Nicely put Dibbythedog, I was thinking the same.

As for the dog, I do think that to be able to make this 'apology' or 'appeasement' that the pressure does need to be taken off a bit. A dog that has just given a warning bite, which from what I can tell and know is what happened, can't feel relaxed and easy with just having been yelled at (I know, it was probably more shock and pain than a thought process, but I'm looking at the dogs point of view) and having this person stand in front of them, he stayed down, he didn't get up to continue the confrontation. The person continued it, so the dog gave another warning bite.

I do think AA that you have enough knowledge and sense to not put yourself or your pooch in this position. You just need to get your OH on board and work out ways to get your pup to do the things you need him to do. Such as getting off the bed, leaving the room.
I'm part of the reward brigade, meaning that my dog was taught behaviours mainly by luring with a toy or treat. I think it works brilliantly. At the basics of it I want to teach the dog that when he listens to you and does the right behaviour he makes you happy, making you happy is a good thing and that why we reward. It does have to be taught in a careful way, we don't want to end up with a dog who only listens for food. Cookie would have done anything for me, just because I asked. Not so much for my OH because he could never tell if my OH was pleased or not.

Here is the most recent picture of Kazuto. He's gained some weight after 2 and 1/2 weeks of raw.




This is him when I got him...

AAAAAAAAA I love that first photo! What a beauty... and wow, he is looking a lot better on his new diet. He's a stunning fellow!

Wow ! he is gorgeous.

Nice harness.

What a beautiful boy and very wolfy!! I am so thrilled you have this dog AA ... we just need to get your hubby on the right track.

Yes, thank you.

Well, so far dog trainers will not help. I can't get any wolfdog rescues to answer my emails. I told my husband to read up on high contents and on being the leader of a dog, since it doesn't seem to be helping for me to just tell him.

If your husband won't listen to you I'd suggest you buy the following book for him to read, as it will explain why your dog keeps biting him ...

"The Evolution of Canine Social Behaviour" by Roger Abrantes Ph.D. It's available from www.dogwise.com and costs about 15 US$.

To quote from the book ...

"Saying that a dog is a fear-biter is equivalent to saying the dog does not behave purposefully. By saying that the dog shows submissive-aggression we simultaneously answer the question of how to solve the problem. The dog is submissive, which means reacting to a threat by another, giving in, and surrendering. It only becomes aggressive because its behaviour does not have the desired effect. The dog is then under threat and ready to react by flight or immobility. If flight is not possible, it may freeze. Some do and die. Others resort to their last defense, they attack, and then the drive of aggressiveness takes over. We can easily avoid this situation by accepting the dog's submission, or allowing it to flee."

As for dog trainers, have you thought of contacting Police Dog Trainers or Handlers who maybe more willing to help you. My two dogs are trained by an ex Police Dog Trainer and Handler who also rehabilitates aggressive dogs .. at the moment he's working with two Dogo's and a Tosa all of whom have a history of human aggression.

As has already been said here , its all about survival. The main aim of dogs and wolves is to avoid conflict and they do this by offering appeasive behaviour . If this isnt accepted or they still feel threatened and trapped, once choice they have is aggression.

A lower ranking wolf may act appeasively to a higher ranking wolf most if the time but there are times when it may use aggression for example over food if it is very hungry .

So its best not to assume that because your dog/wolf gives you appeasive/submissive/apologetic signals and "sees you as leader " that you are always safe. You might not be and more so if it is early days in your relationship when your dog doesnt know you well and what your intentions are.

One thing to bear in mind that in some cases the dogs aggression has become a habit , its become a conditioned response to perceived threats in certain circumctances especially with dogs that resouce guard.

We've talked about what we think Leadership is and how we behave with our dogs but the important thing is what AAs husband thinks leadership is and how he behaves with his dog.

As I said before , with a new dog that has shown aggression, you really need to think how you interact all the time. This is to start with , its not going to be forever. Its not pandering or giving in to a dog , its being sensible and keeping yourself safe and not letting the dog "practice" aggression.

I can only reiterate my recommendation of Suzanne Clothier's Bones would Rain from the Sky... and pay special attention to what she says about communication and aggression. They are not to be confused, but they are connected. In particular, a dog, a wolf-- heck, even a child-- may turn to aggression if communication is denied them, and we, as careful handlers, must make it our business to understand communication as thoroughly as possible.

I know that you, AA, already know a huge amount about this, but no one ever really finishes learning, do they? And your husband seriously needs to get on board. Conflicting information that he might be sending to Kazuto will be picked up quickly and it'll be hard to shake. Wolfdogs, especially high content, do take on a huge amount, and they mature intellectually, when they are still very young-- much more than regular dogs, so you're going to need your husband to work with you to get this right.

I'm sorry you haven't been able to find a trainer who is willing to work with you. Just a suggestion: you might try contacting Malamute or Husky rescue organisations if you can find any near you. There are a lot of Wolfy Mals out there, and a lot of Wolfy Mal people who might be able to give you a hand.