This is one of the most distressing posts I’ve run into in a long time. There are so many different things going on, I hope you will take the time to answer a few questions before I make a suggestion.

How did he end up in your home? You said he was originally adopted from a breeder? Are you the one who first got him or did you get him from the person who adopted him? When you say adopted, was he a rescue or did the person buy him from the breeder? How many homes has he had? Was it an Amish breeder?

Who told you allergies caused his aggression? What exactly do you mean by aggression?

 

Hello. We bought him directly from an Amish Breeder. We have been his only household. Our vet and our behavioral trainer have both suggested that it's possible his skin allergies are making him so uncomfortable that he's "lashing out," or doesn't know how to act. He has several bits on his history. One was when he was just over a year old, he bit my mother for simply standing up from the couch. We had since got him training and managed the situation and things were good for a while. He also bit my sister-in-law's dog on the ear and punctured it when they were first introduced. We since just keep him from other dogs.

More recently, things have been escalating. In October he bit my father-in-law on the hand after they were playing and petting him. In December he cam after me for simply talking to him and trying to get him out of a room. He lunged and jumped at my and my husband had to pull him off-no bite. Lastly, the beginning of January, he bit my father-in-law on the hand again when he popped over to visit. Playing again and then just turned and bit him. He's started to cower in his room and growl at us sometimes during the day and then later comes out to play and is totally normal. It's unpredictable to us why he is biting. My father in law has always been his buddy and gets super excited to see him. They play and horse around all the time but recently has started to "lash" out. We just can't risk him doing something like this to our toddler although he's never shown signs of aggression towards our child.

I feel like I've exhausted all of my resources. He's on multiple rehoming sites, I've reached out to all of the shelters and rescues in my area that I'm aware of. They're either all at capacity or won't take aggressive dogs. We've been working with both our trainer and our vet. We don't know what else to do at this point.

 

I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you but please read these stories. This is probably why no one wants Dexter.

Puppies 'Viewed as Livestock' in Amish Community, Says Rescue Advocate

Some call Lancaster County the puppy mill capital of the U.S., and what most people don't know is that the Amish dominate the trade.

abcnews.go.com

Amish Puppy Mills

Many Amish Puppy Mills are high volume USDA licensed commercial dog breeders that sell and ship puppies online.

www.stoponlinepuppymills.org

Yes, he needs a better home, one that has the time and knowledge to deal with him. What you are describing is simply normal behavior for a GS. My childhood dog bit both my parents, Dad when playing with him and mom when she tumbled off the couch onto my Ceasar. He also bit some of the kids in the neighborhood because they teased him. GS's do not like anyone to come up behind them and pulling their tail.

They are high energy, smart herd dogs. You don't say why you selected a GS originally, may I ask? When you get a dog you are taking on responsibility for the life of an animal. As a species we humans domesticated wolves into pets, we destroyed their wild instincts and that makes us responsible for their well being. I recommend you change your mind about euthanasia - you will have to spend the rest of your life knowing you are guilty of ending and animal's life for your own benefit. Do you want that?

Stick around here - you can learn why Dex does the things he does and how you can deal with him as well as a lot of knowledge about GS's in general. You can be that better home. They are great family members and your little one will grow up with a best friend. Makes a huge difference in a child's development when they learn to care for a living thing.

 

I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you but please read these stories. This is probably why no one wants Dexter.

Puppies 'Viewed as Livestock' in Amish Community, Says Rescue Advocate

Some call Lancaster County the puppy mill capital of the U.S., and what most people don't know is that the Amish dominate the trade.

abcnews.go.com

Amish Puppy Mills

Many Amish Puppy Mills are high volume USDA licensed commercial dog breeders that sell and ship puppies online.

www.stoponlinepuppymills.org

Yes, he needs a better home, one that has the time and knowledge to deal with him. What you are describing is simply normal behavior for a GS. My childhood dog bit both my parents, Dad when playing with him and mom when she tumbled off the couch onto my Ceasar. He also bit some of the kids in the neighborhood because they teased him. GS's do not like anyone to come up behind them and pulling their tail.

