# My GSD is suddenly growling at me these past few days



## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Hello everyone! My GSD is now 1.8 year old. His behavior has been pretty good. We thought he was getting more mellow and affectionate as he gets older. Just recently he started this thing where he will go towards us all lovely and make us massage him. I was so happy... until three days ago. Every night before bed, I will pet him and tell him how much I love him. Three days ago, I did the same, pet him before bed and nothing was different about that night. He let out a slight growl towards me as I pet him. I was shocked and thought I heard it wrong. I tried to pet him again and he growled again. I stopped immediately and he was staring at me the whole time! I was thinking maybe he was just tired and wasn't feeling it. Yesterday I tried to pet him again before bed as usual. He growled again! Just before that, he was chilling with my hubby so it can't be that my GSD was tired. He was staring at me again like the other day.

Then tonight was the worst. I came out of the shower and he was just laying next to my hubby. He got up so I knew he was awake. I said hi to my doggy and with my usual voice, but then he started growling at me pretty loud, louder than the other days. He started backing up and growling at the same time, trying to hide behind my hubby. I was in shock and fear. Then after a bit, he started coming towards me while still staring and growling. My hubby separated him from me and later he started to avoid going near me. This is just sooo weird. Nothing happened three days ago that's out of the ordinary. The ONLY thing I can think of is maybe I'm taking medicine for the past few days so he can smell it or maybe I'm pregnant and don't even know it. 

Please let me know your thoughts on this. I don't want to live in fear of my dog. I love him so much! Thank you in advance!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

The best way to handle this guarding of your husband is for your husband to get up and walk away.This gives your dog nothing to guard.
Another way is to call your dog to you instead of approaching him when he's close to your husband.
Try very hard to be consistent and not let this behavior become habitual.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

First, go get him vet checked. Sudden behavioral changes should be checked for medical issues. Personally, I don't believe that a dog that has never reacted to you before is suddenly guarding your husband from you especially when he was not in the picture the first time he growled.

Second, the fact that he backed up behind your husband shows fear or insecurity. It sounds like he is reacting to something about you. So yeah...could be the medicine. Could be something about you is chemically altered by illness or pharmaceuticals. My dog reacts strongly to my daughter when she isn't taking her meds or when she was doing illegal drugs.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

xmsxphantasyx said:


> Hello everyone! My GSD is now 1.8 year old. His behavior has been pretty good. We thought he was getting more mellow and affectionate as he gets older. *Just recently he started this thing where he will go towards us all lovely and make us massage him.* I was so happy... until three days ago. Every night before bed, I will pet him and tell him how much I love him. Three days ago, I did the same, pet him before bed and nothing was different about that night. He let out a slight growl towards me as I pet him. I was shocked and thought I heard it wrong. I tried to pet him again and he growled again. I stopped immediately and he was staring at me the whole time! I was thinking maybe he was just tired and wasn't feeling it. Yesterday I tried to pet him again before bed as usual. He growled again! Just before that, he was chilling with my hubby so it can't be that my GSD was tired. He was staring at me again like the other day.
> 
> Then tonight was the worst. *I came out of the shower and he was just laying next to my hubby.* He got up so I knew he was awake. I said hi to my doggy and with my usual voice, but then he started growling at me pretty loud, louder than the other days. He started backing up and growling at the same time, trying to hide behind my hubby. *I was in shock and fear*. Then after a bit, he started coming towards me while still staring and growling. My hubby separated him from me and later he started to avoid going near me. This is just sooo weird. Nothing happened three days ago that's out of the ordinary. The ONLY thing I can think of is maybe I'm taking medicine for the past few days so he can smell it or maybe I'm pregnant and don't even know it.
> 
> Please let me know your thoughts on this. *I don't want to live in fear of my dog. *I love him so much! Thank you in advance!


I bolded a few things. First of all, don't give him affection on his terms. Give it on yours. He doesn't get to demand anything. Secondly, get him off the bed. That privilege was lost. Put a drag line on him, if you have to. Get him out of the room, if necessary. Try not to be afraid of your dog. I have a resource guarder, but he is only a 30 pound dog. I am not at all nice when he growls at me. It doesn't scare me. It makes me angry. He has been kicked off of furniture and out of rooms. I once scooped him up off of my bed. How dare he growl at me, while he is on MY bed. As I grabbed him, like a sack of potatoes, I angrily said, "I don't think so!" I honestly think my anger scares him, because he doesn't know what I might do. But I am not afraid of him. I cannot imagine I would be any more afraid of my shepherd, if she growled at me. I'm the Queen B. Don't cross me.

Definitely stop giving affection. Affection is a reward and needs to be earned. Up the obedience. Make him work for everything he gets.

I used Mind Games with my growler. You don't have to do all of the steps, but it really helped in my case. Here is the link.

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/mindgames.html


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Jax08 said:


> First, go get him vet checked. Sudden behavioral changes should be checked for medical issues. Personally, I don't believe that a dog that has never reacted to you before is suddenly guarding your husband from you especially when he was not in the picture the first time he growled.
> 
> Second, the fact that he backed up behind your husband shows fear or insecurity. It sounds like he is reacting to something about you. So yeah...could be the medicine. Could be something about you is chemically altered by illness or pharmaceuticals. My dog reacts strongly to my daughter when she isn't taking her meds or when she was doing illegal drugs.


This. Step one, vet testing. Have them do a SNAP panel. Ticks are awful this year, and even pets on preventatives are getting sick. And not just Lyme. Ehrlichiosis, Babesia. Thyroid panel. Vitamin panel (deficiencies can cause behaviors). 

Does your husband pet him that way? You could be hitting an unnoticed injury. These dogs have a high threshold of pain. You could be hitting an injured shoulder whereas your husband isnt if he does not pet him same way. Have the vet do a whole body go over.

And yes as previously stated it could be your meds. My dog detects my sons seizures and gets very agitated (humans smell differently when they are seizing) . He also cant stand a brother I have who unfortunately cant show up to Thanksgiving without being on something. Not that you are high..but you know what i mean. 

