# Aggression towards strangers



## SantosJ (Aug 10, 2017)

I have a 7 month old gsd, his name is crixus, this started prob 2 months ago, but it wasnt as bad as it is now, i would take him out to places with me, like petsmart, home depot etc and he would be fine not barking or lunging at people, he would let people pet him too, now that he has gotten bigger no1 besides family member can get close to him. If im on a walk he turns into a monster when people walk by, trying to get to them to attack them, barking, pulling. I tried taking him to home depot again and i couldnt even make it to the front...i want to socialize him more and make him see strangers are friends and he doesnt have to act up like that, but its hard if no1 can or even wants to get close to him...any1 had a similiar situation? He hasnt been neutered yet, im hopeing that will calm him down.


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

SantosJ said:


> I have a 7 month old gsd, his name is crixus, this started prob 2 months ago, but it wasnt as bad as it is now, i would take him out to places with me, like petsmart, home depot etc and he would be fine not barking or lunging at people, he would let people pet him too, now that he has gotten bigger no1 besides family member can get close to him. If im on a walk he turns into a monster when people walk by, trying to get to them to attack them, barking, pulling. I tried taking him to home depot again and i couldnt even make it to the front...i want to socialize him more and make him see strangers are friends and he doesnt have to act up like that, but its hard if no1 can or even wants to get close to him...any1 had a similiar situation? He hasnt been neutered yet, im hopeing that will calm him down.


He might be overwhelmed by being forced to socialize. He might not be a fan of being crowded and petted. Normal for the breed. Work on exposure to people. Not socialization. Neutering doesn't always help in the way you want. There are a lot of different opinions, but it's not a cure all.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Yeah neutering probably won't solve this. Here's an good article on socialization you might find interesting

The Dark Side of Socialization: Fear Periods and Single Event Learning ? Dr. Jen's Dog Blog

At this point it's probably going to be best to work on exposure as Cloudpump said. Take him to a park or other place that people frequent, but keep him far enough away from people so that he's not being too bothered by them - no barking or growling. And just sit with him there and let him see and smell. It really doesn't require any interaction from you, just sit calmly for 10-20 minutes. If he's calm you can also work on general obedience there. Then slowly over time you move closer to people...the key being to watch your dog's reaction. When he starts acting upset, move back a little and just repeat sitting quietly and/or working on general OB commands that he's familiar with. It takes some time and patience, and you have to make sure you're calm as well or your dog will pick up on and mirror your tension. But it really works! Good Luck!


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## SantosJ (Aug 10, 2017)

That sounds like a good idead..thank you both for that..what i was doing now was taking him on walks but not avoiding people but trying to walk by them so he could maybe get used to it, that isnt working so i will try what yall suggested...its hard for him not to pick up on me being nervous or tense since everytime i saw some1 i prayed to god he would behave. Haha.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

SantosJ said:


> I have a 7 month old gsd, his name is crixus, this started prob 2 months ago, but it wasnt as bad as it is now, i would take him out to places with me, like petsmart, home depot etc and he would be fine not barking or lunging at people, he would let people pet him too, now that he has gotten bigger no1 besides family member can get close to him. If im on a walk he turns into a monster when people walk by, trying to get to them to attack them, barking, pulling. I tried taking him to home depot again and i couldnt even make it to the front...i want to socialize him more and make him see strangers are friends and he doesnt have to act up like that, but its hard if no1 can or even wants to get close to him...any1 had a similiar situation? He hasnt been neutered yet, im hopeing that will calm him down.


In some cases, altering a dog can actually make aggression in dogs worse. Just something to think about. Been there done that with mine.

Keep in mind GSDs should be aloof and not your friendly neighborhood Lab. At this point I would stop with the Pet Smart/Home Depot visits and trying to get strangers to pet him. Instead locate a trainer who is extremely experienced in GSD and their behaviors. They will be able to help you more once they see Crixus's actions such as is it true aggression, maybe an edgy dog being a big brat. Look for a balanced trainer and check their references.


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## beezeroctane (Dec 9, 2017)

Wow, this is my case right now, at 4 months, he is barking at people he has seen around him for the past three days. He was loose in the morning then went crazy so I had to tie him up, I think he wants to play more than bite as his bark is not a full bark, unfortunately no one from the people he is barking at are daring to come close to him, even tied up.

I think we both need to find courageous strangers that will pet him.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

SantosJ said:


> I have a 7 month old gsd, his name is crixus, this started prob 2 months ago, but it wasnt as bad as it is now, i would take him out to places with me, like petsmart, home depot etc and he would be fine not barking or lunging at people, he would let people pet him too, now that he has gotten bigger no1 besides family member can get close to him. If im on a walk he turns into a monster when people walk by, trying to get to them to attack them, barking, pulling. I tried taking him to home depot again and i couldnt even make it to the front...i want to socialize him more and make him see strangers are friends and he doesnt have to act up like that, but its hard if no1 can or even wants to get close to him...any1 had a similiar situation? He hasnt been neutered yet, im hopeing that will calm him down.


You need to do some serious obedience with this dog. Teach him to heel properly on a leash, teach him sit, down and stay. Make sure that his obedience is super rock solid. Then you can start taking him places and slowly desensitize him to people. Praise and reward when he is calm, contained and focused on you. Correct him sternly for any inappropriate aggression, then praise and reward when he is correct. Neutering is not the answer, you simply need to get control over your dog. Train the dog and let him know what behavior is acceptable and what behavior will not be tolerated. You need to step up and take charge now as this will only get worse and be harder to fix. 