They are high energy, smart herd dogs. You don't say why you selected a GS originally, may I ask? When you get a dog you are taking on responsibility for the life of an animal. As a species we humans domesticated wolves into pets, we destroyed their wild instincts and that makes us responsible for their well being. I recommend you change your mind about euthanasia - you will have to spend the rest of your life knowing you are guilty of ending and animal's life for your own benefit. Do you want that?

Stick around here - you can learn why Dex does the things he does and how you can deal with him as well as a lot of knowledge about GS's in general. You can be that better home. They are great family members and your little one will grow up with a best friend. Makes a huge difference in a child's development when they learn to care for a living thing.

Nipping is one thing. Full fledge aggressive biting will not be tolerated. I'd much rather end this dogs life than the dog end my child's life. Period. THAT I would not be able to live with, and that's what I fear every day. He is not the dog for us. We've been trying to make it work and we've come to the conclusion that it doesn't, hence the hard choice to rehome him. This is not something we're taking lightly. I've spent so many hours putting effort into trying to find a better situation for him and can't. We CAN'T keep him. If nobody else will take him, then we have to do what is right for our family.

 

I don't think a home with young children is going to safely work with a large dog that bites. Keep in mind there may be temperament issues coming from the Amish lines as well. Sometimes euthanasia is necessary if the pet can't be safely placed. I have 4 working line shepherds and we are not getting bitten. It does not sound like this owner has the household or resources to work with this dog as needed.

 

I'm not going to wade too far into your decision but did you ever consider or work with a GSD specific or herding dog trainer?

Once you lose trust in your dog, big decisions and then hard decisions have to be made. I'm sorry you and your dog are in this position.

 

I’m still not clear if the bites are playful or stem from play or if he’s seriously attacking you and your family, trying to do intentional harm. You don’t have the experience to tell the difference. I agree, you should not keep the dog. However, I’m not convinced it’s aggression vs rough play. Why does your father in law horse around with a dog that may be unstable? No one outside of my immediate family or our trainer handles my dogs. Not ever. They may greet and pet them but they don’t roughhouse or even throw a ball.

Obedience training is not behavior training. He should have had strict boundaries and limits from the first time he behaved inappropriately. This type of behavior tends to escalate because people pull back or show fear and it tends to create the same situations you want to avoid.

Were the bites to people hard bites that broke the skin? Or were they playful nips? I can’t tell from your description. It would be helpful to have a good trainer observe the dog doing that. If it’s just normal puppy nipping, that is how this breed herds. It’s a normal behavior when herding but not with people. That is on you for not getting ahead of it immediately so it never happened again. The difference could save his life. if he’s poorly bred and crazy, he probably won’t find a home. If he’s untrained and it’s due to inexperienced handling, a rescue might take him.

This is what I would do if he’s not breaking the skin and mauling people. Contact a GSD rescue and tell him he nips and needs to be in a stable home without young children. Ask if they would be willing to have their trainer evaluate him or you will have to euthanize him. They may not tell you this but rescues often get difficult dogs that need extra training. The way you presented him made it sound like he can’t be trained which may not be the case at all. If he’s trying to hurt family members and has done so, then he should be euthanized.

 

It's interesting that you assume you know my experience and what I can and cannot do.
I know the difference between playful nipping and an aggressive bite. These dogs aren't called "landsharks" for nothing. The bites I'm referring to have all broken the skin, were accompanied by snarled barking, lunging and had to be pulled off and redirected by another person....aggressive. Do you think we just stood back and did nothing?! We've been working with a behaviorist trainer and have had several home visits for her to witness his behavior. In most circumstances, he's a perfect gentleman, follows every command, etc. There are these few accounts where he has been aggressive and we can't pinpoint why...hence why we think it's his skin allergies that we are unable to maintain properly.

If you know of a GSD specific rescue in the Lehigh Valley, PA area or who will come to our area....I'm all ears! I've reached out to every single one that I'm aware of. Nobody has the room or willingness to take him.

Don't make it out to be that we're just bad dog parents who have no idea what we're doing, this is not my first rodeo. We've been doing everything possible trying to find him a placement. We are sick to our stomachs thinking this is what it's come to.

