If the dog will react to kids from a distance, I don't see how that is putting anyone in danger.

Whatever dude. Just trying to help. Good luck.

 

If the dog will react to kids from a distance, I don't see how that is putting anyone in danger.

Whatever dude. Just trying to help. Good luck.

I get what your talking about and I'm not discrediting you, but it's evident I'd have to share what I'm experiencing, and that would put someone at danger. The dog doesn't act like she usually does when kids are present. Is it as severe at a distance? No. But that distance is farther than I'm comfortable with. I've had to avoid the issue at all cost now, it's not worth it. For that reason I

I'm not your guy, and I don't want anything besides the dog to have a fair shot at life.

We're in the same boat guy.

 

If she's barking wildly at kids at a distant and lunging showing teeth it's probably not that hard to record one time to show him at a safe distant for her threshold. You mentioned kids probably under 10. She's getting bigger maybe for now she sees them as prey or a threat (probably threat). She's a child. This can be worked on with baby steps, but yes she may never be the type that you can take to the park with other kids around your kids. Or any kids but yours at home only when an adult is around. Or her threshold might change to 10 feet away from kids playing. Who knows. It seems like you want much closer interactions with the dog & kids like even a family BBQ. This could be possibly with a few friends over with her on a leash or not. Or not even bring her out. Maybe look an older dog who's been around kids as mentioned seems like the best way about it. There are child friendly dogs who can turn on a kid at times so there's never a guarantee. I get the feeling you're wanting to rush certain things than do baby steps which could take 2 or even 3 years for a dog cause that's still considered young.

I thought about all this when I chose a WL puppy.

 

If she's barking wildly at kids at a distant and lunging showing teeth it's probably not that hard to record one time to show him at a safe distant for her threshold. You mentioned kids probably under 10. She's getting bigger maybe for now she sees them as prey or a threat. She's a child. This can be worked on with baby steps, but yes she may never be the type that you can take to the park with other kids around your kids. Or any kids but yours at home only when an adult is around. Or her threshold might change to 10 feet away from kids playing. Who knows. It seems like you want much closer interactions with the dog & kids like even a family BBQ. This could be possibly with a few friends over with her on a leash or not. Or not even bring her out. Maybe look an older dog who's been around kids as mentioned seems like the best way about it. There are child friendly dogs who can turn on a kid at times so there's never a guarantee. I get the feeling you're wanting to rush certain things than do baby steps which could take 2 or even 3 years for a dog cause that's still considered young.

I thought about all this when I chose a WL puppy.

No, we don't rush at all. I get where you're coming from. And just for the record I won't be putting her down.

 

It' is weird to me that you refuse to record a video. What can happen when you have a kid at a distance and a dog on the leash? You have gotten so much help and it seems there is no response from you. Even belittled one great resource. I have said my ten cents.

 

This is Ava

 

 

 

This picture was taken in her most impressionable weeks on a play round. Could kids have scared her? She doesn't look relaxed here. Were your expectations that kids should be able to pet her? I keep strange kids and their parents (!!) a mile away from a GSD pup because of that landshark behavior.

 

"No. Child does not need to be moving. If she was okay at a distance I would just further work on closing the distance. There is no set distance for her now, if its in eyesight she loses all focus and will not follow basic commands she normally 100% responds to."

LOL...she's a puppy...have you tried engaging her in play like tug or fetch on a long lead with the kids at a distant in her eye sight?

 

A couple times, but she'll turn around a nip at me for trying to get her attention away.

 

For the record I'm 5'6 at 125lbs handling my soon to be 6 month girl just fine like the other day she reacted to an adult walking their large breed. I don't even work out...All this on a flat collar. Not saying she couldn't drag me if I wasn't expecting it, but I know I'm handling a puppy for a good 2 or 3 years so I'm holding well and vigilant watching a far & her.

And letting kids pet her should stop cause they could be all over her frustrating her. That can happen with many puppies. Maybe now that she's developing including her brain they are in her comfort zone. That could be a reason why she's upset too. Who knows. Between now and 3 years will be a wild ride.

Many around the 6 month mark will also get their puppy a prong collar. It won't solve the issue, but could make a difference and then work with her. It seems like she needs guidance at this early on.