Or it may be maturity is setting in for your dog and he is being a jerk. For that you need a breed knowledgeable trainer who can put eyes on the behavior. Record it if it is only happening at night. Every bit of footage you can give the trainer when he isnt there will be valuable. 

Good luck OP. Keepus posted.


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## Saco (Oct 23, 2018)

If the behavior started three days ago, and the new meds started 3 days ago, I'm going to agree with others that it must be the new meds. If you can safely stop these meds, and he goes back to normal, you'll have your answer.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

My first dog, strong willed male (I didn't know a whole lot about training) immediately became disobedient when I was pregnant. In fact with the last baby he was more accurate than the early pregnancy test. A few days before birth he became his normal self again. His behavior towards my hubby never changed though.
From (only one) observation I saw that the males avoided the pregnant and dog and later the litter with mom until the pups were 7 weeks old.
The new meds and your dog's behavior is too much of a coincidence I would say.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Sorry to say but sounds like he needs more structure and containment. A couple female friends with male GSD’s, one a SaR dog, had the same problem when their dogs were adolescents. Both neutered, not my choice, their dogs and worked hard on structure which translated to a much better relationship.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I would get a full health work up and bring in a trainer to observe you and your dog to see what exactly you are doing that sets him off.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Hello again! Thank you all sooo much for your inputs and suggestions! For reference, I am currently taking antibiotic medicine. Sorry for any confusion, my doggy sleeps on the floor in our room every night and usually stays more on my hubby's side of the room. To note, I've always pet him by kneeling down to his level because he's laying down. Also to note, my doggy has always obeyed my hubby out of everyone in the household so I'm probably a nobody to him :frown2:. I will try to take a test tonight to rule out pregnancy (I don't have reasons to believe I am but just in case). If I'm not, we will schedule a visit to the vet to make sure it's not medical reasons for his recent change. Thanks again to you all! 







dogma13 said:


> The best way to handle this guarding of your husband is for your husband to get up and walk away.This gives your dog nothing to guard.


Very great suggestion! We will try this tonight. 




Jax08 said:


> First, go get him vet checked. Sudden behavioral changes should be checked for medical issues. Personally, I don't believe that a dog that has never reacted to you before is suddenly guarding your husband from you especially when he was not in the picture the first time he growled.


Sorry, I forgot to mention that my hubby was also there the first time my doggy growled at me. My hubby was there each time.




Stevenzachsmom said:


> Definitely stop giving affection. Affection is a reward and needs to be earned. Up the obedience. Make him work for everything he gets.


Great insight! You're correct, he should work for my affection. I will try that. 




CometDog said:


> Does your husband pet him that way? You could be hitting an unnoticed injury. These dogs have a high threshold of pain. You could be hitting an injured shoulder whereas your husband isnt if he does not pet him same way. Have the vet do a whole body go over.
> 
> And yes as previously stated it could be your meds. My dog detects my sons seizures and gets very agitated (humans smell differently when they are seizing) . He also cant stand a brother I have who unfortunately cant show up to Thanksgiving without being on something. Not that you are high..but you know what i mean.
> 
> Or it may be maturity is setting in for your dog and he is being a jerk. For that you need a breed knowledgeable trainer who can put eyes on the behavior. Record it if it is only happening at night. Every bit of footage you can give the trainer when he isnt there will be valuable.


Yes, my hubby pet him moments before me but he was fine with it. I didn't get to really touch him much before he started growling already haha. You're correct, it could be that maturity is setting in and he's being a jerk trying to test his boundaries.




Saco said:


> If you can safely stop these meds, and he goes back to normal, you'll have your answer.


You're right, I should be off my antibiotic medicine soon so we will know then.




wolfy dog said:


> My first dog, strong willed male (I didn't know a whole lot about training) immediately became disobedient when I was pregnant. In fact with the last baby he was more accurate than the early pregnancy test. A few days before birth he became his normal self again. His behavior towards my hubby never changed though.


Thanks for your input. I will take a pregnancy test just to be sure.




ausdland said:


> Sorry to say but sounds like he needs more structure and containment. A couple female friends with male GSD’s, one a SaR dog, had the same problem when their dogs were adolescents.


I agree, I think my dog respects males more than females. He always obeyed my hubby since day one while he's pretty indifferent towards me. He'll like me if I give him treats during training and massages lol. 




LuvShepherds said:


> I would get a full health work up and bring in a trainer to observe you and your dog to see what exactly you are doing that sets him off.


I agree, if he continues to act up even if ruling out pregnancy and medical issues, we will really have to being in a trainer. 





Thank you everyone! I will definitely keep everyone posted here!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Looking back on some of what you've said about him when he was a puppy, I'd think about limiting his overall freedom in the house and think about a little more structure in his life. Similar to the work for affection thought, just a more overall management of him. I think a good possibility is this behavior is just an escalation of things you saw as a puppy.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Steve Strom said:


> Looking back on some of what you've said about him when he was a puppy, I'd think about limiting his overall freedom in the house and think about a little more structure in his life. Similar to the work for affection thought, just a more overall management of him. I think a good possibility is this behavior is just an escalation of things you saw as a puppy.


Thank you for looking back on my previous problems I had with him as a puppy. I was going to bring it up on original post but didn't want to make it too lengthy, so thanks a lot for your input. I agree, I will give him less freedom outside and inside of the house. My dad noticed that it's harder to get him in his playpen recently as opposed to before. Just as I thought he was getting better being almost two haha, but knowing him, he is pretty jerk-y lol.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Now it does sound like he's guarding. He could also be reacting to the changes in your body from whatever illness you ahve and the medication. The backing up thing is not guarding your husband. That's fear and he's gaining confidence from your husband.

I'm not one to believe in a dog should work for your affection. This is a relationship of trust and respect. While my dog loves my husband, he is all about me and will guard me against everyone in the house. I gave him a very hard, personal, correction. He keeps to a dull roar now but will still block anyone from getting near me.

