WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s dog Major will get professional help adjusting to the White House after a pair of biting incidents last month.
Private training for the 3-year-old German shepherd will be conducted “off-site” — not at the White House but in the Washington area, Michael LaRosa, a spokesperson for Jill Biden, said Monday in an emailed statement.
“The off-site, private training will take place in the Washington, D.C., area, and it is expected to last a few weeks," the email read in part.
The Bidens also have a second German shepherd, 12-year-old Champ, at the White House. But it is the younger canine who has been the source of angst since both dogs were relocated to the White House in January from the Bidens’ home in Delaware.
Last month, the White House confirmed that Major had nipped someone during a walk. Shortly before that incident, Major caused what the White House said was a minor injury to a Secret Service employee on March 8.
Both dogs spent time back in Delaware after the first incident — the White House said it was because the first lady would be traveling for a few days — and the president had said Major was being trained.
“The dogs will come and go and it will not be uncommon for them to head back to Delaware on occasion as the president and first lady often do as well,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki in mid-March.
After the first incident in March, the president said Major was “a sweet dog.” In an interview with ABC News, Biden explained the biting by saying that the dog had “turned a corner, there’s two people he doesn’t know at all, you know, and they move and moves to protect.”
Biden added at the time that “85% of the people there love him.”
In honor of National Pet Day on Sunday, Dr. Jill Biden tweeted photos of both dogs captioned, “Love these two!”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.