German Shepherds Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

My Dog Tried To Attack Me. Help Please!!!! :(

37K views 153 replies 53 participants last post by  Castlemaid 
#1 ·
So, Its been so long since i posted.
Yesterday after work i went out to drink and got home drunk.
I was eating some pork chops and gave rex half of the piece of gras on the outside of the chop. then my girlfriend gave him a bowl of dried food because we didnt have meat, usually he eats raw meat but when we don't have we give him some dried food. When I Feed him meat from my hands its ok , but when i feed him meat in his bowl whoever walks near him he growls. Yesterday it was just dried food, and when i told him "Rex go eat" surprisingly he growled at me and gave me a bad look. i shouted at him, and he growled and bited my hand but didnt do any damage. i was so shocked i punched him in the face and droped him on the floor then he woke up he was gonna growl again and when i stood up he ran away hiding under the bed. i Don't know whats gotten into my dog. he doesn't even attack dogs outside that bark at him he just looks at them without even barking. he is even starting to growl at my GF when she tries to take something from him latly altough he never does that to me he usually obeys me. but growling and biting me cause i point my finger at a bowl of dried food? :S

this dog never showed any signs of aggression but i from yesterday im really starting to thinking that the raw meat does get a dog aggressive.
please anybody can give me some help, what happened? what should i do now? i still didnt talk with him he's just lying around and not moving sleeping right now.
 
See less See more
#74 ·
The story has changed. No one likes to look like a heel. I think that some of the people on here are trying to give good advice and information for the dog's sake.

We can all just say "you fiend, go and sit in the corner, I hope you die." But how will that help the dog? Every individual who has used corporal punishment is not an ogre. Everyone who has hit a dog, who has been raised to discipline dogs in a certain way is not hopeless.

I think that people are not belaboring the hitting so that he will read what he needs to do for the dog instead of just calling us a bunch of nutcases and moving on.
 
#75 ·
The dog is the one that will suffer in this entire situation.
Something brought this behavior on and my guess it is the alcohol.
I would not get drunk around the dog...and I would def. look into training.
and if this is not possible than l agree with the last post...rehome the dog before it is to late for the dog to find a good home.
 
#78 ·
Best bet is to get the dog off the island of Malta. It's a macho and very blue collar society that can be very cruel. I've been there once for a two day scuba trip and my best friend in Germany has been there many times. It's not a great place to live if you're a dog. You should see how the cats fare there!!
 
#77 ·
Malta is a pretty rough place. I have no doubt that beating dogs is normal there. They beat women and get a way with it in many countries. This situation and the various reactions from the OP make it obvious that there is no help to be given. Let's see... go to a dog lover's site, tell a story about being drunk and punching your dog.... then hope that someone understands that. Not gonna happen. Even in our culture we constantly hear about dogs being horribly abused. I think our OP is coming from a uniquely Malta perspective and we can't get through that. Too bad. It is what it is.
 