If you want to fix this, take him to a training class. YOU train him. YOU bond with him. YOU feed him. You set the rules and you treat him fairly. Don't treat him like your "doggy". Respect him as a Dog. Treat him like a dog. That training class can be anything. Obedience, agility, etc. Any training will help you bond with him.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Nice and calm for a while. Nothing too exciting and nothing harsh. Settle it all down to a point where he's not thinking too much. That suspicion or distrust he shows, trying too many things can sometimes make that worse. He can be anticipating things along the lines of whats going to happen next. Show him nothings going to happen next for a while.

That can give you a chance to reintroduce some things, try some things with him. Kind of a reset before you try to alter what may have been created here.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Steve Strom said:


> Nice and calm for a while. Nothing too exciting and nothing harsh. Settle it all down to a point where he's not thinking too much. That suspicion or distrust he shows, trying too many things can sometimes make that worse. He can be anticipating things along the lines of whats going to happen next. Show him nothings going to happen next for a while.
> 
> That can give you a chance to reintroduce some things, try some things with him. Kind of a reset before you try to alter what may have been created here.


Thank you for the suggestion! I will try to ease off on interacting with him at night before bed to reset what has been going on.




Jax08 said:


> Now it does sound like he's guarding. He could also be reacting to the changes in your body from whatever illness you ahve and the medication. The backing up thing is not guarding your husband. That's fear and he's gaining confidence from your husband.
> 
> I'm not one to believe in a dog should work for your affection. This is a relationship of trust and respect. While my dog loves my husband, he is all about me and will guard me against everyone in the house. I gave him a very hard, personal, correction. He keeps to a dull roar now but will still block anyone from getting near me.
> 
> If you want to fix this, take him to a training class. YOU train him. YOU bond with him. YOU feed him. You set the rules and you treat him fairly. Don't treat him like your "doggy". Respect him as a Dog. Treat him like a dog. That training class can be anything. Obedience, agility, etc. Any training will help you bond with him.


Thank you for your insights! You're right, I should bond with him more. I'm not the one to really take care of him like feeding because I have another doggy (male maltipoo) so maybe that's why he doesn't respect me the same way he does with my hubby. My GSD is ok with the maltipoo though (he's actually nicer to him than to me now haha).


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I addition to all the above, it is a myth that dogs are naturally more obedient to males than to females. This statement has definitely been proven in our house. Hubby years ago when the dog was misbehaving and I told him not to let him get away with it., "it is a beautiful day and I am not going to bother him ". You have to earn the respect from a dog, either being a female, male or anyone. Just love and cuddles will only tell him, especially at this bratty age, how important and what a great success story he thinks he is. 
Pregnant, on meds, he needs to learn his place.
PS: luckily for hubby but mostly me, Deja is very forgiving and never tries him out or questions him. She does know how to manipulate him though.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

wolfy dog said:


> I addition to all the above, it is a myth that dogs are naturally more obedient to males than to females. This statement has definitely been proven in our house.


My house as well. All four dogs listen to commands once for me, in a normal speaking voice. They outright ignore DH when he gives commands. He’s a softy. We often joke that I’m the male in the relationship, and he’s the female. I’m all business and expect my dogs to listen, no matter the circumstances. DH tries a few times and gives up. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that the 4 dogs respect me far more than DH, because I make them work for that respect. DH is the player. He plays with the dogs. I don’t, I train and work the dogs. They get cuddles and praise from me, but I don’t make them my playmates like my DH does. Just some food for thought.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

First thing I'd do is take him to the vet to rule out pain/injury since he's almost two years old and this is a new behavior. 

Has he given any warning signs prior to these last few days?

How's your boy's obedience? Has he been trained at all? Have you ever worked with him? Once he is cleared medically, I'd probably start practicing some obedience with him. 



xmsxphantasyx said:


> Just recently he started this thing where he will go towards us all lovely and make us massage him.


What do you mean by make you massage him? Does he tend to be demanding and pushy? I tend to be pretty informal with my dogs, but in this case, since your boy is acting out, you might want to implement a little NILIF. (Search the forum and google for Nothing in Life is Free/NILIF).


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## cvamoca (Jul 12, 2019)

wolfy dog said:


> I addition to all the above, it is a myth that dogs are naturally more obedient to males than to females. This statement has definitely been proven in our house. Hubby years ago when the dog was misbehaving and I told him not to let him get away with it., "it is a beautiful day and I am not going to bother him ". You have to earn the respect from a dog, either being a female, male or anyone. Just love and cuddles will only tell him, especially at this bratty age, how important and what a great success story he thinks he is.
> Pregnant, on meds, he needs to learn his place.
> PS: luckily for hubby but mostly me, Deja is very forgiving and never tries him out or questions him. She does know how to manipulate him though.



Yep, I'm a woman and absolutely the boss in the animal household. My husband is "The fun one", so the dogs absolutely adore him, but don't really listen to him. And I'm no heavy meanie, either. But if I say do something or don't do something, I MEAN it.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

sebrench said:


> Has he given any warning signs prior to these last few days?
> 
> How's your boy's obedience? Has he been trained at all? Have you ever worked with him? Once he is cleared medically, I'd probably start practicing some obedience with him.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your input! Hmmm, no, I didn't notice any warning signs prior to these past few days. I asked my parents since they take care of him during the daytime and they said he seems normal, except my dad mentioned it is now harder to get him inside the playpen as opposed to before even with treats and that this started recently (he is usually outside the yard when he's out of his outdoor playpen). 
His obedience towards me has never been the best. He mainly only listens to my hubby. He does listen to my commands if I have treats or meat. He went to those PetSmart trainings about a year ago but not with those specialized GSD trainers.
I agree, once he's cleared medically then I will do more obedience training with him. I usually never just give him the treats; I make him do a command first, but I will do it more frequently moving forward.
He would come up to me asking for massages like to touch him and he would stand there and look content and lovely. Sometimes he'll want more if I stopped but for the most part he will walk away once I stop petting him. 




