Brock's issues

[hobbsie711]

So we have had Brock for a few weeks now. I have noticed a few times where he has acted aggressive and I'm not sure what is causing it. The first time was while I had him in our back yard. The yard is fence but my wife entered before I had Brock leashed up. A man from our neighborhood was walking his dog on the street in front of our house and Brock charged through the gate as my wife came through with our other dog. Brock did stop short of the man and his dog (only by a few feet) took an aggressive stance and his hair was raised on his back. I'm pretty confident he wasn't trying to play. Luckily the other dog (and owner) was very calm. I was able to get a hold of Brock's collar and get him back in the yard. The man was very nice and didn't want to make an issue of it. I would like to point out that Brock has never done this before (I don't usually let him off leash out of the fence). I have walked him and taken him on jogs on several occasions where we have passed multiple people with dogs. He seems interested but never aggressive except for this.

About a week later we went to a dog bakery (they make dog treats not baked dogs) in a busy shopping district. We passed multiple people including a couple with dogs and while he seemed interested there was no aggression. We get into the store and there is one customer in there with her dog. Brock immediately begins to growl. He didn't rare his teeth and honestly I don't remember if his hair stood up or not but he would not stop growling. I finally opted to leave the store and go back to my truck while my wife picked out the treats with our other dog. Brock has been to petsmart with me several times with no instances of aggression.

Finally my partner from work came over one day while we were playing in the yard. Now Dave might have cause this because when he came into the yard he started jumping around with Brock to try to play (like we were). Brock growled a little but and hid behind me. We finally got him to take a treat from Dave but he never really seemed to trust him. Dave came by a few days later to get me for work and Brock growled at him from across the living room. He did not rare his teeth or charge at him. Brock acted the same way towards my father this weekend when we went to visit this weekend. After a handful of treats and some petting Brock eventually warmed up to him for the the rest of our stay. He was fine meeting my mother.

I can't find consistencies with these instances. It makes me nervous because sometimes he's fine and others he is not. Sometimes it's makes other it's females. Some dogs he's ok with and others he is not. I have never observed him try to bite anyone. We do start obedience next week (took us a while to find one we liked) and I'm planning on asking the trainer. We don't know much about Brock's past, just that he was a stray and they think he is anywhere from 1-2 years old. I don't know if maybe this is just untrained doggie teen years. Perhaps these are just some bad habits he picked up when he was on his own. He does not have any observed guarding behaviors. I can take his food or treats from him and he will not growl or get angry at all. He and our other dog frequently swap toys and treats and Mia will even drink from the same water bowl as him at times without issues.

Any suggestions. I have been using the nothing in life is free approach for the last two weeks without any problems.

[LissG]

i'm sorry i have no advice for you i don't know what to say. i hope your trainer can help you out! good luck and keep us posted.

[Bismarck]

ultimately, yes the trainer.

but..

is he crated?

my dog, and my foster dog spent at least a month in their crate, if they weren't on a leash with me (yes, in the house).

since he's so new, he shouldn't have the responsibility of trying to protect your house yet, and deciding who's good and who's bad.

[Zisso]

since he's so new, he shouldn't have the responsibility of trying to protect your house yet, and deciding who's good and who's bad.

Agreed!

It takes a long time for some dogs to adjust to a new home, the people, the routine, and other pets. It sounds to me like you should slow down and give him time to settle before you start introducing him to new people and places. I would use caution when children are present also.

I don't try to take food away from my dogs, no matter what food it is. If I need to do that, I remove the dog first. For example, yesterday I gave my two a beef rib bone to work on. After a little while I felt they had enough so I took them out of their crates and only then did I remove the bones.

My 'rescue' has been with me for over two years and I still watch her like a hawk. I learned what her triggers are and focused on training. She might never be the perfect GSD in many ways but I can manage her by reading her body language.

The hardest thing is when we get a new dog, no matter their background, we are excited and want to share our new friend with everyone we know and take them with us everywhere. Sometimes that is not what is best for the dog.

[RebelGSD]

I sounds to me that you are doing too much too soon with your dog. They are stressed out when they are moved and exposing them to too many things gets them overstimulated and irritable.

[mebully21]

* The two week shut down is geared to teen to adult dogs . Puppies do need a bonding time with their new humans, a whelping period so to speak, but they have a different requirements than a more aged dog . It is important to fully vaccinate and de-worm your puppy before venturing out into the world. I suggest strongly getting your new puppy to a veterinarian for proper de-worming and vaccinations. But note the shut down period is not recommended for young puppies as they have crucial needs that are special than older dogs in proper development and socialization.

“The First Two Weeks – Give’em a Break!”
why?

If I could stress one of the biggest errors people make with new dogs and foster dogs it is rushing the dog into the new world so fast . This shut down gives the dog a chance to say “ahhh” take a breath and restart into its new world.

