Aggressive Behavior - Challenging my Alpha Role

Hi there!
I also had a baby when my dog was young...and it is a lot of work to get ready, but it´s great that you can see the problems before hand It doesn´t sound too bad and I´m sure by Sept. you´ll have a great dog.
I think you should not worry about the bark just yet as this is a symptom of other problems. The pinning down is not such a great option as you are using fear, and not respect as a discipline.
I need more information to be able to give more advice however....

Tell us about your feeding routine?
Leaving the dog alone at home? what is the routine?
Where does he sleep?
what commands does he like or not like?
What exercise does he get?

All of these situations need to be 'cleaned-up' and you will find that basic obedience follows on. There are also very specific things you can do to prepare for a baby coming, but I´ll tell you more when I have a better understanding of what´s going on.....

Be prepared for some hard work ( or at least consistent work) and also don´t expect miracles as your dog is at a difficult age and will stay that way for another 6months or so....don´t worry...your hard work now will magically re-appear then, even if it feels you are going backwards
A new born baby is not the problem, it´s when they get to the crawling toddler stage, but by then it´ll be sorted, so you´ve got plenty of time
Please give more details...
Annie

Hi fmoore_1970, thanks for your post
The sort of behavior your dog is showing is dominance aggression and this sort of behavior needs to be dealt with immediately and with care. Carefully watch the alpha dog training videos ad read you secrets to do training guide.
In order for your dog to be a safe and happy member of your family it must consider you and the other family members to be the alpha dogs or pack leaders. Following the alpha dog training will definitely help show the dog its position. It is also important to remember the key points of dominance.

In a wild dog pack the dominant pack member controls :
-access to food
-access to favoured sleeping areas
-any interactions with lower pack members
-access to favoured items such as toys
The dominant member is not aggressive just calm, firm and in control of all the above things.

In order to show your dog his position as bottom of the pack you and your whole family can take advantage of these keys points. For example

1) The dog must be the last to eat at every meal and should never get treats from the table.

2) He should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make them sit at each doorway and wait.

3) If your dog is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to get past make him move. If you think he will snap leave a lead on him so you can move him whilst maintaining a bit of distance.

4) When you arrive home completely ignore the dog for 15 minutes. Don't look at him, talk to him or pat him. After this go to him and give him some quiet attention only as long as he is relaxed and calm.

Only interact with the dog on your terms. If your or someone else is petting the dog or playing with it and it becomes aggressive or badly behaved immediately remove your attention from the dog by either removing yourself from the area or moving the dog to another area. You should do this without displaying any emotion such as anger just be a calm but decisive pack leader and the dog will appreciate knowing where it stands. Similarly you can assert your dominance by not allowing access to beds and couches or by only bringing out favourite toys when you want to play and removing them when you are finished.

For your situation I would also suggest trying a head collar. These are useful tools in implementing alpha training because they give you full control over the dog and can increase safety in handling. Also they give you excellent control for safer walking of misbehaving dogs. This is important because misbehaving dogs especially require lots of exercise to reduce energy levels and frustration as well as plenty of socialization to prevent further problems occurring. These are sold under many brand names including halti and gentle leader but are basically all the same. The idea is that instead of the collar going around the neck the collar goes around the nose but also has a part that clips behind the ears to hold it on. The lead is attached to a ring that hangs under the nose and when the dog pulls the nose band tightens. This is no way hurts the dog it is just annoying for the dog like someone holding your nose. However the main idea of the design is that the dog is attached to the lead via its nose and head rather than its neck and shoulder area where its powerful muscles are. The dog cannot pull you and if you pull on the lead lead rapidly upwards you can close the dogs mouth to reduce snapping and lunging.

If you do decide to try the head collar it is important that you read the instructions that come with it in order for it to work properly especially the instructions on introducing your dog to the head collar as dogs may initially dislike having a band around their nose.

Remember when working with any potentially aggressive dog if you feel that you or someone else may be in danger use a muzzle. Do not leave any potentially aggressive animal unsupervised with children.

Start and keep up your alpha training and you should see results quite quickly. Remember alpha dog training is not just a one off training program it is a way of life for you and your dog that establishes and maintains you as pack leader and makes your dog feel more secure in its position, therefore even when the dog is showing reduced aggression always continue to implement the alpha training.

Please let me know how you get on and if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to ask.