Jchrest said:


> My house as well. All four dogs listen to commands once for me, in a normal speaking voice. They outright ignore DH when he gives commands. He’s a softy. We often joke that I’m the male in the relationship, and he’s the female. I’m all business and expect my dogs to listen, no matter the circumstances. DH tries a few times and gives up. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that the 4 dogs respect me far more than DH, because I make them work for that respect. DH is the player. He plays with the dogs. I don’t, I train and work the dogs. They get cuddles and praise from me, but I don’t make them my playmates like my DH does. Just some food for thought.


Thanks for sharing your experience! I wish my doggy would respect me like that, sigh haha. 




wolfy dog said:


> Just love and cuddles will only tell him, especially at this bratty age, how important and what a great success story he thinks he is.
> Pregnant, on meds, he needs to learn his place.


Thank you for your insights! I agree, I've been showing him more affection than before but then maybe he thinks he's sooo cool now haha. My GSD is pretty bratty but gotten better the past month but now started again lol. That new growling at me thing needs to stop now once and for all :crying:.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Don't underestimate the value of play. Play along with some incorporated structure can go a long ways in building a solid relationship.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Happy Friday! I don't really have good news since yesterday but just wanted to give everyone an update. I did a test and no, I'm not pregnant. I'm also done with the antibiotic medicine since yesterday noon but nothing has improved. I even changed my fragrance today to see if things would get better with my dog but nope. I don't think it's medical either but we haven't rule that out yet. 



Yesterday around 6pm, when he came in the house, I was just sitting in the dining room. He seemed fine until he came close to me and suddenly growled at me again and walked away. I didn't even touch him! We tried to test him so we had my hubby, mom, dad, and my brother take turns petting him. He was cool with all of them, acted so lovely and ears down (content). He's just a jerk with me! My hubby and I started doing obedience training and he listened because I had treats. He was fine when I pet him a bit then. We thought everything was going to be fine until night time. When he just went to his bed to lay down, my hubby and I both went to him and try to pet him (I thought with my hubby there he will feel better). I let my hubby pet him first and he was fine with it. As I was just about to do it, he growled at me. I thought maybe it's not growling and that maybe something's wrong with his throat but nooo, he also did the wrinkled nose thing when he low growled at me! My hubby and I got up because it's freaking us out at this point. My doggy kept trying to go behind my hubby. I told my hubby to face him standing next to me so it's not like they're double teaming me but my doggy continues to try to go behind him. My hubby pet him again and then I tried one more time, he was fine that time but you can tell he was cautious because his ears were up and he side-eyed me a bit lol. I thought everything was cool as long as I ignored him but nope. I came out of the shower, didn't even look at him, talked to my hubby while he was just laying down sleeping on the floor in our room. He started noticing me and got up, went behind my hubby (he was sitting on the chair) to hide. My dog was scared of me for no reason! I left the room and came back but he was too sleepy by then to do anything.



Then today, we thought he only acts up towards evening but nooo. Every morning, I will give him treats before heading out to work. He knows the drill, I tell him wave and he waves and then he'll get treats. He waved as usual when he saw me but suddenly, as I approached closer, he went inside his house and looked like he was trying to hide again! I called him to come out and I guess he smells the treats so he came back out. My parents were next to me to make sure everything's ok. They told me to try to pet him and I did but his ears weren't like down like before, it was up and he seemed cautious. My parents try to test him again and pet him, and he was super happy, ears down and acting lovely when they pet him. He used to be like that with me but now he treats me worse than a stranger :crying:. 



I swear I did NOT do anything to make him act this way to me. All those recent changes were ruled out already. If it was medical, I think he would be growling at everyone in the family that approaches him especially petting him too. He's definitely targeting me and now scared of me for no reason! Maybe he spooked me out the first time he growled at me 4 days ago and now he smells fear from me? My family and I are sad because just the other week he was all sweet and lovely with me but now this. I feel like a lost a part of my family :frown2:.


I just hope that it's not something spiritual because in my culture, this month is ghost month, but I don't want to be too superstitious. Anyway, sorry for the long posts. I truly appreciate everyone's help! I will update if things ever change back to how it was before. 







Nigel said:


> Don't underestimate the value of play. Play along with some incorporated structure can go a long ways in building a solid relationship.


Thank you! Hopefully I'll get a chance to play with him soon.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Did you go in for a full medical work up? YOU, not the dog. This behavior is so weird. I don't think I've ever heard of a situation quite like what you are describing. My dog comes forward when he's guarding me, not behind me. If your dog were guarding your husband, he should be coming forward. Bring a trainer in.

And stop trying to pet him before you get bit. You MAY walk by him and drop treats to him to show there is nothing to worry about but stop petting him.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

This is going to sound extremely stupid, but I had a similar experience with my GSD. Except I was a single parent and the only one that interacted with her. She used to love pets, and we would lay on the floor and cuddle together. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and she was actually more loving to me then. After surgery, chemo, and recovery, she was fine for a bit. Then out of nowhere she would dodge me. I would walk in the front door, and she would book it out the doggie door to the backyard. I couldn’t figure it out. Took her to the vet and had full panels run on her, went to my dr and had full panels run on me. We both checked out fine.

My kids actually pointed out what the problem was. My little girls, who were 4, and 6 at the time. They started pulling away from me too when I would go to cuddle them. When I asked them why, they said I shocked them every time I cuddled or kissed them. Something changed, and to this day, I don’t know why. For months anytime I would touch anyone, I would shock them. Like I was dragging my feet on the carpet and creating static electricity, even though I wasn’t dragging my feet. It finally just stopped happening. And I got my girl back! No more hiding or running or growling at me. She didn’t want me touching her because I would shock her every time. An easy way to test for it BTW. Make sure the house is dark, and start petting her. You can see the “sparks” of electricity go from your hands to her fur. I never felt the shock, never felt any difference with either touching my kids or dog, but they felt it. Maybe worth a shot to check and see if that’s the issue!