 

Just as a data point, I have two daughters, one is 4.5 y/o and the other is almost 3 y/o. Our GSD is 10 months and 65+ pounds. They coexist, but for at least the first 6 months we had the dog, the dog was never been in their presence without a leash on and me within arm's reach of the leash (if not holding the leash). There were plenty of days (consecutive days at times) where I didn't feel like I could have them in the same room; not because the dog showed aggression, but because the dog is a lot to handle and the kids are, too. These days, I can put the dog on place and walk away for a minute or two when they're around (and usually if the dog breaks place it's to find me), but I'm definitely anxious when doing so. The dog is sweet and would never hurt them, but she's got a strong prey drive and the kids are small, unpredictable and don't understand boundaries. Not a good mix. So we are careful and play it safe. They are plenty content to love their puppy at a distance and the dog is content to love her kids at a distance, as well.

Not to mention, when she was in heat last month, she started barking (air snapping really) at a group of kids (probably about 10 y/o) who just wanted to come up and say hello to us on a walk. Definitely hormonal. And definitely freaked me out (not to mention embarassing). No doubt I was hyper vigilant of the dog's reaction to my kids the next few days.

Still, even at 9-10 months, she's a baby. I'm not an expert by any stretch and want to stay away from advice giving. But I'm with the others here who think that your expectations for what you expect from this dog are maybe not age appropriate and that what you're observing as uncorrectable aggression could be more normal than you think. I don't mean to be flippant, but how hard is it for you to ensure that the dog is separate from your kid for the next few months and that you avoid kids on walks, etc.?

 

She is fine with our child. It's other kids that she won't ignore.

 

At this point, it seem like he need a local, hands on trainer that is affordable and who can evaluate this puppy. Does anyone know someone that would be within a reasonable driving distance to him? From the description, she sounds terrifying, but seeing the picture, I see a young dog that could have the capacity to learn proper behaviors in the right scenario. I think it would be very difficult for the owner to handle this situation from a video, even a very good one.

 

What's your tone like during training or giving commands outside? I tend to change it outside due to distractions. Not yelling of course. But if a loud vehicle goes by I may raise it higher when trying to work. How's her leave it? Try using that and a leash correction. I tend to act confident during certain situations we are encountering than being laid back. But this could just take a few weeks or months to slowly somewhat overcome or not. Are you treating her like a baby? Or maybe even try acting goofy. Just throwing a bunch of suggestions.

 

I do have to chime in a little. OP a great many of these people posting have helped me with my 5 year old dog directly or indirectly. Over YEARS.
I was on the receiving end of what I thought crazy behavior from my dog Apex he honestly scared me at times.
People here could have probably laughed at me. People here would have had him a model dog in one walk. No one ever belittled me, laughed at me. I always recieved the best help that can be given on a forum. He is 5 now great dog. Scary little **** his first few years for me.

I hope you can sort through the post and connect with the people who can evaluate the dog and/or help you over the next weeks find a home or sadder solution.

There are people here I'd hand my leash to.

 

I am not as experienced as anyone that has responded but I've been reading/following this thread.

What strikes me is that you've described her aggression as being so strong that you can barely control her (at 250 lbs ish I think you said.)

I've had two bully breeds in my past with very intense dog aggression... both 75+ lbs dogs. My current GSD Vili is 9 months old and 85lbs. He has hit the end of a leash hard (with a 105lb dog in my other hand!) and I still have never felt like I barely have control. I've realized I don't have enough control though and switched him to a prong to help regain control more quickly. And... that's a dog twice the size of yours in one hand only.

I weigh less than you by quite a bit and I have never felt I could "barely control" any of the dogs I've described above, 2 of which were truly dog aggressive / leash reactive.

They've asked for videos and you've said you won't put anyone in danger (nor would anyone suggest it) but you've also said she will react at the mere sight of a child... so it doesn't seem like you need to put anyone in danger. You simply need to be close enough to trigger the reaction while someone else films it. It sounds like that means the kids could be pretty far away.

If her aggression is as bad as you say, and you spend as much time as you suggest training her, you should already be getting her trained to accept a muzzle. It will be the only way you can work with her near triggers and keep everyone safe. I've had to do this with one of the dogs above and it re opened the world back up to us because we could be back out in it and everyone would be safe.

The fact that you make such big statements about how aggressive she is but think trainers are a waste blows my mind. If you weren't having problems, I'd agree but if she's as aggressive as you describe... most responsible dog owners would find a trainer that specializes in German shepherds by this point. Especially for such a young dog.

