Interested in feedback - Page 1

long story short - I was the owner of a working line GSD puppy that turned on my family.   I have an average family, wife and kids are "pet" minded types.  I was the primary source of authority and no abuse occurred.  We weren't perfect in upbrinigng meaning maybe we said no too much, timing of correcting herr was a little off, spoiled the dog, stuff like that.  Also, I had the pup in a 10 week obedience class with a schh trainer.  I guess my question is: was my household environment conducive to this behavior?  I'm asking this because I will be getting a rreplacement pup, still working line, but different bloodlines and I don't want to go thru this again.  Not fair to my family or the dog.  Let me know what you all think.

It's possible. It's also possible the pup was just too much dog for you and your family. Meaning knowledge and experience. It's hard to say without a lot more information. But I'd bet it's a combination of both.

What do you want the pup for? You said your wife and kids are "pet minded" types. If you're trying to raise the pup for schutzhund then your family needs to be on board with it and get with the program. If you just want a pet, then you really need to convey this to the breeder so they can choose a more appropriate pup for you.

BTW,  you were right, it wasn't fair to your family or the dog. You did the right thing. Best of luck with the new pup.

JMHO

I want a family companion that is smart, clear headed, good with kids and naturally protective.

"turned on my family" is not nearly enough information to say what was going on.  Did the dog growl, nip, guard resources, what?  Some infomation needed would be age of dog, age when first started having behavior issues, and detailed descriptions of each incident where aggression occured, including what proceeded and what followed.

all the above - started around 6 months old.  it would be hard to go into all the detail but like I said no abuse took place and we made our share of errors, like late corrections, etc.  Bottom line is the pups social agression was through the roof not good for family companion.  I'm contemplating getting another "working line" pup not sure if they would be a good fit for my family which is of average capability.  We know the basics just not professionals and I don't want to be a full time trainer in the home micromanaging everyone in my family - thier actions or reactions.  There has to be a level of normalcy and comfort for us.

thanks for all the posts.  i need the "some" that are good family companions. I will reiterate this to the breeder.

Did he tear up someone that needed stitches/skin grafts/hospital time/extreme trauma?  How old was the dog?

So you aren't giving any information to go off of.  Hard to go into detail???  All you will say is no abuse occured.

I do not think you should own a working-lines dog, or possibly any dog.  You just admitted your family is not suited for it, and has created an aggression problem in this current dog?  If you DO get another dog, you need to hire a professional trainer from puppyhood.  A SchH trainer is not necessarily a professional trainer, some are weekend hobby, your dog is a household family PET, I repeat a PET, not a competition dog working in drive through a routine on an empty field.

This phrase "naturally protective" concerns me as well.  A dog should be protection trained, not just "naturally protective," how are they to discern a threat from a benign action, and you have no control over it to stop them.  A dog being protective over children is never good.  If they can protect the children, they can correct the children.

Turk,
you do not want a working line dog.

Moons.