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

My thoughts are more along the lines of why the dog is favouring your husband over you. Who is the strict one when it comes to training the dog? Are you always offering treats and never saying 'no' to him or correcting him for misbehaviour?

Since the dog is hiding behind your husband, however, that might be that you are the one making him tow the line, and he resents it.

Whatever is going on, it NEEDS TO STOP! This behaviour must be corrected, or it is going to escalate. Growling and curling the lip is one step away from a snap or a bite. 

I would get a trainer to come into your home to help you. They need to actually see the behaviour in context in order to understand why it is happening.

It's very important with this breed that they respect you, and that obviously isn't happening between you and the dog. Offering treats and affection, and never correcting the dog is not going to gain respect.

Editing to add that favouring one spouse over the other isn't typical of this breed. When my husband was alive, our dog would see us hugging, and immediately make a beeline for us so she could be in the middle of the hug. If we got separated while on a walk, she would run back and forth between the two of us!:wub:


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## germanshepowner (Oct 26, 2018)

Just wanted to say that I’m so sorry, OP. I would be devastated if this happened to me. ? Hang in there


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Sunsilver said:


> My thoughts are more along the lines of why the dog is favouring your husband over you. Who is the strict one when it comes to training the dog? Are you always offering treats and never saying 'no' to him or correcting him for misbehaviour?
> 
> Since the dog is hiding behind your husband, however, that might be that you are the one making him tow the line, and he resents it.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your input! Yeah he has always favored my hubby and we always just thought because my hubby held him sleeping when he was just a little puppy so they bonded. My hubby and my dad do most of the work taking care of him (I take care of my maltipoo) but he mainly listens to my hubby. My hubby would be the main trainer and he's more of his owner han me since my hubby takes care of him like feeding, bathing him, etc. For the obedience training, I wouldn't give him the treat unless he obeys the command like wait, leave it, sit, down, wave, spin, etc. I also never give him things for free like water, new toys, food, etc.

Yeah I agree, this behavior needs to stop! It has been the fourth day already and has been escalating. You're right, this breed needs to respect his owner and family or there will be huge problems! He's not a small dog and now adding in growling and wrinkle nose is a disaster waiting to happen! Yeah if he doesn't improve soon, we will have to get a trainer. I did take some photos of him hiding behind my hubby's chair so I can show to a trainer. 

That's so sweet of your GSD! That's definitely how it should be should be :wub:.




Jchrest said:


> This is going to sound extremely stupid, but I had a similar experience with my GSD. Except I was a single parent and the only one that interacted with her. She used to love pets, and we would lay on the floor and cuddle together. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and she was actually more loving to me then. After surgery, chemo, and recovery, she was fine for a bit. Then out of nowhere she would dodge me. I would walk in the front door, and she would book it out the doggie door to the backyard. I couldn’t figure it out. Took her to the vet and had full panels run on her, went to my dr and had full panels run on me. We both checked out fine.
> 
> My kids actually pointed out what the problem was. My little girls, who were 4, and 6 at the time. They started pulling away from me too when I would go to cuddle them. When I asked them why, they said I shocked them every time I cuddled or kissed them. Something changed, and to this day, I don’t know why. For months anytime I would touch anyone, I would shock them. Like I was dragging my feet on the carpet and creating static electricity, even though I wasn’t dragging my feet. It finally just stopped happening. And I got my girl back! No more hiding or running or growling at me. She didn’t want me touching her because I would shock her every time. An easy way to test for it BTW. Make sure the house is dark, and start petting her. You can see the “sparks” of electricity go from your hands to her fur. I never felt the shock, never felt any difference with either touching my kids or dog, but they felt it. Maybe worth a shot to check and see if that’s the issue!


Wow thank you so much for sharing your experience! I am happy to hear that you overcame it all! I will definitely try your suggestion to test it out in a dark room to see if maybe I am emitting static to him. My maltipoo seems ok but maybe because they have hair and GSD has fur. Thank you again for your help!




Jax08 said:


> Did you go in for a full medical work up? YOU, not the dog. This behavior is so weird. I don't think I've ever heard of a situation quite like what you are describing. My dog comes forward when he's guarding me, not behind me. If your dog were guarding your husband, he should be coming forward. Bring a trainer in.
> 
> And stop trying to pet him before you get bit. You MAY walk by him and drop treats to him to show there is nothing to worry about but stop petting him.


Thank you! No, I haven't done a full medical checkup myself, which I should. Yeah you're right, guarding or protecting should either be in the front of you, not hiding behind. I will stop trying to pet him and will take your suggestion to just drop treats to him so he can get used to getting close to me again. 



As reference, I have attached a picture of my GSD hiding behind my hubby as he was sitting on the chair. This was last night and this was the time I didn't even attempt to touch him, look at him, anything! I just came out of the shower, he was sleeping laying down, noticed me after like a minute, I talked to my hubby, and he decided to get up and hide behind my hubby. To note, he has never hidden in that corner (or anywhere) previously until this whole thing started this week.


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## MrDarcy (Feb 22, 2017)

Put the leash on your dog and start spending time each day working with him. Structured walks, obedience practice (no treats) with praise only. There is a lack of respect towards you that can be overcome by you taking control, not treating your dog like a baby. Dogs respect boundaries and structure, take the lead and do that.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

germanshepowner said:


> Just wanted to say that I’m so sorry, OP. I would be devastated if this happened to me. ? Hang in there


Thank you! Yeah I have been very very sad. I haven't had enough sleep ever since this whole thing started. Thanks for the support!




MrDarcy said:


> Put the leash on your dog and start spending time each day working with him. Structured walks, obedience practice (no treats) with praise only. There is a lack of respect towards you that can be overcome by you taking control, not treating your dog like a baby. Dogs respect boundaries and structure, take the lead and do that.


Thank you! Yeah I agree, I should start spending more time with him and make sure he knows I'm one of his leaders and not someone he just uses for treats (he thinks this is trick-and-treat or something haha).


