At the end of my tether with my dog- open to any advice! HELP!

[Cancara]

My German Shepherd is now 1 yr and 4 months old. She was bought from a reputable well known breeder who supplied me with my other dog- a superstar of impeccable good temperament and laid back nature- a few years before as a retired show dog three years old. That’s why I went back. I got all the books and determined we’d do puppy rearing right. She went all over the place before she was fully vaccinated in my arms to see the world, and then to puppy class and training class as a youngster and excelled. She is highly intelligent and literally picks things up within 4 repetitions. She also teaches herself less desirable things like when to go in the bin for treats (after the family meal is made), how to open doors to let herself out and how to get into the kitchen cupboards. :eek: I thought we were doing everything right though and was feeling positive.

She has always had a streak of slight wariness- was watchful as a pup and at puppy class liked to play with one or two others but would keep out of the way of the big group free for all. Then as she got older, at class she started to bark at others constantly. I tried ignoring it and then began to take her away from the situation with minimal reaction from myself as advised by my trainer. This reaction has continued and developed, and now on the lead she most often lunges, snarls and barks at other dogs looking like something out of a horror story. It’s embarrassing, but again, I try not to react and just take her away.

She’s an extremely active dog and takes all the exercise you can give her and more. Unfortunately the other family members will no longer take her out as she has attacked three other dogs- puppies or nervous dogs. Fortunately there has never been damage done (or she’d be muzzled) as she pushes and growls more than show much interest in biting, but of course it’s frightening for everyone involved and very upsetting. I try to exercise her very early in the morning and in isolated place at night to avoid meeting others, but having been advised that exercise is important for her, I do still let her off lead. If she has something to focus on, like her ball, she tends to ignore other dogs altogether.

This is the problem I have, there is just no rhyme or reason to how she responds to other dogs. She wandered off and up to one the other day when I was asking a family member to keep an eye on her so I could dispose of a poop bag, and I was horrifed when I saw her doing that and that my sister was just letting it happen- but with a polite face and bum sniff, the two parted fine. She has been run at by another dog who didn’t seem that friendly and watched it closely, but neither moved nor reacted. Then today some poor dog got a mouthful of abuse from her just for walking past. These are dogs of all shapes and sizes and it just baffles me. At first I thought worried owners were setting her off but the owner today was friendly when he saw her, until she began screaming at his poor innocent beagle :no:.

I’ve had a behaviourist out who observed she was a very demanding dog and needed to be put in her place by not always responding to her attention seeking, which we do. Her behaviour in the house is better because of it but outside it’s still an utter nightmre. Her commands are good (sit down stay come here leave give stand speak roll over wait etc), but although she knows them well and is foot perfect in the house or if you’re holding something nice and she’s already fixated on that when on a walk, she doesn’t respond outside once she fixates on anything else. You can literally shout her name and wave the chicken near her nose- if she has seen and fixated on another dog, you have nothing, no hope, and it’s a matter of grab the lead or collar and get her out of there because she’s about to start the barking/snarling. Indoors, though excitable, you can do a lot with her, even take food right out from under her nose with no reaction at all.

I did ask about muzzling her in public but the behaviourist has advised that she would be more stressed and even more badly behaved if she felt she could not defend herself. As I say if any harm of any kind had come from her ‘attacks’ she’d be muzzled regardless, but she’s never even removed a mouthful of hair from another dog- it’s a highly vocal and scary performance but it’s mostly barging, not teeth.

I’m really stuck. She’s been checked by a vet and is in excellent health. I feel the exercise is a problem- 1 hour a day, even though it’s nearly all free running chasing balls, is not enough and is an hour less than my other dog, who is 8 gets from other people alongside me- but as I say no one else will take her out, unlike the other dog, and I work full time as well as caring for horses. I’ve considered dog walkers but from searching the web most don’t seem to welcome large aggressive looking dogs which pull like trains (haltis,harnesses don’t work and I’m looking at a prong collar but those are really frowned on here in the UK) :(. I want to start her in agility which I think she would enjoy and would give her that mental focus, but from reading websites in the area no one would take her as she is so horrendous around other dogs- totally class disruptive on-lead and unpredictable off it! I had ambitions of doing competitive obedience with her but as in many situations she just obeys when she feels like it that’s never going to happen either- I can’t figure out how people get this immaculate response from their dogs- mine acts like she has ADHD! I used to take her running with me at least four times weekly, which I think helped, but now I’ve injured my back and can’t run, and her excitable behaviour is worse than ever.

