[Debless83]

My sons dog has been living with me for the last 6 months. In that time I have had him neutered and we have gone to training. The problem is that I can't have anyone over to my house because he is so aggressive with them. Even when he is fine with some one in the house while they are sitting down as soon as they stand up and move around he sneaks up behind them and nips them. I don't really know what to do - I have talked to the trainer and he suggested donating to the local police department or maybe trying a shock collar. He also said I may be too soft spoken and Boe tends to ignore me.

When we walk around the nearby village he is ok with people. But I have to admit I am a little leery of what he might do.

I don't know what to do with him....

 

[Jenmsdc]

Hi! How old is the dog and how long was he with your son? These might be two major factors...


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[pets4life]

where are you from? maybe someone can find u a better trainer?

 

[BowWowMeow]

My dog Basu was exactly like this except that I trained him to keep him place when people were over. It is fear aggression and not territorial aggression.

You need to find a good trainer who can help you counter-condition him and train you to follow a set routine when people come over to the house. Until then you should crate train him and keep him crated and separated when people are over.

 

[gsdsar]

My sisters rescue GSD is the exact same way. It is only in the house. And it is fear based/ anxiety.

He is fine out and about. Great with other dogs.

She worked with a good trainer. The trainer had her reestablish leadership with NILIF, keep the dog on leash when people were over,not allow the dog to "own" any part of the room, and give the dog something to do when people are over, such as " down" or " place". It has worked wonders. She also makes sure the dog is in a calm state of mind before she opens the door. The dog is put in to his "place", a bed away from the door but in view of the room, but not blocking anything. Once he settles, she lets the person in.

Then the dog remains leashed and in a down under her control the entire time.

It will forever be a management issue. But it is working. And now someone the dog bit in the butt twice, can move freely around the house. He has learned to let my sister know he is about to stand up so she can monitor the dog. Ticket, her dog, no longer even notices and has taken to approaching and happily receiving pets from this man.

It's been a long hard road. But it's all management and training.


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[Jenmsdc]

The reason I asked these two questions:
My GSD, female - Emma - and our dear friends GSD (male, "B"), came from the same litter. Both dogs were amazing, awesome temperaments, played well, interacted with people amazingly, similar social traits etc. The only difference between male GSD ("B") and our Emma (female) was that he was a bit more destructive when left alone during the day, jumped up on people a little more aggressively than our female GSD and as both brother n sister aged he would show his dominance towards Emma and she would back down to him. One other item to note is we did take and complete a dog training course when Emma was very young, started and finished within 1 yr of life; B did not receive training. Overall though he was a great GSD.
Sadly, our dear friend (the owner of male GSD) died suddenly when B was a little of 2 yrs old. "B" was given to another one of our close friends, taken to a new environment and began a new routine. Sadly, B has never been the same. Very aggressive, territorial, doesn't interact with strangers or other dogs that he doesn't know very well.
I used too, prior to the passing, spend quality time with "B" - I haven't seen him in quite some time and would not feel comfortable allowing Emma to interact with him.
Some people just think dogs are dogs, but I see more than that. I truly believe B suffered from PTSD, and meds might have helped his transition, but unfortunately I wasn't the new owner and didn't have a say.
You might want to discuss talking to your vet about this, it certain would not hurt to ask.
Good luck!!!!!!


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[BowWowMeow]

I adopted Basu when he was 4.5 years old. He had not been trained or socialized and had been neglected and abused. He spent most of his time in a cage in the garage. Despite such a rough first part of his life I was able to use positive reinforcement, counter conditioning and a clear, calm leadership style to manage his behavior. He relaxed considerably over the years I had him and while I always had to manage him I no longer had to worry about him biting people.

The step by step advice above is good but if you do not have dog training experience you should work with a trainer. I also took Basu through advanced obedience and he earned his CGC.

 

[Debless83]

Boe is 1.5 yrs old now, my son had him till he was 1 yr old. This is my first GSD so I'm glad I found this website and thank you all for your advice. I live in northern NY and finding a trainer is difficult. The last one I took him to was 45 miles away. I will keep looking.

 

[David Taggart]

I have talked to the trainer and he suggested donating to the local police department

And, I wonder, why would police need him? Funny thing that trainer said.
Don't expect quick results, everything is repairable. You cannot stop you GSD being agressive, but you can train him to behave. Every time he jumps from his place towards your guest- take him into the next room, but don't close the door, let him come out. He barks - back again into that room, that is what he doesn't want - to be left alone. You should teach him to meet strangers at your fron door. He must keep sitting a bit away from it. I would tether him to the door handle before he has got used to this procedure. Let him bark if he wants to, he musn't get up. Train him separately to stop barking with your gesture of bringing your index finger to your mouth, don't train it in the stranger's presence. It also could be better if you keep the dog close to you as much as you can during somebody's visit. Stroke him continuously if he is quiet, and take him into another room if he barks for punishment.