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Please get a behaviorist right away that works with German Shepherds. The longer it goes on the more permanent the behavior will become. We can offer suggestions but we can’t fix it online. Only someone experienced who can observe in real time can tell you exactly what the problem is. Find someone very good. It’s worth the cost.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I don’t want to embarrass you but it’s important to see this is not a new behavior. You posted this back in March.

_1) Out of nowhere, he would lunge at me, bark, and bite me really hard. This happens even when we're just chilling in the living room or when I'm taking him out to the yard. I don't even know what to do when he lunges at me like that when I don't have a toy in hand._

Somehow it wasn’t completely corrected and he is still reacting toward you, this time by growling. You must get a trainer right away if you want to keep this dog.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

LuvShepherds said:


> I don’t want to embarrass you but it’s important to see this is not a new behavior. You posted this back in March.
> 
> _1) Out of nowhere, he would lunge at me, bark, and bite me really hard. This happens even when we're just chilling in the living room or when I'm taking him out to the yard. I don't even know what to do when he lunges at me like that when I don't have a toy in hand._
> 
> Somehow it wasn’t completely corrected and he is still reacting toward you, this time by growling. You must get a trainer right away if you want to keep this dog.


No worries, thank you for your suggestion! Yeah that was back in March 2018 when he was still a puppy so I didn't think too much of it. He stopped biting us for a while, and for a bit, he was a lot more mellow and affectionate until the whole growling thing happened just this week. He's now a year and seven months and should not be this way. I understand that a trainer would be the best to fix the problem since they can see it face to face.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I think you are using the word "affectionate" too much. Right now that should not be in his vocab as it shouldn't be the goal at all. You have to earn the 'affectionate' behavior after establishing your consistent leadership without treats. What you need is compliance and respect from this dog. The following is maybe not popular by many but I don't care about affectionate behavior as a goal. It happens all "by itself" as a result of hard work on the owner's part. I care about the hierarchy between me and the dog, the work/play relationship and his/her socialization in the world. I am actually allergic for the word "cuddles", "affectionate" etc. The rescues are soaked in it. 
Get on top of that dog (not literally!) and be consistent. You don't have a Golden Retriever in your house but a bratty working dog whose needs need to be met.
In your posts you thank and agree with many of us but I also feel excuses. OK, this were my 3 cents. Sorry, 1 too many.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

wolfy dog said:


> I think you are using the word "affectionate" too much. Right now that should not be in his vocab as it shouldn't be the goal at all. You have to earn the 'affectionate' behavior after establishing your consistent leadership without treats. What you need is compliance and respect from this dog. The following is maybe not popular by many but I don't care about affectionate behavior as a goal. It happens all "by itself" as a result of hard work on the owner's part. I care about the hierarchy between me and the dog, the work/play relationship and his/her socialization in the world. I am actually allergic for the word "cuddles", "affectionate" etc. The rescues are soaked in it.
> Get on top of that dog (not literally!) and be consistent. You don't have a Golden Retriever in your house but a bratty working dog whose needs need to be met.
> In your posts you thank and agree with many of us but I also feel excuses. OK, this were my 3 cents. Sorry, 1 too many.


No, I'm not excusing anything here. I'm agreeing because I'm open to all options. I only have my GSD for over 1.5 year while many here like you have much more experience than me so that's why I come here to ask you all, the experts haha. Yes, I need to work with my GSD more. I appreciate your 3 cents!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

LuvShepherds said:


> I don’t want to embarrass you but it’s important to see this is not a new behavior. You posted this back in March.
> 
> _1) Out of nowhere, he would lunge at me, bark, and bite me really hard. This happens even when we're just chilling in the living room or when I'm taking him out to the yard. I don't even know what to do when he lunges at me like that when I don't have a toy in hand._
> 
> Somehow it wasn’t completely corrected and he is still reacting toward you, this time by growling. You must get a trainer right away if you want to keep this dog.



whoaaaa....good catch LuvShepherds. 

OP - Get a trainer. Your post implied this was some new odd behavior. Obviously that is not the case. So ignore everything I've said on this post. Now it's gone on for months and it's an ingrained behavior. Get a trainer.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Jax08 said:


> whoaaaa....good catch LuvShepherds.
> 
> OP - Get a trainer. Your post implied this was some new odd behavior. Obviously that is not the case. So ignore everything I've said on this post. Now it's gone on for months and it's an ingrained behavior. Get a trainer.


Sorry, not to sound defensive but yes, my initial post about growling is a new behavior (not implied, it is). I just wanted to clarify that the post LuvShepherds quoted about the biting and lunging was back in March 2018 (last year) when he was still a puppy. I replied to LuvShepherds to clarify that his biting behavior was when he was a puppy. He stopped that puppy land shark phase a long time ago already. There's a huge gap between my posts because I haven't been on this forum since I haven't had problems with him for a while until this week. I don't want to confuse the two situations. Thanks!


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

When there's a problem, the first impulse is usually you have to "Do Something" right? Sometimes trying to do something becomes doing too much. Trying so hard, so many different things, it can accumulate and just be a confusing jumble to some dogs with some people. I don't mean this to be insulting in any way, but I think its possible that a lot of the time he just tolerates not just you, but possibly others too. Your desire to fix it may focus his insecurities or whatever on to you more then others that aren't trying so hard. 

That's what I meant when I said things can escalate. The bad things do when you don't realize what may be going on. Like when he pushes you for attention. That's not always a good thing. Things he's doing that may subtly show his discomfort, you don't realize until its not subtle anymore. There's nothing good about hiding behind your husband like that. I'd recommend you practice indifference with him and think about being able to coexist at best. Quit trying to win him over for now, see how he reacts to that over time.


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Steve Strom said:


> I'd recommend you practice indifference with him and think about being able to coexist at best. Quit trying to win him over for now, see how he reacts to that over time.


