# German Shepherd aggressive toward son



## adimeco (Aug 7, 2009)

Hi,
I was given a 3 year old male German Shepherd and I have had him 3 months. To me, he is the sweetest dog. He has lately started barking (aggressively) and nipping when my 15 year old son comes out of his room and heads for the door to take the bus to school. Today, he nipped (bit) my son on his arm as he was leaving the door. When I saw that, I was mad, yelled No and sent him upstairs rather forcefully. I know that I should have remained more calm when I rebuked him. I am at a loss on how to correct him. He is also very territorial when someone comes to the house, I need to stop that behavior also. He is fine with other dogs. Runs free at the dog park and when I take him to the park to watch football in our town, he doesnt have any problems with people and other dogs. People can walk right up an pet him with no problems. Any suggestions on how to stop this aggression toward my son? Or his territorial aggression at home? One last thing, my friend which the dog has met several times since I got him in August came over into our yard. He opened the gate and walked toward us. I said hello and told our dog its ok and then all of a sudden he runs toward my friend and jumps up and nips at him in the face. I quickly put the dog into submission on the ground and told him Bad Dog and held him there a few momnets then I brought him back in the house. I was so scared, I didnt think he would react like that. My friend said he felt my dog's teeth on his face! Luckily he didnt bite him!.....Ugh! Thanks for listening!


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: adimeco I quickly put the dog into submission on the ground and told him Bad Dog and held him there a few momnets then I brought him back in the house.


Meeting agression with agression is not a good idea. I know there are some people out there that will tell you to force a dog to the ground and hold him there will cause him to be more submissive and that it is a good training practice...but there are far more people that are going to tell you this will seriously backfire.

Look up NILIF and you and your family (teen son, too) should start implementing this. Also, have you teen son take a very active role in caring for the dog. Have him put his hands in the dog food to get his scent on it and have him feed the dog. Let the dog learn that your teen son is higher up in the chain than the dog is. As long as the dog is not being food agressive, put him on a leash to ensure he does not lunge (dog, not son







), have your son take a bite of chicken (or something equally tasty) and THEN have your son give the dog a bite. The dog should come to see that your son has the goods and if he wants some, he must chill out and accept your son as a leader. If the dog is allowed on furniture, have your son tell him to get off the couch and sit down where the dog was. 

NILIF is going to be that the dog has to work for everything. Examples: If he wants to eat, he has to sit, wait and be told it is ok to eat. If he wants out, he must first sit at the door. If he wants to be petted, he must first lay down. He cannot come to you (or your family) and nudge you with his head to be petted...ignore this or walk away. Go to him and pet him, but make sure it is on YOUR terms, and when YOU want, not the dog.

All this being said....Have you worked with a trainer at all? Has the dog had bloodwork to make sure there is nothing physical or mental that could be causing him to react like this? There is currently another thread going on that is very similiar...check that for answers and ideas, too.

As for your friend in the yard...you should be *letting* people in the yard, telling your dog it is ok. No one should just go wandering into your yard when the dog is out there. Some dogs are fine with this...yours is obviously not.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Nipping is not necessarily aggression. These are herding dogs and quite often it it to get our attention. Is he biting? Is he mouthing? is he leaving marks? Is he barking first?

You should look up NILIF training and keep hiim on a leash, even inside, until this is fixed. 

It sounds like a lack of training more than aggression.


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## dogs_dolls (Apr 27, 2001)

.consulting a good positive trainer would be helpful, be sure that your trainer does not use punitive and harsh methods. You can't overcome aggression in a dog with those methods. Also do not delay in addressing this. The longer your dog gets to "practice" these behaviors the worse they will get...I speak from sad experience!! Get on it right away with the NILF and hopefully with a good trainer. Wishing you the best!!! And thanking you for taking this guy in!


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

I know my GSD has a habit of "nipping" if he feels the kids are going somewhere he feels they shouldn't be. He acts like he is herding them. Maybe it could be something like that?


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## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

This is touchy territory and I'm NOT accusing just think there's something you need to check into so please don't take this wrong. 

