Thanks for the help... - Page 6

Red Sable...I think he is fear aggressive....I have seen dogs get afraid and hide or run. Unfortunately, Prince gets afraid and attacks....Only me....

Doberdoodle,,,,Yep,,I want to do more than just rip his head off, I want to try and figure him out too...

"Tess.....You might be right, But he never cries over anything else...."

Right, that makes sense.  He's crying over the thing that he does not want you to do.  In this case, don't touch my feet.

Of course a hard correction, especially when a dog isn't used to them, does cause a yelp.  And it's possible to be cruel and make a dog yelp, yes.  However, it is also possible to be firm and loving with a strong, young, hard-headed dog and hel'll yelp, too, but it does need to be done.

Also, doberdoodle's point about if this is fear aggression is a good one.

Ruger1,
Why do you think he is fear aggressive?  Perhaps I missed something?

Jim

"I think he is fear aggressive....I have seen dogs get afraid and hide or run. Unfortunately, Prince gets afraid and attacks..."

It could also be that Prince senses YOU stiffening up every time the two of you approach a stranger - or a stranger approaches him.

This is why, as doberdoodles says, it's not just about cranking the forearms up to 11 on the dial and  laying a strong two-hander on him every time he screws up.  You need to find a trainer who can figure out WHY he screws up, and who then comes up with a plan to teach YOU to control him. 

Ruger, slamdunc is 110% correct.  Your dog should look at you and say, "gee whiz, I didn't know god was a woman."
I think you have gotten good advice here, but I would like to add one more thing.  Do you recognize the signs of aggression in your dog?  There are things you should be looking for and when you see those signs, jerk the s##@t
out of that dog.  You are not strong enough to injure him!  Get it over with and stop nagging him.  If you have him in a sit stay and he is jjust looking around and suddenly looks at someone and closes his mouth, correct him before he has a chance to do harm.  Break that thought process and make him focus on you.  I never take my eyes off of my dog and you must learn to 'read' Prince.  After all, as much as we love them they are still dogs.

Ruger, one more thing I forgot.  After the correction immediately start with his obedience.  Correct him and immediately put him in a heel.  Get his mind on something else.

Dog to dog aggression or dog to human aggression is one thing I will not tolerate from my dogs, no ifs, ands, or buts.  I have never had an issue with Oakley, but our smaller dog, Misty, is a dominant female, and has, on a couple of occasions, decided to start a fight.  Like lightning, she was on Oakley.  Also like lightning, she found herself on the losing end, courtesy of me.  I tend to get very harsh, very fast, because I will not allow bitch fighting, period.  I have two children, and while the dogs and kids do not play unattended, I will not have a bitch fight break out, because someone could get hurt.  So the two times it's been an issue, it's been nipped, hard.  No problems now for months, because it was addressed in the beginning, and not allowed to escalate into a problem.

I haven't had an issue with aggression from any dog I've had toward humans.  The one time I've had a warning from my dog regarding a person, there was a good reason for it, and I paid attention to it.  That was not aggression, however.

At first it seemed like the issue was aggression, now there is mention of fear aggression.  You need to get Prince evaluated by a professional trainer to determine just what you're dealing with, before you can proceed.  Different issues take different approaches to work with, and you've got to find out what your issues are.

Good luck, there are some good trainers here..Jim is one, and there are many others, but there is only so much they can do over the internet. 

Crys

I've had quite a few sharp shepherds that go through a fear stage around 8 months, and become aggressive to strangers.  Many times it is bravado, and they actually are less aggressive off leash or when   free to investigate the person. 

My female was like this, she still is sharp but once free to investigate she warms up quite quickly.  She is much more defensive on leash.  However, after a correction she listens to me.

From what Ruger is saying, IMHO, her dog sounded much the same. 

Jim, you are much more experienced than me, and I'd like to know what you think is going on with this dog?

Red Sable,

Jim, you are much more experienced than me, and I'd like to know what you think is going on with this dog? 

I will have to go through all of the old threads to get a better idea.  I'm not sure it is fear aggression.  Could just be an adolescent left to his own devices and to think for himself.  I think he needs to look to Ruger1 for the correct response and not have the option of deciding for himself.  With that said, I do not think a stranger approaching and petting the dog to be acceptable for all dogs and is certainly not acceptable for this dog. 

I need more info to give a better assessment.

Jim

There is a lot of information in this thread....I am going to spend the rest of the night reading through the posts. It takes me reading through a couple of times for it to sink in...I have received many PM's today and I am very grateful for everyones advice and encouragement. As much bickering as goes on, on this site, every PM has been very similar in content. You have more in common than you think..lol...Not one bit a shi*t stirring either...

                                               Thanks to everyone.....Deanna