Vili went through a really early fear period that made me very anxious. He would lose his little mind at new people, new dogs, etc. But I just kept at the socialization, the age appropriate corrections and the fear period passed. I think I've read dogs can go through 2 fear periods in puppy hood and they can be very intense and come/go without rhyme or reason.

I understand your caution considering it's children but tools, when introduced slowly and properly, like muzzles and maybe a small prong collar, you should be able to work her through it with training for how to use the tool, how to appropriately correct/redirect, etc.

It took my vet, a trainer that specialized in aggression, and the dogs breeder about 5 years to finally admit that one of the two dogs I described above had genetic aggression issues that could not be treated/trained and that were more extreme/less manageable with age. Her wires were crossed (or something.) The other dog I mentioned, who was very dog selective, had a pretty normal life (and lived with me until he was 16 happily and healthy!) - once I learned how to be an advocate for him we were a great team.

It sounds like she needs someone that knows the breed and is able to make the right assessments over the next few months to give her a chance.

Perhaps I misread but I thought you said youre in West Virginia. I'm in Michigan and I'd be willing to help with transport within the Midwest/general region to an experienced GSD trainer. I'm not experienced enough to help her be successful.

 

I am not as experienced as anyone that has responded but I've been reading/following this thread.

What strikes me is that you've described her aggression as being so strong that you can barely control her (at 250 lbs ish I think you said.)

I've had two bully breeds in my past with very intense dog aggression... both 75+ lbs dogs. My current GSD Vili is 9 months old and 85lbs. He has hit the end of a leash hard (with a 105lb dog in my other hand!) and I still have never felt like I barely have control. I've realized I don't have enough control though and switched him to a prong to help regain control more quickly. And... that's a dog twice the size of yours in one hand only.

I weigh less than you by quite a bit and I have never felt I could "barely control" any of the dogs I've described above, 2 of which were truly dog aggressive / leash reactive.

They've asked for videos and you've said you won't put anyone in danger (nor would anyone suggest it) but you've also said she will react at the mere sight of a child... so it doesn't seem like you need to put anyone in danger. You simply need to be close enough to trigger the reaction while someone else films it. It sounds like that means the kids could be pretty far away.

If her aggression is as bad as you say, and you spend as much time as you suggest training her, you should already be getting her trained to accept a muzzle. It will be the only way you can work with her near triggers and keep everyone safe. I've had to do this with one of the dogs above and it re opened the world back up to us because we could be back out in it and everyone would be safe.

The fact that you make such big statements about how aggressive she is but think trainers are a waste blows my mind. If you weren't having problems, I'd agree but if she's as aggressive as you describe... most responsible dog owners would find a trainer that specializes in German shepherds by this point. Especially for such a young dog.

Vili went through a really early fear period that made me very anxious. He would lose his little mind at new people, new dogs, etc. But I just kept at the socialization, the age appropriate corrections and the fear period passed. I think I've read dogs can go through 2 fear periods in puppy hood and they can be very intense and come/go without rhyme or reason.

I understand your caution considering it's children but tools, when introduced slowly and properly, like muzzles and maybe a small prong collar, you should be able to work her through it.

It took my vet, a trainer that specialized in aggression, and the dogs breeder about 5 years to finally admit that one of the two dogs I described above had genetic aggression issues that could not be treated/trained and that were more extreme/less manageable with age. Her wires were crossed (or something.) The other dog, who was very dog selective, could have a pretty normal life - especially once I learned how to be an advocate for him.

It sounds like she needs someone that knows the breed and is able to make the right assessments over the next few months to give her a chance.

Perhaps I misread but I thought you said youre in West Virginia. I'm in Michigan and I'd be willing to help with transport within the Midwest/general region to an experienced GSD trainer. I'm not experienced enough to help her be successful.

I didnt say i couldn't control her, I said that in regards to how hard she's trying to get to someone. I can easily over power her and make her submit. That's clearly not the goal here. I have stated several times I'm against base level obedience training. It's a fraud. They asked for videos today and I've already said I can have my wife film it when the opportunity arises.

 

I read your post from Jan when she was 4 months. Mine acted the same on my property and now on walks. We only started walks about 4 or so weeks ago. At work she won't bark at others or people at other businesses near by. Sometimes she does wanting to meet them. In that post you said you didn't wanna bother with trainers. That seems to be the problem. My trainer who deals with GSD said her barking at a lot of stuff is normal. Today she barked at a tree we walked by. One time at a recycling bin including mine so I brought her to the item. She is skddish.

