[judgeblackshepherd]

I have had my All black MALE german shepherd for 5 years now, he obeys the simple commands: sit, stay, lay down, drop, down... but whenever you get him in the same vicinity as another dog..he wants to attack it or darn near does almost everytime...not to mention has chewed up 6 door knobs, destoryed almost every screen on my house, and still continues to jump and scratch and windows/walls of the exterior of my house.. i can be sitting right inside the door and he'll look at me and jump/scratch. this even occurs after he has been interacted with, or i simply walk outside the room and starts at it again..(when he was a puppy i kept him in the house for abt 6 months) - I have been told that i may of established in his mind that he deserves or needs to be in the house, which i totally understand. But, this behavior is not an every day occurance (as to the destruction of house).. I love my dog dearly and have tried so hard to not get rid of him, but the financial strains that he is causing me is beginning to get to much. Is this something that maybe a neuter would fix?? I've also read that some dogs are just like this in their DNA or nature...IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS..PLEASE, PLEASE HELP!!

 

[JakodaCD OA]

judge this original post is 3 years old

You should probably start your own thread, I'll pm a mod to move it.

 

[Malachi'sMama]

Let me know where Judge's question is moved, so I can respond to it.

 

[MadLab]

How often do you walk it.

I would think if you walk a dog 2 times a day it won't have this behavior inside. At the end of the day, you should just get a crate if you are worried about how much your dog costs through damages.

To stop my male from fighting and being aggro with other males I had to pretty much let him know I was gonna beat him if he continued to try it.

Basically the dog wants to project aggressively towards the male and I make sure he has to watch for me instead. It is a simply equation, fight and face me or be cool and we'll be on our way.

He did need a lot of lessons how to walk on leash with out pulling too and since then I've been training him in a variety of ways so he is very responsive now.

If you really want to control the dog you need to have a lot of discipline and train the dog and give him a purpose. Work him hard and you will win his respect more and when you say not to do something maybe he will listen to you.

 

[sitstay]

Why can't he live in the house? If he has to live outside, how much exercise is he getting, with you right there with him?

It sounds like this is a bored dog that desperately wants to be with his person.
Sheilah

 

[judgeblackshepherd]

To be perfectly honest, the walking isn't as frequent as it should be...due to my work/sleep schedule I honestly do not walk him but maybe once a week. Yes, I know that could be a big reason for this is the boredom?? I have been told before my the vets that he has "separation anxiety" or signs of it.. whenever I'm not around or he's not with me, he does these kinds of behavioral issues. I do at least play with him (toss the ball around the backyard) at least 30 mins. a day. It does sound like this is not enough time though. As for the crating, I have bought him a crate, but unless I "zip tie" all the sides/openings/corners on it, he breaks out..every single time. I just moved into a new rental house and that is why I cant have him in the house, before I moved in..he was in my apt. for about 1 year.. but I've lived in this house for close to 3 months, and the behavior just started up about 2 weeks ago, so im not to sure..?

 

[judgeblackshepherd]

In regards to new thread

I didn't received a PM, if u need to move the mod for better answers, since like u stated this is 3 years old. Please let me know where, I need all the help I can get and as many ideas as possible...

 

[Trotter]

Dogs have several fundamental needs that can't be disregarded: Eat, eliminate, walk, sleep, and reproduction. You're taking care of eating/eliminating/sleep, but you are failing him on exercise and reproduction. An intact male in the vicinity of an estrus female (in heat) will suddenly exhibit behavior you describe, especially if he is sitting on pent-up energy due to lack of exercise.

Neutering the dog will eliminate the reproductive urge in several weeks to a few months after the operating, but the pent-up energy needs to be addressed with regular exhausting exercise that wears him out enough to relax. Every day. I walk my dog at least 1.5 hours a day and that's the minimum he needs (2 y/o neutered male). If I skip a day (just during the getting-know-you process, not since - got him as an adult), I notice increased pacing, whining, etc.

Dogs also have a need to be with their pack/people to keep them mentally balanced - keeping him outside is exacerbating the energy/reproductive issues.

 

[sitstay]

I think you need to get a plan on how to best deal with it. I do think you have a bored dog who is left to his own devices way too much. Perhaps something happened in the neighborhood that has him spooked. It is the season for fireworks.