#79 ·
Okay- I am going to put my opinion in here- I rescued a dog (**Which I ended up keeping**) that was dog aggressive and people aggressive. The people aggressive part did not come out for about a week after I got him. I was sitting on the couch one day watching TV and out of the corner of my eye, he ran at me to attack me. Out of a NATURAL reaction (Note I said natural reaction as I NEVER HIT my dogs!!!!!!) I swung my hand up and hit him. I did not hit him intentionally but I did sling my hand up to stop him and it him him in the face. He was a little stunned but it happened so fast that there was no reaction time for me. (This was the first time he did it to me or anyone for that matter) After he jumped back i stood up, NOT yelling but stood there showing I was not scared of him and I stood my ground. I stood at him sideways at an angle, to not show intimidation. Once he knew I was not trying to intimidate him nor was I a threat, he stopped. When he stopped growling I reached my hand out to him allowing him to come to me and sniff me first before trying to touch him etc. (Note still turning sideways) I put a leash on him, and took him for a LONG walk making him walk in the healing position. He is a VERY dominant dog and he needed a person that is also dominant to him but NOT aggressive back. You need to be the stable one. Anytime he showed ANY type of dominance, I corrected it immediatly, EX: staring, paws over you, the stance, etc. Once he figured out that he was not going to be the dominant one, and he also did not have to fear me, he "bowed"down to me. It takes time. It took me about a year of hard training to get his aggression to disappear. Now, that being said, he is always going to be a dominant dog, but if you show fear to him or if you show aggression to him (someone that he doesn't know, won't do it with me anymore) he will become aggressive again. He is very protective but knows his boundries in this home. We did a lot of socialiation with people, places, etc. He is NO LONGER a bite threat as I have done a lot of work with him. He may growl if threatened by someone but now, he walks away as soon as I tell him "NO" or Leave IT. He knows all of his obedience (he will stay until released long sit, long down, etc) and that trainging came along with working on his aggression. Obedience training helped him learn to trust that when he did something good, he got treats, praise, etc. It was a positive tool to use while I was working with him.

With the dog aggression, I muzzled him and another dog and slowly started showing that it was okay, and he did not need to be fearful (It was more of a fear aggression) The muzzles helped protect the dogs but in the same aspect, helped me socialize them. He is now the dog I introduce first to other dogs. (Again he IS the dominant dog, but he does not over react toward another dog unless they go after him, and then he will protect himself) He now looks to me for the guidence and he trusts me because AGAIN, HE WAS NEVER HIT, HE WAS TRAINED!!

He also had food aggression when I got him, and with working and training, he now eats side by side with 6 other dogs.

It is all a matter of what YOU CAN DO with them. NEVER NEVER NEVER hit your dogs! It only shows them to be fearful of you, and YES they will growl and bite ecspecially (spelling is horrible lol) if they are already aggressive. He learned that instead of being fearful of me from hitting him for doing something wrong, he would get a simple correction, it would be redirected, and when he did something good, he would get a reward. If he is in a sticky situation and he does not know how to react, he looks at me for guidence. If I react negitivley, he will. HOWEVER, if I remain calme, so will he.

To sum it all up, build trust with your dog! STOP and NEVER hit him, no matter what happens! IT ONLY MAKES THINGS WORSE!!!
 
#80 ·
What you did and the time you put in is great. There are lots of people who have successfully rehabilitated dogs like that and I applaud you!! It ain't gonna happen in Malta. Sorry to have to say that, but you can't buck the culture. Hurray for you!! Really!
 
#82 ·
If you told your dog off for growling at you, and it put it's teeth on you in an unfriendly manner, am I to assume you would stand there until he'd decided you learned your lesson and walked off?

How is the dog going to suffer? The owner came here for help and advice, and everyone here has jumped on him because he did what is the norm to do where he is... It is old-fashioned to believe that beating a dog for punishment is what works, but many, many, still believe it. Even in the US and anywhere else. Heck, most think that shoving your dog's face in it's pee and yelling while hitting it teaches them to pee outside.

The only way the dog will suffer is if you guys don't stop attacking members for asking for better ways and help, if you run them off how are they going to learn?!

Every unneeded and unhelpful post like "I feel bad for the dog." "In the end, the dog will suffer" "Rehome your dog" are offering no education nor help and are doing nothing but adding to your post count.
 
#85 ·
I understand your point, and I for one am one of those people that would rather see a bad situation helped and given solid advice instead of being attacked. I honestly don't think this guy is being attacked. He laid out the facts of the situation, and people are giving opinions based on what he has provided, though his story has been altered according to the responses. You can't say, "I hit my dog regularly" and "I never hit my dog" in the same breath. People advised that his regular drinking could be having a negative effect on the dog, and he got offensive and insulting about that. I honestly think that in order for the advice to do any good, he has to recognize whats being done wrong here.

