New 1 y.o. GSD, agressive to all but me. Need direction.

[Mrs McLeod]

Hello all!
I'm new to the forums, and a new GSD owner. I have lots of experience with Huskies and other large dogs but not a GSD.

Yesterday I adopted an approx 1 year old male GSD named Duke from a family who had 2 small children and 5 other dogs in the house. Duke has very basic obedience training. He will sit on command for me, laying down takes a minute but he gets it. The family I got him from was very honest and upfront that they did not have a lot of time for him because of 2 young kids and 5 other dogs. They did however have 3 trainers come to the home, but they never followed thru. So Duke basically had the run of the house. He is not crate trained, doesnt walk well on a leash (He attempts to pull me everywhere & chase every small animal he see's, etc.)

All of these things I feel I can fix. The issue I am having is that it has not even been 24 hours literally and Duke is clinging to me, I mean literally attached at the hip. I cant step outside, go to the bathroom, even walk to the kitchen - he is right there under my hand. ALONG with that he is displaying aggression to anyone else who enters my door, and even the room. He stands up, gives direct stare and growls at the person walking into the room. Then he will directly walk to them growling. This includes my husband, female and male friends. My 9 year old son has been on vacation with his father and has not met Duke yet. When this occurs I step in between and diffuse the situation. Now after the person or people come into the room Duke is fine. He lays down and goes into a relaxed state. But its the initial entereing where he displays this aggression over me.

Duke has come from a chaotic home with 5 dogs where he was submissive to a very small dog. My home is a large farm house with a huge yard and total different atmosphere, and Duke is the only Dog. Its me, my husband and son that live here. So its quiet.

I would like some feedback on how to address this. What training should I do? How should I react? It is nerves will he relax? He was neutered only several weeks ago, he is healed up but it hasnt been that long. Vet check is flawless and health wise he is is great condition. He is very large for his age. When I visited him at his old home he showed no signs of this aggresion. Other than barking at the door when I knocked.

Any thoughts and/or direction is welcome, I have the time and means to help him thru this. I just dont want to perpetuate anything. I'd like to crate train him for many reasons obviously. But I have never delt with this kind of issue and feel I need to reach out and nip thsi as quickly as possible.

Thanks in advance for any feedback. Sorry I wrote so much but wanted to paint a picture for you.

[gsdraven]

This is a very dangerous situation and could be an accident waiting to happen. You need to contact a professional to come in and evaluate the situation.

How did you determine it is you? Have you tried leaving him at home with your husband and having someone else enter? (Obviously taking precautions that no one gets hurt) Do not mistake this for protection, he is resource guarding you and it is not a good thing.

Until you can have a professional come in, you control everything that Duke does. He must do something for everything and should have little or no privileges. Here is some information on NILIF: Nothing in Life is Free which you should follow. If he lets you handle him without a problem, start getting him used to a muzzle. Do you know how to muzzle train a dog?

[Jessiewessie99]

I seriously thought my mom was posting this, because of the last name.

But I agree with Jamie has stated. Seek professional training help.

[Mrs McLeod]

I have been reading the NILIF stuff I am finding. And I will start looking up professional help in my area right away. I am not familiar with muzzle training.

We have only had him since 6:30 yesterday evening, it is 4 pm now. So Going on the 24 hour mark.

Last night I went outback to sit by a lil camp fire we had and left him with my husand in the house. Duke cried at the door, scratched at it after me. My husband, who is less familiar with dogs, removed him from the door, but then Duke would go to the window to attempt to see me. After a bit he somewhat calmed down, because I didnt want to return inside until he relaxed. When I did finally go in ( After about 40 minutes ) Duke was all over me, happy & such. When my husband removed him from the door he did not get aggressive. But had alot of separation anxiety.

I have no problem doing the NILIF thing until a pro gets here. But from what I read so far, Id like to see exact or more examples of what to do. All I have been able to find is small articles with only a couple examples. I dont want to mess this up. I do feel that he has the potential to be as awesome as he is for me with everyone else. I dont want to give up on him after 24 hours.

Should I institute the crate to start this? I do have a feeling he will have a flip out when he goes in there because he has never been in one before.

Of all the large breeds I have had I have not encountered this type of behavior. So Im feeling at a loss a bit.

Thank you for your help. I am putting it in to practice now. My husband is at work and I am alone with Duke till modnight tonight. And he is relaxed as pie right now. But as soon as I get up he will follow me everywhere. I do have to go to the store later and I'm going to have to crate him because I think his separation anxiety could cause him to get into troubel while Im gone.

[gsdraven]

GSDs are known to be velcro dogs. He will learn eventually that he doesn't have to be nose up your butt everytime you get off the couch but he'll want to be with you a lot.

You should be starting with small increments in the crate. Feed him his meal in there with the door open for now. Give him kongs (stuffed with peanut butter and frozen) in there. Lots of good stuff happens in the crate. Also give him a treat when he goes in.

NILIF is more a lifestyle than specific examples. You can search the forum for some other threads on it. But the basic concept is that all good things come from you and that he must work for it. If he wants to be pet, he can't demand it by nudging you. He has to sit or down before getting a treat. He has to sit and wait for you to put his bowl down or to be given permission to go out the door. It can be time consuming at first to wait for him to understand that he isn't getting what he wants until you get what you want but the benefits are great if you are patient and consistent.

Muzzle training is much like crate training. I would get a good basket muzzle for him. Start by putting a treat at the end of the muzzle and letting him stick his nose in to get it. Do this for a couple of short sessions until he is sticking his nose right away. Then you can you can fasten it and leave it on for a few minutes with you giving a few treats while it's on. Then let him wear it around the house for a while. He should be acting as if it's perfectly normal to have it on before you use it in a stressful situation (like someone coming to the door).

[Mrs McLeod]

I will get right on this. Contacting a trainer now also. I was just reading the NILIF site you posted and I understand now what it entails. Thank you for your help! When I think of more questions Ill definitely be asking!

[AddieGirl]

I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say that he is so lucky to end up in your home. You seem very committed to helping him and keeping him and your family safe. Good luck with his training and the introduction to your son.