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So… you say she’s fine with your daughter and you love the dog to death. Ok…

In your last thread, I told you that if it were me, I’d keep in mind my limits and whether I had the wherewithal to do what’s needed to work through her emerging issues. I specifically said I would consider giving her back to the breeder if your expectations for a dog in your life are incompatible with the current reality presented by this dog and a potential inability to put in the work to get the dog you want. Your response was “There is zero reason to give the dog back when she acts completely fine around us and in the house, that may just how it has to be and that's fine.”

It’s gone from that to euthanizing her in the span of her going from 4 months to 6 months. This is a very sad situation. If you continue to disregard the advice you’re getting here, Ava clearly won’t survive to 8 months.

I’ve read every post on this thread, re-read both of your old threads and then started re-reading this thread from the beginning to revisit your earlier comments... It’s obvious to me that you’re in over your head. There’s no shame in that. Between months 8-9, we did a one-month board and train with our breeder. Not only was it great for our dog but it was exactly the reset I needed personally because I was at my own breaking point with her. GSDs are a tough breed. If you can’t or refuse to invest in the training that both you and the dog need, this is a no-win situation. And it’ll only get worse.

The only conclusion I can draw is that the sooner you find someone experienced enough and willing to take her off your hands, the better.

 

So… you say she’s fine with your daughter and you love the dog to death. Ok…

In your last thread, I told you that if it were me, I’d keep in mind my limits and whether I had the wherewithal to do what’s needed to work through her emerging issues. I specifically said I would consider giving her back to the breeder if your expectations for a dog in your life are incompatible with the current reality presented by this dog and a potential inability to put in the work to get the dog you want. Your response was “There is zero reason to give the dog back when she acts completely fine around us and in the house, that may just how it has to be and that's fine.”

It’s gone from that to euthanizing her in the span of her going from 4 months to 6 months. This is a very sad situation. If you continue to disregard the advice you’re getting here, Ava clearly won’t survive to 8 months.

I’ve read every post on this thread, re-read both of your old threads and then started re-reading this thread from the beginning to revisit your earlier comments... It’s obvious to me that you’re in over your head. There’s no shame in that. Between months 8-9, we did a one-month board and train with our breeder. Not only was it great for our dog but it was exactly the reset I needed personally because I was at my own breaking point with her. GSDs are a tough breed. If you can’t or refuse to invest in the training that both you and the dog need, this is a no-win situation. And it’ll only get worse.

The only conclusion I can draw is that the sooner you find someone experienced enough and willing to take her off your hands, the better.

Your reading skills may be a bit off then, because I've said multiple times here that I won't be euthanizing her. That's just what I was told my only option was from some people. I am not in over my head with anything. Again, if you've reread this as claimed, you would have seen she's improved in alot of areas. She's been a big work. NOBODY wants an animal of any kind that will seriously injure a child. Thats a GENUINE concern of mine, as it should be for anyone else. I'm pleased you did one month room and board for you dog, here, two weeks is 2500 dollars. Your average American household in current times can not afford such a financial impact.

 

It's good that someone FINALLY reread this and other threads! It's all connected.

There's absolutely no reason to believe there's anything genetic or neurologically wrong with this puppy! It is, and always has been fine with the OP's 3 yr old!

Starts as a little reactive barking. Left to her own devices progresses to more outwardly aggressive showings, and viola. Now you have a puppy that scares you.

Not even a little bit hard to predict. This puppy needs guidance, that's it.

If I were to guess, I'd say that foundational obedience is nowhere near where it needs to be also. But that's just me based on a couple years of seeing this same darn thing happen over and over and over.

OP hire a trainer!

 

It's good that someone FINALLY reread this and other threads! It's all connected.

There's absolutely no reason to believe there's anything genetic or neurologically wrong with this puppy! It is, and always has been fine with the OP's 3 yr old!

Starts as a little reactive barking. Left to her own devices progresses to more outwardly aggressive showings, and viola. Now you have a puppy that scares you.

Not even a little bit hard to predict. This puppy needs guidance, that's it.

If I were to guess, I'd say that foundational obedience is nowhere near where it needs to be also. But that's just me based on a couple years of seeing this same darn thing happen over and over and over.

