# Aggressive 2.5yr old female



## starburst (Jun 9, 2012)

Our German Shepherd has recently been acting aggressive.
She nipped our 7 yr old son in the face last night.
Me,my son and the dog were sitting on the couch( I know that in it's self might be an issue) when my son leaned over to give her a hug.
She wasn't sleeping and we have always been able to hug and cuddle her in the past without incident.
He leaned in and she nipped.

Another issue is her feet.
She's never been a huge fan of us touching her feet but we did so anyways from the time we got her at two months to avoid issues in the future.
The last two times I've trimmed her claws she's growled at me and showed her teeth.
I looked her paws over to see if she might be injured but found nothing and she hasn't been limping etc.

The third issue is how much rougher she's getting with our 7 month old male Australian/shepherd border collie.

I know they play rough and that's fine but she's now getting way too rough ( my opinion)
Then again maybe I'm just not used to seeing two dogs play.

He's always yelping but he always goes back for more so maybe someone with more experience can tell me if this is normal.


I know this is long but I would really appreciate some advice .

I forgot to mention that she's up to date with all her vaccines,saw the vet recently and has no known health issues,is fed raw.
We had started to see a trainer with her at 6 months but quit because he took the "must break and dominate the dog" approach .


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## starburst (Jun 9, 2012)

*bump*


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Aggression is not something that can be fixed over the internet. You need to see the dog in person to see what's really going on. Find another trainer that uses methods you're comfortable with. There are plenty out there. 

And for now, stop allowing your son to hug the dog. She's obviously not comfortable with it. Always make sure you supervise when the two are together.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Dogs don't like to be hugged as a general rule. So, yeah, stopping that is good. Dog off the furniture as she has started showing unacceptable behavior. Not seeing the entire nail adventure in person, it is hard to say anything about it.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Yeah,off of the furniture for now and no hugging.You might try to recondition her to accept nail clipping with lots of treats while you touch her paws with the clippers.Try a different position than usual.I like my dogs to lay on their side,but one dog I used to have I could only clip in a standing position.He would panic if laying down.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would take the dog to the vet and have them check her vitamin B levels, and her thyroid function. Maybe there are other things that bloodwork can give you clues to that could be related to aggression in dogs. 

Then, I would find a behaviorist/trainer. Have them evaluate the dog. You called this a nip, which suggests she did not break the skin? Still it was in the face, and it was your son, who lives with her? For a GSD to bite without bruising or breaking the skin, it shows some major bite-inhibition, meaning the dog is communicating in an unsatisfactory manner. Probably. It is not plain aggressiveness toward your son, but telling him, "Hey! Cut that out!" So it is a behavior that we need to make it clear is not acceptable. 

A good behaviorist can help you and your family make the changes necessary to make your dog safe. Or not. I hope they can for you. We cannot. Someone needs to see your dog and work with you and help you work with your dog. 

Good luck.


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## winger (Apr 30, 2012)

My dog does the same (shows teeth) when trimming her nails. I have found that it is best to trim one nail per day with treats and I am now up to two nails at a time. I then go back the next day for one more nail. You might just put the clippers close to her nails and have them make the sound, but not actually touch her with them, just to desensitize the dog to them. Make absolutely sure you are not getting too aggressive with the clippers. It will make it a bad experience...and set you back again. My dog does her very best to be tolerant of this clipping, but she will communicate to me that she does not like it by showing her teeth and touching my hand with her teeth if the process goes on for too long. When she shows her teeth I tell her "bad girl" and then I will fiddle more with her feet without the clippers to exert my dominate role and then shortly thereafter stop. Treats immediately after a single nail. This is what appears to be working for me. Best o' luck.


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## sourdough44 (Oct 26, 2013)

Our 14 month old female used to not like us trimming her nails. It kinda came to a head when we brought her back to the breeder's for boarding, about 6 months then.

While there the breeder decided she needed a nail trim. Our dog didn't like it, low growl. The breeder got on our case for not acclimating her. Since then we stepped it up, trimmed more often and 'made her' put up with it.

Just yesterday I trimmed about 5 or more nails, no issues. I also gave her a nice bone, then stuck my face by hers and took it away after two minutes, testing. One can't expect behavior that isn't gradually trained into them. She was fine with the bone, I then gave it back and let the older Son have a go, with me there. It was fine.

With any aggression towards the family I come down rather hard. I let it be known it's unacceptable. I'd rather be firm when called for, then later a stern voice is usually enough. It works for me/us.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

When I give a dog a bone, I let them have their bone and don't screw around with them. That's teasing. I have NEVER had problem removing anything from my dog's mouths. I think that when we play games with them, give them something, and then take it back, we can actually create problems that would have never reared its ugly head.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

op, in regards to nail cutting, are you doing it correctly? maybe try a different style trimer. make sure the cutting blade is sharp.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

cut around the quick not a stright line tiny bits at once, its not easy. just the tips no bleeding. It really hurts.


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