# Fearful of Increasingly aggressive GSD



## estesmom (May 8, 2012)

I literally took in my GSD 3 years ago from the streets. He had cigarette burns on his ears, had been beaten, with a fractured hip. Two days after I took him in he attacked (17 stitches) my sister when she was trying to brush him. I then hired a dog trainer for the 1st 8 months and used him until he ran off with my money I advanced him. I have now moved closer to my son and 3 y.o. granddaughter which come over almost daily. Of course the dog does not go around my granddaughter, and therefore goes in the basement with my chow mix. Over the course of the past few months it appears that the dog has become gradually more aggressive even with me. On New Years eve he bit my foot when I was trying to get a bone away from him to get him in the basement so my granddaughter could come in. The dog trainer had told me after the first few sessions that I would be able to take food away from the dog although I am not confident to do so, of course not now. Last weekend the dog bit a neighbor friend, who by the way was in the complete wrong, by bending over and trying to "nuzzle" the dog with his forehead before I could stop him. Over the course of the past few months the dogs has been at times growling at me when I command him off of the bed at night so I can go to sleep. While I don't think that all of these incidents are the dogs fault, I am becoming fearful and untrusting of the dog for myself and always have been fearful for others to be around him. I am completely heartbroken, because I have contemplated putting him to sleep and rehoming him. I am not sure if he will survive rehoming as the trainer told me he was hyper-bonded with me. I don't have the money for another trainer/behaviorist as I have been laid off for two years. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please help! Thank you.


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

Well he definietly needs a legit trainer. It's very hard to work with these problems over the internet. Where do you live (roughly)?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

estesmom said:


> I literally took in my GSD 3 years ago from the streets. He had cigarette burns on his ears, had been beaten, with a fractured hip. Two days after I took him in he attacked (17 stitches) my sister when she was trying to brush him. I then hired a dog trainer for the 1st 8 months and used him until he ran off with my money I advanced him. I have now moved closer to my son and 3 y.o. granddaughter which come over almost daily. Of course the dog does not go around my granddaughter, and therefore goes in the basement with my chow mix. Over the course of the past few months it appears that the dog has become gradually more aggressive even with me. On New Years eve he bit my foot when I was trying to get a bone away from him to get him in the basement so my granddaughter could come in. The dog trainer had told me after the first few sessions that I would be able to take food away from the dog although I am not confident to do so, of course not now. Last weekend the dog bit a neighbor friend, who by the way was in the complete wrong, by bending over and trying to "nuzzle" the dog with his forehead before I could stop him. Over the course of the past few months the dogs has been at times growling at me when I command him off of the bed at night so I can go to sleep. While I don't think that all of these incidents are the dogs fault, I am becoming fearful and untrusting of the dog for myself and always have been fearful for others to be around him. I am completely heartbroken, because I have contemplated putting him to sleep and rehoming him. I am not sure if he will survive rehoming as the trainer told me he was hyper-bonded with me. I don't have the money for another trainer/behaviorist as I have been laid off for two years. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please help! Thank you.


I would not fault a dog, even for a serious bite, when he has a fractured hip and someone is trying to brush him. 

It does sound though that perhaps you have overlooked behavior issues because of the dog's past. His injuries are now healed. Dogs live in the present. Letting him get away with bad behavior doesn't do him any good. However, confronting this dog might be bad for you and the dog. So, somehow you need to gain the confidence you need to provide this dog with a leader he will accept as a leader and that way manage the dog safely. I think it means totally changing your structure, body language, etc. 

I cannot tell you how to do this. This dog needs a good trainer who can work with you, and hands on with the dog. 

I am really sorry that humans abused this dog. But if you cannot manage the dog in a such a way that he is not a danger to your neighbors or family members, you may need to consider putting him down. You would need to find the right person to rehome the dog to and that might be near enough impossible. There are way too many dog in need of experienced owners willing to take on dogs with behavioral issues. 