 

How will you feel if you rehome this dog - and then he nips and is rehomed again, and at some point in the near future truly hurts someone? Unfortunately, you fell into that marketing never never land that presents the Amish as a kind caring people who love their animals and raise family dogs.....NOT the hard truth of the factory, uncaring facilities where no knowledge, no care, no health testing is offered to the poor animals they produce. Random genetics, poor genetics, and you have dogs who do not conform to any normal breed standard - they are livestock just like rabbits, goats, cows, lambs....

For your own peace of mind, you cannot control the future for this poor guy......the hard road is the most responsible IMO. I am truly very sorry for the pup and for you.

Lee

 

Trust me we have thought about this. This is why we've been very honest about his history to make sure the home he would go to would be equipped with the knowledge and resources to possibly help him. Ultimately, my husband had said if that is the road this dog is going to end up, he wants to be the one to do it so he can end his life with his family and not strangers.

 

I’m not criticizing you so please don’t get offended. I based my post on what I read in yours. I didn’t understand. That is why I asked for clarification. I’ve said all I can about it. I don’t know of any rescues as I don’t live there. No one on this forum will take him based on what you said and we are mainly experienced owners and handlers. I agree with Lee, you need to make the hard choice.

 

I had one dog from an Amish breeder, long time ago before we were even aware that they were mill breeders. He would randomly attack as well. I couldn't afford the medication he would need to be on for his entire life so I found him a home with someone who could. It's hard to do but we were also close to the point if he did not find a home he would have had to be euthanized. I hope you can find a good situation for him, but also sometimes for unstable dogs it's ok to euthanize rather than pass an aggressive dog along. Especially if no one skilled enough to work with them that is willing to take them, then euthanasia is the kindest thing for them and the best to keep others safe. I wish you the best in this hard time and I hope it works out for the best. People's safety always outweighs a dog and you can't save them all as much as you want to.

 

I'll chime in...
If you think it's his allergies causing him to be in pain or just feel miserable I'm curious as to what has been done on that front? You stated "undiagnosed skin allergies" just what does that mean? Did you mean to say he has skin allergies and you haven't determined the allergen? Has he been on or is he on any meds for said skin issues? What are his symptoms? What testing has been done or not done? Seen a specialist?
It seems you've spent money on a behaviorist and trainers which likely hasn't been cheap but what about a stated health issue? Not judging just asking to get a clearer picture.
If I thought my dog was being aggressive because of illness I would spend all I could afford to find out what was wrong and treat it. I don't know your financial situation and it's not my place to know.
Still it "seems" you truly believe he has a health issue causing aggression but haven't focused on that much but more on training (my perspective from your posts).
Is this dog is 4.5 years old??? How long has this aggression been going on? If it's a new behavior then what changed?

Before I were to destine my dog to euthanasia for aggression I would rule out all health issues as well as training issues.

FWIW: I have had to euthanize I dog for aggression (non-GSD). There was know mistake in my case that the dog was truly wired wrong and dangerously aggressive. When his switch flipped he went for doing real harm. Deep puncture bites with deep bruising. While I still feel bad about it 30 years on and wish there was something I could have done to change the outcome I have no doubt... absolutely none...that the right decision was made. Like you I had young children. Their safety was paramount. I spent $$$ on training and health evaluations. It was a threat to one child that drew the final straw. So yeah, I've been to your rodeo and I'm sorry you have to go through it.

 

I'll chime in...
If you think it's his allergies causing him to be in pain or just feel miserable I'm curious as to what has been done on that front? You stated "undiagnosed skin allergies" just what does that mean? Did you mean to say he has skin allergies and you haven't determined the allergen? Has he been on or is he on any meds for said skin issues? What are his symptoms? What testing has been done or not done? Seen a specialist?
It seems you've spent money on a behaviorist and trainers which likely hasn't been cheap but what about a stated health issue? Not judging just asking to get a clearer picture.
If I thought my dog was being aggressive because of illness I would spend all I could afford to find out what was wrong and treat it. I don't know your financial situation and it's not my place to know.
Still it "seems" you truly believe he has a health issue causing aggression but haven't focused on that much but more on training (my perspective from your posts).
Is this dog is 4.5 years old??? How long has this aggression been going on? If it's a new behavior then what changed?

