Dog Turns On Owner - Page 4

Get out your dollar, Blitzen! My Korbelbach male growled at me one day only four months after I got him and he was just turned 2. Lucky for me he had a pinch collar because he was tough to handle and hard headed as a bat,and I grabbed that choke and almost yanked his head off and platzed him and them put him in a kennel and told him I was putting an ad in the paper the next day , and that money would sure look good back in my bank account. Do u know that night when I let him out and I was resting in my hammock he came over and laid his head on me and looked u[ with big brown eyes as if to say Its okay I wont do that again. And he hasnt not that he almost has several times after that but I guess he knows who is boss. I am careful not to push any buttons because I did not breed or raise him from a pup and that makes a difference .

Uvar - I am unsure where you read the words Zuchtwert value or title in my post. Your quote "...fact that a GSD imported through an importer never comes with a Zuchtwert..." is actually false. Every dog born in Germany comes with a nominal ZW derived from the sum of both parent, which will be adjusted after it has been a-stamped, and if it is a passing a-stamp also published on the SV site. ZW has nothing to do with who a dog is bought from. An importer cannot influence whether a dog has a ZW or what that value is. Nor does the ZW have anything to do with prescreen x-rays. This dog only came with x-rays only, not with a certification and we don't even know if the dog was even bred in Germany, therefore ih it had a ZW. The dog was bought in Belgium. Also, the German 'breeding laws' only state that the sum of both parents ZW should not exceed 200. So you can in fact breed with a dog that has a ZW of 135 if the other has 65. Whether that is a good idea is besides the point. And you can even get a special permission by the SV to breed with dogs that go over. The ZW is a guideline and changes every quarter anyways. After you bred your bitch and the new values are released a few weeks later either parent may have had a change, with surges in the two digits in a single quarter not being unheard of, which can put the litter out of the guidelines - for the time being anyways. Its not a 'law' that is written in stone. On your other remark re the handler aggression, I hope no one takes you seriously on that. A 2 year daily log on a dog? Rather unrealistic and also unnecessary. Dogs are opportunists and will ALWAYS seek out opportunity as opportunity presents itself. Dogs like Dery need the appropriate surrouding and handling experience, that should suffice. And many dogs like Dery often work out fine when placed in such an appropriate environment. *** People are quick to assign fault. When its too late. Few look for potential faults beforehand. But that bit of extra consideration saves a lot of headaches. People are ultimately responsible for a dogs re-actions. A dog acts on its own only on things that are in its own best interest, at least from its perspective. Be it to get a belly rub or to get that steak off the counter or to get to be top dog. The dog sees no fault in the action of a bite. Or the re-action that results in a bite. Very few people can read signs of trouble re their dogs, especially subtle signs. Don't get lost in translation, that can get too volatile. Know and accept your limits, know when to call it quits. If you talk to a guy and he keeps punching you in the face every time you look at him and you cannot figure out why then the sensible thing would be to stop looking at him and walk away. If you accept to fight then you need to accept the possibility of defeat, and not cry about it later...

D.H. sooooo true. Very few people can read signs of trouble re their dogs, especially subtle signs. a very capable, but very could not be bothered male, (to put out the energy). He had been around a neighboor since young, she was very animated with her arms and hands when talking. When one day still being his calm lazy self, It began to run in my mind, he is going to take her. I started to argue with myself in my mind. Just as I made up my mind better to be safe than sorry, and call him off, he started to go. I was very lucky. I could not understand what he was upset about with her, I did some nosing around with her "chatty kathy" daughter. She was taking diet pills, he did not like the animation with the diet pills an me standing next to her. I honestly feel he was frustrated with me, because I did not see it as a threat.

Goes to show you, even when we are reading the signs, We can be ingnorant. The signals can be so subtle, to leave doubt in your mind about what you are seeing, or in my case, thinking, I was crazy. I have come to love that "better to be safe than sorry" saying. Keeps me and my dogs out of trouble.