I totally agree. When I came home from work, I saw him but didn't approach him or say anything. He actually came up to me and nudged my hands with his muzzle. When he was in the room with me and my maltipoo, he was chill and even came up to me occasionally (in a good way, not aggressive/fearful whatsoever). He hasn't hid from me today ever since I stopped trying so hard lol. You're right that practicing indifference is best in my case.


(Note: Sorry to everyone on here if I came off annoying responding to every post, saying thanks a zillion times, etc. lol. I'm pretty new to this whole forum thing, especially on here, so forgive me. I didn't want to sound unappreciative or rude. Just know that I appreciate all of your suggestions and will definitely try it out (not just say thanks and forget about it). I will update on here once I have better results. Hopefully I will able to help a newbie like myself one day haha.)


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

@wolfy dog, look up Bill Burr -Motherhood isn’t that hard. I couldn’t stop laughing at the “rescue” story he had.

But yes, I do cuddle Lyka. Big spoon little spoon. The rest of the brood gets occasional pats on the side.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I would recommend that you get a trainer and also read a lot on here, about GSD behavior. They are not “doggies,” and shouldn’t be treated as such. He had no business coming up and nudging your hands with his muzzle, that is rude behavior. Doesn’t respect you and if that doesn’t change, things will never get better. 
The best advice I ever got on here about how I should interact with my butthead teenage dog was to be “a benevolent dictator.” Once I got that through my head, Hans changed drastically.
Look up NILIF, and practice that without exception.
But first, contact your local GSD club and get a proper trainer, who knows and works with this type of dog. One of our members described a GSD as a four-legged war machine.
A Petsmart “trainer” won’t cut it here.


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## crittersitter (Mar 31, 2011)

Same in my household as some others stated. The dogs listen to me because I am consistent and follow through. My husband is also a softie and won't insist on what he's asking the dogs such as lie down. I'm always telling him you have to follow through or you've taught them to ignore you. It's not much different than working with horses which I do. Hubby treats the horses the same way.


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## crittersitter (Mar 31, 2011)

I may have missed it here but who feeds your dog? You could bond with him by feeding him his meals by hand and only when he follows your command. Make him work for the reward while you are in charge.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I personally would only use hand feeding for terrified dogs. If it is to tell him that you own the food you might as well have him sit, stand or do whatever before you put his bowl down. Then leave him alone. That is what dogs understand in dog language; the leader owns everything unless he walks away from it.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

wolfy dog said:


> I personally would only use hand feeding for terrified dogs. If it is to tell him that you own the food you might as well have him sit, stand or do whatever before you put his bowl down. Then leave him alone. That is what dogs understand in dog language; the leader owns everything unless he walks away from it.


Actually, the hand feeding worked very well, with my resource guarder. I gave him a handful, not piece, at a time. It helped on several levels. First off, as a resource guarder, he habitually inhaled his food. Hand feeding, he had no choice, but to slow down. Secondly, what I primarily worked on, during hand feeding, was focus. I wanted him to look at me, so I knew he was paying attention. He didn't get the food, without making eye contact, so he learned to watch really fast. Third, with hand feeding, the hand always gives and never takes away - which is probably most important to the resource guarder.

It may not work in all cases, but it really did for me. It is part of the 'Mind Games' link that I posted a few pages back. Yep, I practiced Mind Games every day. Again - worked for my dog. :grin2:


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

xmsxphantasyx said:


> Sorry, not to sound defensive but yes, my initial post about growling is a new behavior (not implied, it is). I just wanted to clarify that the post LuvShepherds quoted about the biting and lunging was back in March 2018 (last year) when he was still a puppy. I replied to LuvShepherds to clarify that his biting behavior was when he was a puppy. He stopped that puppy land shark phase a long time ago already. There's a huge gap between my posts because I haven't been on this forum since I haven't had problems with him for a while until this week. I don't want to confuse the two situations. Thanks!


On the surface it looks like a new problem because it seemed to go away and then a new behavior emerged. But the cause and you as his target are the same. It worked as a young puppy and it is working now. It is obvious he is frightened of you. We can only help as much as you are willing to allow us. When someone comes here, asks questions, gets advice from people who have experience and then argues with us, it is also clear you are not taking the advice unless it’s what you want to hear. This isn’t a criticism and I’m not trying to be mean. In fact, just the opposite. It’s an observation. I’m worried for you and your dog.

I had a dog as a younger adult that growled and bit me every time I picked him up. He was a medium sized herding dog and was light enough I could lift him, barely. Maybe 35 lbs. We were using a dog run with a tricky gate at that time because he preferred to be outside. Rather than struggle each time with the gate, I lifted him over. He didn’t like it and once even snapped and shredded the front of my shirt. I was ready to give him back. My husband said, Stop picking him up! I stopped and he stopped. I never had another problem with him. Your problem with your dog in his mind goes back to his puppy interactions with you. Maybe not in your mind but you have to think like a dog. Please, please, don’t think we don’t have personal experience. We do! I wasn’t going to post my problem because it makes me look kind of stupid about dogs, but I had young children, I was busy and I didn’t take the time to listen to my dog. I hope it helps to see that you are not the only one and it’s fixable. Since you don’t know why your dog is aggressing toward you, only a trainer in the house in real time can fix it. We can’t.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Actually, the hand feeding worked very well, with my resource guarder.
> It may not work in all cases, but it really did for me. It is part of the 'Mind Games' link that I posted a few pages back. Yep, I practiced Mind Games every day. Again - worked for my dog. :grin2:


Evidently there is not a one fit for all. It's good to have several options if one doesn't work.


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## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

It’s just so odd for a dog you’ve had since a puppy to fear you. I didn’t realize it was an on going issue either. Yes, the two correlate. Fear even as a puppy just to one particular person is odd. Sure, I get it with some of my rescue dogs, but they are older, and there is normally a very easy explanation. Like they don’t like men in hats and glasses. Or they don’t like the person turning on the hose because they used to get sprayed as a form of punishment. Tangible things, not just random fear against one person in particular.