And I also think that people stating that they "feel sorry for the dog" or that the "dog should rehomed" are just trying to drive home the fact that something needs to change in this dogs life, not just to add add to their post count. If you go back and read through the advice and posts by the OP, do you really see him taking in ANY of the solid advice that he was given? Its more like a denying and justification session of what he did wrong, and I think that makes it harder to give someone unbiased advice on a situation.

I honestly hope that the OP takes the time to recognize some of the valuable info given here and makes the changes necessary to raise a happier dog. But I also think that in a situation like this, it is hard for the people that loves these brilliant animals with all their heart, to simply sugarcoat or dance around the facts in order to offer their help. JMHO.
 
#84 ·
codmaster:

There is no need to split hairs. The main thing to walk away with in Danielle's very helpful post is that she was attacked by a dominant dog and was able to successfully retrain the dog. I personally do not care if she swung her hand, swung her arm, kicked up her heels, or did a cartwheel on the sofa in order to stop that dog from a complete attack. I am just happy that she is safe and so is the dog.

Okay. Maybe the dog got a smack on the snout accidentally as she swung up her arm to defend herself. Let's focus on the advice. If Malta were still around, it would be a good starting point for him, but I think he has left us alone to self-congratulate ourselves on all our great preaching about the evils of drinking and punching your dog.



Carrie Nation would be so proud of us. Here she is warning: "You godless drunken GSD smacking, blue collar Maltese better shape up!! Don't make me and my hatchet have to go over to Malta and deal with you Prohibition style. The Good Book says that we shall not suffer the dog puncher in our midst to live!!"
 
#86 ·
I appreciate your comments, but I hope he is still around, because I agree with you all. Some people from the past still think that it is okay to smack them around when they miss behave. It is up to us to give solid advice and not to attack them. All that did was hurt the dog even more because he left here feeling attacked. He does not know any better and we dont know for 100% what happened as we were not there. Maybe he did say it wrong, but we do not live in his shoes to be able to judge him. It is up to us to redirect hitting and teach him how to work with the dog. People without training knowledge would have done the same thing. Human concepts put into dogs... It is very common. Again, not bashing anyones comments on here but I do believe that instead of jumping on him, personal thoughts should have been kept to yourself and advice should have been given......
 
#87 ·
I appreciate your comments, but I hope he is still around, because I agree with you all. Some people from the past still think that it is okay to smack them around when they miss behave. It is up to us to give solid advice and not to attack them. All that did was hurt the dog even more because he left here feeling attacked. He does not know any better and we dont know for 100% what happened as we were not there. Maybe he did say it wrong, but we do not live in his shoes to be able to judge him. It is up to us to redirect hitting and teach him how to work with the dog. People without training knowledge would have done the same thing. Human concepts put into dogs... It is very common. Again, not bashing anyones comments on here but I do believe that instead of jumping on him, personal thoughts should have been kept to yourself and advice should have been given......
Good thing for ALL of us to keep in mind. If we can keep a member on the site, they can learn and do better.

If we just hurt their feelings or piss them off, causing them to leave, dimes to dollars it's the DOG that will suffer from this in the end.
 
#88 ·


[/QUOTE]"Carrie Nation would be so proud of us. Here she is warning: "You godless drunken GSD smacking, blue collar Maltese better shape up!! Don't make me and my hatchet have to go over to Malta and deal with you Prohibition style. The Good Book says that we shall not suffer the dog puncher in our midst to live!!"[/QUOTE]

Could we keep this and just put it up in every post when people start bashing away? It is awesome!!!!
 
#90 ·
apbt love,

i feel that most of the posters in this thread wanted to help the dog. not the OP. in order to help the dog many feel it should be re-homed. i tend to agree. the OP made himself come off as a drunk, as someone who at least once, punched his dog hard in the face, then called the forum a bunch of p us sies. do you honestly want to coach this guy so he keeps the dog? he doesn't seem fit to be a dog owner, so people suggested to re-home.
 