To D.H. The purpose of the Zuchtwert introduced on 01 January 1999 by the SV.eV. Germany on the GSD is to force breeders into selective breeding for the purpose of improving the GSD breedlines. No GSD owner would ever consider to let his/her dog with a Zuchtwert value 65 being mated to a dog with a value of 135, for the simple reason that in the following quartely up-date this nice 65 Zuchtwert would jump up to near 100, and the litter would be tossed out simply because the pu[p[pies will not pass. And, as we all should know at 100 the dog and the puppies end up in America. You are correct, dogs do come with a Zuchtwert through importers onto our continent, but only the ones Germany can not use for breeding, and only those who will not improve the breed. With regard to the diary on a handler agressive dog, please note that on the first incident of handler aggression, the dog can be corrected - not always nice to look at - but if the handler does not do it or cannot do it, or is afraid to do it, then the second incident makes the handler aggression a habit, and then you have months or a year to iron the habit out. Keepinmg a diary is the only way to record what the human mind seems to bypass when the nice brown eyes look at you innocently when taking a nap on your knee.

I have had GSD's for over a decade, but I will clasify myself as a newbie to the Sport(3+ years) I have had issues with some handler aggression and have squared the problem up quickly.However,I have seen many other dogs,most imported,that are more dog than I think I could ever handle.It is nerve racking to watch one of these dogs stand up and fight.The right handler seems to work through it but it is like pulling teeth watching it. The other side is watching other new people in the sport with super dogs they have been raising from pup.I personnally have been watching one of late that has been getting more aggressive over the last year and the handler has not responded properly.He is a big man(6'5 250)So this is not a case of the dog seeing a physical weakness.It is just the mental weakness and willingness to confront the situation.His problem started as growling has now resulted in a a multiple bite on his track while starting articles.Now he(handler) thinks its time to do something about it. We as a group have been trying for a year to get him to confront the dog and establish his dominace but it seems to be a little late now.I personaly think he needs to let this dog go to a stonger handler.That is where this dog needs to be.Point being.It doesn't have to be an imported adult or a small person or physically challenged(bad knees anyone)person.Dog aggression can show up with many dogs given the right situations.Response seems to be very important.If you don't know how and when or are not able,get help quikly before it is to late for you and your dog to stay together.

My first female was a extreme high drive, hard headed and not handler senstative at all. Was the dam of my current female. Can't remember for sure now about her age but I think it was about one year old. She decided she did not want to kennel up for the night. I put her on leash and she fought me tooth and nail and I had to "drag her" into her kennel. I bet I did this 30 times before she finally gave in and walked into her kennel without fighting. I was exhausted and covered in sweat but I won the battle. She never fought going into her kennel again. Point is you had to be strong willed to handle her type or she would have been the boss...

Uvar, just because a ZW65 dog is bred to a ZW135 dog does not mean that the ZW65 dog will jump up to 100 the following quarter! You obviously do NOT know what you are talking about and your probably well meant advice is not going to help anyone if such advice is of this quality. The pups out of such a breeding will then have a nominal ZW of 100, if the parents ZW does not change. The ZW only changes after a-stamps of offspring and siblings and other close relatives have been submitted and enter the HD database. Otherwise the ZW will NOT change. Lets say you repeat this 65/135 breeding 5 times, no x-rays from any of the pups are every submitted for a-stamp, neither parent is bred to anyone else, they have no siblings that are being bred, then after 5 litters their ZW will still be close to where they started. If 10 pups have a-stamos submitted, all with a1, both parents ZW will go down, and also that of the pups. Etc. Too bothersome to even go into some of these details, please educate yourself a bit more before you put out such comments with such conviction. If you want more info on the ZW in English, email me privately. You probably mean well, but false info is really not helping people who seek the correct information. On your behavioural advice: A habit does NOT form at the second incident. True is that the more success the dog has with a behaviour the harder it will be to correct it later. BUT - just about any behaviour can be corrected to a certain degree at any time in the dogs life. Some behaviour is learned. Rank is not learned, rank is established and dogs know that ranks change. Especially ranks among males fluctuate all the time, different as with females. Most ranking issues can be corrected if rank is re-established between the human-dog relationship. That is the start to changing aggressive behaviour. All very different issues. Regardless, even after 2 years a dog is not beyond help. Regardless, such a dog should only go into proper hands and such will hands have enough experience to draw on that diaries are not needed. Such a dog should never be placed in the hands of a person that would require to keep such a diary.

