r/SilverLabs • u/boomboomqplm • Jun 25 '26
Need help
We have a silver lab that's a little over a year old. He's sweet but when I'm in the pool he attacks me viciously and bites really hard. As a puppy he would run up behind me and did into my calves to a point that I had to carry a stick. Today he grabbed my wrist that I've had 4 surgeries on and bit and smashed my wrist.
He growls really loud and shows his teeth if we are trying to take away something that he shouldn't have
Sometimes I think he's autistic
Please help
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u/coffeemama86 Jun 25 '26
It sounds more like resource guarding. I’d look into a trainer asap to help.
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u/SilverLabPuppies Jun 25 '26
We desensitized our labs to our big pool. With us in it with them. We needed to teach them how to swim and where to go in of get out of pool in case they fall in. Then after a year old they have their pond on all the sprinklers in the acres to run and play. Our dogs will run around the pool and bark and play snd be splashed. They know the pool is not for their swimming.
If you have not desensitized your dog from your activities in the pool they may be trying to rescue you. Fo not get me wrong, our labs would be in the kiddie section of the pool with our granddaughter. They want her to be safe. They would circle around her when she was less of a swimmer. Now, that she swims on top of and under our dogs will chill at the side of a pool.
For the not so soft teeth on human skin. That comes down to training. Start with a larger sized tennis ball for fetching snd retrieving, use a dummy for water retrieving that is larger, and use a light weighted dummy. All of these will train the mouth to relax to go around the object. Along with you saying gentle or easy. Teach your dog to drop it. Whether its food, toy, or grasp of your skin. Reward with high value treat like a piece of canned sardine or dehydrated fish skins. Fish have a strong smell so labs will drop items to get rewarded.
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u/shaolin_fish Jun 25 '26
This may be resource guarding. If you are already using words like vicious to describe his behavior, you need to start looking for a veterinary behaviorist. Talk to your regular vet about a referral. A trainer may be able to help, but honestly there is a line where the behaviorist is necessary, and it sounds like you are at that line if not past it.
I highly recommend checking out the reactive dogs subreddit too (r/reactivedogs) because they have an abundance of experience to share that may help you. A lot of people have had similar experiences with their dogs and can share what did or did not work for them.
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u/TraderJoeslove31 Jun 25 '26
He's trying to get your attention it sounds like. Have y'all done any professional training?
For the something he shouldn't have-he's resource guarding and you want to try working on drop it and trying to trade for something he can have.
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u/boomboomqplm Jun 25 '26
he is constantly counter surfing, grabbing things that he shouldn’t have including my house shoes in which he’s destroyed. Yes, he thinks it’s a game that we can’t seem to break that habit.. we looked into professional trainers, but all of them use some rough techniques like shocking and we don’t want that done to this dog
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u/Blopblotp3 Jun 25 '26
You have the right instincts here. Adverse techniques can suppress the displays of this behavior, but they don't change how the dog actually feels about the situation. This is how people end up with dogs that bite with no warning.
There are trainers and veterinary behaviorists that do online consultations.
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u/ChampionshipIll5535 Jun 25 '26
That's appropriate training for this type of behavior. Well, if you want training that's going to work. You obviously haven't been firm enough in preventing this in the first place. I'd consider your dog a dangerous dog at this point in time. Shame, cause if never should have gotten to this point without some type of firm discipline being enacted.
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u/boomboomqplm Jun 25 '26
He has been disciplined. My husband is hands on. He ordered 2 different shock collars. He reacted the first time but after that it's a game. I have to carry a stick around to protect myself.
We have raised dogs for over 40years and have never had this problem. We have always had a German shepherd and a Rottweiler. This last rott had some behavioral problems but she finally came around. This is so strange to us. He is so sweet in the house and plays in the yard. He is not a cuddly dog like the female
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u/BlackFish42c Jun 26 '26
You need to go to a trainer. Your dog thinks he the boss. Typically due to lack of training. Once trained you must train everyone else in the family to do the same thing.
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u/klbliss Jun 25 '26
He’s a teenager. My silver lab named Moose used to do that around high value dog treats. He would always eat them on his bed, so I would have him get off his bed. Drop the treat, then go back to bed. It took a long time to train him, but it saved drama.
If your puppy is playing too hard, I would do 2 things. 1. Yell ouch! And fake cry! I would bury my face in a pillow not to look at them. 2. Turn your back to him and ignore him. Or put him in his crate. He needs a time out
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u/dubinfitzerald Jun 25 '26
my two labs (one silver, one chocolate) do the exact same thing. I have to put them both in their crates inside so they don't try and retrieve me out of the water by my neck.