Plus it does appear as if he has had a big change in his living arrangements. I am assuming that for the year (-/+) that you lived in the apartment, he lived inside? Now he is living outside? That is a huge adjustment to make for many dogs. Add to that the fact that he is under-exercised?

Triple his daily exercise, including good walks every day. A tired dog is a happy dog. Or at least a happier dog. If zip ties safely keep him in a crate, use the zip ties. Leave him safely crated, with a safe toy (say a Kong stuffed with peanut butter, that has been in the freezer for a few hours). If he can be crated, can he stay in the house?

I know how frustrating it can be to have a life that gets busy, and to have a dog that needs something more that you're giving at the moment. Believe me, I know. However...you need to figure this out and adjust your management to fit the reality. The dog needs more exercise, and he needs to have what he seems to perceive as isolation alleviated. Putting him out in the yard and expecting him to deal with it in a way that doesn't cause problems is asking too much.

Good luck. I hope you can work something out that helps this poor dog.
Sheilah
ETA: I don't think that neutering him will impact the behavior he is currently showing. Neutering him will keep him from impregnating females, if he graduates his behavior from scratching at the doors and windows to escaping from the yard altogether and running stray.

 

[MadLab]

Once a week isn't enough exercise and may be a source of all your dogs problems. Can you get a dog walker or a tread mill for the dog.

Is walking the dog difficult or is there simply not enough time? Walking the dog should be the best time of the day. Get with it.

 

[k9carrie]

Please fix & EXERCISE your dog! My 13.5 year old neutered male walks/trots 4.5 miles (1.5 hours) EVERY DAY! A ball game doesn't begin to cut it! Then when he is fixed & tired, he can learn to hang out with you inside-where he should be for his mental health!

 

[Twyla]

For the dog aggression, locate a trainer dealing with aggression. They may have growly dog classes or may advise private lessons to begin with. You will learn how to handle and manage your dog when he sees other dogs and his obedience will be sharpened. This will make walks easier and you may find you want to walk him more. The training as well will use mental energy, which can actually wear a dog out more then using physical energy.

Instead of just tossing a ball around, play 2 ball fetch, keep the throws long and low (avoid injuries), mix obedience commands in; keep it fun and moving fast. Flirt poles are another option, again keeping it low, mixing in commands; fun and fast. Put his nose to work. Look up nosework.

He is destructive, use a crate, zip tie if he breaks out. He won't have a chance of learning manners being left outside. Being left outside may also increase his frustration if/when he sees other dogs, which can set back the training.

Altering your dog for the behaviors you have described probably won't alleviate the problem. In some cases, altering actually increases the aggression.

 

[Malachi'sMama]

I agree with everyone. A lot of your dogs behavior could be stemming from boredom and lack of exercise. GSDs especially are generally very high energy dogs who live to work. They need to be doing something and need to be both physically and mentally stimulated.

Malachi is an angel in the house--as long as he has something to do (a raw pork bone to gnaw, kong w peanut butter, his fave blanket to chew on, etc) BUT as soon as he gets bored, he starts to pace and pant and pick up things he shouldn't.
In order to see your dogs behavior change for the better, you need to exercise him more--however you choose to do it. I dread the day I work full time again, because I know I'm going to have to find someone else to exercise my dog while I'm at work. Unless I want to come home to the type of destruction you mentioned.
There are LOTS of threads on this site with ideas for games you can play for mental stimulation (hide and go seek with his fave toy).
The 'search' option at the type of your page is a godsend when it comes to help and
ideas.
I honestly think you'd see a HUGE change in your dog if you worked on these two areas.
And like someone else said, your dog wants to be with you. Malachi is like my shadow-his head would be up my @$$ if I stopped too quickly :O Best of luck to you.

 

[JakodaCD OA]

I also agree that the behaviors may very well stem from lack of exercise and boredom.

These dogs WANT to be with their person..Outside looking in, he sees you IN the house, he wants to be WITH you..so the behavior is attention seeking.

As for dog aggression, I also believe a good dog trainer/class may help. However, he's 5 years old, there are many dogs that do NOT like other dogs. It is what it is.

The amount of attention/exercise your giving him is just not enough..Mine would go bonkers if I only walked them once a week, they want to be with "me", and usually don't much care being outside without me. 30 mins of ball time a day would also not be enough for my dogs.

If your committed to him, it's time to make a big change in what you do with him, physically and mentally..Good luck