Is it possible even in the remote-est way that your son has been teasing the dog, hurting the dog anything at all negative towards the dog? 

Three things come to mind if you find out that son has never done anything nasty to the dog. 

1) The dog is afraid of something and so he's protecting himself by lashing out first ... the old "I'll get you before you get me" thing.

2) The dog feels you need protecting. 

3) The dog's territorial and the big thing here is that YOU should not be considered his territory.

In either case one underlying factor is that the dog doesn't feel safe and you need to find a way to make that happen. Mandalay gave some good info about getting your son involved with the dog in a positive way. 

I also agree w/her that allowing someone into your yard and just cutting the dog loose to greet the person can be really dangerous. You have to show the dog that YOU are allowing this person into your yard and that it's ok for that person to be there. That means YOU physically go let the person in and the dog should be sit or down at a distance watching with you in total control of the situation. He can then watch you interact w/your guest and learn that this guest is ok to be there. 

At a point in time when the dog is calm, not showing ANY signs of ANY kind of excitement, have your friend stand still in a relaxed position and sideways to the dog so there's no eye contact and no communicating with the dog initially. What your friend would be doing is showing the dog he's not a threat. Let the dog come sniff the person while you carry on a conversation w/your friend. Once the dog's sniffed and probably lost interest he'll wander off or sit down or something and then you and your friend can just sit down or whatever you're doing to do. 

One of the big keys to successful meet & greets is a calm dog. Any kind of excitement at all can backfire badly.

Another key is to teach people who come to your house or whenever you have the opportunity to teach this ... never ever pet a dog on top of it's head, pet under the chin and in a calm fashion. Some dogs take movement toward the top of their head as a threat that person is going to hit/hurt them and they'll lash out first in protecting themselves. I've noticed that people meeting a dog for the first time will pet on the head which is why I mention this here.

Petting a dog in an excited way just kicks in or increases a dog's excitement level.


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## adimeco (Aug 7, 2009)

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I have started the NILF program and can say it has helped my dog. I will continue to train and learn as much as I can. 

As I doubt my 15 year old has hurt the dog, I can say he has let the dog chase him around thats when he will nip. I have told my son to stop letting the dog chase him. 
Anyway, I think its the NILF thats working because Tuesday morning as my son was just about to come out of his room and take the bus, I put my dog in a sit stay and my son left no problems. 
Also, as I was walking home from a walk with my dog, my friend stopped over and saw me in the road, As we got closer and said hello. I stopped and put him in a sit and he was fine. I really think it was me giving the mixed signals of who was the Alpha. In the past, he would come and give affection, now I initiate all the affection, when he could play with his toys and making him sit and wait at the door until I give the command to exit. 

Thank you all for your help. With some more consistent training, I feel he will become a great dog.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: adimecoThank you all for taking the time to respond. I have started the NILF program and can say it has helped my dog. I will continue to train and learn as much as I can.
> 
> As I doubt my 15 year old has hurt the dog, I can say he has let the dog chase him around thats when he will nip. I have told my son to stop letting the dog chase him.
> Anyway, I think its the NILF thats working because Tuesday morning as my son was just about to come out of his room and take the bus, I put my dog in a sit stay and my son left no problems.
> ...


I am so glad this is all working for you. Way too often dogs that are exhibiting this mild, or even confused, aggression are turned over to a rescue, shelter or even PTS. I commend you for picking up on this and looking for help in correcting the problem while it was small and more manageable. 

Maybe your son would agree to attend training with the dog to increase their bond. There are more than just plain old obedience things they can do...they could enjoy agility, tracking, etc.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

If he was chasing back and forth with the dog, this could certainly trigger very rough play, although not true agression. Could still hurt if one gets nipped in "play" of course but it will be a lot easier to fix.


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

You know, at the risk of sounding stupid, is the dog viewing your son a *resource* competitor? 

Resource = food=attention=brushing=frisby tosser=water bowl??

He might be just wanting your son to stop taking your *resource* time from him?

Rehomed dogs that bond with one family member get jealous of other members, and super protective of the one they bond with.


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