Before I were to destine my dog to euthanasia for aggression I would rule out all health issues as well as training issues.

FWIW: I have had to euthanize I dog for aggression (non-GSD). There was know mistake in my case that the dog was truly wired wrong and dangerously aggressive. When his switch flipped he went for doing real harm. Deep puncture bites with deep bruising. While I still feel bad about it 30 years on and wish there was something I could have done to change the outcome I have no doubt... absolutely none...that the right decision was made. Like you I had young children. Their safety was paramount. I spent $$$ on training and health evaluations. It was a threat to one child that drew the final straw. So yeah, I've been to your rodeo and I'm sorry you have to go through it.

We know he has allergies but not sure to what. We've tried grain free food, and have switched his food so many times trying to see if anything would make a difference. We landed on a limited ingredient dog food. He's been on allergy shots that were supposed to be every 3 months but it's become every month and it just seems to be taking the edge off. The vet said the next step would be to find an allergy specialist. We have. But their waiting list is 6-8 months out and several thousand dollars. We simply don't have the means to do this nor the time to wait that long. He gets hot spots in groin, feet, armpits, and a few other spots. Constant licking and chewing.

He's always had an edge to him but have kept him in order with training. But in the last 3 months we've had 3 incidents...nothing has changed on our end as far as his environment.

 

No wonder this poor dog is so agitated, it sounds like he is in constant pain with his allergy. Is there no spray or topical the vet can prescribe while you wait for a specialist? When my dog was going through his issues with allergies (chicken and beef) I was told it takes 3 months for a food ingredient to be totally out of their system, not sure if that helps. He was prescribed a medicated spray that helped his itchy spots immensely while he switched foods (I had to switch 3x, he now does well on lamb).

 

Perhaps some energies should be put towards changing PA's law to regulate the breeding of animals for profit? anybody interested?

 

Then you should focus on Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and other states. The mass puppy mills are not even Amish, nor are the worst in PA. Lancaster Amish just got pushed into the front so that's what people focus on.

Be careful trying to regulate breeders. It only affects the good ones. Bad ones will find a way.

 

Then you should focus on Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and other states. The mass puppy mills are not even Amish, nor are the worst in PA. Lancaster Amish just got pushed into the front so that's what people focus on.

When it comes to changing state laws you have to pick your battles. It's a one state at a time thing. They are like Dominos - you do one, then their neighbors see the problem moving into their state so they are more inclined to want change there, too. There is an odd competition between states. I don't think it would hurt to have legitimate breeders have to comply with standards such as health guarantees, breeding limits and return policies; most do that already. I think if the profit motive is lessened, some will lose interest and give up mass breeding operations. I want to spend today doing some research and see what I can turn up. THANKS for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind.

 

LOL Legit breeders already comply with law, morals and ethics. How about we just put more people on the ground to enforce the laws we already have instead of tying the hands of legit breeders. They restricted the number of litters a breeder can have in other states - they just put the puppies under someone else's name. Scammers always find a way. We don't need more laws. We need more enforcement.

Anyways - this topic should be about the dog posted. Not about opinions on how to change laws in PA.

 

All breeders strive to make enough to pay expenses. Sometimes they make profits. If you take away the profit motive, we will lose good breeders.

i hope I didn’t offend anyone with my posts above. As the adopter who took in a rescue dog that bit people, it’s a very sensitive subject for me. We took a dog no one else wanted, although we didn’t know about the biting in advance. The first thing he did was try to go after one of my children who was older, not a young child. I stopped him and he never dared do it again. That is what I meant by experience. I knew exactly what to do and how to stop it or he might have been euthanized too. My sadness here comes from frustration at being unable to help the OP save her dog. We had to manage him with strangers for the rest of his life but he lived to over 13 years. There must be some way we can reach out so people know to come here immediately after having the first incident. Young dogs can be stopped with proper handling. It’s not easy but if they are never allowed a second bite, they can learn other coping mechanisms.

