I desperately need some help and don't know what to do anymore. I have a 13 month old German Shepherd bitch and she's very aggressive towards other dogs. She's never had any bad experience with other dogs. However, as soon as she sees another dog she goes wild and furious and gnashes. I cannot hold her (when she's on lead) and I have to hold on to something (tree, gate, fence,....) so that she doesn't pull me over!

I got Molly when she was 8 weeks old. She's a very well bred dog and I got her from an excellent breeder. As I was reading a lot about dogs before I got her I know that she was the "Alpha" dog in that litter. She was already very dominant when she was little and she was also the biggest and strongest of the litter. She was confident, outgoing and playful - all the things that a puppy should have.

When I took her home she was of course upset for the first week or two when she first arrived. When I took her on the park and other dogs came she was already "anti-dog" (when she was about 10 weeks old). She was "hiding" between my legs but when she felt like it she ran towards the other dogs and barked and growled a little. I thought at the time that this was probably normal (is it?).

As she got bigger, about 4-5 months old, she started running towards other dogs and barked at them vigorously and she also started "snapping" at them. Because of this, I decided that she should go to dog classes and we went once a week with her when she was about 6 months old.

The classes involved going round in circles, making her sit, wait, stay,..... However, it proved to be extremely difficult going to these classes as she wasn't able to concentrate on any of the exercises and barked all the time at the other dogs.

I explained to the trainer what Molly was like when she sees other dogs when we go on the park. I said that she was chasing other dogs, barking at them aggressively and snapping. The trainer said that all this was normal in a young dog and that she would stop this behaviour when she gets older.

I, however, didn't think that this was so normal and because I thought that the dog class let me down (the trainer) and it seemed to be an ordeal for Molly going there, I stopped going.

Since then I tried to handle the situation myself and in some ways she has improved in others she hasn't.

Where before she'd snap at other dogs and bark viciously (whether on or off lead) she now just chases them when she's off lead but won't listen if I shout her (so I can't stop her chasing after a dog initially when she's off lead).
When she's on the lead, however, it's unbearable. She's nearly out of control and won't listen to anything or anybody and no type of distraction (food, toy, going different way,...) works.

As for playing tug-of-war, I know that owners should never do this type of power game with their dog, and I never played that with her.

I have tried several methods like taking small bits of food or her favourite toy to distract her but nothing works.

I always found the fact that she doesn't get on with other dogs very disturbing but now there is another big problem.

Now that the summer holidays have started there are children in the street. She's doing exactly the same with them. When she sees children she wants to charge towards them and she barks viciously!!!!

I don't know why she's behaving like this but I'm extremely worried about her behaviour especially her behaviour towards children.

The first thing I did after that was of course buying a muzzle (a baskerville one).

To be honest, I haven't been out with her for a few days as I just don't know what to do with her. She's lovely inside the house but outside.... she's horrible.

Does anyone know dog trainers/ behaviourists in Leeds / West Yorkshire? Or what would you do? Please give as much advise as you can, I would be so grateful for anything!

Is she a lost case? I love her so much though and I don't want to lose her. Please help me. Thanks a lot.

Oh dear, you have a major problem here as you have acknowledged. What a shame your training class let you down so badly. No, it is not normal behaviour for a pup and if you had been informed of this earlier then you could have addressed it before it got this far. I am a little suprised you had her in the park running around at 10 weeks, she would not have had her jabs by then and the aggression now could well have been fear induced rather then anti dog.

You need some experienced help, I hope someone can come forward with a suggestion for your area. If not try http://www.apbc.org.uk/. It would be better if you could get a personal recommendation though. Have you asked your vet to refer you to a behaviourist? You say she was well bred from an excellent breeder have you been back to the breeder for advice?

In the meantime if you haven't already tried it, I would suggest a halti or gentle leader head collar, it will give you more control and the dog less strength. Please do not let her off the lead until you see someone about her, as you say children are around now and it is not worth the risk.

I wish you the best of luck, keep us informed of your progress.

Sandra

Was your dog socialised with children when she was a small puppy?

Hi, another organisation you could try for training help is www.apdt.co.uk. I agree - get a halti or gentle leader asap - you will be able to control her in that, just make absolutely sure it is fitted properly and she cant get out of it- before you take her out wearing it.