Most frustrating of all I bought her to show and although I have only got her to two shows she has performed incredibly. Best in show first contest. Judges have said she is amazing dog. Last show she spent most of her time barking at the competition but the judge still placed her first, although his comment was it was either place her first or disqualify her for her bad behaviour! This is why she has not been spayed. My faint hope is that we can get her back and settled and get her in the show ring more. That’s getting fainter all the time.

I’ve tried a calming supplement in her food and calming tablets-I’m not seeing any difference and she’s been on this for a month now.

Any chance she will settle as she gets a bit older? What can I do with her? Got the behavourist back in a couple of weeks but really feeling quite desperate at the moment.

[alto]

First - have you contacted her breeder?

Second - your dog needs a very experienced handler, you might be able to become that person but without the support of your family, it will be very difficult for your dog who is likely to get worse as she matures rather than easier. Right now she is just beginnning to mature into her adult self, an adult that is an opinionated dog over whom her people have no control.
Do some research on “Nothing In Life Is Free” - everyone who interacts with this dog needs to be comfortable with that style of dog ownership. If you’re the only one in the family willing to do this, then she needs to be kenneled when you’re not there.

I would muzzle her - it will not control her behavior but it will prevent her from injuring other dogs or a person who reaches in to stop the inevitable fight (independence & aggression are breed characteristic for GSD’s). With proper introduction, your dog will accept a muzzle just as eagerly as her leash & it should not make her any more defensive/offensive than she is already.

Then as she got older, at class she started to bark at others constantly. I tried ignoring it and then began to take her away from the situation with minimal reaction from myself as advised by my trainer.

I would guess that this trainer is not GSD experienced.
At this time you needed to teach her that other dogs = good things in life.

Have you looked for any breed clubs in your area, or trainers that work predominantly with GSD’s? Your breeder should be able to recommend some trainers. I’m not in the UK so not very useful, but you want a trainer that works with agressive or fear agressive dogs (I can’t tell from your description if your dog’s behavior is fear based BUT it is certainly far more common than true agression).

Her commands are good (sit down stay come here leave give stand speak roll over wait etc), but although she knows them well and is foot perfect in the house or if you’re holding something nice and she’s already fixated on that when on a walk, she doesn’t respond outside once she fixates on anything else.

This dog is setting the rules of interaction not the humans.
“Fixing” her will be a lifelong committment - she is not suddenly going to morph into a “soft” dog.

I do still let her off lead

This is not safe for other dogs & people - you need to have 100% recall on this dog, before you allow her off lead in public, at the moment this dog has zero recall ie she comes when she feels like it.

This is the problem I have, there is just no rhyme or reason to how she responds to other dogs

This is very unlikely - instead read Turid Rugaas on canine body language & learn calming signals etc.

I want to start her in agility which I think she would enjoy and would give her that mental focus, but from reading websites in the area no one would take her as she is so horrendous around other dogs- totally class disruptive on-lead and unpredictable off it!

She needs special classes designed for reactive dogs - talk to breeders, vets, rescues to find who in your area might be doing this.

I’ve had a behaviourist out who observed she was a very demanding dog and needed to be put in her place by not always responding to her attention seeking, which we do

I hope the behaviorist had alot more to offer than this! again look for someone that is very GSD experienced.

[HydroPHILE]

Besides special classes and training for reactive dogs, your dog is telling you two things (solely based on the above post:)

1. “I’ll do what I want when I want to do it.”

2. “I’m bored so just keeping myself busy.”

Before proceeding into specialized classes (such as agility,) she needs to learn that some things are okay, and other things definitely are not okay. I would second the PP in seeking out someone that is very GSD experienced. I would recommend finding a Working Club in your area (Schutzhund, etc.) for trainer/behaviorist recommendations instead of just an all-around “I train dogs” type of person that may have little experience with hard GSDs. I don’t mean “find a Schutzhund trainer to get her started in Schutzhund,” but they should be able to say, “I recommend so-and-so for hard dogs.” Yes, there are working clubs in the UK

After working with an experienced GSD behaviorist/trainer and getting her to nix #1, you can move onto #2 more fully. She sounds like she is a highly intelligent and challenging dog.

