Our GSD is 4 years old, has been a friendly dog up until we moved from Australia to New Zealand and back to Australia. When my mum picked him up from the airport she said he wasn't himself and was acting crazy so I'm not sure if he was traumatized by the experience or what?
We are aware he is having problems with his hips, his back legs cross over when he walks/runs and he has trouble standing up, we are taking him for X-rays this week & we are meeting with a professional trainer this week to try and establish if he is aggressive or if it is medically related.
The first incident was when he had followed me to the other end of our house to a locked area where out two cats were, I had left the door open not knowing he had followed me he saw me holding one of our cats and came straight at me I held onto our cat and stood up against a wall protecting the cat whilst the dog was jumping up on me until someone got him off me, it wasn't until after the incident that someone had pointed out that I was bleeding and he had bitten the back of my arm. I didn't hold this incident against him.
The second incident happened last week, it was early in the morning and I had gone to help him up as he has problems with his hips I accidentally stood on his tail just the tip and he moaned I said sorry he then lunged and bit my leg. I grabbed his collar but I'm not sure how or who got him off me. Again it wasn't until I removed my tights that again I was bleeding and needed to go to the hospital. There has also been 2 other incidents where he was bitten both my dad and my brother. My brother was trying to stop him from tearing up a chair and he bit his forearm, and my dad got between him and another dog and he bit his leg (but this incident wasn't serious enough to require medical attention).
He has also twice previously lunged at me and left marks but not drawn blood. He is definitely my mums dog, she is his "person", she thinks that our GSD might think I'm at the bottom of the pecking order and this is why he picks on me?
My problem is that my dad has suggested we have him put down as I don't feel safe being alone with him and I certainly don't trust him and I know he can tell that I'm scared of him which is the worst thing, I have anxiety daily because I don't know how unpredictable he can be, and they are going on a month long trip and leaving me solely in charge of him and I really don't want to be bitten again. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
We are aware he is having problems with his hips, his back legs cross over when he walks/runs and he has trouble standing up, we are taking him for X-rays this week & we are meeting with a professional trainer this week to try and establish if he is aggressive or if it is medically related.
The first incident was when he had followed me to the other end of our house to a locked area where out two cats were, I had left the door open not knowing he had followed me he saw me holding one of our cats and came straight at me I held onto our cat and stood up against a wall protecting the cat whilst the dog was jumping up on me until someone got him off me, it wasn't until after the incident that someone had pointed out that I was bleeding and he had bitten the back of my arm. I didn't hold this incident against him.
The second incident happened last week, it was early in the morning and I had gone to help him up as he has problems with his hips I accidentally stood on his tail just the tip and he moaned I said sorry he then lunged and bit my leg. I grabbed his collar but I'm not sure how or who got him off me. Again it wasn't until I removed my tights that again I was bleeding and needed to go to the hospital. There has also been 2 other incidents where he was bitten both my dad and my brother. My brother was trying to stop him from tearing up a chair and he bit his forearm, and my dad got between him and another dog and he bit his leg (but this incident wasn't serious enough to require medical attention).
He has also twice previously lunged at me and left marks but not drawn blood. He is definitely my mums dog, she is his "person", she thinks that our GSD might think I'm at the bottom of the pecking order and this is why he picks on me?
My problem is that my dad has suggested we have him put down as I don't feel safe being alone with him and I certainly don't trust him and I know he can tell that I'm scared of him which is the worst thing, I have anxiety daily because I don't know how unpredictable he can be, and they are going on a month long trip and leaving me solely in charge of him and I really don't want to be bitten again. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.