Could anyone give me any advise or let me know the best way to handle my 13mth GSD male. He is of excellent pedigree, and is a lovely looking dog but he is so much hard work! I got him as a baby shortly after my previous GSD (who was adorable in nature!) died at the age of 9. I greived so much that I had to get one straight away. Right from the start, even though he was adorable looking I knew my new dog was going to be a bit of a prob. He was very shy and nervous at first, then the puppy biting started, but with an aggressive nature. We have tried all the correct methods but this has continued, and at 13mth, this is unacceptable! He doesn't seem to think he's hurting but when he's scolded he does it even more. When you shout at him he tries to bark you down. My husband is losing his patience with him, but I know that losing one's temper with him will only make him worse. We've never had a night out together since we got him, as the kids won't mind him! Also, he barks a lot in the garden, which our previous GSD hardly ever did.
Any advice would be extremely gratefully received.

Shouting at breeds such as GSD's, Rotties, Dobes and other guarding breeds gets them more excited. I know there are some GSD breeders and experts here who would be able to help you more than someone like me.
I know hat in the training books it says that when a pup starts to mouth you, you should let out a loud "OUCH" in order to startle him. This is similar to what the mother does to her pups. Obviously yours is a long way down the road from being a 12 week old pup and plus you have the added dis-advantage of, because of the shouting, the dog doing it with more vigour/aggressively. I know another method included giving a short sharp "NO" command and drawing the dogs attention to a squeaky toy. To be honest I'm really interested in the answer to this aswell!!!!
As to the barking my 16 month old Sophie started doing that about 8 months ago. GSD's, as a breed, tend to bark quite a lot anyway (thats what make them good guard dogs), but then some GSD's bark more than others (they are described as "sharp") It can be to do other with various reasons from marking his teratory, bordom, trying to get attention etc etc Again there are many methods to over come this, some include firing water behind the dogs ears when he barks. Unfortunately thats fine when your standing right next to the dog when he's doing this but Sophie was barking from 11am - 2pm EVERYDAY when we were out!!! In the end we got one of those Aboistop collars which soon fixed the problem. Again I'm interested to know other solutions to this problem.
Whatever happens, Good Luck
Josh_

Banger where are you????

Ferbie go into search and search under posts made by Banger about Max, it will put things in perspective. Semms that Max has setled somewhat with training and maturity, but poor Banger was having similar probs about a year ago!!!

Hi Ferbie
Sorry you are having problems.. a near adult gsd is quite a handful when they're being a pain.Don't know the breeding...is he from working lines ??? sch ???
Think you need to spend some time with your boy, teaching him some manners, keeping his mind occupied..just expecting him to calm down and grow up isn't going to happen.
It's going to be hard work and you must be commited to turning him around.You have to be consistent and never deter from your request if he decides not to do what's been asked.Is there a gsd training school in your area..where are you ???
As Josh says shouting won't make the slightest bit of difference, you need to be calm at all times or you'll make his behaviour worse.I know it's hard when they're driving you to distraction but it's the only way.
Have you contacted the breeder for some help ?? if he was from a reputable breeder they should help you out here !!!
I gather that when you first had him, you absolutely molly coddled him to fill the gap which your other one had left..which is very understandable..?? but sometimes causes problems later down the line :)
There's so many things you need to do to turn this boy around especially at this age when he will trying it on anyway...and it's difficult to explain it all in writing..if you get no joy from the breeder, email me direct and I'll give you my telephone number.

Tracey

A good start would be to instutute a NILIF program. This stands for Nothing In Life Is Free. It is a non confrontational method of getting the relationship turned around so that you are where you belong, in charge.

The dog gets nothing for free. It has to earn any interaction from you. It means you ignore the dog if it demands anything, like petting, going out in the garden etc. You wait until he is not pestering you, then call him over, get him to sit (I prefer down), when he has done what you asked, get up and let him out. If he wants petting and nudges or paws at you, ignore him or leave the room, when he has settled down, call
him to you and give him a few scratches, then send him to lie down.

Here is a link that explains it better http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

Thanks for all your replies.We imported him from Ireland. I'm in Merseyside, uk. I have read all your suggestions and will certainly follow some of them up. I really hope things settle down with him soon, as it's ruining a what could be a wonderful relationship together. I contacted a behaviourist who visits homes, but the cost was £160 for three hours, which I cannot afford. I have pet plan insurance, but am not sure if corrective training etc is covered by this.
Also, when he meets other dogs, (we have him on a lead all the time) he just wants to be freindly and have a good sniff etc, but the other dogs always seem to growl or try to snap at him first! That's why I'm afraid to let him off the lead, in case a fight starts and he gets the blame. Even though he would never start a fight I'm sure.

If your dog is insured, the insurance co will often cover the cost of a vist by a vet referred behaviourist....

