Hiyas Nevaeh
From what I can tell, your dog's retesting his position in the pack
. Pretty normal for him to do at that age. I bet he was probably a handfull when he was entering his teens, too.
All the advice here has been pretty good , and I'll put in my two cents if you don't mind. I have a very bossy puppy who's still earning his couch space, too.
First, i'd suggest you both follow the nilif system and the advice folks have been giving. He may not growl at you, but that could mean he only tolerates you , loves you, adores you, not that he respects your position in the pack.
I would not let him sleep on the bed or couch at all, until he has earned those spots by being a well behaved member of the family. You are sending him the message that his current behavior is acceptable, and even encouraged by granting him high status.
Your husband may spend alot of time with him, but again, it's not just about emotional bonding...he has to respect your husband as being trustworthy over him. Now, make sure you both understand this is not a physical battle to see who's king of the hill. We have big brains, as humans, so a battle of wits suits us much better.
Few habits we follow with mr. puppy who wants to be king:
Eat before you feed him. The advice above of giving him the last bite is good. But it HAS to be the LAST bite ONLY. No scraps while you eat. The reason for this is that to dogs, the boss eats first. Then the rest eat. Also, the boss provides for the pack, so physically feeding him AFTER you two eat makes him associate it more as you providing for him than you pampering him. When you go to feed him, fill his little bowl up as usual, and eat a little snack before giving it to him. A cracker, anything. Once you are satisfied (or atleast, so he thinks), give him his food. This is the same as above in theory, just taking advantage of another situation you can do this in.
Walk him! Have your husband take him out to the hunt. It's important you keep control though. If he pulls or tries to set the path, it's back to obedience training.
Exit and enter door ways first. Basically you are making sure the area is safe.
Play, groom, petting...all on your terms. You should initiate and end all cases. If he walks up to you with a toy, or snuggles for petting...it's easy to give in. If you must, ask him to sit or down first, then pet/play as a reward. Since he's already showing a few bad signs of dominance, i'd suggest leaving this for later. for now just ignore his demands but don't stop playing or petting etc. Just make sure you guys initiate it.
And the best and most positive way to establish leadership anyone can do, is training. It's never over, a great way to bond, keeps your pet attentive to you and develops alot of trust between everyone. Even if he knows all the commands etc, it's more of a lifestyle than a seminar. I can't emphasize what a huge difference it can make in the relationship between your husband and dog if they do some obedience training together , and practice a bit every day. We've just started clicker training for the first time, and the dogs love it. The are constantly looking to do 'good' things that will get them that click.
Well, there is lots more you can try, but my post is getting way long already. Most of these methods are layed out in a lot of books, but the 'dog listener' is the one I most recently read and got these particular suggestions from (i think). Don't give up, and most importantly encourage your husband to be more positive, too. It can be very frustrating when your 'pet' doesn't seem to like you. Give them some space to establish a relationship, and hope for the best. Stay calm and keep that heart beat steady when dealing with Luke. Leaders of the pack are always calm and collected. Panicky dogs are usually insecure. In a few weeks things can really turn around and you'll have to pry Luke from your husband's grasp. Good luck! -adri
