Possible Food Agression. GSD attacked puppy

[cliffson1]

One last thing, sometimes I give advice that for many the brain says makes sense, but the heart/emotions feel it is heartless. I only give this advice when aggression is in play, and the dog has already broken the threshold of biting someone......once that occurs very often pet owners don't have the wherewithal to prevent it from occurring again(unless professional intervention is successful)....but when you have these unique circumstances I think you have to be pragmatic about solutions.

[Sunflowers]

Originally Posted by Misstwixler

IOur GSD has bitten my husband before and he tries to drag my kids around by their clothes. We recently moved and we're having our fence replaced but the company keeps pushing our date back and he keeps breaking new holes in the fence that's up and just taking off..... The GSD has broken through at least 10 different spots in our fence and we try to put a stake in the ground with a lead for him to stay in the yard but that didn't work either. I'm not really sure what to do. This dog is also "leash aggressive" from what we've been told. He can't seem to get around another dog without going berserk. I'm really uncomfortable having a dog in the house who has attacked a puppy when I have two small kids and with how often he keeps breaking out I'm afraid he will attack a neighbor dog and I'll end up sued.
I'm not sure what to do or why he's acting this way.

OK-- what do you want us to say?

Given the above, what would YOU say to someone who posted this?

You tell us all this and then say you don't want to hear anything but compliments. Makes no sense to me.

[codmaster]

Originally Posted by Misstwixler

Okay. Clearly I'm not a good dog owner. Thanks for being so helpful.

Acceptance is the first step to recovery!

[codmaster]

you also said that your dog BIT your husband! As if that were just a common thing - that should have been a BIG RED FLAG about the need for serious professional help!


Get thee dog to a pro!

[Blanketback]

My first question would be: how/why did your husbad get bitten, and how many times. This is a biggie, and until I know what went on there, I'm not able to even guess at where to begin trying to answer your questions.

If the GSD, who's still a puppy at 18 months BTW, has food guarding issues then that's another thing that has to be addressed. If that's where all the problems lie, then that's a quick fix for now - no food left out to guard, period. If there's more to it than that, that's a whole different story. But you obviously need to work with him on this, no matter what.

Getting out of the yard is pretty simple - don't leave him out there. Don't tie him out and leave him there, or you'll have other problems to deal with on top of the food guarding.

What breed of dog is the puppy? What sex? That was very kind of you to give the puppy a home...what kind of heartless person just dumps a litter of puppies in a dog park?!

[Kyleigh]

For the OP ... you stated: Clearly I'm not a good dog owner ...

At this stage, sorry, you're not. You have made too many unwise decisions / choices that got you to where you are. You're adult GSD did not become that way overnight ... you missed clues / hints / behaviours, etc. that you didn't correct / re-direct, train, whatever.

Does that mean it has to stay that way? ABSOLUTELY NOT ...

BUT the first step is recognizing that YOU made the mistakes and then correcting them. People on here have posted some very helpful tips / advice / suggestions, etc. Some of them have been brutally honest with the information YOU have provided them. Did you really think they were going to congratulate you on how you have let these dogs behave?

You did a great first step in posting your problems on here, please take the second step and reread these SUPER HELPFUL posts, as brutal as some them are, and take the advice / information / suggestions offered. They aren't just looking out for the best interests of the dogs, but for you and your family as well.

[cliffson1]

Good post Kyleigh!.....when I read that this dog bit the husband, drags the kids around by clothes, shows big time dog aggression, it paints a reoccurring picture. This dog has been raised,(by whatever methods), so that he has no boundaries, structure, or respect of authority. This goes back to puppyhood and what was allowed to develop with the dog. He operates on his terms instead of the families terms....and sooner or later without professional intervention the decisions the dog makes will lead to more serious consequences.

[Blanketback]

As far as the kids being dragged around by their clothes, I have a hunch about this: the kids encouraged the puppy to do this because it was a fun game to them and nobody put a stop to it before it got out of hand. Like with most things. Who's wee pup hasn't pulled at the sock as you're putting it on? I had to tell DH not to let my puppy do this! Argh, it's not cute or funny! I'm telling you, I've had more trouble training *the people* that my puppies interact with than the puppies themselves.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by cliffson1

This dog has been raised,(by whatever methods), so that he has no boundaries, structure, or respect of authority. This goes back to puppyhood and what was allowed to develop with the dog. He operates on his terms instead of the families terms....and sooner or later without professional intervention the decisions the dog makes will lead to more serious consequences.

Yep, that's just the harsh truth of the situation. I'm sorry to see that the OP has decided to take offense.

[1sttimeforgsd]

You are not the first poster that I have read on here that had a food aggressive dog. You mentioned that your husband was bitten, was it over the food aggression?

Did your puppy attach to your kids clothes when it was a puppy and it has carried over into young adulthood?

You said that your dog had been to training, so you have tried to get proper training for your boy.

You have tried to contain your boy when he was in the yard but he keeps finding weak spots in your fence. I did not read anywhere in your post that he is an outside dog, just that when he is in the yard he finds a way to get out.

I guess I am different, I don't see that you are a bad owner, just an owner asking for help and suggestions.