, passive, tense person who never played with the dog. The dog felt someone needed to be in charge - so he took over the house. But he was not leadership material and he made bad judgements.
  Check out some Cesar Millan on YouTube.....search for "Dog Whisperer 19/26 : Insane Dane"