Kavik

When I worked in a dog daycare we regularly had dogs that mouthed people. Adults not just pups. Lots of Labs asd Lab x Poodles and Spaniel x Poodles.

Didn't Belgians do tending as well? I need to go and look it up I know there are different herding tests and titles to reflect the different styles.

I got working line dogs because: I prefer the structure and appearance of working line dogs and feel it is more suited to dogsports I prefer the temperament of working line dogs Agree with Agility Dogs - Drive, Biddability, Structure - I prefer those of the working line dogs.

I'm pretty sure that assualting/purposely injuring/threatening a police dog has the same consequences as if it was a police officer.

I think ish's dog looks Ok :rolleyes: I'll admit that I have seen some WL dogs (and seen photos) that have short legs and heavy bodies and don't look balanced. But I have also seen some lovely dogs such as this one I quite like http://www.k9workinglines.com/main/dog_detail.php?did=22 http://www.k9workinglines.com/main/dog_detail.php?did=711 Actually most of the dogs on that site look OK to me. Hard to always tell with working line dogs though as they don't necessarily stand them in such a way that you get a good view of their structure. Same with the Kelpies, some working Kelpie sites don't have pictures which show the dog to its advantage.

I dissagree with this statment. They are talked about A LOT. Id say second to pitbulls. Especailly show v's working lines debates, or about their structure, and often about hips and other hereditary stuff. I have found in the pet market many people who purchase a GSD for a pet expect a typical Golden Retriever type personality and disposition and are quite distressed when their dog doesn't act as a social butterfly and love everyone. When these people often ask around and question why their GSD is aloof and unfriendly to strangers for example, they are often misled that the behaviour is unheard of in a pet quality or showline GSD which is untrue. What I am saying is, aloofness, unfriendliness and aggressive traits are often watered down to give a softer impression of the GSD temperament. Interesting as most of the working line GSD that I know personally are not aloof or unfriendly towards people when they are not working One of the reasons I got my boy was because the breeders dogs (many of whom work actively in the security industry) were social with both dogs and people. Quite smoochy actually. Temeprament was VERY important to me as my older Kelpie X is a bit nervous, skittish and is aggressive towards other dogs. Didn't need to go through that again! These dogs could be handled by many people including the owner's children, and by me (whom they saw once a week at training when I instructed obedience with them). OK so my boy has some health issues (which none of the breeders other dogs do, so probably just bad luck) and maybe not the best competition prospect but he is a lovely sweet smoochy boy. He got to meet a new GSD girlfriend yesterday on our walk too Though he has the attention span of a gnat at times, I was glad that our biggest issue with stand for exam in obedience was that he would try to lean on the examiner to get pats

To be fair on those suggesting stringing the dog up, maybe they really don't realise that not everybody has the temperament and experience to do this safely. If it is part and parcel of how they train dogs and how they generally treat aggression problems, they may not realise that other people do not do so and may not feel comfortable challenging their dog in this way (and how dangerous it can be).

This also might have worked, without suggesting that the dog necessarily has the drives/nerves/stability/ideal temp for police work GSD being a working breed have been bred to do many tasks for people, and as such may have some drives and instincts that if not properly channeled can cause problems, such as prey drive and protective instincts. They are an active and intelligent breed, and need an outlet for mental and physical activities. As such, it would be beneficial to seek help from someone who has experience with aggression within working breeds such as GSDs as they will have a greater understanding of the breed's characteristics.

And there's a very good chance he'd not have made the grade. I live next door to the head of a police dog team and I know how many dogs they look at before they find one that will suit. Lots of GSD's lack the nerve and drive and soundness to work for a living. This is not news to anyone I thought. I made that comment to highlight that the dog is a working breed and "may" have working traits which many do. Often people believe because a working breed is purchased for a pet, that working traits will be non existant which is not true and often leads IMHO to incorrect training techniques. I have seen many pet trainers refuse to leash correct a GSD because they had a Golden Retriever shut down from a correction using the basis that the GSD being a pet shouldn't need a leash correction, or because it is a pet, it will shut down as a result. It would have been clearer if you had written this instead ;)

The people who I know personally who would string up a dog for aggressive responses are: 1) security guards 2) prepared to be bitten 3) prepared to take the fight to the dog and go as far as necessary to win if the dog comes up leash at them Not a lot of people (including me!) are willing to do those things

From what I can see in poodlefan's post she did it as an emergency measure to prevent the GSD from attacking and injuring her OWN dogs, when the owner of the GSD could not. She is not suggeting it be done as a first port of call on someone's own pet or on a regular basis. She also stated that when given back to the owner, once the lead was released, the dog bit its owner . . . not really what you want.

SpecTraining How can you possibly know that RockDog's dog would be a suitable police dog candidate without having met the dog? :D Nowhere in the thread does it mention anything about the breeder of the dog, the selection process of picking the puppy, or anything like that. Not all GSD have the temperament to do police dog work, even those bred specifially for that type of work, many get washed out by police dog programs. Just because the dog has started to show some aggression issues it does not mean that the dog has the temperament to do police work.

