i have a 5 year old gsd who is to freindly(if there is such a thing). when we are out walking he loves nothing better then to play with other dogs but he keeps getting attacked it has happened 4 times now all the other owners use the same excuse (my dog does not like other males). i have tried keeping him on the lead but it still happens but the thing is he does not seem to understand that the other dogs dont like him after they attack him he will still try to play with them i dont no what to do i am worried he will get really hurt.

I don't understand how he is still getting attacked even when he's on his lead, unless you are taking him over to other dogs and standing there with him whilst he gets attacked!

I don't think he is neccessarily too friendly, but he doesn't understand doggy signals. A lot of dogs don't like "pushy" dogs. If he is very friendly, bouncing all over them, ignoring their i don't want to play signals then they are going to tell him off, which is usually is a case of " i asked you nicely, you ignored me, so i'm going to have to be aggressive to get you to back off." THis is probably maginified by his size as few dogs will accept a big dog being pushy like that. Your dog needs to understand doggy signals and learn that not every dog wants to play, and he also needs to learn respect as if they have told him off and he still doesn't back off he is asking for trouble. It is important to do something about this now because if he gets told off like this too much he could turn on them. How much socialsation did he get when he was a pup, and what type? Did he just have free for all play with other puppies, and youyng dogs, or did he also spend time with mature dogs who would teach him respect? I would guess that he needs some supervised interaction with stooge dogs who will teach him some canine manners.

the  dog come running over they sniff and every thing seens ok so i walk on then the dog follows us and attacks it has no collar on so the man cant get hold of it

Is he neutered? Sometimes a neutered male may give out the 'wrong' smells.

Do you mean that even when you keep him on a lead, that other dogs come over to him whilst he's on lead and attack him?

I have a large dog (Briard) who loves to play with other dogs. But I have learnt that most dogs are terrified of him (and quite rightly so because of his size) when he goes bounding over for a game. Even if the other dogs like a game, they do not take kindly to another large dog bundling in, it makes them feel threatened, so they respond in the only way they know. In the early days he got nipped a few times so I decided that until I had full recall capability with him he would have to stay on lead around other dogs. Even today I have to introduce him to others gently and then normally they play well.

How about taking him to some basic socialisation/obedience classes. Get him used to being around and learning how to behave with other dogs and do some recall training with him. You should only be letting him off the lead if you are very certain that he will respond to you when called. One day it could save his life.

This way you can minimize his chances of being hurt or involved with a tussle :)

yes he gets attacked while on the lead he is not pushy when he is playing with other dogs there is always one that attacks him. he is excellent at recall but seems to get bullied

There is no such thing as a dog that is too friendly, especially in a GSD.

There is however such a thing a dog that has not been sufficiently socialised to other dogs so that it can display correct body signals to other dogs and read them in others.

There is such a thing as an owner who holds the lead too tight and therefore PREVENTS the dog from displaying correct body language so that it cannot avoid eye contact, has its head too high etc.

There is also such a thing as rude dogs, why are dogs coming up and attacking yours whilst it is on the lead?

And finally there is such a thing as an owner not having sufficient control over their dog.

It is a bit difficult from the info in your post to identify what exactly is going on here......

my dog has been well socialised and lives with 2 other dogs so certianly can read correct body language. he has not been castrated,and i certinaly do not hold my dog to tight on the lead. what i am saying is when he meets other dogs i put him on the lead (bfore he sees then) they seem to make friends but after a few mins the other dog will attack the next thing i no my dog is laying on his back screaming,

Because your dog lives with two other dogs, it doesn't necessarily follow that he's adept at reading other dogs body language ;)

My boy also lived with other dogs at the time and he clearly had problems relating to other outsider species of his kind :D It's like people, some are better at relating than others.

If he is well socialised and you have perfect recall then this needs to be dealt with by a trainer. Somebody who can assess your dog in these situations and then advise accordingly. ;) It really is difficult to advise over the internet when nobody can see your dog and the things that may be causing it :)

Just a thought, but have you noticed him staring at the dogs who have attacked him at all?  I have this problem with my male dobe when we are at agility; he isn't terribly good at understanding aggression, bless him (despite mundo socialisation all his life), and tends to stare at dogs he wants to play with - usually collies, for some reason - and when they get lairy with him he starts play bowing and trying to play with them.  Maybe your boy is upsetting these other dogs in a similar way, without meaning to?

Is there one particular dog that goes for him, I'm not sure from your post? If it is, the owner  must start keeping that dog under control!

It may be worth you making an appointment with a reputable trainer or preferable behaviourist, to walk with you and see what happens. They may be able to see what is going on with your boy and the other dogs.

It must be upsetting for you - it's best to try to be pro-active and get some help :)

Lindsay
x

well I have a similar situation with my dog, very playful and friendly but not always polite, so I worked hard on recall (nearly there, ask me again in a year!!) and making myself more exciting than other dogs and I think I'm making progress, he wont go over to another dog now unless it is racing around. Its very hard when you know your dog is ok but people look scared, also mine likes to do a barky growly noise when he is enjoying himself which could sound alarming. he is very wary of little dogs now as so many have told him off.

A while ago my un neutered male kept getting attacked by neutered males, and one of the other owners said her dog kept getting grief from other males until he was neutered. I am still undecided on the whole neutering business, and luckily lately the males we have met have been ok.I think with my dog he is very playful and older dogs maybe can't understand this mature dog playing a round like a puppy. That just my opinion though. I have always found it's easier with dogs off lead. We met two goldies a while back ( the neutered dog above )  and a female, and the male on lead  showed quite a lot of aggression to Tyler on lead. We later met up with the same dogs who were having off lead time, and so was Tyler, i shouted Tyler to put him back on lead, and the other couple said it would be best to leave them off lead to sort out there differences. As we had spoken to them in depth earlier on i felt they knew there dogs and knew what they were talking about. So we let Tyler go, the female came running up and they had a run around, then Tyler went to approach the male and he had a grumble but Tyler didn't push it, this happened a few times until Tyler got the message and just stayed out of his way. So like some others have said on lead is sometimes not the best in those situations as the dogs can't display there feelings properly, but sometimes it's the only option.