 

I've rescued countless dogs with very serious skin issues -- allergies, demodex, staph, yeast, even layered on top of each other all at the same time. A few of them were so bad that the dogs nearly hairless and covered with scabs. One was so full of sores and scabs that he had no scab-free area for them to even give the mandatory "intake" vax at the shelter. All of them were miserably itchy and painful.

....And NONE of these dogs bit people. Not a single one of them lashed out because of their discomfort. I thus do not buy the excuse of skin discomfort because I've seen SO many BYB rescued dogs with stable base temperaments who don't need excuses. If it's lashing out at its own family due to skin discomfort, there's a base temperament flaw inherent in the dog.

You've described cowering and biting -- even people simply getting up from the couch. Sadly, that sounds like fear aggression. There's no easy fix for that.

 

Nothing anyone has said is offensive. I'm learning a lot as I poke about. One really important thing I found it that a dog CANNOT be euthanized for biting by an owner. They dog must first be declared a dangerous dog by a police or Animal control agency, usually following a serious bite incident. It appears that in PA as long as you buy an annual dog breeding license the Commonwealth is happy. However the Humane Society of the United States seems to be the lead agency for fighting puppy mills. They publish a top 100 list of the worst each year and a separate activist guide for those who want to work on getting humane puppy mills. (or breeders). PA has some new laws that I"m trying to track down but so far all I've found is articles about them. The American Humane Society's activist guide to stop puppy mills is a PDF file. They don't make it easy to find. Google "american humane society puppy mill activist guide" and when you click on the link it will download. Doesn't go anywhere, just downloads.

 

I do not believe this dog has a bite history because of allergies. Sorry but I have a dog that can not live in his own skin without cytopoint and monthly allergy injections. Literally chewing his paws and can't walk 5' with stopping to dig. He would never, ever, lash out at any of us.

I also doubt that your dog has a food allergy as those are actually rare. A blood test to test for environmental allergies is around $300. If that was not done, then your vet is negligent. There is no reason for there to be "undiagnosed" allergies. If it's a food allergy then the dog should have been put on a food specifically for this where the protein is broken down to a point it should not cause a reaction. There are other treatments such as apoquel.

This whole "wait and see" with allergies is ridiculous. How many threads have that same theme?

A rescue is not going to take a dog with a bite history. I'm in PA and do not know a single one. With as many bites as this dog has, if you don't trust him with your child, why would you trust him with someone else's children? My personal opinion is if you can not safely manage this dog, then you should do the right thing for him to make sure he doesn't end up in a situation worse then death.

 

My dog also has serious allergies. It turned out they were protein allergies which I suspected, but I used a dermatologist who determined wha the allergies were. That dog felt miserable a lot of the time with oozy blisters and skin scale before we managed them and has never bit anyone or aggressed against a family member,

 

So how do we find Dexter a home in the Philly area?

 

They don't all need to be saved. The people who can deal with this don't want to. I have one fear aggressive, health nightmare. I don't ever want another.
OP I am sorry that you are in this position. Give him a great last day and put him down. Peace to you and your family.

 

Health issues and temperament problems are a terrible combination. I have 0 desire to deal with any more allergies than I already do. I’d recommend you find an experienced high level trainer to evaluate him. If their answers don’t sound doable for you then there’s not much you can do.

 

I asked about health as I was thinking if this biting behavior was new that there was a possibility that Dexter was possibly having a reaction to meds if he was given any. The OP said shots but didn't specify what kind of shot. Steroids can effect behavior. Don't know what the meds are so it's a guess it's Cytopoint but may not be and may be steroids like prednisone. Just seems odd to me that a mid-aged dog would suddenly develop aggression like this.
However this is the internet and many things about this dog are unknown. We only know what is told through one persons eyes and what that person cares to share. There could have been warnings all along that this behavior was coming. The reality is we here just don't know.
I really hate these threads....

 

Retiring this thread. OP has not returned to the forum since initially posting but is free to PM a Mod to reopen for an update.