Aggressive Shepherd Puppy - Page 2

 I agree with you there SOme one needs to see this dog first hand and not some Petsmart trainer.

Sorry That I am jumpie on the pinch and e collar.  I live where it is surrounded by PETCO and PETSMART! Not every dog needs a pinch or e collar you are right BUT by the time the owners muster up the guts to admit there is a problem  the dog is adult and very set in his way,  treats and clicker very sedom/if ever  work.

But again this owners needs to find a trainer and get back on a training route even if it is just maintaining what he already knows.

EK

No problem... I know about the issues you have seen arround you. And I agree alot of people wait until it is too late....And some are just putting all kinds of devices on and torture the dogs because they don't know any better. 

I really hope that the threadstarter will find a good trainer in the area, that can help the dog and him. Luckly this dog is fairly young and you can hope that the dog can be directed in a good direction. 

To me, the main thing you said in your post  besides saying the dog is aggressive,  which is most important is ,

You  say that you do not trust your own dog right now, but you love him

And it is that thing in which your dog is probably picking up from you

Your thoughts and your handling of the dog tells it that you are not the boss and he is

You are probably a bit nervous and wary of the dog and he will pick this up

You will firstly have to overcome your fear of the dog, you will say you are not, but you have already said it in not so many words, Loving something is not an excuse for them to run you

You will have to be firm in your corrections at all times, firm but fair, the voice is a good firm correction item to use,

Do not speak the words from your throat it must come from your gut, try it you will find it makes a complely different sound, and once your dog picks up on this you will see the change in the dogs reaction to it

Just be confident with the dog and always speak before you do something like putting on its collar. and make it a Pinch collar, a leather collar will not correct your dog at that stage

 Do not never just walk up and put the collar on and that is any dog

Walk always upright stretch up if needs be make yourself bigger it shows conifidence, i am the man  or woman whatever And when you take him out put a muzzle on him to start with, so that when you give him a firm correction he cannot snap at you. He will get the meassage,

And should he retaliate with a verbal sound say 'FOY' in a strong voice every single time he does sometimg you do not want him to

but this should have been sorted out a long time ago, the dog is getting stronger and all these faults have to sorted at a younger age

I hope you understand what i am trying to say

In the meantime try and find an experinced trainer to help you sort him out

Steve

Hi jcomeau1,

First I would have my dogs eyes checked out, if he can't see things very well he will snap at things randomly.

If yhere's nothing wrong in that department, then stop putting him in time outs in his crate, that frustrates the
heck out of them.

I go to Old Colony Obedience Club in Danvers Ma on Monday nights, $ 50 a year family membership or
$ 40.00 a year individual membership, $10.00 a night to train, stay as long as you like.

Also, I train at Cathy's house, on Saturday's & Sunday's she is located in Rowley ma. her fee's vary from
$ 15.00 puppy classes to $ 25.00 per hour, naughty dog classes, (Tessie goes to those!)

Also, there is Fit-nTrim in Rowley, all different kinds of classes all different prices.
You sounded like a person that had one of my dogs, but the person I am talking about has already
had him neutered, I offered to pay for her dogs evaluation & training classes, but she came up with
alot of lame excuses.

I strongly believe that the owner needs to be trained along with the dog, therefore both need to be at class,
so when you are home alone with your dog you will understand what corrections are needed when the dog
misbehaves.

My girl Tessie is dog aggressive and I take her to Cathy's on Sunday's she has a very good trainer, a young man named
Brandon that is also a trainer at Olympia Kennels, he has been a God send for my Tessie, he is like the dog whisperer,
very calm demeaner, the dog listens to him, and he corrects me while I'm training her, like when you are telling your dog
to down, don't crouch down to the dogs level, stand straight up and tell your dog (Also, don't ask your dog).
You can e-mail me if you're anywhere close to the Northshore.

Here's Brandon reinforcing the down with Tessie, the day I didn't bring my camera, was the day he had Tessie lying
closely between his two dogs a male & a female, and ignoring them, unbelievable!

Brandon takes Tessie's leash every one in awhile, and boy does Tessie listen to him!

What is his pedigree and how much do you want for him?

Runfast

Ya beat me to the punch!

The dog is starting to mature and I think Steve is right.  No leadership, just love.  All jokes aside, you should ask yourself whether this is something you want in a dog.  If you are looking for the family pet that can romp in the meadow and prance through the park, perhaps this is not the dog for you.  It's hard to give anyone advice on these issues because we are merely reading your discription.  To you the dog may be a monster.  To someone else, he may be something less.  Get some names of reputable trainers in your area and go to a couple.  see what they think.  I had a male puppy go to a couple that sounded just like your situation.  They loved the dog,but realized they didn't want this type of dog.  I found them another GSD and they are truly happy with the dog.    Just like marraiges, not every relationship is ideal.  Even when we love someone, we realize that we are not compatible and go seperate ways.  

Aww sweetie, buying me gifts already? LMAO

First off, I have a few questions for you JCOMEAU1:

How are you defining aggression?

The reason I ask you this is the same reason I ask people who bring their dogs to class for "aggression". I am looking for that person's definintion of aggression and how it describes the dog's behavior. Not jumping to any conclusions or saying anything bad in any way, honest

Are you sure your dog is not reacting in fear/being intimidated?

Before I get any slams or nasty e-mails, I am not pointing fingers or saying anything negative. I ask this because I have seen dogs who act aggressively when they are afraid. I call it the "If I'm mean looking, they won't see how scared I am" syndrome. The bully who is afraid but acts the bully so no one can see how afraid he/she really is. I've seen this fear response many times and it has often been mislabeled aggression. You have also moved to a new environment which could cause issues with the dog's feelings of security. 18 months is a difficult age as well, hormones and behavior changes from puppy to adult.

Most of my trainer friends an my dog behaviorist friends handle correcting true aggression differently than correcting fear aggression (or should I say working with the handler/dog to overcome). Watch your dog's body language. Are you able to see the corners of the mouth? Are the corners pushed forward or pulled back? Forward = aggression, pulled back = fear/apprehension. How are the ears? Straight up and rigid (aggr.) or pulled back to the head (fear/submission)? How about tail (upright with "scorpion tail" like a scorpion going to sting = aggression, or tucked close to butt = submission/fear)? Is your dog rigid with mouth closed, eyes hard, barely breathing before the bite (aggrss)? These are all signals to how your dog is feeling and may give you some clues. I would find a good dog behavorist to analyze the problem, there are those trainers good at analyzing a dogs issues.

Good luck

I agree that the dog needs to be evaluated by an experienced trainer with GSD's.

Is it true aggression?  Or fear aggresion?   Or just an young dog who needs some rules set and continued training.  All of those are hard for someone on a message board to help out with in an effective manner.