please help-dog bite????? why - Page 2

thank you for the good advise.Doberdoode i am very sorrry about the 3 posts. i was very upset  and scared when this happened. So i posted 3 times reallybecause of the state  mind i was in when I posted. Please like I asked on the other posts i live in Florida,the Tamabay area so i am looking for a good trainer my area so if anyone knows of one please let me know thank so much

i also live in FLA..................Tampa has a GSD club you can join and there are some great trainers in that area................Good Luck

Like another person asked: are his hips x rayed to see if there are any problems? You should always bring him to the vet if something like this happens, as there could be a problem to him you are not seeing. Rule out any medical problems first.

Now, if there are none, it seems like your dog is dominating and knows you are a "softy". He is no better than a spoiled Chihuahua, and then people wonder why they bite. When you say crate, you mean CRATE! He doesn't rule the house, you do. Your daughter was actually doing the right thing by "forcing" him to go in. She was showing she means business, not by being mean, but by showing him: "Hey you needa go in there now, its bedtime!"

He wasn't used to this type of authority is what I believe is going on. German Shepherds are smart, and if given one finger they will gladly take your whole hand. He pushing bounderies, and doing just what he pleases.

Also to those who said clicker training doesn't work in this type of situation, that is not true. Clicker training is for obedience, and tricks, and when a dog is in a state where it is growling, or barking, you don't reward or praise until it calms down some, the same is with a clicker but you click the exact moment. I don't see how you are saying that is won't work. I have seen aggressive dogs beyond belief and some with much faster results being helped, and in a positive way without shock collars or choke chains or any of that sort. Just contact a good dog behaviorist as well, as they can rule things better than we can here on PD.

Good luck, and hope you get this fixed through positive reinforcement, and do something for your dog so it does not have to be put down.

I agree re the strong possibility that the dog wasn't happy being told what to do by your daughter. I  would however rule out the possibility, although it may be very small, that the aggression is connected with infection or toxicity of some sort. But IMHO  it really does sound like there is some confusion about who is in charge here.  

OK. Lets Look At This

The facts:

1. 15 mo. intact male GSD had been outside playing with another male (assuming also intact) for 1 hour in the backyard.  2.   refuses to enter crate for the night. 
3. Owner does not state mindset of dog at time of  refusal but does say that dog was given treat and allowed to roam house to calm down. 
 4. Then 17 yr old Dau. of owner pushes dog from rear and is bitten on one leg and both arms, breaking the flesh; 
 5.  attack occurred w/o warning growl or bark.


Deducement:

1.  A 15 mo. old intact male allowed to romp and freely play with what can be assumed to be an adult intact GSD Male means that at 15 mos he is beginning to have some testosterone rushes.

2.  These hormonal rushes along with the pattern of going into the crate for the night, while he was probably still wired from playtime caused a baulking at the crate door.  Is it possible the 15 mo old had challenged the older male for pack placement?  Causing a new attitude when he came in?

3. We don't know the dog's attitude or mindset when he baulked at the crate. I agree, If commanded to enter crate then owner should have reinforced th command. Because this allowed the PUP to win another pack challenge?

4. Dau. pushing from rear: I would suspect that this pup was feeling his oats, got away with disobeying owners command thereby momentarily switching places in his mind from owner being Alpha to now the 15 mo old becoming Alpha.  This places the Dau. way down in the pack or even out of the pack.

5. No warning is indicative of the 15 mo old becoming Alpha and the Dau being out of the pack.

Just Some Thoughts
TUFF

When introduced to the daughter at a later time, dog flattens ears and attempts to attack( for use of a better word) again. No warning growl.

Why go at her again without provocation?

 

How is it going with him Michele?  Any headway?

I must have missed the statement mentioned above above by Red Sable.

If this is the dogs behavior I would certainly try to inform myself on pack behavior.  Leerburg.com has some good DVD's on the subject as well as many, many web pages that are free.  This may allow you to handle this yourself without the $100's of professional training.

However, don't hesitate to get a pro if safety is an immediate issue.

I have a 3yr old intact DDR male with very strong drives that had been mishandled.  He was a definite Alpha male.  I brought him to my kennel in a muzzle and it took about two weeks of intensive work before I could handle him (Other than basic care).

That was about 8 weeks ago. He now will run an obstacle course, loves ball play, is OK around other dogs (was god aggressive), can be around my family (was people aggressive).  Learning to track, loves to ride, etc.  AND HE WAS GOING TO BE PUT DOWN.  Hoping to take him to Sch club for eval, think how far he has com in such a shot time.

Don't give up but be cautious.

TUFF