#92 · (Edited by Moderator)
Sorry For the long time to post.
For Those little few in these 10pages that commented to give me advice/help me instead of saying ----- , i wanted to update, that i Started the nilif training and also i started the advice laurie (if i remember correctly) gave me to start feeding some in the bowl and some i throw by hand.

Thanks for the few who tried to helped me in this situation i will try my best for this to not happen again.

for the rest of the other "Ohh i feel sorry for the poor dog, he should be rehomed , you should stop drinking around the dog"------- people , look at my middle finger and give it a kiss, thanks for all your support, -------.

last words, the ones that helped keep it up, its from people like you who people like me learn somthing, especial in a so long different culture. Peace.
 
#97 ·
Sorry For the long time to post.
For Those little few in these 10pages that commented to give me advice/help me instead of saying ----- , i wanted to update, that i Started the nilif training and also i started the advice laurie (if i remember correctly) gave me to start feeding some in the bowl and some i throw by hand.

Thanks for the few who tried to helped me in this situation i will try my best for this to not happen again.

for the rest of the other "Ohh i feel sorry for the poor dog, he should be rehomed , you should stop drinking around the dog"------- people , look at my middle finger and give it a kiss, thanks for all your support, -------.

last words, the ones that helped keep it up, its from people like you who people like me learn somthing, especial in a so long different culture. Peace.
It is real good to see that you do understand English so well.

"for the rest of the other "Ohh i feel sorry for the poor dog, he should be rehomed , you should stop drinking around the dog"------- people , look at my middle finger and give it a kiss, thanks for all your support, -------. "

You will certainly win a lot of friends on this forum with an attitude and language like that!

Guess we can all clearly see now what your poor dog has to put up with, eh?
 
#96 ·
How come he gets to type the word and it shows up, but when I type "****" it gets censored?
Instead of complaining 'why does he get to swear and I can't'...............please do a Moderator Notify so NO ONE swears (and the rules are followed).
 
#95 ·
Read trough the rest of the pages. This is my first dog.
For the person that said someone should look info before buying a dog, i didn't buy the dog, a person had to leave malta for work and i adopted him because the owner wanted to give him a good home.

For the other person that asked if he's just a pet or a family member, his a family member to me not just a dog/pet like the rest of the animals i have in home. And of course i came here to learn from people because i don't like the way people in my country train dogs with hits and shouts what other reason would it be for me to join this forum ? i could have just asked my grandpa/neighbour how to train treat my dog and help me with this situation. but no , i want to do the right way. my Dog lives in my home, sleeps in my home, has a small bed for himself, and is treated like a human being / family member. i would rather go to **** and back to give my dog a good life/home rahter then give it away, i can never see that as a solution. I hope people will stop acting like this on forum. I NEVER , EVER , used any violence on my dog other then this time. For those who said stuff about this country, yes, malta is not like america. maybe we don't do things right, but neither we take stuff like the end of the the world here like many here did, and if im someone in this country does a mistake he doesn't get the "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE blablabla" stuff, no he gets advice and answers even tough we may not know the good ways as the foregners know. the people here that say "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOUR AN ALCOHOLIC AND SHOULD REHOME YOU'RE DOG YOU'RE SO CRUEL AND EVIL" instead of trying to understand the person, hear him, give him advice and help him, are loughed at and get called the P word. thats how its done here. and altough when it comes to animals and stuff that malta is still ignorant on i prefer to ask foreneirs on forums so i learn, i still prefer the attitude of us "so called maltese/bullies" if the world still had our attitude, then it would be a better place, because we even call someone who uses a weapon in a fight a P , hence why weapon usage/death is rare and minimal here.
 
#99 ·
Read trough the rest of the pages. This is my first dog.
For the person that said someone should look info before buying a dog, i didn't buy the dog, a person had to leave malta for work and i adopted him because the owner wanted to give him a good home.