Hi Ferbie, Sorry to here you are having problems with your GSD. Do not expect that because you have had one type of natured GSD that the next is the same and is trained the same way. They do come in all characters but it is imperative that the puppy biting stops now especially having children of your own or for next doors children. This is one game that pups do play for survival and dominance within their herarchal home or pack. It is a game you do not play like chase and pull games. The dangers when he is fully grown are too much to contemplate. I would not wish you to witness the carnage I have seen that a dog can inflict on a child and why you must address this issue. It is better you bring this under control now rather than following some incident. Shouting at a dog is your barking with your dog unless you teach your dog to speak and finish on command so it understands the word finish means to stop barking. Guarding is second nature to GSD so barking to protect its home is understandable but under control so when you say finish it stops. There are many questions I would have to ask of you for the dogs history of how and why he acting this way in order to design appropriate retraining for you and your dog that will work. You say your dogs behavour is controling your lives when it is you who should control his. Always your dog is lesser than you and your children and everthing he does and has is a privilage provided by you. The next most important point is that your dog does in fact clearly understands what it is you want it to do otherwise it makes up its own rules. Being or getting angry is no solution so I advise you go outside and Kick a Roger Mugford brick. All the problems you have are curable but I fear you are not going in the right direction and can make matters worse. The fact your children are apprehensive and children are great at reading body language where we as adults learn to stifle this suggests you need to see your Vet for any help they can suggest or reffer you to a behavourist that they recommend. The danger is that if your children are showing apprehension to the dog this will only bolster your dog's feeling of importance if dominiance is the issue here. I cannot emphisise too strongly the need for immediate correction here and have seen the results of failing to act. I can tell you the good news is we do have quick and painless methods using Aboistop anti bark collars to control the barking but this is a lesser issue here. My preference is to use the Master Plus remote collar with reinforcement training as this along with privilage control training will bring you back into control quickly and must be used by all of your family. If you have a good Pet Plan Insurance cover this should cover all your costs other than the first £40.

Hi
What does the master plus remote collar do exactly ??? never heard of it :)

Tracey

HI ferbie

I read from your post that the puppy biting started, but with an aggressive nature, and it might be helpful to know more about this. Many pup owners interpret pup plau and over-excitement as aggressive behaviour (at the time) .... but it may not be at all abnormal :)

Secondly others are right in saying that shouting will just cause extra excitement, or at any rate willnot produce the desired response. Just as if you shout at a child, a spirited one may shout back (OK teenager then! ). Or as has been suggested, he may see you as "barking" with him.

I am sure your dog just needs lots of regular training and maybe also things to do - have you ever considered any of the dog "sports" such as agility, obedience, or working trials? Just a thought :)

These will set a goal for both your family and the dog, and will mean good basic commands to start.

It may be helpful to read "The perfect Puppy" by Gwen Bailey, it will be very suitable for your 13 month boy, and gives great down to earth advice on adolescent behaviour, too.

If you are really fed up get in touch with a reputable behaviourist. They will come to your home, watch how you and family interract with the GSD, and then suggest a programme to modify his behaviour.

Best wishes
Llindsay

Hi Tracy,
You may have heard of the Aboistop made by Dynavet (France) and sell for £80. This is an automatic collar that carries a harmless gas that when the dog barks it releases this gas in front of the dog and startles it. So the dog learns bark = startle and in most cases stops the dogs barking. As it is harmless dogs can become immune to it and once it has barked 25 times in a day it is empty. It also works if the dog attacks bikes or whatever providing the dog barks first.The Master Plus is also manufactured by Dynavet but is fired by a remote control fob much like a car key fob and cost about £160. I like it because I can get the timing just right and used together with reinforcement training using the come command gain a lasting effect.
Recently I had a dog in Spain that would retaliate against two dogs showing agressive barking from behind a fence. We went past and as the dog retaliated the owner said come and she did not so I pressed the fob and the gas appeared and startled the dog. After a moment the dog retailiated again and owner repeted the come command and I pressed the fob once again. This time she came to receive estatic praise from the owner. When we went to try this again the dog did not want to go down the street. With encouragment the dog did so but tail down and apprehensive and did not react to the barking so no need to press the fob again. It is now 10 weeks since I used the Master Plus and the dog can still pass by these dogs with tail up now and not retaliate. Roger Mugford used this on Princess Annes dog for attacking people on bikes. This cannot be used on apprehensive dogs. Roger holds the licence to import these and you can purchase them from him or from some Pet Shops. (If anyone does purchase one make sure it has been adjusted for the heavy battery drain.)

Dear Ferbie,

My GSD is 12 months now, so I can relate to how you must feel!!
We're located in Birkenhead and are currently doing a silver course with our Kyra.
She's a lovely dog, but like yours, very nervous around strangers. If you feel the need
to let your GSD socialise with other dogs, let us know, maybe we can get together!
Kyra is very friendly with other dogs, she'd never go for him because he was being to boisterous :)
I always enjoy seeing other GSD's of Kyra's age, its good to be able to relativate and know your not
the only one ! ;)

Hi....

All I can say really is that all Shepherds are different, but they all have strong 'personalities' and most need quite strong handling.

I'm not saying that you should treat your dog badly, you shouldn't.

The dog must know who is boss, and thats YOU! he/she can never be totally happy if they don't have a 'leader'

GSD's are such a big strong breed, it's best that you do everything you can to socialise your dog.

You probably know, there have been problems with Sheps biting people, but you'll only get this through bad ownership. Shepherds are family dogs, they love their families!

I'm not slagging you off........I'm just saying, this is a fantastic breed....do what you can for it!!

Good luck, and take care

Lisa xx