Puppy Problems

Lately we have been having some puppy problems with this guy:

Okay maybe I need to update this picture seeing as this was taken back in September and this cute little furball is now this:

He's still a baby... just about 30 pounds heavier. 

But back to our problem. 

Moose is a spoiled boy. He gets thousands of kisses and cuddles, has a wide selection of toys and items he has made into toys (mainly my entire collection of slippers and flip-flops) and still has some accidents in the house even though I am convinced he knows to go outside. 

He's spiteful. 

But while at a party for my mother's yesterday, Moose did the worst thing ever: he bit someone. I was astonished. I was also really embarrassed. I assume this awful feeling was the same any parent of a mass murderer/serial killer also felt. How could my affectionate cuddle-bug be so aggressive?

We actually had to tie him to a tree during the party because he would lunge and bark at strangers all day. While Moose is fine at the dog park and walking around the neighborhood, when he is at home or my parent's house, he is very protective. 

So I have been doing tons of research about what we need to do. I never had this problem with any of my other dogs we had growing up and I feel so frustrated. Moose is the sweetest, but he is a big boy and is scary when he's got his teeth bared. 

My limit was reached, however, when this morning Moose tried to nip at me after I tried to take away something he was chewing on. 

So I got online and googled WWCD? What Would Cesar Do?

It turns out that because we have spoiled Moose and let him sleep in bed with us and hang out on the couch and feed him our food when we eat and don't lead during walks and a whole litany of other things, Moose has assumed the 'pack leader' role. And because he sees himself as the leader and our protector, anyone outside of the circle of my family is a threat and thus he is responsible to protect us. 

I get the psychology and I realize it's totally our fault. I have been treating Moose like a baby when he is a dog and needs different rules and regulations. 

So I decided the solution to re-channel all my extra hugs and love is to just simply have a baby myself so I can shower the baby with all the love I want to give to Moose. 

Just kidding.

But I have started re-training Moose and Pedro and I have been trying our hardest to re-establish our 'pack leader' roles. It's tough especially because Moose looks super depressed and pathetic. But I know it is good for him and he needs this structure to be happy and healthier. 

We are struggling with how to handle this and have decided we are going to try it on our own for 2 weeks and if we see no improvement we're gonna drop the cash and get a professional. So I would love if anyone had any perspective or had any similar experience to offer any advice or words of wisdom. Help?