It's a tough place to be in, but you really cannot wait much longer. The aggressiveness he is showing you is not going to get better on its own, and it can get worse.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Food aggression can be fixed in most cases with a series of steps and exercises. Until then, you should not try to take away the item he growls over. It is better to be preemptive and hide it until the problems is under control. Some dogs just have the resource guarding, I have one foster like that. With some care he is not that difficult to manage and I am working on his training. There is a book Mine! That describes the training protocols. Also you need to practice NILIF and leadership without confrontation. You can try some positive reinforcement methods, such as the clicker. You should keep him away from neighbors and kids until things are under control. There is a lot of great training information available on line.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

estesmom said:


> I literally took in my GSD 3 years ago from the streets. He had cigarette burns on his ears, had been beaten, with a fractured hip. Two days after I took him in he attacked (17 stitches) my sister when she was trying to brush him. I then hired a dog trainer for the 1st 8 months and used him until he ran off with my money I advanced him. I have now moved closer to my son and 3 y.o. granddaughter which come over almost daily. Of course the dog does not go around my granddaughter, and therefore goes in the basement with my chow mix. Over the course of the past few months it appears that the dog has become gradually more aggressive even with me. On New Years eve he bit my foot when I was trying to get a bone away from him to get him in the basement so my granddaughter could come in. The dog trainer had told me after the first few sessions that I would be able to take food away from the dog although I am not confident to do so, of course not now. Last weekend the dog bit a neighbor friend, who by the way was in the complete wrong, by bending over and trying to "nuzzle" the dog with his forehead before I could stop him. Over the course of the past few months the dogs has been at times growling at me when I command him off of the bed at night so I can go to sleep. While I don't think that all of these incidents are the dogs fault, I am becoming fearful and untrusting of the dog for myself and always have been fearful for others to be around him. I am completely heartbroken, because I have contemplated putting him to sleep and rehoming him. I am not sure if he will survive rehoming as the trainer told me he was hyper-bonded with me. I don't have the money for another trainer/behaviorist as I have been laid off for two years. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please help! Thank you.


*You need to get help with your dog right now!*

It doesn't sound from what I got out of your post, that you are capable of training him at the current time.

The biting IS the dog's fault! Now, certainly perhaps some of them MIGHT have had some justification, i.e. serious injury and pain; BUT do not make excuses for his aggression.

If you cannot get any professional help with your dog, you have no other action except to have him PTS - unless you are willing to really manage him VERY tightly (i.e. muzzle as well) and for the rest of his life.

BUT what also seems like it is happening is that he is showing more aggression toward you yourself! AND you sound like you are actually afraid of your dog (Understandably - I am not blaming you for this - sounds very justified for you to be so) - you will not be able to manage him safely (for even yourself!) if you are afraid of him. AND your dog will definetly pick up on your feelings and this could likely increase his reaction!

Maybe someone in a local obedience club or kennel club or ScH training club or Humane Society or GSD rescue group might be able to help you. 

Please look around for some help from someone! Maybe if you can publish a more detailed location someone on here could help locate some help?

Just out of curiosity, did the dog have the broken hip when he bit your daughter?


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## GregK (Sep 4, 2006)

*Correction*



GregK said:


> Well he definietly needs a legit trainer.


Sorry, **definitely*.*


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i think the dogs is picking up on your fears, and i do think you need more confidence. the only way to get it is to find a private qualified professional trainer. you said funds were short, but if you love and want to keep this dog, i don't think you can rehab him by yourself without a professional. i would use a credit card to pay for some private training, and just pay off so much on it. even if you get with a private trainer once or twice a month so they can set up situations and show you how to handle things. this will give you more confidence. and with food aggression there are many ways to deal with that. like hand feeding meals, if he has a bone drop another good piece of food on the floor and when he goes to get it, pick the bone up. i feel bad the poor dog was abused, and going after feet tells me someone also kicked him. you need to use total management on your dog.....tons of Obedience training, focus work, socializing, and getting the dog to trust you is the first step of getting him to trust others. and just because he has been abused you should not let him get away with things. its black and white for these dogs. do not put him in situations you know he's going to react until you have worked on things and can control things. please find a way to get professional help, with alot of work and dedication you can get to a better place. if you do not think you can swing it, its not easy to rehome dogs like this, but there could be a right home if someone was willing to work with him. think long and hard about everything said, and hopefully you will come up with a solution thats best for you and the family. speaking from experience i also have a dog that needs to be managed, he's come a LONG way with the right trainers and my time and dedication. and it is a 24-7 thing.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Mind Games that I'm always posting would help.