OP hire a trainer!

She was not "left to her own devices" she's been a constant work and improving in several areas, but I appreciate it.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if it was genetic or neurological, why is her aggression ONLY directed towards children?? Youd think if she was just wired wrong everything would be included, yet kids and other dogs are often the most common training issues, if she's fine with adults, it seems like something has happened youre not aware of, or haven't fixed imho

Charlie had problems with kids as well, id call it light fear aggression, kids always scared/irritated him, smaller they were, the more fearful/reactive he was, we worked through it and now he's perfectly fine, plays and cuddles with my nieces and nephews, with boundaries and supervision of course.

Hope you find a suitable situation for her!

 

Also why did you get a puppy if you can't afford a trainer? One I was using charged about $45 for 30mins. Some young adult running a business from her basement who has no idea about GSDs. My new trainer charges $30 for 1 hour. She's retired and deals with GSD. Why did you invest in a pet like others who can't even afford vet bills that will occur? Did you not think this through financially? Why buy a Lamborghini when you can afford insurance and car payments but can't maintain it?

 

Lol dude, I wish rates were 30 dollars for an hour. That's a breeze. I've seen as much as 2,500 for room and board to 175 an hour for each session. The same can be said for having a child. I have the resources to deal with issues at hand. I have financial means to afford basic training that I have already done with her. This is an outlining issue that is either genetic, or will take massive amounts of efforts to become neutral. Lay off the pep talk guy. I've owned several dogs and I've never encountered this issue before, so I appreciate your feedback but it's not as cut and dry as you make it out to be.

 

Pretty sure the OP is just ignoring me now so I'm adding this for anyone else reading that it might help.

So first, dogs have fight or flight. Just because you are seeing Fight does not mean that's not fear driven. It's often a case of very aggressive "I'll get you before you get me". It's a very ugly, aggressive, reaction. It's not prey. It's 100% survival instinct.

Here's the thing with trainers - even if the trainer charges $100 session, you don't need to go every single week. Or even long term. A person can go, learn, go home and apply and go back 3 weeks later when they are ready for the next step. People have this misconception that they need to drop thousands on a trainer. Yes, a trainer will charge you thousands for an out of control, adult, dog who is 1 step away from harming someone. Because they don't want to deal with a mess that should have been taken care of at 6 months and they are tired of putting their life in danger to do so. But this is not that thase.

I helped a young man that came here for help with a dog that is nervy. I've never seen such fear in a dog when she's around people and you could see it in her eyes. Two sessions and a couple of follow up videos. I gave him the tools he needed to take control of the situation. Yup....did it for free. But he did bring me a bag of cookies the first time we met.

My male erupted at children when he was 4-6 months old in exactly how the OP describes. It's winter, kids look like little, faceless, stay puft marshmallow people moving weird and screeching. Of course a puppy will react. So I taught him the tools he needed to deal with situations where thinks scared him. This is not prey drive. It's fight or flight in a puppy that doesn't know what these things are. He's an incredibly solid dog. Not nervy. He was just a puppy.

My Jax was dog aggressive. It was constant scanning of hte environment for other dogs and blocking people who wanted Pookie to meet the angry German Shepherd because Pookie is friendly. Tools to deal. You don't need to like the other dog. You only need to do what I say and respect that other dog's right to breathe. Again...fight or flight. And she wasn't going to back down. But again....100% fear driven response that was violent and ugly to watch.

And in both cases, these dogs erupted in a very ugly fit that scared people. They were not backing up, they were in fight mode in a situation where they felt they needed to fight to survive. My point is - you don't know what you don't know. Don't assume the dog is in prey, or any drive that we sport people think is appropriate, or the dog is genetically wired wrong. It could be a puppy that just doesn't have the tools. Even a weaker nerved dog can get past this by learning the tools needed to deal with the stressor and obedience to the handler.

Like I told @Hopps Sunday when we spoke - I don't care what's causing it. Inappropriate aggression is inappropriate aggression. The tools to stop it are the same. A trainer will teach a person the tools. I don't even advise a person do this without a trainer because timing for corrections and rewards are so important.

 

Pretty sure the OP is just ignoring me now so I'm adding this for anyone else reading that it might help.

