Agression

[GSD]

One of my german shepherds Zac is extremely protective of me!
Its getting so bad he cant even see a strange dog in the street without trying to warn it off.It wouldnt be so bad if he wasnt so strong.........

 

[RandomWiktor]

Mmm, if you didn't want an overprotective dog, a gshep wasn't the animal to get

They were bred to be protective of the owners; you can't particularly punish him for doing what comes naturally. The best thing you could do is to give him encouragement when he is good around other dogs and people, as well as taking him out (muzzled to prevent nipping) amongst dogs and people to get him used to a variety of strangers in his life. However, he may just always be a protective dog, which is something you will need to find a way to cope with as a german shepherd owner. If the agression becomes too great, he may need to be euthanized, though hopefully not. Good luck on helping his little problem; perhaps you could look into training for him?

 

[Fishy411]

my dog is just about the opposite. He is really friendly towards other dogs , and cars. Once he ran across the street and jumped in the back of my neighbors car.

 

[SailfinGirl]

How long have you had him? Could something have happened to him, such as aggression from another dog when he was small?

If the agression becomes too great, he may need to be euthanized, though hopefully not.

This should only be done if he attacks a person in my opinion.

How and where did you get him from?

 

[GSD]

ive had him since he was about 6weeks old!
He came from a great breeders with show winning dogs and his mam had won best of breed at crufts!He is spoilt rotten and gets cuddles all the time.He gets along with female dogs ok and once he nows you heel love you to death!

 

[SailfinGirl]

He is spoilt rotten and gets cuddles all the time

That might be the problem. He's been so used to getting attention off you, he thinks you belong to him, so he wants to guard you from other dogs.

Do you fuss him when he comes over to you and demands it?

 

[GSD]

Sometimes
But he cries all the time if i leave him in the cncervetory whil im watching tvas he can see me it geta annoying

 

[SailfinGirl]

I think you need to find a good trainer to help you out. I think he needs to learn he can't get attention from you whenever he wants.

 

[Opcn]

How long have you had him? Could something have happened to him, such as aggression from another dog when he was small?

If the agression becomes too great, he may need to be euthanized, though hopefully not.

This should only be done if he attacks a person in my opinion.

How and where did you get him from?

To me that runs along the same lines as "Bob is drinking and driveing, but lets not take away his licence till he kills someone" once a dog attacks someone that person loses something forever, it could be self esteem it could be a hand, it could be there life, but we have no right to take anything from anyone that way.

GSH GS's are very protective dogs, but fortunately there habits can change quickly (unfortunate if they turn on you ) but seeking the help of a qualified dog trainer is important to success.

 

[RandomWiktor]

To me that runs along the same lines as "Bob is drinking and driveing, but lets not take away his licence till he kills someone" once a dog attacks someone that person loses something forever, it could be self esteem it could be a hand, it could be there life, but we have no right to take anything from anyone that way.

I'm glad you found a good analogy for that; I was trying to think of a good way to convey the same message: that it would be better to euthanize when agression is clearly showing itself to be a problem then wait for someone to get maimed or killed. But I couldn't figure out how to say it.

However, you should of course first see a behaviorist or trainer and see if the agression can be solved. I think you said its mostly towards dogs right now, correct?

Also, is this dog nuetered? If it is becoming dog-agressive as it gets older, it is most likely either the result of poor socialization around other dogs, or being kept sexually intact.

 

[GSD]

NO not nutered and only 2 dogs

 

[RandomWiktor]

Could I ask why he's not nuetered? Unless you are a breeder working to improve the breed overall (as in not a BYB or casual breeder), it would be much better for your dog's safety to be neutered. He'll have a much lower chance of perineal hernias, swollen prostate, and will almost definately exhibit less dog-agression, posessiveness, and roaming behavior. It will also completely eliminate the chance of testicular cancer.

Also, if you are planning on breeding him and are seeing these behavioral problems, it might be best to not breed as he could pass them along to his pups. Part of the reason why so many gsheps have nuerotic, posessive, and separation-anxiety behaviors is because breeders focused too much on conformation and not enough on personality.

 

[Opcn]

Not to mention lowering the probablity of him getting another dog knocked up.

I'll bet that when your wrestleing around he gets pretty ... Um ... Excited; Him thinking of you as a a mate isn't good, you cant maintain your alpha dog status over him if he has one too,

 

[RandomWiktor]

Not to mention lowering the probablity of him getting another dog knocked up.

Yea, that too. My vet-techness makes me go for the medical side first. I didn't go for that angle because most people refute it with "but I keep my dog contained," but seeing as we're having some 8 million dogs and cats put down in shelters every year, that's also a very good reason. And, due to their popularity, many of those dogs being put down are shepherd mixes, undoubtedly from people who didn't get 'em snipped.

 

[GSD]

because my vet told me it was a bad idea and wait until hes older!