Read through and start today - unless you think you might be bitten. If so. Do not give this dog away. Humanely euthanize the dog. 

Mind Games (version 1.0) by M. Shirley Chong


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## estesmom (May 8, 2012)

Thank you all for your responses. I would genuinely love to get legitimate and reasonable help for this dog. I am located in Kansas City, North of the river to those of you that inquired and might be able to locate a trainer. I am very wiling to go the long haul with him. Just anxious of what might happen in the meantime. I really am not sure if he would be able to transition into a new home even if I found someone acceptable, which the criteria will be very strict.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

You can implement Mind Games on your own.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

You can contact area rescues and ask them to recommend a reasonably priced trainer. maybe even some of the volunteers with training experience can help you out. We do give advice to people if they will listen.

One thing my trainer always recommends is hand feeding the dog rather than feeding from the bowl. He gets a piece of kiblle when he comes, sits and behaves. He has to work for his food.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

rehoming this boy should not be an option. i am wishing for a good outcome for you and especially for your boy, and thank you for taking him in in the first place, but please don't even think about passing along this problem.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

I think you can keep this dog if you are willing to do a lot of things different and become a micro-manager. If you are unwilling, no one should fault you; I love my dog a lot but it is so tiring and frustrating to have "one of THOSE dogs." 

Baby gates! Use baby gates religiously to control your dog's access through the house. Gate off basically everything but outside access areas, the kitchen, and the main area such as the living room. If you have a hallway to the bedrooms, gate that off. That's human turf! Pup can be spoiled with a supercomfy bed for the main area and one outside the bedroom area but if he can't handle the rules of the bedroom, he loses his rights. Rules are rules! This also avoids conflict! If there is no conflict over bed access, there is no growling, no threat of being bitten, you're not afraid, the dog doesn't feel he has to fight for what isn't his, it's a win-win. 

Hand feed, as was already mentioned! This dog has just entered boot camp. If he wants to eat, he will have to work with you as a partner. You'll ask him to do basic sits and downs for food and he will have to do these behaviors and take the food NICELY (no snapping like a starved lion) in order to eat. About halfway though, you can have him hold a position a little longer than the other commands and he can earn the rest of his meal eaten out of the bowl but in peace and quiet; no disturbances from you. Meal's done, bowl gets picked up and put where he cannot get to it. You can make it fun by doing clicker training with him. He won't realize he is working for food. 

Bones! Good grief these are problems. I would not give him another bone for a very long time unless it's a raw, edible bone that you can give in his crate and he can eat within a few minutes. No one can take a bone from my dog but me, and even I am very careful. Why? Because you just do not mess with a dog's bone. That's an unwritten law. This is something that should be saved for emergencies. If Renji has a bone, I will mostly leave him alone, but I will sometimes walk up to him and give him a super duper amazing holy moly treat. After I give it to him, I walk away and leave him alone. I don't look at him, I don't talk to him, I don't hesitate, I just want him to know that me coming near does NOT mean I am taking the bone, it actually means he is getting really cool things and still gets to keep the bone. Because of this, I am able to take if necessary. If I do take the bone, I make darn sure I pay Renji back immediately with something outstanding, just to be fair. So for your dog, if you want to give him a bone, make it a raw turkey neck or raw pork neck, feed it in his crate in a place where no one will go near him, and let him eat it until it's gone (probably less than five minutes). Then you release him from the crate. Again, no conflicts, no mess.

