Help! Out Of Control German Shepherd

[Tonymc]

Haven,Haven,Haven have at look at your Posts and answers my Friend.Many are also very similar to Mine and Erny"s so join the Club!!LOL LOL Tony

[Staff'n'Toller]

Haven,Haven,Haven have at look at your Posts and answers my Friend.Many are also very similar to Mine and Erny"s so join the Club!!LOL LOL Tony

Except I think Erny has a spacebar.

[2tollers]

Haven,Haven,Haven have at look at your Posts and answers my Friend.Many are also very similar to Mine and Erny"s so join the Club!!LOL LOL Tony

Except I think Erny has a spacebar.

[Mad About Minx]

Hi Bullygirl,

I am writing to you from Toronto, Canada and I hope the info I'm about to give will help. At no time do I wish to criticize because you clearly love your dog enough to ask for help.

I have owned, loved and helped to breed German Shepherds for 17 years. A GSD is highly intelligent and requires lots of attention as well as positive discipline.

Consistency and patience are key.

A GSD is classified as both a "herding" and "working" dog. They are bored easily and require mental stimulation or they can and will become destructive. Hence the reason that they are chosen for police, protection and Schutzhund training.

From some of the information that you have provided (pulling on a leash, barking and jumping on you etc), your dog seems to be showing signs of DOMINANCE. A GSD is extremely intelligent and it is only natural that it will test you and your limits. The dog will discover immediately whether you have the control in the relationship. A chain of command must be established with your dog. Dogs are pack animals and the "alpha" dog or leader of the pack must be you. Once the dog has discovered that your are the leader, he will do everything to please you and follow your every command.

Unfortunately, locking the the dog up in a room or chaining the dog outside will only reinforce the behaviour that you don't want. Chaining up a GSD can result in aggressive behaviour...something that you want to avoid at all costs. Dogs can tend to become more aggressive and noisy when they feel restricted, such as when chained up.

GSD's are social animals and need to feel your presence. This is not to say that it can't be alone for some of the time.

To help with this, consider CRATE training your pup. I say "pup" because a GSD fully matures by the age of three. Crate training provides the dog with a "safe haven" and is crucial in teaching the dog that there is a time to play and a time for sitting quietly. There is still much hope for you and your dog. (I'll provide you with more info on this subject--it will make a world or difference to you and your dog).

The chewing is a natural behaviour for all puppies in their first six months of develop and as they grow their adult teeth. It is during that time that it is also crucial to teach the pup what is acceptable to chew on and what it not. Please try averting his attention to an acceptable chew toy when he starts to chew on something of value to you and praise him lavishly when he accepts.

The barking is just his way of getting your attention and when you stop what you are doing to correct him, he sees it as a victory--he just got your attention--regardless of how and why.

I know that I'm not able to tell you everything in just one email so I'd like to provide you with the following websites that I believe will help you tremendously...

Please visit www.leerburg.com. Ed Frawley is a GSD breeder in the USA and has dedicated a website to everything you can and want to know about GSD behaviour and training. The website is full of questions and answers, articles, books, DVD's and online training info. It's excellent and I hope you find it helpful. There are pages and pages of articles with detailed information on the subjects that I have touched upon.

You may also wish to visit www.stanelycoren.com. Dr. Coren is a psychologist in British Columbia, Canada. He has a weekly show on television in Canada dedicated to animal training and behaviour that is also breed specific. Dr. Coren understands that all breeds behave in different ways simply because they were all bred for different reasons. He therefore assists in the training required for each breed. Also an excellent source of information!

You made a great choice when you brought home your German Shepherd. With a little bit of help from the websites provided, patience, consistency and a lot of love, your GSD can and will become the most beautiful and well behaved family companion that you have ever owned.

Good luck to you and your GSD....keep us posted on the progress!!

Minx and Sable's mom...

[Heidley]

Heidley - as a VERY new member with 2 posts to your name I'm not sure you should be lecturing DOL'ers on etiquette......and quite frankly the best therapists/counsellors (to use your example) don't blow smoke up the arses of their clientele - they give them well thought out opinions - even if the patients don't want to hear it.

So because I have only posted twice this means I'm not able to offer her any support?? It wasn't a lecture merely pointing out some of my observations is all. There is a difference between telling people like it is and being cruel about it, because in the end your message is likely to be lost. I just hope Bullygirl and her GSD are doing well and hopefully we will get an update soon.