Can't barely handle my GSD

[DexterAbby]

Hey guys,
I am new to this thread thing so bare with me! I have a 2 year old german shepherd male, Dexter. He can be the sweetest dog in the entire world, really affectionate and cuddly. However, he is the most vocal dog I have ever met ( which I know is typical of GSD) but it is driving me insane. He whines throughout the day constantly, and it is really high pitched. When he doesn't get what he wants, it turns into a high pitched yapping bark, which can last several minutes. This also happens every morning before we go out for a walk. I have tried ignoring him COMPLETELY, no eye contact, nothing. He is very persistent though, and will continue to stare at me and whine for upwards of an hour. Eventually I lose my patience and sternly tell him "NO!" and to lie down. This never works.
Second issue: when we go for walks at the dog park, he brings a ball to carry in his mouth. When we are walking with his ball, he is fine. However, if another dog steals it or he looses it in the snow, he will turn towards me and start lunging and biting me. The bites are more like nips, but THEY HURT! If I try to grab his collar, it gets worse because I can never catch him and this makes him more worked up. If I try ignoring, it continues for several minutes.
I am at my whits end with this dog, please help me.
PS- he gets about an hour to an hour and a half of excercise a day, one trip to the dog park off leash for 45 min in the morning and then about another 20-40 min walk on leash in the evening.

[LoveEcho]

Do you practice NILIF with him? Make him work for things.. sit before he goes outside, gets fed, gets toys, gets pets (for now)... anything. You need to establish clearly that YOU are in charge. Do you do any obedience training with him? Classes are really good not only for establishing who's in charge, but also for building a bond between you two. An hour and a half of mindless exercise doesn't always do any good-- we had a client who would strap his dog to a treadmill, and the dog was still nuts. He couldn't figure out why, even after two hours of running, the dog was getting crazier. He was building his stamina! GSD's need mental stimulation to thrive...it sounds like your Dexter may be bored out of his mind. I know my dog whines like nobody's business if he's understimulated. Things that make them think (obedience, games, etc) will actually do much more to "wear him out" and calm him down.

[DexterAbby]

thanks so much for your reply. We use NILIF for certain things, such as for a treat, leaving the house for the walk, and coming back in I make them ( I have a black lab/ chow as well) sit on the front porch and wait until I have entered the house, then I tell them to come in.
My main problem is this whole jumping up and nipping me when on our walks at the dog park. I love going to the dog park, so I really want to continue this. It's really embarassing because the other dog owners are telling me that his behaviour with me is unacceptable ( which I fully agree it is) and they tell me I am not getting mad enough at him. I don't know how to "get mad" at a dog, yell at him? I don't want to look like a lunatic in front of 20 people. How do I handle him when he's lunging at me?
thanks again

[LoveEcho]

Oh man... getting "mad" is not the right term or the right idea at all... ignore these people. You'll find many a thread on here about how silly a lot of dog park people (I personally enjoy dog parks, as do many others, but we've talked at length about precautions against foolish owners). There are many others on here who can speak far more than I can about the causes behind this nipping behavior, but establishing that you're the head honcho is really important. Yelling at a reactive dog is probably one of the worst things you can do. I don't know enough about your dog's personality to say whether physical correction is called for-- in some dogs it can actually make it worse-- but I'll leave that to others to help you with. Anecdotally, rules, boundaries, and lots and lots of obedience work have curbed similar behavior in my dog when he was younger. Echo responded well to gentle but firm physical correction (first with a prong), but again-- this is NOT for every dog.


Are there any facilities around you that offer obedience classes? The number one thing I strongly advise is getting started in one of those-- I'll bet your dog will see you in a totally different light. If your dog begins to respect you, I'd be willing to bet his tendency to nip at you will be significantly reduced, if it's a boundary issue.

Also-- what else is he doing while he's lunging? Is it mouthing at you? Or aggressive lunging? What are his ears, tail doing?