Best of luck!

P.S. No more letting her off-lead. You’re asking for trouble.

[Eventer55]

[This dog is setting the rules of interaction not the humans.
“Fixing” her will be a lifelong committment - she is not suddenly going to morph into a “soft” dog.]

This is exactly true. Having had chows and a few Pits all my life, I read your post and thought “she is not a pack leader” Your dog is seeing you as someone who needs to be protected and is doing her job, which is to protect you.

Carrying her around in your arms was the first thing you did, which made her the pack leader and you the weak one. Some people are not cut out to have certain breeds unless they are willing to be much stronger and understand guard type dogs.

I’ll give you one example: My sister rescued a Belgian Malinois (sp?) to make a long story short she bit 3 people, kept the neighbor locked on her own house for and hour, tried to attack everyone who came to my sister’s house etc etc etc. I was one of 2 people who could open the gate, walk in the house and never, I mean never have a problem. She even bit my sister once when she percieved my sister was not behaving correctly.

Shepherds need a strong pack leader, lots of work, boundries and limitations. They are not necessarily lap dogs, but they are highly intelligent and loyal.

It may sound hokey, but you should watch some of the “Dog Whisperer” episodes. I hope this all works out for you.

[dalpal]

Is she out of working lines? My first guess is that her active mind needs more stimulation other than just running and fetch.

She may need a more productive activity such as tracking, etc. I would definitely talk to the breeder.

Is the aggression towards other dogs only on leash? Alot of it has to do with the handler’s energy. She probably didn’t care about the other dog when your sister had her…simply because your sister wasn’t showing anxiety about the interaction. Are you staying calm, cool and collected when she is passing other dogs?

I would recommend a halti or a leashing method that gives you more control than a regular leash.

IMO (not a trainer) taking her away from the dog scene will just make the anxiety worse. She needs to learn how to deal with the presence of other dogs.

And I’m wondering if something happened to her as a puppy during a fear period and left a permanent mark on her psyche.

Do call the breeder…that would be my first step.

[threedogpack]

@Cancara;5687040

My German Shepherd is now 1 yr and 4 months old. She was bought from a reputable well known breeder who supplied me with my other dog- a superstar of impeccable good temperament and laid back nature- a few years before as a retired show dog three years old. That’s why I went back. I got all the books and determined we’d do puppy rearing right.

what books? There are book and then there are good books

She went all over the place before she was fully vaccinated in my arms to see the world, and then to puppy class and training class as a youngster and excelled. She is highly intelligent and literally picks things up within 4 repetitions. She also teaches herself less desirable things like when to go in the bin for treats (after the family meal is made), how to open doors to let herself out and how to get into the kitchen cupboards. :eek: I thought we were doing everything right though and was feeling positive.

She has always had a streak of slight wariness- was watchful as a pup and at puppy class liked to play with one or two others but would keep out of the way of the big group free for all.

this is typical for a GSD I think. I wrote in another post about how many have a low tolerance for large groups of dogs and really dislike paw slapping/body slamming play styles. The keeping out of the way also indicates a dog who has good self preservation skills.

Then as she got older, at class she started to bark at others constantly. I tried ignoring it and then began to take her away from the situation with minimal reaction from myself as advised by my trainer.

do you understand Operant Conditioning? If not, begin to learn about it. Seriously. What you taught her here was bark=I get to leave with Mom. What I think might have been more helpful would have been to stand next to an outside door and make her go out, shut the door on the lead while you are inside. Count to 5 and let her back in. Rinse, lather, repeat. This way it’s not nearly so reinforcing and creates a dog who must think about how to get you to not banish her. Thinking=quiet, quiet=gets to stay with mom.

When you shut her outside with the lead in the door, she cannot leave without you, she is very very briefly contained away from you and you can reset the scenario frequently if necessary.

