[Bhikku]

You said that the dog is biting because it wasn't taught not to mouth when it was a puppy.

That was only in addition to my main theory (which is an uneducated one, seeing that I've never actually seen this dog attack anyone) that the dog sounds dominantly aggressive to me. I'm only saying if the puppy had been properly trained not to mouth in play, I think it would be less likely to use its teeth aggressively.

She is just saying that mouthing as a puppy isn't an "aggressive" behavior and has nothing to do with this problem.

Mouthing isn't an aggressive behavior in itself, but not teaching bite inhibition will certainly exacerbate the issue of an aggressive dog. A dog which has been taught bite inhibition as a pup may nip if accidentally startled or injured, but a dog which hasn't is more likely to bite.

My brother was mauled and disfigured for life by our first family dog (who had shown no previous signs of aggression), and I used to work with ex-fighting dogs and ferals at a municipal shelter, so I take dog aggression very, very seriously. I love dogs, but I never forget that no matter what size they are, they have the potential to be a very dangerous animal.

We didn't get Sammy until she was 10 months old and she was never taught not to "mouth" as a puppy. She is in no way aggressive toward us nor has she ever even tried to bite us. But when she is playing she has her mouth open and will put her mouth on us but never ever bite. It's annoying and we discourage it by telling her no, turning our backs and stopping play. Anyway, it's my anecdotal evidence vs. yours.

I'm not saying mouthing leads to aggression. All puppies mouth. I'm saying that mouthing, if unchecked, leaves the dog open to aggressive behavior down the road (in my opinion). In any case, you may have a more submissive dog than the OP's...submissive dogs obviously have to be dealt with in a different manner than dominant dogs. It all comes down to personality. I would not train my Golden Vito the same way I would train my Golden Bella - they're complete individuals. My approach to each of them is different.

An alpha roll might have no negative consequences in 90% of dogs but it can cause serious issues (adding to fear, increased aggression) in other dogs and how are you to know which dog you have??

According to who? I think it's pretty easy to tell the difference between a dominant and a submissive dog if you have any kind of fluency in the body language of animals...dogs are so easy to read.

It's so much easier to just use positive methods.

It sounds like she's tried "light" training in the past (ignoring the dog, verbal corrections, etc...) and it hasn't worked. I agree that the NILIF program is a great one that she should try though. It goes a long way towards earning your dog's respect without having to lay hands on him. It's easier on the dog to use just positive methods, but what about the bites her family members have to sustain in the meantime while the dog is re-conditioned, a process that could take several weeks or months? In the meantime, someone could be seriously injured.

Did you know that leash pops are also effective correction? They are, HOWEVER you must know EXACTLY how and when to do it - your timing must be spot on so the dog knows what it is being corrected for. AND, you should never need to do it more than once because if you HURT the dog properly he will never repeat the act.

I don't believe in corrections that hurt a dog. If you have to hurt the dog, you're not doing it right.

In this case if they frighten him for attacking the child, of which he is probably already afraid (!), they could escalate the problem.

It could. Or it could solve the problem entirely. *shrug* I can't tell her what she should do, obviously. I can only give a suggestion based on the information she supplied. Based on her description of a dog which does not apparently attack her but attacks ever other member in her family, "charging" at them and drawing blood, does not seem to me to be a fear-based aggression. I don't think a fearful dog would "charge" a creature several times its size unless cornered.

But I could be wrong.

There are MUCH better ways which is why I don't ever recommend aversive methods.

What methods do you suggest?

The saddest thing ever is to see people walking down the sidewalk with their dog yanking at it's neck every 2 seconds.

I find it sadder to see people yanked down the street by their uncontrollable dogs because they have no idea how to train them to be gentle, confident, and well-behaved.

Anyway, the stuff we're talking about has science behind it. Cesar Milan voodoo does not.

Sure doesn't seem like his dogs are afraid of him.