[DexterAbby]

When he is lunging he is biting me, hard enough to leave a mark but not hard enough to break the skin or bruise. His ears are full up, like he is paying attention to something, his tail is normal, slightly upwards.
When he was a puppy we did puppy kindergarten class, but I found it was really just classes on how to get your dog to sit, stay etc. Thats the thing about Dexter, when he's calm he will sit, stay, lie down etc. for long periods of time.
Side note: Our vet saw that Dexter was anxious ( he realllllly doesn't like when the vet touches him and will whine like he's getting murdered) and she recommended seeing a behaviouralist who can also prescribe medications. It's really expensive ( $500 plus) for one session. Any opinions on whether taking him to an obedience class or taking him the the behaviouralist who would work on him one on one?
Sorry this is so long!! One more point : I want to have a baby sometime in the next two years, and feel that it would be impossible with Dexter right now. That's why I really want to nip his problem behaviour in the butt asap!!

[sheps4life]

Hi DexterAbbey,


Some good training tips from this website the link is below and I used similar training for my adopted 2 year old. The results were excellent.


German Shepherd Training Tips and Techniques



RIP Hana 2003-12/30/2011

[LoveEcho]

Originally Posted by DexterAbby

When he is lunging he is biting me, hard enough to leave a mark but not hard enough to break the skin or bruise. His ears are full up, like he is paying attention to something, his tail is normal, slightly upwards.
When he was a puppy we did puppy kindergarten class, but I found it was really just classes on how to get your dog to sit, stay etc. Thats the thing about Dexter, when he's calm he will sit, stay, lie down etc. for long periods of time.
Side note: Our vet saw that Dexter was anxious ( he realllllly doesn't like when the vet touches him and will whine like he's getting murdered) and she recommended seeing a behaviouralist who can also prescribe medications. It's really expensive ( $500 plus) for one session. Any opinions on whether taking him to an obedience class or taking him the the behaviouralist who would work on him one on one?
Sorry this is so long!! One more point : I want to have a baby sometime in the next two years, and feel that it would be impossible with Dexter right now. That's why I really want to nip his problem behaviour in the butt asap!!

I definitely think putting him on meds right away is jumping the gun. Puppy classes are good for teaching the basics, but obedience work is not just to get him to lay down for convenience sake. They need mental stimulation. For GSD's, Boredom=Anxiety, and frequently Anxiety=Aggression. Sure, my dog knows how to sit, down, stay, etc, but the daily work we do is to keep him thinking and keep him knowing that he has to listen to me. These dogs are not couch potatoes, they require a lot of work and they need a "job"-- even if it's daily obedience work, or a class, or agility.... they just need to think. They are NOT happy to sit around all day, that will give you a neurotic dog in many cases. You'll find many people on here whose dogs (mine included) will get destructive or pushy if they go even a few days without work. I'd start with obedience classes-- and not just the class, do a half an hour every day on your own as well. This is good for stimulation and for establishing boundaries, which is what it sounds like your dog needs.

There is almost always a reason WHY they're anxious, and very frequently it's boredom and insecurity...both of these are usually remedied with mental stimulation and being given a "job" to do. When your dog starts to understand boundaries, it will also give him confidence. You hit the nail on the head-- don't bring a baby into your home until your dog understands boundaries and that he is not in charge.

[DexterAbby]

I agree that medicating him would be a mistake. Maybe instead of spending an hour and a half exercising him a day I will spend an hour for walking and half an hour for mental stimulation (obedience training etc.) thank you so much for your help

[sheps4life]

I'd also like to mention that I found this Shepherd/Mix abandon on the outskirts of the city 2+ years ago; estimated age at time 2 years old; with pic below of Lucky. At the time I wasn't looking for another dog and if I had been I would've went for another GSD. But I picked up this girl and named her Lucky, Lucky had quite a few behavior issues and thanks to my past experience with dogs and training Hana, Lucky is doing much better. As well, Lucky and Hana paired nicely but Hana was such an incredible GSD so that did help too.
RIP Hana 2003/12-30-2011

[LoveEcho]

Originally Posted by DexterAbby

I agree that medicating him would be a mistake. Maybe instead of spending an hour and a half exercising him a day I will spend an hour for walking and half an hour for mental stimulation (obedience training etc.) thank you so much for your help

No problem! Throw in obedience work while you're on your walk, it's a two-fer! It makes it more unpredictable, so it keeps him on his toes, and it also makes him aware that he has to listen everywhere, not just at home.