So first, dogs have fight or flight. Just because you are seeing Fight does not mean that's not fear driven. It's often a case of very aggressive "I'll get you before you get me". It's a very ugly, aggressive, reaction. It's not prey. It's 100% survival instinct.

Here's the thing with trainers - even if the trainer charges $100 session, you don't need to go every single week. Or even long term. A person can go, learn, go home and apply and go back 3 weeks later when they are ready for the next step. People have this misconception that they need to drop thousands on a trainer. Yes, a trainer will charge you thousands for an out of control, adult, dog who is 1 step away from harming someone. Because they don't want to deal with a mess that should have been taken care of at 6 months and they are tired of putting their life in danger to do so. But this is not that thase.

I helped a young man that came here for help with a dog that is nervy. I've never seen such fear in a dog when she's around people and you could see it in her eyes. Two sessions and a couple of follow up videos. I gave him the tools he needed to take control of the situation. Yup....did it for free. But he did bring me a bag of cookies the first time we met.

My male erupted at children when he was 4-6 months old in exactly how the OP describes. It's winter, kids look like little, faceless, stay puft marshmallow people moving weird and screeching. Of course a puppy will react. So I taught him the tools he needed to deal with situations where thinks scared him. This is not prey drive. It's fight or flight in a puppy that doesn't know what these things are. He's an incredibly solid dog. Not nervy. He was just a puppy.

My Jax was dog aggressive. It was constant scanning of hte environment for other dogs and blocking people who wanted Pookie to meet the angry German Shepherd because Pookie is friendly. Tools to deal. You don't need to like the other dog. You only need to do what I say and respect that other dog's right to breathe. Again...fight or flight. And she wasn't going to back down. But again....100% fear driven response that was violent and ugly to watch.

And in both cases, these dogs erupted in a very ugly fit that scared people. They were not backing up, they were in fight mode in a situation where they felt they needed to fight to survive. My point is - you don't know what you don't know. Don't assume the dog is in prey, or any drive that we sport people think is appropriate, or the dog is genetically wired wrong. It could be a puppy that just doesn't have the tools. Even a weaker nerved dog can get past this by learning the tools needed to deal with the stressor and obedience to the handler.

Like I told @Hopps Sunday when we spoke - I don't care what's causing it. Inappropriate aggression is inappropriate aggression. The tools to stop it are the same. A trainer will teach a person the tools. I don't even advise a person do this without a trainer because timing for corrections and rewards are so important.

Not ignoring, I don't get email notifications some times. Going through them now.

 

This is just a vent post, to anyone who sees it you're 100% fine to leave whatever feedback you'd like. Maybe my story will show how important it is to buy from reputable breeders/meet the parents of your great GSD. It's just closure for me at this point

If you've seen my last posts on my page, I have a now 6 month old GSD female who had, and still has pretty moderate aggressive issues. Which has worsened since then with the the new addition of aggression.

I first knew something was off when I got her, she wasn't excited to see anyone, and wanted to run right back to the back yard where she was. (8 weeks) when we brought her home, she warmed up and became our best friend. We took her everywhere with us, inside stores, parks, walks and she was absolutely great. Doing fantastic actually. She let people approach, pet, and didn't mind kids at all. She would follow us off the leash, got over her fear of stairs immediately. She learned, sit, stay, Spin, shake, down faster than I've seen any other dog learn. I took her to the vet for updated shots, and she did great there as well. Just normal, typical development of a puppy.

One day, at the 3 month old mark she found her voice and began barking at everyone she saw, and dogs. This behavior came from thin air. She would stop listening to commands, and would not redirect her attention even in the presence of treats. In the house, still our same dog we had since 8 weeks. Outside, a completely different personality, and remember, everything was fine up until the 3 month old point. I didn't really mind the barking because she eventually let me redirect her attention and would get over it so that was improvement.

One day at a park, a little girl my daughter's age was there (3) and Ava was on her back lets lunging, eyes completely white trying to get this little girl who wasn't acting sporadic or crazy. That was the day she truly scared me, and I realized then I did not have a normal dog. These behaviors never stopped after that. Introducing, seeing or even smelling another dog isn't an option for her and believe me I tried. Kids, are absolutely a no go for her. She's lunged and attempted to bite several, and I have to leave the park immediately. And for those who think "how's her exercise?" Its great and always has been. She runs and jumps excellent, very athletic dog. Her recent food aggression is just another "what else"? If you approach her, she gets very stiff, snarls and growls as a grown man, it's actually scary experienceing it. She never showed any food aggression before. She doesnt with her toys or anything else for now. If it was just me and my wife I would just let her eat, but I have a 3 year who who this dog is now bigger than. There's no such thing as her attacking my child.