That was so cool!

In agility you usually find out if it has been cancelled due to rain. I had an occasion where I have turned up, we have set up and then it started to rain We still trained that time. Have also come when very few other people have showed up. In obedience I remember coming one time, and there was a storm while we were there We trained stays under some cover

Mine has skin problems (allergies). Haven't had his hips x-rayed but he seems to be holding up well - runs around no problems, turns 7 at the end of the year. Broke his leg as a puppy doing zoomies in the yard (tad accident prone this one ) but very sweet temperament, easy to handle, great with people, dogs and at the vet. Working line but not registered.

Yeah I meant the coupler. Sorry didn't realise it would just take you to homepage

I'm pretty sure he couldn't get out of the GL. But if I were to use a back-up collar, couldn't I thread the lead through the D ring on his (sturdy) flat collar? That way If the GL came off or broke, I don't think the whole bunched-up GL would easily get through the D ring. It doesn't sit nicely that way and doesn't look very comfortable or as safe I think as the flat collar is not designed to come all the way to the dog's muzzle which is where the lead will attach to the gentle leader. ETA: I think this looks like a better option if you don't want to use a check chain as back up (one end attach to gentle leader, one end to collar, lead attach to gentle leader. http://www.blackdog.net.au/index.php Personally I like check chains as back up because the dog can't get out of it and if you get a good quality one it won't break, so they are a good safety backup.

Not going to comment on the muzzle as I don't know. But the lead - is it stretchy? I personally don't like stretchy leads as I feel they give me less control as you are less certain what your actual potential reach is. ETA: and if you think it at ALL possible that he might be able to get out of the gentle leader, I would also have a back up collar attached. My preference for a back up collar is a check chain that is a little bit bigger than 'ideal' size so you can attach lead to both. Otherwise, I think you can get those attachments that allow you to attach lead to both gentle leader and flat collar.

If you choose a spot on treatment make sure it is safe for cats. Some treatments, like Advantix, are NOT safe for use on cats.

Obviously the best thing would be for you to get some help from a trainer. Firstly, (as you have learned) you can't trust other people to listen to you in regards to your dog's personal space. So since your dog reacts when another dog comes into his space, the safe thing to do is not to walk your dog where off leash dogs are likely to come up to him. Putting yourself in the position where other dogs are likely to come up is setting you up for failure. Another thing you can do is work on his focus on you and trust in you. If you can get his focus on you, and he trusts you to take care of the problem (other dog) you may be able to reduce the distance at which he reacts to other dogs. For this I have had success with the book Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog.

And if it is necessary to get proper certification for the dog to be able to access public areas that Michael will want to take the dog, it is not very useful to him to have someone help him to train the dog if he will not be able to use the dog (as the dog won't be allowed to go in).

I hate having to deal with off leash dogs on walks when yours is on lead, it is so stressful I try to avoid the dogs meeting if possible - if an option I walk away, change direction, cross the road. If not possible I try to scare the other dog off and keep my dog on a short lead close to me. I will certainly put the boot in if necessary, or use my lead to swing at the other dog.

This guy uses them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9YOyM2TAk Probably a bad example because he gets bitten quite a lot, probably doesn't have much experience though. Oh well, at least that dog is now safe. I can't imagine that dog would ever bite anyone else after that experience, no sir. Actually, it wasn't clear if he had ever bitten anyone before either. But what reason would he have to bite someone now? People are definitely "alpha" over him and he knows it! to the video! No way would I ever want to do anything that caused my dog to come up leash like that! CM copped a few I'm sure in that video! I am slightly smaller than the OP :D To the OP If I were you I would: 1) Seek professional help (which you are ) 2) Avoid meeting other dogs on walks until you get help with the dog's behaviour (this may include finding a different route with less dogs, crossing the road if another dog comes, changing direction, pulling into a driveway or front yard to get space, walking at a different time of day) 3) Walk the dog on strong, safe equipment that will not break for safety and so you have control (I would use a prong collar and leather or fiber tech lead, certainly given your size and strength issues, but you want to get help on how to use the collar correctly) 4) do focus exercises, first at home in a quiet environment. Getting the dog's focus on you could help you in a lot of circumstances.

Correct SAFE gear is VERY important, especially if the dog is large and acting aggressively and if you intend to apply pressure on the gear via corrections/dog lunging etc. I have seen first hand what can happen if leads/collars break in important circumstances (yep dealing with security dogs in training).

I don't think a halti is suitable on a 3 month old puppy. Surely a flat collar should suffice for such a young dog! I also think you should not allow the pup to annoy the other pups like that. Put him on lead if he continues to go back and annoy the other pups. If he continues to do this he may become a bully or become aggressive towards other dogs - you DO NOT want that, believe me! I think it would be more beneficial to go to an obedience class where they do not routinely have free for all playing. You can also work on focus on you exercises at home, and then transfer those to class and walking situations. Clicker and treats are your friend It is best to start focus exercises somewhere where there are not a lot of distractions to give yourself the best chance of success. This should help with the pulling on lead as well