The vast majority of seemingly "out of control" dogs that bark, lunge and pull when on a leash are simply poorly behaved dogs with owners that do not know how to properly correct and stop this behavior. You will need to have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and aggression. Take charge and get control over your dog. Your dog will thank you if you take a true leadership role.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

My boy, now 6 yrs old, went through a similar stage at around 7-9 moths old. I was also dealing with dog aggression/reactive. With the human issue, his first outburst, I made it very clear that I was not going to put up with it. It took a couple more teenage jerk outbursts and my no nonsense corrections to get my message through but he got it. I think I was so heck bent on not allowing that behavior because I was getting fed up with dealing with his da and refusing to be willing to go the long route of working him through HA also. 

My boy is still intact and does not have human aggression but I am sensitive to his aloof nature and keep stranger's physical interactions at a minimum and brief.

TBH, I like having short conversations when out and about, What I don't want is someone's hands all over him. He knows 
this about me so will tolerate the occasional pat. He will stand or lay down (his choice) while I talk.

I don't know your dog but I do know mine and it worked well for us. I think it was a combo of teenage brat stage, his developing of the aloof nature.


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## Slamdunc (Dec 6, 2007)

beezeroctane said:


> Wow, this is my case right now, at 4 months, he is barking at people he has seen around him for the past three days. He was loose in the morning then went crazy so I had to tie him up, I think he wants to play more than bite as his bark is not a full bark, unfortunately no one from the people he is barking at are daring to come close to him, even tied up.
> 
> I think we both need to find courageous strangers that will pet him.


You do not need any "courageous" strangers, you also need step up and curb your dogs behavior. This happens because you allow it to happen and there are no consequences for your dog for behaving like this. 

GSD's and dogs in general are not "fur babies" or to be treated like children. Treat your dog like a dog, be fair, consistent, loving and firm. Be very clear with rewards for appropriate behavior and be very clear with consequences for poor behavior. These are easy problems to fix once the owner realizes the way they treat and handle the dog is really the problem. The dog is rarely the problem, they just take advantage of lenient owners who lack the knowledge and ability to be firm and take charge.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

I believe I’m “channeling” Chip18 with the following Leerburg sites! 
Leerburg | Who Pets Your Puppy or Dog 
Leerburg | Socializing Puppies a Pushy Puppy 

“How many dogs have been damaged by early socialization .
If the forum is a fair , random, sampling , I would say quite a few.” (Carmspack) http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ethinking-popular-early-socialization-25.html






Hope these help!

Moms


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## Aly (May 26, 2011)

SantosJ said:


> That sounds like a good idead..thank you both for that..what i was doing now was taking him on walks but not avoiding people but trying to walk by them so he could maybe get used to it, that isnt working so i will try what yall suggested...its hard for him not to pick up on me being nervous or tense since everytime i saw some1 i prayed to god he would behave. Haha.


I've been working on this with a highly reactive dog that I got last year. Once you've successfully implemented the previous suggestions (e.g., Slamdunc's emphasis on establishing OB), you might try what worked for us. We used a nearby hospital/ER entrance for gradual desensitization, but you could easily use a fenced playground, home depot, etc for the same purpose. Once we got things under control there, I began to teach her how to handle strangers on walks. For me, this meant stepping to the side, yielding the sidewalk to the stranger, she sits quietly (no barking/growling or other rudenesses) and waits until the stranger passes. When she was good, she got rewarded ("Yes!" + a treat) and we continued on our walk. If she was less than good (I'm an optimist), she got a strong correction ("NO" + prong) and put back in place. Didn't take long for her to figure it out, but it did require a few repetitions and utter consistency from me. She still alerts on strangers (especially if we're out before sunrise/after sunset), but she doesn't go all "Cujo" on me. 

ETA: I live in an area where there are LOTS of joggers/runners out pounding the sidewalk during our AM walkies. This approach (stepping aside and sitting quietly for passing strangers) was _particularly _effective with runners --- who oftentimes seemed determined to elicit her prey drive. 

Aly


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

tim_s_adams said:


> Yeah neutering probably won't solve this. Here's an good article on socialization you might find interesting
> 
> The Dark Side of Socialization: Fear Periods and Single Event Learning ? Dr. Jen's Dog Blog
> 
> At this point it's probably going to be best to work on exposure as Cloudpump said. Take him to a park or other place that people frequent, but keep him far enough away from people so that he's not being too bothered by them - no barking or growling. And just sit with him there and let him see and smell. It really doesn't require any interaction from you, just sit calmly for 10-20 minutes.[/B] If he's calm you can also work on general obedience there. Then slowly over time you move closer to people...the key being to watch your dog's reaction. When he starts acting upset, move back a little and just repeat sitting quietly and/or working on general OB commands that he's familiar with. It takes some time and patience, and you have to make sure you're calm as well or your dog will pick up on and mirror your tension. But it really works! Good Luck!





Slamdunc said:


> You need to do some serious obedience with this dog. Teach him to heel properly on a leash, teach him sit, down and stay. Make sure that his obedience is super rock solid. Then you can start taking him places and slowly desensitize him to people. Praise and reward when he is calm, contained and focused on you. Correct him sternly for any inappropriate aggression, then praise and reward when he is correct. Neutering is not the answer, you simply need to get control over your dog. Train the dog and let him know what behavior is acceptable and what behavior will not be tolerated. You need to step up and take charge now as this will only get worse and be harder to fix.
> 
> The vast majority of seemingly "out of control" dogs that bark, lunge and pull when on a leash are simply poorly behaved dogs with owners that do not know how to properly correct and stop this behavior. You will need to have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and aggression. Take charge and get control over your dog. Your dog will thank you if you take a true leadership role.


I believe a combination of these two is the ticket to success.


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