DOMINANCE:

Your dog needs dominance, MENTALLY, NOT PHYSICALLY.
Lacking proper direction, your dog must become dominant. It is survival. In the human family, as he expresses dominance, he realizes something is drastically wrong. This causes insecurity and frustration, so any change in the household becomes intolerable.

Dogs have many different ways of expressing dominance, in subtle yet physical ways. Their objective may not be to really take over, but be aware that the casual standing on your foot may actually be one of their sly attempts at self-expression.

Forewarned is forearmed. These attempts may be as subtle as nudging or covering you with a paw or chin, to actually mounting. In a mature dog, this could lead to more aggressive behavior.

When your dog comes over with a ball in his mouth, and drops it at your feet, and you stop to pick it up, he just established control. Don't fall into his subtle trap. Tell him he has to wait. Then, after a couple of minutes, when you pick it up, ask him if he wants to play ball. He's going to think, "How did you know I wanted to do that?" Then, it will be you initiating the lead, setting the role for him to follow. .