From people I have helped I hear;
"I introduced her to 15 people the first day I had her!" ;" he was a bit leery but seems to like my other 3 dogs" ; "she went everywhere with me "
All in the first few days of the new home..... (!!!)

two weeks later we hear;
" I think we will have to rehome the new dog" "the new dog barked and nipped at my kid"
"we had a dog fight" ; “the new dog barked at me for moving him off the couch”

Ok, folks, here it comes, some feel this is extreme, why? I really do not know.
But when bringing in a new dog, post finding, adoption, buying, etc, Give it time to adjust to you and your family and the dogs in the new environment.
Just as if it were a new baby or puppy, we wouldn’t think of rushing out with a baby or puppy, yet with older pups and dogs we just expect them to take our lives in all at once!

TWO WEEKS - "shut down"
For the first two weeks, (sometimes even longer) a dog takes in the new environment, who is the top person, or animal, who ARE these people!? By pushing a dog too fast, and throwing too much at the dog we look like we are not the leaders,and the dog can feel it MUST defend itself , as the leader is surely no one he has met so far!
We coo , coodle, drag the dog to home to home to person to person, and the dog has NO idea who we are. We correct for things it doesn’t understand, we talk in a new human language using words he does not know.
A key thing to remember is "this is the dating period NOT the honeymoon"
When you first met your "spouse or significant other”, you were on your best behavior, you were not relaxed enough to be all of yourself, were you?
Just think of the things you do physically once you get to KNOW a person,
you wouldn’t run up to a stranger and hug them and squeeze them!
Imagine, if on the first date, this new person, was all over you touching you and having their friends hug you and pat you on the head, and jostle your shoulders, looked in your mouth then he whisked you off to another strangers home and they did the same thing.
Would you think this person normal and SAFE? Wouldn’t you feel invaded and
begin to get a bit snarky or defensive yourself? Wouldn’t you think to push these people away for obviously your date is out of their mind, as they aren’t going to save you from these weirdoes!!
Yet we do this very thing to our dogs, and then get upset or worried that they aren’t relaxed and accepting of EVERYTHING instantly!

By shutting down the dog, it gives the dog TIME to see you , meet YOU, hear and take in the new sounds and smells of your home and all the people in it. In the 1st two weeks;

By shutting down the dog, it gives the dog TIME to see you , meet YOU, hear and take in the new sounds and smells of your home and all the people in it. In the 1st two weeks;
.
Crate the dog in a room by itself if possible.(Believe me, dogs are sensory animals, they know more than you think without seeing it).
Leash the dog (so I don’t have to correct it ..you don’t have that right yet!), give it exercise time in the yard on lunge line or in fenced yard..but other than that.. LEASH , (yes..leash in the house too.)
Do no training at all, just fun exercise and maybe throw some toys for fun, leash the dog if you don’t have a fence outside. But DO NOT leave the yard, AT ALL.
No car rides, no other dogs, (unless crated beside them), no pet stores, no WALKS even, nothing but you and household family, your home, your yard. (Unless of course the dog needs to go to the vetinarian)
Believe me dogs can live two weeks without walks. Walks are stressful for there is so much coming at you and your dog! And the dog has no clue who you are yet. The dog may react to something and we start correcting it with the leash and we just installed a VERY STRESSFUL moment to the dog in what should be a fun and learning walk.
TEACH the dog by doing the shut down, that YOU are the one to look to, that you are now here for the dog! He can trust in you and look to you for guidance.
Then you can venture out into new situations one at a time, the dog knows he can trust in his new humans and can relax under the fair guidance of his new leaders!

In the house take the dog out only for about 20-30 minute intervals , post excercise/yard times.,and ALWAYS on a leash when in the house or in an unfenced yard.
Exercise is important! Running and free time are stress relievers, but don’t set your dog up for failure, make exercise and yard time fun and relaxing and tiring!

Then PUT THE DOG AWAY. let it absorb and think and relax. Ignore crying or barking, just like a new born baby, he must find security when you are not right there, and if you run to him each time he will think barking and crying will get your attention.
I do not introduce resident dogs for these two weeks, they can be side by side in the crates, (not nose to nose for they can feel defensive) . Some dogs will bond instantly with the other dogs if we don’t bond FIRST with the dog, and this can lead to some other issues, as the dog will look to the other dog(s) for guidance and not YOU!

Literally in two weeks you will see a change in the dog and begin to see its honest and true personality.
Just like a house guest.. they are well behaved and literally shut down and “polite” themselves these first few weeks, then post this time, they relax and the true personality begins to shine thru.

so, please,, if nothing else for your new dog, give it the time to LEARN YOU as you are learning who they are!
This method works on shy dogs, confident dogs, abuse cases, chained dogs that come in, rowdy dogs, all temperaments!


So please for the sake of your new dog, slow down.. waaaay dowwwn.... Give them a chance to show you
who they can really be!