[em0016]

Hi, i have a beautiful german shepard male, however have some issues and questions regarding his behaviour and need advice on best possible solutions.

We have recently moved house(very difficult to find with a dog) the condition was that my dog was an outside dog, he has always been an inside dog however i have been struggling with trying to be dominant over him, he loves outdoors and seems quite relaxed which is a good sign however i am very hesitant with as im not sure if this will help my progress in becoming alpha...any thoughts?

i have paid for a dog trainer to come to the house (440 dollars!!) and provide me with advice in address the dominance issues but he has told me things i have already been doing eg feeding after we have feed, ignoring him untill relax etc.

His behaviour has become increasing difficult to deal with when out on his daily walks/outings. he walks great on lease, heels and stays when requested, plays great with other dogs(very gentle and fine with their Humans) however if he is off leash or any area with another human he is very alert, barks at them and tries to jump up and mouth them. considering he is 50kg it is very frighting to others and myself.

i am considering all my options about a muzzle, ecollar or longlead( however i prefer to let him off and be able to run around) as i feel all the treats/stern words in the world are not going to help this behaviour.

he is fine with my partner and very obedient, i have all the time in the world for my dog and love him very dearly.. when he was younger he developed skin issues that i got a biopsy done and he is on very expensive skin dermatitis brand ( however has never liked being pat by anyone except partner/myself)

Thanks for your time/feedback

 

[Twyla]

First - forget the dominance and alpha stuff. Focus instead on building the relationship with the dog. Being kept outside won't make it impossible but may make it difficult building a relationship with the dog. Concentrate on spending good, quality time with him.

Depending how the area you have set up for your dog is situated - if it is the typical 4 ft chain link fence, that can be jumped in a heart beat with no effort on the dog. Install a large kennel with shading and good water source - bucket/dish clipped to the side so it can't be flipped. The positive for a kennel is it can be picked up and taken with you if you move again.

Until you get this reaction to humans under control, your dog can't go off leash. Definitely condition your dog to a muzzle. Excellent video for muzzle - Conditioning Your Dog to a Muzzle - YouTube . A long lead, as long as you are able to control him on it, will give him room to roam and prevent him jumping on humans.

Keep us updated how the sessions go with your trainer.

 

[doggiedad]

forget about you dominating him and being alpha. train and socialize.
keep your dog leashed.

 

[pyratemom]

A: forget about the alpha dominance thing
B: If he has to stay outside, build a nice kennel you can put him in so he will be safe. It isn't safe to leave your dog outside all the time, especially if you are not home.
C: you have to do some training to build the bond between you. If your dog trusts that you have it's back and won't let anything hurt it or put it in a situation that will get it hurt then it will trust you and begin to listen.
D: Don't use the e-collar without a trained professional
E: Don't let your dog off leash around other people; consider a basket muzzle
F: Listen to the trainer you hired - if he says stuff you don't agree with ask him the reasoning behind that particular training so you will understand. If you disagree, then find another trainer. They all have their own ideas.

 

[em0016]

thanks for the advice so far... will take all onboard, as of last night we let him on to his mat by the door inside to have some bonding time whilst we watched tv. he has a great big kennel that we built him when he was a puppy 4 times the size of him, im pretty happy at how he is adapting!

might try this muzzle thing and long lead....... would you say that muzzles are good to put on when he is at the vet/pet shop after we get him used to it at home?? i trained him to walk with a halti and that has been wonderful... and a long lead in an open area at an isolated park? because i still want him to be able to fetch and eat sticks like he does....

 

[Twyla]

thanks for the advice so far... will take all onboard, as of last night we let him on to his mat by the door inside to have some bonding time whilst we watched tv. he has a great big kennel that we built him when he was a puppy 4 times the size of him, im pretty happy at how he is adapting!

might try this muzzle thing and long lead....... would you say that muzzles are good to put on when he is at the vet/pet shop after we get him used to it at home?? i trained him to walk with a halti and that has been wonderful... and a long lead in an open area at an isolated park? because i still want him to be able to fetch and eat sticks like he does....

I'm not sure I am understanding the size you mention for his kennel. The size I have in mind for a dog kept outside is minimum 10 ft x 20 ft.

Until you are able to get this reaction to humans under control, a basket muzzle would be appropriate anytime he is going to have contact with humans.

 

[em0016]

Not sure I understand ur measurement... 10ft x20ft is the size of a bedroom in cm.... He has a kennel/house of 2metre x 2metres plus the whole outside area(fully fenced)

Do u have any advice on greeting new people/best way to introduce outside the home?