This reaction has continued and developed, and now on the lead she most often lunges, snarls and barks at other dogs looking like something out of a horror story. It’s embarrassing, but again, I try not to react and just take her away.

and again, barking & lunging = we leave.

She’s an extremely active dog and takes all the exercise you can give her and more. Unfortunately the other family members will no longer take her out as she has attacked three other dogs- puppies or nervous dogs. Fortunately there has never been damage done (or she’d be muzzled) as she pushes and growls more than show much interest in biting, but of course it’s frightening for everyone involved and very upsetting. I try to exercise her very early in the morning and in isolated place at night to avoid meeting others, but having been advised that exercise is important for her, I do still let her off lead.

don’t let her off lead until she earns it. What if…

what if… someone else has a reactive dog and happens to walk it early in the morning to avoid other dogs?

what if…there is a deer that bolts away in front of you?

what if…there is a jogger that materializes out of the fog or bad weather

what if…

If she has something to focus on, like her ball, she tends to ignore other dogs altogether.

This is the problem I have, there is just no rhyme or reason to how she responds to other dogs. She wandered off and up to one the other day when I was asking a family member to keep an eye on her so I could dispose of a poop bag, and I was horrifed when I saw her doing that and that my sister was just letting it happen- but with a polite face and bum sniff, the two parted fine.

at some point, because you are human and she is a dog, you will misread this and there will be a disaster. She will jump another dog (and it won’t matter why) and then you will figure out that she can’t be off lead. Why don’t you just be proactive and short circuit this before it happens by not expecting others to be responsible and you don’t let her off lead.

She has been run at by another dog who didn’t seem that friendly and watched it closely, but neither moved nor reacted. Then today some poor dog got a mouthful of abuse from her just for walking past. These are dogs of all shapes and sizes and it just baffles me. At first I thought worried owners were setting her off but the owner today was friendly when he saw her, until she began screaming at his poor innocent beagle :no:.

see above. You aren’t a dog and she isn’t a human. You don’t know what the other dog said or didn’t say or what the trigger was. She needs to be on lead.

I’ve had a behaviourist out who observed she was a very demanding dog and needed to be put in her place by not always responding to her attention seeking, which we do. Her behaviour in the house is better because of it but outside it’s still an utter nightmre. Her commands are good (sit down stay come here leave give stand speak roll over wait etc), but although she knows them well and is foot perfect in the house or if you’re holding something nice and she’s already fixated on that when on a walk, she doesn’t respond outside once she fixates on anything else.

then carry a ball or treats or whatever she will work for and when other dogs appear, whip that baby out and use it. Make other dogs = Mom whips out my tuggie toy and I get 30 seconds of play. This is an easy fix. Then you can gradually begin to ask something before you whip out the toy or treat. Sit>treat>walk on past the other dog.

You can literally shout her name and wave the chicken near her nose- if she has seen and fixated on another dog, you have nothing, no hope, and it’s a matter of grab the lead or collar and get her out of there because she’s about to start the barking/snarling.

There is a famous story of a big dog, who literally wanted to kill every other dog on the planet. He lived in NYC where you couldn’t go a 1/2 block without coming near other people and/or dogs. Bob Bellamy worked with Buddy and he used food and no corrections to “fix” this dog. He got some behaviors firmly in the house and then took Buddy out on the street. He used a clicker to mark the correct behavior. He got the dog “in the game” or “in the training mode” in the house before they ever went out the front door. Then when they went out, Bob would click the dog as soon as another dog appeared and OFFER the treat. Of course Buddy was too aroused to take it but the key here was to mark the behavior and offer it. He repeated this for the entire walk which might only consist of to the corner and back. Eventually, Buddy (on his 3rd or 4th walk), responded by a split second of a head turn but still did not take the treat. Then a few more times and he snatched the treat and went back to barking/lunging. And finally, Buddy could ignore other dogs. The training took time and patience and management. You can do this also, IF you have the patience to work through the sequence. It won’t be a quick fix and it won’t be easy but …if you really like this dog and you really don’t like this behavior…and you really want to show this dog, you’ll do it.

