At a loss. - Page 1

Have a fabulous 15 month old Black and Tan German Shepherd Dog at home. However, she almost bit a child and has to be rehomed. I am heartbroken and don't even know where to start. Does anyone have any ideas or can anyone point me in the right direction?

Are you willing to consult a certified Animal Behavior Consultant or a veterinarian certified for Animal Behavior?
It'd be much better than rehoming which is passing the buck to someone else.
I am glad you are taking action before there potentially is a bite.
And just in case: Please do not listen to anyone who tries to give behavioral advice over the internet without having the qualifications and without having assessed the dog in person.

What country are you located in?
Resources in the US:
https://iaabc.org/consultants
http://avsabonline.org/resources/find-consult

Wishing you and your dog the best.

Gsd is not a breed for everyone. Have you contacted the breeder of your dog. That would be a good place to start.

Schafer, where does one obtain certification for 'animal behavior'?

We are in South Carolina/USA. There are no Animal Behavior Consultants near here. However, the trainer we used when she was a puppy has contacts in Ohio and we are waiting to hear back from them. My trainer thinks that no matter what rehabilitation she gets, coming back to our home would not be the best idea as the child she almost bit is there often and is now terrified to come into my home. She could also be put on the waiting list to go to Cesar Milan's facility but it is $6,000.00. She would be a great working dog. She works on the farm with my husband almost daily.

Children can be awkward to. Thit the child do any thing to provoke her behaviour that you know of. Is this the only issue.

Is there any way to seperate the dog when the child is at your home. like a kennel pherhaps? Insuring the child's safety while keeping your beloved dog.

Lacielsc If you use the search function in the two links above and more links in this post you will find certified consultants in SC.

Joanro:
On certifications: https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/certifications/
http://www.ccpdt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=113
Certification is an examination process that is independent of the institutions/organizations where one received one's training/education and was granted a degree. Graduation from a training program is not a certification.

Certification requirements for certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (Animal Behavior Society):
http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/applied-behavior-caab-application.php
http://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/applied-behavior-caab-directory.php
Must hold an advanced degree in Applied Animal Behavior and participate in Continuing Education
Biologists and psychologists with specialty in applied animal behavior

http://avsabonline.org/
Veterinarians who specialize in Animal Behavior
They can medicate for behavioral issues

http://iaabc.org/
A minimum of 300 or 500 (depending on level of cert) of documented consulting hours
Examination in three areas of core competence
Examination of submitted case histories
Continuing education requirements

List of credentials by CCPDT (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers):
http://www.ccpdt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28
For aggression issues, I would only go to a certified behavior consultant, not to a certified trainer.

Lacielsc: To me, Cesar Milan is not an option. No one with any training in behavioral science will recommend him. But I do not wish to get into a discussion about him as these tend to get heated.
Everyone does as they see fit :)

The question is...Was this situation caused by the Dog...the Child...or Something else...Maybe you can explain what happened...

The problem is that you need some experienced people evaluate the Dog to see if that's the problem and if the dog can be helped...I don't like seeing a dog take the brunt if it wasn't their fault or if it was just a situation where the dog was playing and the child didn't know how to take it or if the dog wasn't supervised...

If you just want to re-home the dog then that's one thing but if you really would like to help the situation then you should proceed slowly and get to the problem...

Please explain what happened when the dog and child interacted and the child got hurt...

~Bob~

Veterinarians 'can medicate for behavioral issues'...Great ! Then we can have disfunctional psych-drugged dogs to join the disfunctional humans on psych drugs.

Can you explain the circumstances of the dog biting the child? Unprovoked, provoked, food/toys involved?
PASS on Cesar Milan. Do not waste your money.