For the other person that asked if he's just a pet or a family member, his a family member to me not just a dog/pet like the rest of the animals i have in home. And of course i came here to learn from people because i don't like the way people in my country train dogs with hits and shouts what other reason would it be for me to join this forum ? i could have just asked my grandpa/neighbour how to train treat my dog and help me with this situation. but no , i want to do the right way. my Dog lives in my home, sleeps in my home, has a small bed for himself, and is treated like a human being / family member. i would rather go to **** and back to give my dog a good life/home rahter then give it away, i can never see that as a Read trough the rest of the pages. This is my first dog.
For the person that said someone should look info before buying a dog, i didn't buy the dog, a person had to leave malta for work and i adopted him because the owner wanted to give him a good home.

For the other person that asked if he's just a pet or a family member, his a family member to me not just a dog/pet like the rest of the animals i have in home. And of course i came here to learn from people because i don't like the way people in my country train dogs with hits and shouts what other reason would it be for me to join this forum ? i could have just asked my grandpa/neighbour how to train treat my dog and help me with this situation. but no , i want to do the right way. my Dog lives in my home, sleeps in my home, has a small bed for himself, and is treated like a human being / family member. i would rather go trough fire and back to give my dog a good life/home rahter then give it away, i can never see that as a solution. I hope people will stop acting like this on forum. I NEVER , EVER , used any violence on my dog other then this time. For those who said stuff about this country, yes, malta is not like america. maybe we don't do things right, but neither we take stuff like the end of the the world here like many here did, and if im someone in this country does a mistake he doesn't get the "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE blablabla" stuff, no he gets advice and answers even tough we may not know the good ways as the foregners know. the people here that say "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOUR AN ALCOHOLIC AND SHOULD REHOME YOU'RE DOG YOU'RE SO CRUEL AND EVIL" instead of trying to understand the person, hear him, give him advice and help him, are loughed at and get called the P word. thats how its done here. and altough when it comes to animals and stuff that malta is still ignorant on i prefer to ask foreneirs on forums so i learn, i still prefer the attitude of us "so called maltese/bullies" if the world still had our attitude, then it would be a better place, because we even call someone who uses a weapon in a fight a P , hence why weapon usage/death is rare and minimal here.solution. I hope people will stop acting like this on forum. I NEVER , EVER , used any violence on my dog other then this time. For those who said stuff about this country, yes, malta is not like america. maybe we don't do things right, but neither we take stuff like the end of the the world here like many here did, and if im someone in this country does a mistake he doesn't get the "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE blablabla" stuff, no he gets advice and answers even tough we may not know the good ways as the foregners know. the people here that say "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE YOUR AN ALCOHOLIC AND SHOULD REHOME YOU'RE DOG YOU'RE SO CRUEL AND EVIL" instead of trying to understand the person, hear him, give him advice and help him, are loughed at and get called the P word. thats how its done here. and altough when it comes to animals and stuff that malta is still ignorant on i prefer to ask foreneirs on forums so i learn, i still prefer the attitude of us "so called maltese/bullies" if the world still had our attitude, then it would be a better place, because we even call someone who uses a weapon in a fight a P , hence why weapon usage/death is rare and minimal here.

reposted without the bad word.
 
#100 ·
If there is any more swearing/cussing we will start handing out individual warnings.

Thank you,

Admin Lisa

********
 
#101 ·
PEOPLE!!!! Stop with the meanness and the cursing. Everyone.

DarkSmoke, way more people are trying to help and giving good info. Read those and continue helping your dog. Those that are just wasting time on the board and NOT coming up with help for you I'd just ignore.

Good luck with your dog and I congratulate you for sticking around (but stop with the cursing, if you have to mispell it or put in spaces, ITS NOT ALLOWED. )
 
#104 ·
ok people have let their emotions get away with them,because they are conccerned for the dog and lets go from there.
First I would find a reputable trainer to help you with food aggession and the iccident that occur. Training will help greatly!
Second I would put the dog's crate in another room away from the loudness and crate the dog if you or friends of yours are over and drinking in the house.
I had a doberman many years ago...very well trained awesome dog. But one night a cousin of mine brought her drunk boyfriend in my house. The dog jumped off the couch and tried to eat him. She did not like the actions,that were happening, loundness, waving of arms, swaggering around and it was from the alcohol..simple as that!
I know you love your dog...but you much changed things and get the help with a trainer in order to rectify this situation.
One other thing...please do not hit your dog...a trainer will show other means of handling that sitituation.
 
