Bad Temperament - Page 1

Hi! I have a 26 month old male GSD that has a bad temperament. He even barks and jumps to those who are members of the family. He did'nt bite them though and I hope that won't happen. If anyone of you here have any experienced in dealing with this kind of problem please tell me how to correct this. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

It would be hard to give you suggestions with such limited info. Since you claim he has a bad temperament, share other behaviors that concern you. Describe more how he is with other people on walks, in the house. Where do you live, perhaps having a behaviorist/trainer come to your house or meet your dog would be more benefical. There could also be other things going on other than temperament that could be put in check with proper training/direction on your part.

This does not sound so much like "bad" temperament as a lack of training. What experience do you have with raising and training a German Shepherd? The bottom line is that by now if he had had some decent training he should not be jumping and barking at family members except when allowed to do so if he is excited in play. It might be good to find a good trainer to help you. The person should have experience with German Shepherds.

I don't think that it is a training issue as much as a dominance issue. This boy is confused as to what his status is in your family "pack" and so he needs (not wants) to try to become the leader. A high drive dog needs to have a strong leader to follow. I hope that you can provide that because if he doesn't get it I can almost guarentee that he will eventually bite someone, adding to the public perception that GSDs are dangerous dogs.

chinito, you need to not spoil this dog so much and let him know who is the boss, be firm as he will become more protective over you which could leed to biting. You must do more training with him, if nothing helps the dog and he is getting worse then my advice would be to send him to someone for a while who knows what they are doing to put some training into him. Good Luck. LC

Thank you all for your comments I appreciated it. Lara, I think you're right I do spoil my dog in fact he is sleeping in my bedroom and sometimes in my bed. My male GSD is quite aggressive and I'm hoping I can change his attitude especially to my family. I think he is very territorial that he is being aggressive to everyone exept me and the caretaker. I have another 2 GSDs that is well socialized. He is my first GSD and I haven't properly socialized him and I also have 2 small dogs that he grew up with which is very aggressive, so I think he got those attidude from them other than being territorial but he is a bigger dog so that will create more problem.

WOW -- yes limmitted information ?? without being critical -- and not to be atagonistic -- JUMPING and Barking -- bad temperamnet , dominance ?? -- what are you folks discussing ??- hwo can one form a judgement let alone give advice if you cannot see thew dog / the owner / and the context --- gee maybe the dog is jumping because this has been a reinforced greeting /attention behavior -- een puupies will jump to be next to your face , as dogs go face to face and lick to greet each other ... dominance -- why do you folks always categorize behavior -- could be -- but to fast to the call -- this is the problem that i see amoungst trainers !! evbery thing fits inot a set dogma -- never looking at the individual dog / owner / and interaction of both - Chinito -- the advise to work with someone or go to dog classes / a schutzhund club if you will do sport is most appropriate

Hi Chinito Whatever you do please do not let this dog continue to sleep in your room and get onto your bed, it looks to me as though he see's himself as second in command after you and therefore able to lord it over every other member of your household, you need some help with this dog or your problems will get worse. This dog's temperment is not a matter for discussion as it needs to be seen to be assessed, however you are making some mistakes with your handling of him. Please seek out a reputable dog trainer who has experience training GSD's and get some help. regards C

Hi Chinito Whatever you do please do not let this dog continue to sleep in your room and get onto your bed, it looks to me as though he see's himself as second in command after you and therefore able to lord it over every other member of your household, you need some help with this dog or your problems will get worse. This dog's temperment is not a matter for discussion as it needs to be seen to be assessed, however you are making some mistakes with your handling of him. Please seek out a reputable dog trainer who has experience training GSD's and get some help. regards C