# 9 Month old GSD/Lab mix suddenly aggressive with familiar dogs at dog park



## missymouse (Apr 6, 2015)

We got our GSD/Lab (3/4 GSD/ 1/4 Lab) puppy at 8 weeks of age. We have been working on basic commands and while not perfectly trained he does well when not distracted. We began taking him to the dog park at 4 months and he has always played well with other dogs and shown no aggression. He is still intact and we are hoping to make it to 1.5 years of age if possible before neutering him. 

He just turned 9 months of age and has begun to get aggressive with dogs he has played well with in the past. They approach him and he immediately snarls and then when they assume a submissive posture he gets more aggressive by growling, pinning them down and putting his mouth on their necks (so far to our knowledge he has not bitten down) before we pull him back. He does not usually try to go after them again but that may be due to our leaving the park immediately after each incidence.

We are very concerned about this. There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason. He can be playing well with the other dogs or with a ball and then all of a sudden he does this. It doesn't seem to matter if the dog is male or female, altered or unaltered. Generally they are dogs he has met before. Any ideas if this is a phase or a more serious problem. Should we avoid the dog park for awhile or keep taking him and removing him at the first sign of aggression? We take him to the dog park to let him burn off energy, walks do not seem to tire him out or decrease his energy level. Any thoughts or ideas? We have not seen any other signs of aggression and he is generally viewed as one of the nicest/low key dogs at the dog park until the last 3 visits.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Stop taking your dog to the dog park. You will need to find other ways to burn off his energy. His behavior is not fair to the other dogs. Generally speaking, German Shepherds do not make good dog park dogs. I would be very angry, if your dog did this to one of my dogs. Of course, I wouldn't be in a dog park, anyway.


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## Axel13 (Jun 23, 2014)

I had a similar problem with my 13 month old Sheltie. Are there any warning signs before he gets aggressive? Or does he start lunging/barking before the dog gets close? My sheltie who was always pleasant with every dog he met started to growl and snap (although he never pinned a dog or put his mouth to their necks) at other dogs at around 10 months. I then realised that he was scared. If there is more then 3 or 4 dogs playing at the one time he runs back to me and if they come close he snaps. I now know every one of his warning signs and he plays happily 99% of the time however I no when to remove him from a situation before he even has a chance to become frightened and snap. That way he only ever has pleasant experiences at the park. I don't bring him to the dog park (just the normal park) however as there is to many chances of bad experiences in the dog park.

Look out for your dogs warning signs. Keep him on the lead. Try walking him in areas where he can see other dogs who are also on the lead and reward him for paying attention to you and not barking at the other dogs. Are there any local socialisation or even obedience classes in your area? I bring my sheltie to obedience and agility twice a week and the main reason is so he can be around other dogs in a controlled environment. Find a toy or treat that he loves and only let him have it when he is outside and behaving well around other dogs. I would suggest that you keep him on the lead and out of the dog park for a while until you have worked on his behavior a bit. 

Find an area with a wide open space where he can run an chase the ball to use some of the puppy energy up  A tired dog is a happy dog


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## dmom (Jul 2, 2009)

What Stevenzachsmom said German Shepherds as a rule are not good dog park dogs. Even if they are not dog aggressive their play style is just rough, they can be bullies and not respect when another dog signals that they are done. I know with mine I have to direct and supervise his play with any dogs I allow him to run with and there are very few. It's like watching a hockey match.


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

Dog parks can be very controversial places. Some people hate them, some love them. I've had client's owners tell me they went to the dog park or whatever, and then bring their dog to me and be like "they are aggressive towards this dog' or they only fight when blank, or they like to hump random dogs etc..." And these are the dogs that are at the dog park. So definitely risky. I wish you the best*shrug*


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Such a thing exists, called "dog relay". Like in a team of changing partners, a victim of aggression places his negative emotions onto a weaker, smaller mate. In one word - if some other stronger, older and more aggressive male has attacked your male - your dog would take it as a lesson and would try to do absolutely the same towards some other dog. Puppies hunt and fight when they play, and a real fight comes with puberty as continuation. Further in their lives dogs simply become more experienced in fighting. More your dog exposed to fights - more aggressive he becomes, he starts to expect aggressive attitude from majority of dogs, and not the males only. Sterilisation only partly solves the problem, mainly aggressiveness towards other dogs depends on experience. In fact, "dog relay" doesn't concern dogs only. If the father beats the family dog - don't be surprised if the dog bites his son.


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## missymouse (Apr 6, 2015)

My dog has never been attacked by a larger dog, and there are many German Shepherds at the dog park that we go to. Nor have I or anyone in my family ever treated him poorly. If anything he has been too coddled. We are beginning to think that his territorial instincts have kicked in and that maybe he has been able to get away with too much (ie. lying on furniture, more freedom in the house, etc.) and is trying to inch up in the pack to be more of the Alpha male. In addition to the agressiveness we have noticed he is ignoring our commands more often and will only follow commands if he wants to. 

We are going back to controlling more of his activities, reasserting ourselves as the pack leaders and exploring options for further obedience training. In addition after further research it appears that many of the recent behaviors could be due to the above and puberty/adolescence much like humans.

I see much more bad behavior on the part of other owners than the dogs themselves. This includes ignoring what their dog is doing, not cleaning up after their dog and things such as as throwing, kicking or yelling at other peoples dogs.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

hes going to get sent to the hospital by a larger dog soon if u let him keep it up hes going to get it, if there are a lot of gsds there it is only a matter of time. He will do it to the wrong dog. Hes only 9 months old he is not king of anything like he probably thinks. 

The bill will be like a thousand dollars


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

I don't see where anyone is saying you are a "bad" owner?? Dog Parks are just a fast trip to hurtsville! 

One of the things you're "not" seeing is that every time your dog goes to a Dog Park and gets to run around out of control with a pack of dogs...he gets to learn that "you don't matter!" Not sure if all the NILF in the world will work if he "still" gets to practice ignoring you??

But stick around maybe "you" and "your" dog will set a new trend??

Lots of links here, 
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html


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## royals17 (Feb 15, 2015)

I wouldn't even take him to the dog park if I were you. I don't take Apollo to the dog park. Too risky. Some dogs he gets along very well with, and some he doesn't. And sometimes, often times, he uses his teeth to show when he doesn't like a dog. Not attacking or anything, but basically what you described. Is he fixed? That might be part of it. Some kind of teenage dog macho posturing of some sort. I don't really know though. 

But, at this time, my best is advice is to stay away from the dog parks.


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