I have one year old male German Shepherd. Over the last two months he has become very aggressive. 2 weeks ago he bit my son. On consulting the doctor he said getting him sterilized will calm him down, but somehow I'm not satisfied.
Your dog appears to be healthy. How old is the son? Maybe the dog doesn't like children or the noise he makes or being pestered. Maybe the dog is an ALPHA dog trying to enforce dominance over your son. Was your son near the dog while it was eating? That's food aggression and the dog will need to be in a confined area away from others until its done eating. I could go on and on to the possibilities, but the problem is, the dog is being aggressive to your son to the extent of biting. You are seeking a way to eliminate further aggressive/biting patterns and smart to do so. Let me suggest to you that you buy your dog a wire mesh muzzle to wear around children and other pets and yourselves too. If a dog bites once, it will repeat. It's better to be safe than sorry. Your dog needs a lot of time for going on long walks, runs, etc., to get pent up energy released. They are not like a smaller lap dog who tires quickly from playtime. IF you cannot get the dog to stop this behavior, consider donating it to the police for training purposes and will be a service dog.
If you allow the dog to continue this behavior it can only get worse over time. Maybe you dog was smelling a female in heat and this is one reason he turned aggressive towards your son. If you are not planning on breeding the dog to make money I would really consider what the vet said and have him fixed.
If you choose not to neuter this dog you need to have him evaluated by a professional trainer who works with aggressive dogs. A trainer may be able to offer you more options for living with an aggressive dog. You want to get the dog evaluated and have good programs in place to keep him from getting into further trouble. I would have him neutered immediately. Be very careful until you have him evaluated and in a safe environment.
Neutering may help with the aggression. It will also help prevent many canaine cancers. If you are intending to breed the dog and he has a clean bill of health, ask your vet for a reference for a trainer who specializes in the breed and interaction with children.
If your son is old enough to participate in the training, he needs to be involved. All family members need to offer consistent behavior and reactions.
Dogs love to please and unless there is something unusual happening, aggressive behavior can be trained out of a dog with lots of positive reinforcement, work, and consistency.
Post back with an update! Prayers for easy solutions.
I bought a German Shepherd puppy 2 years ago for my daughter's 8th grade graduation present. Just yesterday, Rocky, started to growl at her. I quickly made attempts to correct the dog saying, " no, no growling". I returned him to his crate for time outs. He continues to do it and the last time he showed his teeth. I have had shepherds for years and never seen this happen. If anyone has ideas on how to correct this please let me know. Thank you and have a wonderful day.
Shepherds are very intelligent dogs but there are a lot of misconceptions in these posts.
It's not the breed; it's the owners. Shepherds, Rottis and pit bulls are all fine dogs. They are more easily trained to fight because of their extreme devotion to people. They will do what it takes to please their owner.
The owner has to be a confident leader. The owner controls the dog. The type of collar has nothing to do with it.
However, while you are retraining your dog; be careful. Use a collar and harness with separate leashes if that's what it takes for you to feel comfortable when you start the process. You can't be a calm, assertive confident leader if you're constantly worried about the dog breaking a little plastic collar clip.
Proper grooming with daily brushing, biweekly nail trimming and frequent baths cannot be ignored. It should take a vet trip to find out that your dog has a sore spot. You should find those things a day or two after they happen.
Dogs don't just "snap". There are LOTS of signs before that but most people do not know enough about dog behavior to recognize them.
There is no way to fool a dog. If you aren't confident; they know it and it forces them to become the leader even if they never would have naturally sought to be a pack leader.
The only way to gain confidence is by doing. All the posts where dogs don't listen to their owners, destroy their home, growl or nip at family members ALL tell you that the owner's have inadvertantly forced their dogs to behave as a pack leader because they do not.
Trying to love a dog into a desired behaviour is like trying to spoil a child into good behaviour.
Dogs need TONS and TONS of exercise. At least 1 1/2 hours a day MINIMUM. Bored dogs are destructive dogs. Tired dogs are happy dogs and they sleep. There is no substitute. Get your running shoes on!
To again confidence; you may have to adjust your schedule. Take to dog for a 45 minute brisk walk/jogging session early and late before most people are out but not when it's too isolated beacuse you want to get a little exposure to the things that prompt bad behaviour in your dog. Then you can calmly and assertively move the dog along and gain your confidence.
