When I was in puppy class with my boys they recommended a technique called "passive restraint" to help calm an agressive dog and make it realize that you are dominant over them. Once a dog realizes they are not dominant, the biting and agressive behavior is supposed to dramatically decrease. I never had a dominance problem with my boys, but there were many people in the class with large breeds and their dogs became much calmer due to the passive restraint.
What you do is sit down on the floor with your legs out in front of you (or you can sit on the couch and do this too). Take your puppy and sit in on your lab with its back against your chest and legs on your legs. (it's hard to describe, but their belly should be exposed, kind of like how you would sit a child on your lap). This is a very vulnerable position for them and they most likely will fight and try to roll over and get up, but you cannot let them. You must hold firm until they start to relax (it could take awhile, if you let them get up when they struggle - they win, you must keep firm until they give up and relax). If he tries to bite, gently put your hand under his chin, forcing his mouth to close. Stay in this position for about 15 minutes. When your puppy has relaxed you can rub his tummby, feet, face, etc. Once your puppy is completely relaxed for awhile you can gently remove your arms and let him up. They say you should start doing this at least 3 times a week for 10-15 minutes. Anyway, it's worth a try. Hopefully it will help you have a calmer puppy who knows how to be handled by his owner without biting. |