worried about our GSD and aggression please help!!

[Jenn02nyy]

Gunter is a 16 month old male GSD. He has always been a great dog and well socialized but recently over the past 3 months he has developed a aggression toward other dogs and a barking problem. we have been taking him to the dog park since he was 8 weeks old and has always played well with the other dogs. starting in may be began to be aggressive and we atributed it to him being protective of us (I was pregnant at the time) so we stopped taking him as often. then we began walking him at a local park the past few months and we have noticed an increase aggression toward all the dogs we walk past he used to just be a few. he barks, growls and his hair stands up. Today was the last straw when we took him to a local event at the town pool and he went after ever dog there. it was like he was disoriented he even fell in the pool and we had to leave within 10 minutes of being there. We love our dog and just don't know what to do. he has had a lot of change with a new baby in the house and me staying home with him all day. we are scared to take him back to the park in fear that he will hurt another dog. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[allieg]

Sounds like you should consult a behaviorist/trainer and nip it in the bud.
Good luck.I feel your pain I am dealing with the same thing.

[Kayos and Havoc]

16 months is a hard time for a young adolecent. It sounds like you started out well with his social skills. Could he have been harrassed by other dogs at the dog park?

This sounds like it may be fear aggression and leash reactivity, he barks at other dogs while on leash as he has no way to remove himself and is trapped. How is he off leash with other dogs? If he is posturing like that you may not want to find out!

This is a hard thing to diagnose and treat over the internet so you may want to try to find a good trainer in your area. How far are you from Suzanne Clothier? http://www.flyingdogpress.com
Suzanne breeds GSD's at Hawks Hunt Farm and is a very respected trainer/behaviorist in New York.

In the mean time I would consider exposing him to other dogs slowly from a distance where he won't react and then rewarding him for staying calm. When he is very calm work a bit closer and reward. It is important not to let him react and only reward calm behavior. If you move too close too fast he will react. You want him not to react. This is a very basic explanation, you really need the one on one help from a person you can go to locally.

[SunCzarina]

Did something happen to him, a fight or he maybe got charged by a loose dog?

My pup Otto is the same age. Sometimes it's one step up and 2 steps back. Occasionally I take a few weeks break from trying to correct a bad habit - give him time to forget.

Try to get Gunter on a schedule of taking walks and eating at the same time every day. Work out a time where your husband can have quality time with the baby and you can take the dog for a walk.

Shepherds like structure!

Young shepherds sometime act out in strange ways when their whole world changes (Morgan was barely 2 when my oldest son was born. She went insane for a while there) With your new baby and the stress of all the people who just have to come see the baby, his whole universe is upside down.

Oh and if you don't have a prong collar for him, look into it. A training club should have them for sale and be able to fit him into one. They have to fit correctly or they don't work well. Otto has never been given the chance to fight becuase I've got this hunk of metal on his neck reminding him that if he doesn't behave, Momma is going to pop that leash and possibly make him cry.

[windwalker718]

Testosterone??

If he's not altered and you aren't planning to breed him it would be a good time to alter him.

Beyond that you need to work with A PROFESSIONAL to deal with the behavior. Removing him from the situation doesn't do anything to help stop it. You need to work with him and some non aggressive dogs to change his greeting behavior. A PROFESSIONAL has the experience to read what and how your dog is reacting and tip you as to where and went to intercede and what kind of correction or instruction should be done. I deliberately capped the professional part as I'm suggesting you find someone experienced in aggressive behavior, not your normal group obedience classes that tech heeling and such. Do a few sessions with the Pro, THEN look into a group class to continue training and socializing in a controlled situation

[Kayos and Havoc]

You are 3 1/2 hours from St. Johnsville, NY and Hawks Hunt Farm. If I were in your shoes I might really consider looking up ms. Clothier and see who she recommends close to you or make the drive. She is nationally recognized and a person I very much admire.

[debbiebrown]

all good suggestions.......i think i would go to an obedience class or some class that will expose him to other dogs, that way there will be a trainer right there and can see how he reacts, how you react, etc. he is obviously sounding like a fearish and or unsure with other dogs, so you will need to expose him as much as you can preferably with a trainers aid so that his reaction may be handled properly.
it takes alot of time and dedication to work through these issues it can be frustrating, but rewarding as well.

best of luck,
debbie

[Riley's Mom]

Some good suggestions here, don't believe this one was mentioned but I would have his thyroid checked as well. If he's got a dysfunctional thyroid it's going to work against any training/behaviorist you consult with. I actually would do that first because if this is the case, about six weeks on very cheap meds and then see if you still need a trainer/behaviorist. You could potentially save yourself some big bucks by doing this first which is a bonus to helping your dog and your situation. Oh and if his thyroid is dysfunctional, it's not just six weeks on meds and done, thyroid meds are lifelong. I just meant that you should see improvement in six weeks or less.

Just an FYI, I have our dog's blood sent to Hemopet who is totally dedicated to this type of thing. I found out that our vet uses a local lab (which most do) and the test level setpoint for local labs is different than Hemopet uses. With a local lab they test the blood and give you the results, that's it. At Hemopet they not only test the blood using more accurate levels but they also do an evaluation of other things. It's not expensive to send the blood to Hemopet either and Hemopets fees are pretty darn reasonable in my opinion.

If we'd sent our dog's blood to the local lab, our dogs would not have been diagnosed as having hypothyroidism but Hemopet's testing methods are more accurate.

[Kayos and Havoc]

Second for Hemopet.

[novarobin]

Originally Posted By: KathyWI might really consider looking up ms. Clothier and see who she recommends close to you or make the drive. She is nationally recognized and a person I very much admire.

ME too. I would LOVE to meet her, let alone have her work with my dog.