On a recent trip to the vet, they tried taking her out back to see how she was and she "lunged" and "tried to bite". The vet was very concerned with her I could tell. She suggested some anxiety medication, both situational and long term. I gave it a try and there's been zero difference. On a road trip I stopped by a family members house in Illinois and gave the situational medication a try. It's a "sedation" type deal and didn't work AN OUNCE. She got out of the uhaul and acted straight horrible. I was actually shocked. Several people told me something was definitely off with her. They suggested the parents were probably very aggressive and it passed down to her. Unfortunately for her, she's now a massive liability and somebody WILL get hurt. I do not have the thousands of dollars for "room and board" training that ultimately wouldn't work, a guy already turned me down for it. She acts like an animal that's been chained up in a backyard and saw one person their entire life.

I've been around several GSDs and they are outstanding dogs. From highly trained police K9s my step father had to GSDs out of a friend's back yard.

"Why didn't you train or that dog wasn't aggressive" the dog is absolutely aggressive I don't care if they know how to be at 6 months or not, she did. I reached out to a couple trainers who to my surprise, didn't want to do it.

Ava was born into the world by negligence. The "breeder" didn't know what he was doing, and I should have never went through with the transaction. Bad lessons learned here, always meet the parents.

We currently have a 18 month old male GSD that developed similar tendencies to your dog around 6-7 months of age. He started growling and lunging, particularly at children. He was well loved, trained, socialized, and acquired from a reputable breeder. I was extremely anxious about these behaviors. We found a trainer that had years of experience with working line German shepherds. It was by no means easy, but we doubled down on training and persisted on exposing him to uncomfortable situations. I invested much money and time in training. I also went through a couple trainers before we found the right fit. Our vet was no help. Vets are wonderful resources, but not behavior experts. At 6 months, your GSD is still a puppy. She is still learning about the world around her and sometimes reacting inappropriately to situations where she feels insecure for whatever reason. I think you need to ask yourself whether you have the time and patience to put in the training she needs. Sometimes we do not end up with the easy dog. If you have children at home, maybe you do not have the time required. I certainly would not euthanize her. Find a trainer that is familiar with the breed to work with her or rehome her to someone familiar with GSDs. She is way too young to be dismissed as aggressive. Today our 18 month GSD is totally fine and relaxed with children, that also includes bikers, horses, cows, coyotes, skateboarders, etc, etc, etc…He used to get really riled up and lunge and snap. He needed extensive training and time to grow and learn. We get complements on him all the time today. Often these “wonderful GSDs” have a trainer/ owner that has put in extensive work to get the dog to that point. I am sure some dogs are easier than others, but in general, you have a teach a puppy how you want them to act.

 

Without seeing the dog or when you are rewarding/correcting, I can't give input on your particular situation. That's why I tell people to work with a trainer. Timing is everything.

I don't "avoid" situations. I work thru them.

 

If you're willing to private message, i would rather do that.

 

Also, one more thing, forgive me, I feel like, if you're not used to high drive working dogs or intense breeds in general, reactivity and fear aggression, in a GSD especially, can look REALLY bad to the average dog owner, when, to any experienced GSD handler, its apart of having a working dog(to an extent of course)

As David Winners above, his dog would have frightened most people quite a bit, so maybe that's what's going on here? You said yourself you've always experienced easy going friendly GSDs, and haven't had her evaluated by a professional, therefore she might not be AS BAD as youre really thinking she is, just isn't a fit for your home.

I know Charlie's dislike and fear of kids really caught me off guard at first too, I was also worried he might be messed up, but I soon realized, through this forum and among my own research, they just scared him, a lot. He was young, just as yours is, and still getting used to the world, now, at 16 months old he doesn't mind children at all.

but, as stated before im nowhere near as knowledgeable as some of the people above me, just sharing some of my thoughts

I'll try and ask around about potential homes as well, i live next to you, kind of, in KY.

 

I think you should private message whomever you feel comfortable with. This thread is going nowhere. Sniping back and forth is not a productive or helpful discussion.PM me if you'd like to update when you've figured it out.