Your advice for an agressive dog, please!! - Page 6

dogs such as this one can and have been reformed...............but it takes the  right person to do it.  i could sit here and write a dozen things that loveshep could do with this dog to get him in tow, but it would never work and she would still be cruising toward disaster.  this is the problem i have with well-meaning people attempting to rescue.  very often they are simply not equipped to deal with the baggage that comes along.  this is also the problem i have with idiots like cesar milan, publishing books and videos for ordinary folks who lack the skills to apply the techniques.

loveshep, i commend you for your attempts to salvage this dog, but unlkess you can place him with someone who can control him, it would be better for your family and better for the dog to have him put down.

i wish you luck.   pjp

Okay, just some big problems here. First off, I commend you for being humane enough to attempt to rescue this animal in a very bad condition and spend so much money to rehabilitate him to good health. I also commend you for asking for advice and seeking assistance.

With that being said, you are over your head with this dog and eventually someone will get hurt unless measures are taken.

You've had the dog for 8 months now and he's somewhere 4-5 years old.
I'm gonna assume that the dog maybe wasn't bred very correctly to begin with (as most aren't) and started with some genetic-level temperament flaws. These were then compounded by his upbringing of being tied out, left without human contact-interaction-and relationship, what human contact he did have was always abusive and negative, and then items like water hoses were used to reinforce even further a maybe already nervy or sharp type of dog.

This dog learned that he must be proactive in his aggression to try and prevent abuses coming his way. He at some point, maybe even by accident, learned "If I growl, people leave me alone." Something to that effect. Now when I say things like this, I am not trying to anthropomorphize this animal, I'm more trying to explain to people reading this what the thought processes might be in a way they'll understand. Mother Nature designs these and other animals to remember things that are traumatic for future survival/avoidance and also things that are successful for future survival/avoidance.

For example, this dog may at some point have submitted to this man in an attempt to avoid the abuse. When that didn't work, he found what did....aggression. Many abusive pet owners are bully-like in nature. Stand up to them and you get left alone. Aggression is not just a learned behavior though. There is a genetic propensity for it. Had this dog not had it in him somewhere to begin with, maybe he would have just laid down and got beaten everyday. Maybe it was there from the very beginning and that's why he was out there to begin with. Who knows completely. 

So, going with what is known, the dog at this point is dangerous to people and animals. Two options are to euthanize, or attempt to get this dog to a safe level. Neutering at this age will show little help if any, he's mature. You will need help in changing this to be safer; someone who understands aggression. Go at it intelligently and using your head because aggression toward him won't work in some circumstance. In others, it may be required. Can you identify which and react accordingly?

For example, your dog showing aggression over his food bowl can be avoided by not creating that situation to begin with. Feed the dog and leave the bowl. Set it down and walk away, if he growls, who cares? Blow him off.  When you next feed him with a second bowl, while he is eating go and retrieve the first bowl. His need to be possessive has been removed. Sometimes the best way to handle confrontation is to avoid confrontation! You're not being submissive to the dog, you're being smarter than the dog and acting like a leader. Eventually the dog will start to lose this possessive aggression in this circumstance and should hopefully not find a need to replace it somewhere else.

Be very careful with this dog because I think you are in way over your head. There is a huge risk to personal safety here and a great responsibility in your hands. Not to mention a huge liability. I know you are trying to save the dog, but when it becomes such a risk to children, neighbors, animals, etc, sometimes it just isn't possible. Many of your problems will be masked or controlled and never really removed or made completely safe. This will require you to always be diligent with this dog and always being anticipative....not reactive!

It's hard to give advice correctly here over a computer. Contact me by phone sometime and we'll discuss some other training ideas and options at more length. You have your work cut out for you and some tough decisions to make!

                                                 Nate Harves
                                                 www.sportwaffenk9.com

Just want to say to those people who think putting this dog down is doing justice to thje breed or u going to save hte reputatiopn of this breed.that is just a wishful thinking as long as you have idiots abusing animals in this world or breeding wrong type of dogs this problem will not go away.most of the time this kind of behaviour caused by abuse so i am going to assume this time it is as well.i do not have a problem putting a dog down if that is the only thing left to do.but i do have a problem with the fact that these people who abuse and mistreat these animals get to walk around like nothing wrong was done.in the future if you are afraid of a dog please just do one of two things eaither give him to some one who can fix this dog or put him down because once you are afraid of a dog you will never be able to do anything with that dog except get hurt by him. have a nice one.

Can I put the brakes on and put it in reverse?  I find it hard for everyone to evaluate a dog over the www.  No offense to the OP, but a person that is scared of their own dog may not be too accurate in their descriptions or be able to read their own dog.

Can I ask a few questions?

The dog is 4-5 yrs old and we can all say it is mature, NO?  When she got the dog her whole family could play with the dog and it wasn't a problem.  Am I wrong or did I read it wrong, that the problems started to surface after she had the dog for several months? 

I agree with a few of the people on here.  Take the dog to a reputable trainer and have the dog evaluated in person, not on the web.  Let this person decide the fate of the dog.  It may just be that you are not the right handler/family for this dog.    Owning GSDs your whole life does not always prepare you for everything.    If a reputable person checks him out and feels it is best to put him down, by all means. 

I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Don...and Nate.

If you have the money and time, let someone more qualified help you out.  It's a shame to put down a dog after you've invested time, money and emotion.  I think Nate's ideas (Grimmdog) are fabulous.  And not just because his dog Cain is the father of my pups. :)

here's a dvd a came across today. http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/Brenda-Aloff.htm#AGGRESSION_IN_DOGS

 when i read the description i thought of buddy and you i hope it helps  - best wishes 

Any updates on this situation...?

"Can I put the brakes on and put it in reverse?  I find it hard for everyone to evaluate a dog over the www.  No offense to the OP, but a person that is scared of their own dog may not be too accurate in their descriptions or be able to read their own dog.

Can I ask a few questions?

The dog is 4-5 yrs old and we can all say it is mature, NO?  When she got the dog her whole family could play with the dog and it wasn't a problem.  Am I wrong or did I read it wrong, that the problems started to surface after she had the dog for several months? 

I agree with a few of the people on here.  Take the dog to a reputable trainer and have the dog evaluated in person, not on the web.  Let this person decide the fate of the dog.  It may just be that you are not the right handler/family for this dog.    Owning GSDs your whole life does not always prepare you for everything.    If a reputable person checks him out and feels it is best to put him down, by all means." - Don Corleone

Best advice I've seen on this topic. Too many people on here trying to play dog whisper here.

Brent etc i totally disagree.Hodie you make sense. If Iloveshepherds is still reading this thread..Please contact me.PM.When a dog has been through so much..sometimes it takes quite some time to un do.But it has to be one on one to gain trust again even if their is an essence thatstill exists. During this process it is important that it be one on one in a simple pack manner.Those that are not including of that building of trust..could be harmed.There is an alternative before euthanization(sp). Candace