Outside! Oh boy I sure hate this part. This is our problem part. NO ONE gets to come up to you and your dog. No. One. No one needs to come to him to pet him or meet him. If people begin to approach, stop them politely but firmly and let them know your dog is a rescue and is in training, tell them that being near without approaching is helping your dog a lot, treat Pup profusely, then thank the person and move on your way. Be VIGILANT. Keep your head up and look around because some people obviously love to risk getting bit....  What really works for us is I will have Renji in a sit near the person, I will tell him to "go sniff" the person, let him sniff for one whole second, then I will praise and move him away while treating the heck out of him. The person doesn't touch Renji but Renji is learning that people are inocuous, they all smell like "people," and he will get lots of treats, so people are generally okay. After that, Renji pretty much doesn't care and will accept petting. Oh, and it sounds like you know this very well but since people are dog-ignorant, if the dog wants to be petted, instruct the person to pet on the side of the neck and NEVER the head. Make up something silly if you have to, like "oh he has a medical issue around his ears but if you can pet him on the neck, he would just love that." But that's only for people close to you and your dog; general public and causal acquaintances don't need to pet your dog any more than they need to be stroking your own hair.

Teamwork! Once you find a trainer who can work with your dog, see if they will do private fun classes like agility. This is SUPER fun, a great team-building activity, your dog will learn control and obedience and you will become more confident with each other. You may find you can join a group class. Renji and I can do group classes only because my trainer knows I have my thumb on him at all times and I can control his stupids. I cannot convey enough how much that has helped us!

I'm going to state the obvious and make sure your dog gets a TON of mental and physical exercise. Whatever he is getting now, double it. Exercise does wonders for state of mind and he will be more relaxed when his needs are sufficiently met. There is a huge difference in how my dog reacts to strangers depending on whether he has had a little exercise or I ran him hard before people came over. It's like I end up with a brand new dog.

Good luck! This is a LOT of work and management and you have to understand you are owning a liability. I do think the dog can be helped and you will learn a library's worth of dog behavior (and human behavior) in the process but you must be comfortable and willing. Please don't feel like you have failed, either.


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

no don't feel like you have failed, Diane is right, you just have a special needs dog, that you need to manage, and train well. and if you go through this process, you very very surely will learn a libraries worth of special dog training. most people who have responsibly put time in with these types of dogs, end up knowing more than a normal dog trainer, just out of neccessity in order to keep the dog in as much of a balanced world as possible. i hope you can find it in your budget to help this dog with a professional. i also believe he can be helped. but, its ALOT of time and work..........


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

Friends of KC Animals

This link has a ton of resources listed. I would check with the GSD Rescue Group and also the abuse organizations, explain your situation, how you found your dog, the condition he was in and what he is doing now. Ask for recommendations and help.

Look at the Mind Games link that was posted. Another to look at is NILIF.

First step though is have a prayer meeting with yourself. Decide if you are really up to this challenge, and it is a challenge. Are you able to leave your fear at the door? Your dog is picking up on it and if like mine, will take full advantage of it. This will be a case of micro-management, controlling every move your dog makes and his surroundings. This dog has already bitten and threatening to bite with the growling, it would be completely understandable if after soul searching you decide you aren't able to help him. Only you can decide. I will add that rehoming is not an option.

Learn his body language, especially the ones that cue you he has had enough and is about to react. The first tightening of face or body, wrong focus, get him out of the situation. Train your dog to sit somewhat behind or to the back of you, that will help protect him from the unwanted attention from well meaning friends and strangers. Get a basket muzzle and use it. I have a wire basket muzzle I use with mine.

Again, be sure and check that first link I posted. Hopefully, you will be able to locate a Behaviorist that will help you and your dog.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

bending over and trying to nuzzle him? i dont think anyone should do that with anyones gsd unless they at least know the dog really well period. You need to be careful who interacts with this dog and how they interact with it. People here can tell you the proper way a stranger can interact with a shy/aggressive/nervous dog but for god sake please do not let anyone near the dog unless you know exactly what your doing and how the dog is going to react in a controlled enviroment. THe poor dog does not need more bites under its belt. 

Be firm with people explain what is going on and that you do not have a big stuffed animal


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