Pick a few places where dogs are fenced in and start by walking you dog on the opposite side of the street. The second you see the dog start to focus on the other dog or passerby; give a sharp noise and continue as you were going. The second you stop worrying about other dogs and people; the dog behaves as you want.
Gradually, you'll get the dog where you want them to be. Bringing along family members who are fearful of the dog will in turn help them get over their fears and let the dog know that the people are the leaders. Then finally, the dog can relax.
Also, look out for places you can let the dog get a good run while still being fenced in. I've used a fenced in area at a closed school early in the morning for this while rehabbing dogs from problem owners.
Dogs that are too protective with strangers can also be trained. You have to make them keep a respectful distance from the front door while still allowing them to bark when the bell rings. You have to quietly, boldly walk and make them yield and move back. All these things require repetition but they really work. Praise and treats come after the dog has behaved as desired.
Corrections are immediate and usually non-verbal. I say "Hay" if I need to speak at all but everyone has their own little cue. Crating dogs is not the answer. That makes the problem escalate especially if the dog is anxious or nervous.
Dogs must also learn to give up whatever they have to the leader. I use "drop" as a command for that and the dog is immediately rewarded with treats. Never move in to take something from the dog's mouth because pack leaders do not do that - followers try that.
It can take a lot of time to train a drop command because you have to watch the dog until they are about to drop the object of their own accord. You have to command "drop" right before the object falls out of their mouth and then offer praise/treats for the action. It doesn't usually take many repeats for this to be learned but you have to be consistant and willing to wait and watch for the right times to give the command.
Keep the dogs off all furniture. Dogs associate height with position in their pack. They should have their own bed. Use treats to make the bed a positive thing and reward when the dog goes to the bed.
Keep the dog out of the room whenever you are eating. No treats from your food ever! Again, dog pack leaders eat alone and have respect from their followers. When a dog comes in to get food from you, they are showing they have no respect for you.
We all love to cuddle with our dogs but never should they be sleeping on you or resting on you in any way. To a dog, putting their head across your lap means they are claiming ownership of you instead of the other way around. You can and should give affection when they are behaving as you want - calmly and quietly.
One last thing, whenever you see loose roaming dogs; do not panic. Calmly back up, while still facing them, to see what they are doing. If the dogs have fixated on you; run only if you are very close to a safe place like your house door or a car. Otherwise calmy and smoothly, fold your arms over your chest and turn sideways; ignoring the dog. Boring objects are not targets.
Do not make direct eye contact as that is a challenge. Do not yell and scream as that will only incite the dogs to come to you
Always be safe. I bike a lot and keep a pepper spray bottle in one of my bike sacks. I can also use my tire pump as a small weapon if needed.
Most aggression is from fearful dogs. Once the dog is confident and protected; they have no fear and no aggression. For that, they need a confident leader who sets rules and enforces them.
My German Shepherd bitch is now 4 years old. She was the most calm, loving friendly dog to (people and dogs) up until she had pups a year ago. She no longer has the pups and lives with my Staff who is friendly and they do get along.
However my Shepherd is now aggressive to all other dogs! Except when she visits her pups. She screams when we walk her on the lead or on car journeys? And she is aggressive to every other dog at the park. We haven't changed our behaviour or training so why has she changed? Any advice on how to tackle this? As I feel like we have tried everything!
I would consult the vet. There could be a hormonal reason why she is behaving aggressively and the vet could treat it
Any changes in behavior, especially something so extreme, should be checked out by a vet.
If she gets a clean bill of health, you may want to talk to the vet to find a good dog whisperer (trainer) who can give her a brief refresher in good citizenship. We had to do this once when we introduced a new dog to the house and our old gal regressed. It worked with one session. The vet gave us the best person in Pgh and she was amazing. If you live near western PA, I can see if she is still around as this was about 8 years ago.
Wishing you all the best! Prayers for your fur baby!
This does sound hormonal to me. If she hasnt been spayed it may be time to consider that.
Just like women and pregnancy, behaviors can change (hormones). I would recommend going to the vet and getting her examined.