Stonehaus - this is why we will not sell a dog without personal phone conversations and proper consultation. Many people will then switch to another dog, many people will not be sold a dog period, and nearly all are happy with the result. If needs and goals are not truthfully communicated, or if expecations are unrealistic, then these are the situations where problems will come up later or people will be unhappy. It is not too late with this fellows dog. Yes, a mental problem. Mental and emotional. Many people are afraid that their dog will not love them any more if they get tough with it. His commands are probably a Pretty Please? rather than Do It!. He is probably the typical person that repeats every command x-times til the dog complies. He gets frustrated and a bit frazzled. He starts to show his dog his insecurities. Fear comes next, then he has lost. This fellow first needs to get into the habit of making sure everything is on the up and up at the home front first. The typical owner eats first, then dog. Owner goes through doors, hallways, or any tight spaces first, dog follows behind. Owner walks and sits where he pleases, dog has to get up and out of the way if necessary. No stepping over the dog, house and convenicence privileges are earned, not a taken. If this dog is in the house, no more laying on high places, no more sofa time or on the bed til that has been earned. Next is the one command only and it WILL be executed rule. A full fledged confrontation now will result in a full fledged fight, that he may not be prepared for. In a situation like this he needs to be prepared to finish what he starts. He cannot just try something and if does not work leave it be. He can work on re-establishing himself and seeing just how confrontational and strong the dog has become by some basic obedience work. Example: Work this dog on two leashes and two collars, one being controlled by a club member, whose collar is on choke or is a prong. That second leash can be a 5m or 10m leash but the second handler needs to have enough control to be able to react right away he cannot be on slack in the distance somewhere. The handlers collar is on a dead ring. Do some basic heeling and try to provoke a growl ie by correcting the heeling position, then upon the first sound of a growl put the dog in a Platz immideately. Timing is important. The platz position is a submissive one. So the growl - dog is trying to be dominant - is followed by putting him in his place, a lower ranking one, in the Platz. The Platz command has to be one time and definite. The handler needs to give the command "like he means it!".

cont... If he has problems with that tell him that at the moment he gives the command that he should imagine himself stomping his foot on the ground with all his might to make his point, to imagine making a fist that he punches into his other hand and to imagine that this is IT! with no ifs and buts about it! and in his head he should also say or better yet shout "AND I MEAN IT!!!!!" with all his might - all this at the time he gives the command , but silently in his head. So that he mentally underscores what he verbalizes. One command ONLY. If the dog does not comply, the handler should slide the leash underneath his foot, then pull the dog down into the platz position, no words spoken. Lack of action by dog = reaction by owner. When the dog is down handler steps on the leash to hold the dog in position, no eye contact, then just wait and calm down. Dog stays there til he complies with being in that position, meaning instead of struggling against the leash holding him there he settles into the down. The second handler instructs the handler when that is happening. Upon that follows verbal praise, quick eye contact. Then resume work as if nothing had happend, put the dog in a sit, walk it off in a heel, try again. 30 times if you have to - the same session. Put the dog away the first time he executes the exercise properly. If you no longer get a growl second time around, start work on the correct execution of the Platz instead, and put the dog away once that is done to satisfaction. Repeat every day over the next few days. He may comply for a while then tire of this repetitive stuff and may react again in a few days. Try different things to provoke the growl to set up the situation. Since he has bitten before the dog will most likely bite the foot or leg - I would do this in a muzzle, at the very least the first times so that the corrections are only for not platzing and not for fighting and biting. You need to pick your battles. This one is to make your point that the dog has to go into that submissive position the moment he seeks a confrontation. He also has to realize at the same moment that biting is not getting him anywhere, so a muzzle means biting creates absolutely no reaction. And do not give him the chance to actually seek a confrontation any other way that could open another door to problems. If the dog gets out of hand for some reason, you have two leashes you can suspend him between to stay safe, and then still resume work to finish the exercise after the freak moment is over. The trick is to stay calm during the whole experience, regarldess what happens. The top dog is the confident one. Confidence is not by screaming and shouting and huffing and puffing (do that in your head only). Confidence is expressed in being secure about what you are doing and how you are doing it. Take things slowly. After every down wait til the dog and owner are in a mental position to continue. If either is frazzled, stressed, confrontatinal then the dog is not learning. So maybe you need to wait in the down for a few minutes before you can contiunue. This exercise will give the handler a bit of an idea where he is at. The dog may settle into his position very quickly due to this exercise because finally someone is setting boundries he can understand and respect. He may continue to challenge or get worse, then you have a bigger problem on hand that cannot be corrected with a few online tips. That needs individualized and personal one-on-one attention.