I’m really stuck. She’s been checked by a vet and is in excellent health. I feel the exercise is a problem- 1 hour a day, even though it’s nearly all free running chasing balls, is not enough and is an hour less than my other dog, who is 8 gets from other people alongside me- but as I say no one else will take her out, unlike the other dog, and I work full time as well as caring for horses.

too much exercise creates a fit dog who needs more which creates an even more fit dog which needs…

what you really need is a trained dog, not a tired dog. A dog who is trained OUTSIDE as well as INSIDE.

I’ve considered dog walkers but from searching the web most don’t seem to welcome large aggressive looking dogs which pull like trains (haltis,harnesses don’t work and I’m looking at a prong collar but those are really frowned on here in the UK)

think about this. If your sister hasn’t a clue and can’t watch the dog effectively…why would you allow a total stranger to walk her? No. Just no.

:(. I want to start her in agility which I think she would enjoy and would give her that mental focus, but from reading websites in the area no one would take her as she is so horrendous around other dogs- totally class disruptive on-lead and unpredictable off it! I had ambitions of doing competitive obedience with her but as in many situations she just obeys when she feels like it that’s never going to happen either- I can’t figure out how people get this immaculate response from their dogs- mine acts like she has ADHD!

begin in the house. She is not allowed out of her crate or out that door until you have solid eye contact and a quiet, focused dog. Start where she CAN do it and gradually work to where she can’t . You, too, can have the immaculate response but you don’t start in high traffic areas. She should get nothing for free…she should be heavily rewarded for correct behavior and it should be win/win or lose/lose.

Win/win should look like this, steps calmly out of crate, sits automatically, gets treat or toy and away you go. Get to the front door, auto sit with eye contact, treat or better toy, out you go.

lose/lose should look like this, rushes out of crate, is returned to crate and you leave w/o her. Or…steps out of crate, does auto sit with firm eye contact, mark, gets treat, go to front door, she loses her auto sit>back to crate you leave without her.

I used to take her running with me at least four times weekly, which I think helped, but now I’ve injured my back and can’t run, and her excitable behavior is worse than ever.

again, this is not about exercise, it’s about mentally being focused.

Most frustrating of all I bought her to show and although I have only got her to two shows she has performed incredibly. Best in show first contest. Judges have said she is amazing dog. Last show she spent most of her time barking at the competition but the judge still placed her first, although his comment was it was either place her first or disqualify her for her bad behaviour! This is why she has not been spayed. My faint hope is that we can get her back and settled and get her in the show ring more. That’s getting fainter all the time.

I’ve tried a calming supplement in her food and calming tablets-I’m not seeing any difference and she’s been on this for a month now.

Any chance she will settle as she gets a bit older? What can I do with her? Got the behavourist back in a couple of weeks but really feeling quite desperate at the moment.

[dalpal]

Most frustrating of all I bought her to show and although I have only got her to two shows she has performed incredibly. Best in show first contest. Judges have said she is amazing dog. Last show she spent most of her time barking at the competition but the judge still placed her first, although his comment was it was either place her first or disqualify her for her bad behaviour! This is why she has not been spayed. My faint hope is that we can get her back and settled and get her in the show ring more. That’s getting fainter all the time.

Ok…I just saw this after 3dog’s response. Judge should not have placed her if she wasn’t well behaved, she should have been dismissed. We have a gorgeous dalmatian that I bought with the same intentions. But you know what, HE didn’t enjoy that type of atmosphere…so we neutered him and now he is a happy pet. A breeding dog/show dog must not only have impeccable conformation and gaits…but also impeccable mind. You don’t want to breed a dog unless they have all the these traits. Remember, if you are a breeder, your job is to better the breed…not breed just because it’s a pretty dog. My suggestion is to find a trainer…hopefully one who has worked shutzund or police dogs (we were fortunate enough to have a former police dog trainer running our puppy class…wonderful resource) and get some serious help.

But as others have said, you have to learn not to be her doormat.

[wendy]

can you get into a Control Unleashed class? or at least read the book/ watch the videos. It’s a fairly new method of curing unfocused reactive dogs that works incredibly well.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=dalpal;5687210]

A breeding dog/show dog must not only have impeccable conformation and gaits…but also impeccable mind. [/QUOTE]

I think this dog has a fine mind. She sounds cutting edge smart, but has learned that lunging and barking gets her what she wants. I really don’t think this dog is either shy or sharp because she hasn’t injured a dog or person yet.

