About a month ago I picked up a white lab puppy for my little boy from some friends of ours.

I don't know jack about dogs, so here goes:

What does it mean when the pup consistantly holds onto your hand with it's teeth? I'm not talking about biting, but rather whenever I pet him or scratch his chin he'll "bite" down on my hand with nearly zero pressure, hold it and sit there.

Someone told me that this is the dog's way of saying "I'm the Boss",  but I'm not sure.

I'd like to know if this is some term of endearment or a bad habit I should break him of right away.

You should NEVER let him put his mouth on you.  Say his name sharply, then NO even harder.  All biting must be nipped in the bud as yound as possible.  It could be a dominance thing depending on his age.  I'd worry less about that for now than I would the biting thing.  It can lead to bad bad news later.

I have a dog that does the same thing and it is clearly a sign of affection in his case. Dogs often show affection with their mouths.

And I don't buy the idea that most dogs want to show dominance over their masters. For some it might be true, but I wouldn't say that applies to most, for a number of reasons. Dogs generally want affection and companionship more than they want to be boss.

white lab??? anyway sounds like you puppy feels safe, like when he was suckling his mom's teat,

like a kid sucking his thumb or holding onto hus bankie



Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black--Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate--Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.

Quoted: white lab??? anyway sounds like you puppy feels safe, like when he was suckling his mom's teat, like a kid sucking his thumb or holding onto hus bankie Color The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black--Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow--Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate--Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.

It could be a yellow lab then...I'm not sure. He looks pretty white to me, but maybe he'll darken as he gets a little older.

Can anyone recommend any good books or other resources for training a dog?

Quoted: Can anyone recommend any good books or other resources for training a dog?

Search the net and choose what suits you. There are all kinds of methods and theories. Most are pretty much the same -- consistent commands, wait for or induce the desired behavior, and then reward with affection and/or treats. It isn't hard as long as you have a reasonably intelligent dog, and most labs are pretty intelligent.  

There aren't that many commands to teach a typical pet dog, anyway. You could buy a book but probably read all you need to know in about ten pages.  If you want to do something more elaborate, like teach your dog to fetch a beer from the refrigerator, there is a book you can usually find in Petco that will tell you how to do that. That's provided you want to teach your dog how to open the refrigerator.

In comparision to us, a dogs his mouth is both his mouth and his hands. Plus due to his sense of smell and how small and taste are interrelated he gets significatant input from holding things in his mouth.

Plus you have a dog purpose breed to want to hold thing in his mouth, luckily purpose breed to hold things softly in his mouth.

Holding your hand in his mouth probably makes him feel very secure. Get him a toy to hold and every time he does it to you replace your hand with the toy and praise him.

Labs are not aggresive biters so I would not worry about this behavior leading to biting.