You’re going to have to look back and see when he initially became fearful of you, and what your actions were during that time. Be honest with yourself. It could have been something as easy as closing his tail in a door on accident, or something more serious. Are you a naturally loud speaker? Did you ever hold him down to give him meds? It had to have been something.

Sorry, saying this all through a haze of pain, so not sure it’s discombobulated


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## xmsxphantasyx (Mar 28, 2018)

Jchrest said:


> It’s just so odd for a dog you’ve had since a puppy to fear you. I didn’t realize it was an on going issue either. Yes, the two correlate. Fear even as a puppy just to one particular person is odd. Sure, I get it with some of my rescue dogs, but they are older, and there is normally a very easy explanation. Like they don’t like men in hats and glasses. Or they don’t like the person turning on the hose because they used to get sprayed as a form of punishment. Tangible things, not just random fear against one person in particular.
> 
> You’re going to have to look back and see when he initially became fearful of you, and what your actions were during that time. Be honest with yourself. It could have been something as easy as closing his tail in a door on accident, or something more serious. Are you a naturally loud speaker? Did you ever hold him down to give him meds? It had to have been something.
> 
> Sorry, saying this all through a haze of pain, so not sure it’s discombobulated


You're right, I also read on another forum yesterday that dogs will associate two things easily such as a loud noise that frightened them and then if you happen to just walked by while that happened, the dog will associate you with the scary noise. I do recall the room door closed kind of louder than usual either on Monday or Tuesday of this week (window fan was on) and maybe he associated me with that noise because I was there! That could be the reason! I didn't think too much of it previously because my maltipoo was there too but he was fine. I guess every dog is different, and I'm the main person of my maltipoo. Since Friday evening to today, my GSD seemed a lot better with me ever since I stopped approaching him and waiting for him to come to me for petting (I also mentioned that below to another member on here). Just to note, just because he gets better now, I will continue to try all your suggestions.
Sorry about my previous response. I thought that you weren't aware it was a 2018 post but thanks for clarifying that you knew and that any previous situations can affect the future outcome. Got it!



LuvShepherds said:


> On the surface it looks like a new problem because it seemed to go away and then a new behavior emerged. But the cause and you as his target are the same. It worked as a young puppy and it is working now. It is obvious he is frightened of you. We can only help as much as you are willing to allow us. When someone comes here, asks questions, gets advice from people who have experience and then argues with us, it is also clear you are not taking the advice unless it’s what you want to hear. This isn’t a criticism and I’m not trying to be mean. In fact, just the opposite. It’s an observation. I’m worried for you and your dog.
> 
> I had a dog as a younger adult that growled and bit me every time I picked him up. He was a medium sized herding dog and was light enough I could lift him, barely. Maybe 35 lbs. We were using a dog run with a tricky gate at that time because he preferred to be outside. Rather than struggle each time with the gate, I lifted him over. He didn’t like it and once even snapped and shredded the front of my shirt. I was ready to give him back. My husband said, Stop picking him up! I stopped and he stopped. I never had another problem with him. Your problem with your dog in his mind goes back to his puppy interactions with you. Maybe not in your mind but you have to think like a dog. Please, please, don’t think we don’t have personal experience. We do! I wasn’t going to post my problem because it makes me look kind of stupid about dogs, but I had young children, I was busy and I didn’t take the time to listen to my dog. I hope it helps to see that you are not the only one and it’s fixable. Since you don’t know why your dog is aggressing toward you, only a trainer in the house in real time can fix it. We can’t.


Thanks for sharing your experience. I totally understand that you're just concerned about my GSD and me. Sorry, I don't know how I gave the impression that I was trying to argue. I was just trying to clarify the timeline because I wanted to make sure that I get the appropriate advice, that's all. As I said above to Jchrest, I thought that you weren't aware it was a 2018 post (since I wasn't on here for over a year) but thanks for responding that you were aware and that any previous situations can affect the future outcome. That makes sense.
Just responding to your comments, I don't know how I also gave this impression but I actually don't have anything specific "that I want to hear." I am totally open to all the members' help. Also, I never once thought you or anyone else don't have experience. I don't mind any kind of help at all. That's why I came here, I know that I will get genuine and experienced advice from you and all the members, especially on GSDs. I was just saying that to another member here as well. Just know that I appreciate you all!
I also just mentioned above to Jchrest about maybe discovering why my GSD was so frightened of me (please feel free to let me know if you have any input on that :smile2.



wolfy dog said:


> I personally would only use hand feeding for terrified dogs. If it is to tell him that you own the food you might as well have him sit, stand or do whatever before you put his bowl down. Then leave him alone. That is what dogs understand in dog language; the leader owns everything unless he walks away from it.


Thanks! I will try that with his favorite meat. 




crittersitter said:


> I may have missed it here but who feeds your dog? You could bond with him by feeding him his meals by hand and only when he follows your command. Make him work for the reward while you are in charge.


It's usually my hubby and my dad that feed our GSD. Thanks!



Sunflowers said:


> I would recommend that you get a trainer and also read a lot on here, about GSD behavior. They are not “doggies,” and shouldn’t be treated as such. He had no business coming up and nudging your hands with his muzzle, that is rude behavior. Doesn’t respect you and if that doesn’t change, things will never get better.
> The best advice I ever got on here about how I should interact with my butthead teenage dog was to be “a benevolent dictator.” Once I got that through my head, Hans changed drastically.
> Look up NILIF, and practice that without exception.
> But first, contact your local GSD club and get a proper trainer, who knows and works with this type of dog. One of our members described a GSD as a four-legged war machine.
> A Petsmart “trainer” won’t cut it here.


Thank you for pointing out that the nudging was a rude behavior! I didn't know that previously :surprise:. Yikes, we all have a four-legged warrior. I better get a grip on him, that's for sure haha.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I wish I could tell you why your dog is frightened but I can’t and neither can anyone else. We can guess but we might not be right. The only one who can is can experienced dog trainer, handler or behaviorist who can watch you in real time.


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