[dalpal]

[QUOTE=threedogpack;5687238]
I think this dog has a fine mind. She sounds cutting edge smart, but has learned that lunging and barking gets her what she wants. I really don’t think this dog is either shy or sharp because she hasn’t injured a dog or person yet.[/QUOTE]

A dog who is showing fearful or aggressive behavior in the show arena should not have placed/should have been dismissed. She may/may not have a fine mind…none of us know. But, until the owner knows for sure/gets a handle on things…she shouldn’t consider breeding her.

[jetsmom]

Keep her on leash. Walking briskly on leash for an hour is more effective than running free for an hr, due to the mental control a leashed walk provides.

Look up leash aggression.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=dalpal;5687250]
A dog who is showing fearful or aggressive behavior in the show arena should not have placed/should have been dismissed. She may/may not have a fine mind…none of us know. But, until the owner knows for sure/gets a handle on things…she shouldn’t consider breeding her.[/QUOTE]

don’t you think this is learned behavior?

was watchful as a pup and at puppy class liked to play with one or two others but would keep out of the way of the big group free for all.

Of course you are correct, I don’t know for sure but she sounds like she figures things out pretty quick and simply applies them across the board as needed to keep other dogs away from her.

[threedogpack]

oh, and I agree, she should not have place, but I also think with the behavior history she should not have been in the ring yet anyway.

[wendy]

a lot of the herding breeds really don’t interact that well with other dogs- they don’t like dogs in their face, they don’t like dogs that don’t behave “properly”, and well, frankly, they’d rather work with their person than spend time with other dogs. As to the leash-reactivity, check out the book “click to calm” which is a proven method for curing it. Or you can try this protocol with an ecollar: http://www.loucastle.com/critter.htm

Spending 15 minutes working through difficult obedience exercises twice a day will satisfy/tire a herding dog much more than endless ball chasing or long brisk walks.

[bort84]

I have no great advice to add, as I do not have near the experience as the people who’ve chimed in.

Just wanted to agree with and highlight these two points:

1. DON’T let this dog off leash. If I were in charge of this dog and let it off leash, in the back of my mind I’d always be thinking, OMG, what if another dog comes along!? That’s not the type of internal monologue you want when working with a dog like this. It does not project any sense of confidence to your dog. Plus, imagine how you’d feel if the worst did happen (it certainly could from the way you’ve described this dog), and you were responsible for killing/severely wounding another dog? Your dog would most likely have to be put down, and you could get sued.

2. Just like those darned arabians that won’t ever get tired (extra work each day just gets them more fit to the point that they require more and more work), some dogs just get more and more fit with added exercise until nothing you can do will tire them out.

Mental exercise is key with these dogs. As someone else said, short training sessions (less than 15 minutes) spread throughout the day will tire her more effectively.

Other good points: I like the idea of finding a good schutzhund trainer to suggest someone to work with you. I would look for someone who is not correction-based. That type of training can backfire with this type of dog, especially if someone is having to teach you how to do it.

Also, read anything and everything you can related to dog behavior. It needs to become second nature to you to read your dog’s and other dogs’ intentions. Once you have the basics down, you can practice seeing this type of behavior by going to a dog park (not with your dog, alone) and watching the interactions intently. We are very good at reading people’s faces and body language, so it just takes some training to shift that talent to dogs.

I’m reading some Patricia McConnell stuff right now that is a good primer for dog/dog dog/human interactions. Calming Signals (also has DVDs) is another popular one or Click to Calm. There is also a lot of stuff out there on reactive dogs because it’s not an uncommon problem. If you click around on Amazon, you can find some behavior books that get very high ratings. Might be worth a look (your local library might have some of it too, so you don’t spend a fortune on books.)

Oh, lastly, I would not agree with the advice to watch Cesar Milan stuff. The main takeaway from his show that would be helpful for you is to stop being a doormat and start projecting confidence to your dog that you will keep her safe and she doesn’t have to be in charge. Your dog is at a point where many of Cesar’s “red zone dog” techniques could send your dog into a scary place (for you and her).