#106 ·
Use NILIF -- up the leadership.

Do the food stuff as your dog does seem a bit food aggressive at this point.

I do not know whether there are dog training classes available, if not, get a good book and spend 1/2 hour each day working on teaching the dog to SIT, DOWN, STAY, COME, and to walk nicely on a lead. If at all possible, use food to lure the dog into position, and then give the food and praise. GSDs get bored quickly, so do something two or three times, and then move to something else. Practice each thing, mix up the order. This will help you and your dog gain trust in one another. Even if the dog has been trained. Do this. If you think that it is getting boring for you or for the dog, mix it up, do it in different places. Do it around distractions. Use a long line for come. Increase the length of time that you do a down stay or a sit stay. Teach LEAVE IT. Then you are ready to teach GIVE and TAKE IT.

You do not want the dog to think he loses if you put your hand near his mouth or bowl when he is eating. So, when I am teaching GIVE and TAKE IT, I usually take the thing, and give it right back. Then I take the thing and Look at it and give it back, then I will take the thing and pretend to nibble on it and give it right back. This is not done in a day, I will get him good at just Giving and taking nicely. Then when he is good at that I will step it up. But in a pinch, and you need to pull a bottle of aspirin or something out of his mouth, you can do it without getting bit, then you can give him something else.

That is a game to. Start with toys. Have him give you a toy, and then throw a different toy for him. When he gives you that one, throw the other. It is an exchange. then when you need to take something from him, he does not get possessive because you give him good things too.

Using a firm "No" or "EH!" is ok. but then tell the dog a command that he knows, and maybe another, and when he does the second, praise him. For example, he is pushing at your hand to put his dish down for him. That is being pushy. "Eh!" SIT, dog sits (you have trained that), DOWN dog downs (you have trained that. "Good boy." using a light happy voice and put his food down.

Do not bother him while he eats -- save maybe to throw something in.

If he has a problem with the bowl itself. Dump the food on a cookie sheet or on the floor.

Keep him busy, busy, busy. Do not get into a routine. Today ask him to sit and then down. tomorrow ask him to down first. And spend time exercising the dog. throw the ball and have him chase. Take him for walks. Have him use his brain as well as his body.

In a couple of months you will see a big difference. Have your girlfriend work with him too if you can. Even if she gives him a treat after dinner making him sit first it will help.

Good luck.
 
#107 ·
I really do not know how many trainers there are where he is, nor how they train dogs there. The jist of this thread has made it sound like a trainer in that area might hang the dog up by a choke chain until it lost consciousness. They used to do that. right or wrong. I think that maybe he needs to learn what good training techniques will look like before searching for a trainer.
 
#108 ·
Malta:

I am glad you came back. I was not happy at all with some of the posts that seemed to condemn you and not lift a finger to help with constructive advice. This is why I put a picture of Carrie Nation. The picture is meant to be a sarcastic description of people who are very preachy and judgemental.

Selzer:

I chose the Carrie (sometimes spelled Carry) Nation photo because she would go into bars and saloons and hack them up with her hatchet, much like the Get-Thee-To-Alcoholics-Anonymous sanctimony some posters directed at Malta. Maybe because I am a guy, I just felt some sympathy with the way Malta reacted because I can see many guys who are new GSD owners making the same mistake on their "learning curve."

However, you are onto a great idea. When a poster starts to get on a preachy soapbox, with hatchet in hand to hack away at a person seeking advice and ready to speak for God, I certainly do believe they deserve the Carrie Nation Award.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top