Good luck! Hopefully you can find a great trainer that will help you through these issues.

[Daventry]

Not everyone is cut out to raise a pup. If you cannot assert yourself, are not good at disciplining and cannot be the pack leader at ALL times, raising a pup will become extremely difficult. Those that can do the above end up raising great dogs. Those that don’t…end up being on the Cesar Millan Show! What he teaches is basic common sense and canine behavior.

Ignoring bad behavior is not the solution. It’s NOT what the canine pack leader would do! For example, if you went and put a young colt in with a bunch of older geldings, do you think those geldings would tolerate the young colt coming up to them and trying to kick them? Absolutely not. They would beat the living tar out of him and run him out of the herd until he learned to behave properly. Dogs, or any other animal for that matter, are no different. There is a pack leader and an order that is kept, right on down to the weakest link.

I am in the middle of raising a 3 months old GSD cross pup right now and it’s a 24/7 job. Besides potty training her, I have to teach her to be respectful of the cats, teach her what the routine is, what to chew and what not to chew, not to jump, when to bark and when not to, etc., etc. I do this because I AM the pack leader. If she does something unacceptable, she gets punish. The same as a canine pack leader would actually do to her. She barks when it’s not acceptable, her life suddenly becomes extremely difficult. I’m the pack leader, she looks up to me and I need to set the bar.

If you have time, sit down and watch a bunch of Cesar Millan episodes. They do teach you a lot regarding canine behavior. I know the obedience trainer I use takes in dogs (they live with him) for 4 week, 6 weeks or longer to teach them proper manners, then has the owner come in and learn it and then the dog goes home…just like Cesar Millan does at his rehabilitation center. You would be best to find someone like this in your area, or send the dog back to the breeders and have them put the finishing touches on her.

Dogs are not born bad. Bad behavior comes from learned behavior from humans. Your first dog was super easy because someone already did the pack leader work for you! While I can guarantee you fixing the dog will be super easy under the right handler, you and your family need the most work on how to be the pack leader, be assertive and know when and when not to discipline. :yes:

[mvp]

Please be open to spaying a dog you consider this mentally-tough.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=Daventry;5687771]

If you have time, sit down and watch a bunch of Cesar Millan episodes. They do teach you a lot regarding canine behavior. .

:[/QUOTe]

To the OP, please don’t use CM methods with this dog. They will teach you how to punish your dog, but not much else about what TO teach her or how to teach it to her so that she learns what you want her to.

[Alagirl]

Spay her.
Good looks are only a small part of the package.

get that dang prong collar and learn how to properly use it. Life is too short to deal with a big dog pulling.

Do get in touch with a trainer experienced with large dogs.

(and, do talk to her breeder)

It seems the dog has your number, besides being too smart for her own good.

You can try to start her on some sort of NILIF program. Clicker train her and start agility in you own back yard.
However, do not let her off leash. I am pretty lax about such things, but I’d be livid if your dog jumped mine, all because you were not in control of her.

maybe there is a club dedicated to the breed near by, there are many knowledgable people there to be found with lots of training help

But seriously, snip her. character is so important in in dogs.

[magnolia73]

I petsit a wonderful shepherd who is trained to protect his owner and not friendly to other dogs (or people). When I walk him, he goes on a prong collar with a shock collar, and is walked with a vigilant eye out for people. He is a fun dog, but not to walk. He is an excellent protector. He is walked when others are not around, and I just keep away from anyone who is around. For extra exercise, he chases a laser pointer in his back yard. He has gone after things- the shock collar did its job. I have no problem walking him.

I’m about tired of people with aggressive dogs who do not do anything to prevent it. I walked a dog for a family- the dog would SPAZ out if another dog was within 30 feet. They insisted I use the gentle harness- I was afraid it was going to break as my arm was yanked out. The next walk, i used the prong collar that was hanging there. Dog goes to freak out, hits the prongs and stops. No one at our service will watch this dog anymore. They kept insisting on the gentle harness.

So you should be able to find a dog walker, if you provide them the correct tools and inform them about the dog’s aggression.

And please do not let her off leash around strange dogs. Ever.