# Desparately need help with an overly attention needing aggressive 1yr old male



## johnpatrick (Jun 7, 2016)

Our dog Troy is a 1 year old born 4/12/2016, Black Shepherd Male, First Born and biggest of the Litter, overly loving and endlessly seeking attention to the point where seemingly no amount of love and attention will suffice. He jumps up on the couch next to us and there is no end to the soothing, petting, loving and affection we can give him. He just keeps getting more and more aggressive the more attention you give him. It seems his appetite for attention is insatiable to the point that we have to get up and restrain him in his crate or put him outside. I am constantly giving him Dog bones to give him something to do besides "pawing me in the face", "jumping on us"... etc... We tolerate it as long as we can, but his social needs are insatiable. I run the dog in the morning, I run him in the afternoon... evening ect, hoping I will tire him out. He will rest, and then he's back full force. He is never aggressive in terms of threatening. He even loves strangers. There isnt a bad bone in Troy. He just has an endless supply of energy and he has been crate trained since a puppy. Crating him doesnt seem to work. I crate him and he comes out full of energy. I play ball with him in the yard and make him fetch repetitively to tire him out, but once he rests up a bit, the aggressive Lover Boy behavior comes back. He's also taken his aggression out on our furniture, the house, tearing up the yard... he even goes to the firewood pile and picks up entire logs and throws them around in the driveway... Do I need to have him "Fixed" ?? I have let him run free in the yard, I have tried tying him to a post on a long 20 yard dog cord.... I've tried placing him in an outdoor pen... crating as a 'timeout'.... What can I do? Any ideas comments I greatly appreciate. Thanks in advance.


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## thegooseman90 (Feb 24, 2017)

Some basic obedience training and setting boundaries would be a good idea. Teach him the couch bed etc are off limits and that'll give you somewhere to go without being pawed in the face. Another thing is you've basically rewarded that behavior and taught him it's a good thing. He paws and gets love and affection. So no more love and affection from pawing or whatever it is you don't want him to do. 

As far as burning off energy I'm not sure how big your yard is but if he's just doing a little trot to and from playing fetch it's not burning energy. Their trot/jog is like a lazy walk for us. Maybe try playing tug and things of that nature that will make him exert himself more.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

Having him neutered would do nothing. Sounds like your guy is just full of energy. Calling him aggressive is, pardon me, ridiculous. He is amped up and ready to play and burn some energy. Sounds like a normal preteen to me. GSD's want to be engaged with their people. Tossing him out with a toy or a bone isn't going to work. 

It appears you haven't set any behavior limits. This is where you TRAIN him to know exactly what is ok and what isn't. There is plenty of information on this board about exercising and even more about how to train acceptable behavior. 

I am not a trainer but if it were my dog, I'd start by wearing him out then when he's not so rambunctious and a little pooped out from play I'd start a training regiment. I would then follow up with more play. With Traveler, knowing more play after training made the lessons tolerable :grin2:


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

Have you done any training with him, basic obedience?--if not, I'd definitely work on this, maybe enroll in a local obedience class if your dog is neutral around other dogs. Sounds to me like your boy is more pushy and disrespectful than aggressive, but I'm not a trainer. 

You might want to google NILIF (Nothing in life is free) and implement some of those ideas. 

I would not give your dog attention when he is being pushy (pawing and pestering you for affection) as giving him what he wants will just reinforce the behavior that you do not want. Also be prepared that when you stop giving him attention when he demands it, his behavior might get even more pushy for a while b/c he knows that it has worked in the past. You'll have to be more stubborn than he is.

If he is getting lots of physical exercise, maybe he needs more mental exercise, something that challenges his mind.

PS--he is a very handsome dog!!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

sebrench said:


> Have you done any training with him, basic obedience?--if not, I'd definitely work on this, maybe enroll in a local obedience class if your dog is neutral around other dogs.


You don't mention if you've taken any obedience classes with him or worked with a trainer, but if not, that is a great place to start. 



> ou might want to google NILIF (Nothing in life is free) and implement some of those ideas.


Absolutely - this sounds like a dog that has no manners, never had any boundaries imposed, and has been getting attention on demand for a long time. Read up on NILIF (nothing in life is free) here: Nothing in Life is Free



> I would not give your dog attention when he is being pushy (pawing and pestering you for affection) as giving him what he wants will just reinforce the behavior that you do not want. Also be prepared that when you stop giving him attention when he demands it, his behavior might get even more pushy for a while b/c he knows that it has worked in the past. You'll have to be more stubborn than he is.


Right, you have to stop catering to him. Eventually that behavior will extinguish when he figures out that it's no longer working to get him what he wants. An important part of that equation, that people don't always realize, is that he needs to be reinforced for the behavior you want in addition to NOT reinforcing the behavior you don't want. And as sebrench mentions, there could be what's referred to as an "extinction burst", where the dog tries harder and harder to get the desired result before finally giving up and trying something else. 



> If he is getting lots of physical exercise, maybe he needs more mental exercise, something that challenges his mind.


This is something that's often overlooked too - people go crazy trying to give a young energetic dog more and more and more exercise, and it often backfires, producing a dog that NEEDS all that physical activity, yet still won't settle. Instead, work on reinforcing calm behavior. Mat work is great for this. This book has lots of tips, with step by step instructions for specific exercises to do with your dog: https://www.amazon.com/Chill-Out-Fi...qid=1492191229&sr=1-1&keywords=chill+out+fido

Nosework classes can be a great way to work a dog's mind. My dogs would be wiped out in the car on the way home, even though physically they had done very little. Dr Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol is also terrific, I did this with Dena & Keefer when they were younger: http://championofmyheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/new-rp-2014.pdf

You can scroll down to the tasks, which are towards the end. It's a 15 step program, which should be worked on daily. Each step is one day, unless the dog isn't able to remain calm through each task in that step, in which case it would be repeated until it can. One difference that I made is to have the dogs laying down rather than sitting, since it's a more calm, relaxed position. And I also did it on a mat, which isn't mentioned as necessary. What I like about using a mat is that once the dog learns that this is where it goes to relax, you have a portable chill spot. with Halo I did not do the RP program since I began mat work with her as a puppy. I started taking that mat with me to her obedience classes, and she would immediately go and lay down on it when we got there.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

You decide when the dog gets attention and when he is allowed on your furniture or if he is allowed at all. He is crying out for limits and boundaries and is anxious because he isn't getting any. Train him. Work with a private trainer who understands behavior and can come into your home and watch you interact with him.


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## NerdicEclipse (Feb 20, 2017)

LuvShepherds said:


> You decide when the dog gets attention and when he is allowed on your furniture or if he is allowed at all. He is crying out for limits and boundaries and is anxious because he isn't getting any. Train him. Work with a private trainer who understands behavior and can come into your home and watch you interact with him.


This. Minka was wild and out of control, badly mannered. Still is on some things. There was an incident when she got WAY too rough with our chihuahua and just to get the chihuahua safe I had to take physical action against her. It felt awful. Bad because I had to do it to her, worse because I hadn't been proactive enough to keep both she and the chihuahua safe and happy. It was all preventable. She just needed more structure and for me to rely less on "it'll get easier when she gets older". It prompted me to look into things more, and it doesn't get easier until the work is done.

Since that time, she's on the leash 90% of the time indoors. She's never unsupervised and I ride her like a horse as far as making sure she behaves and (thanks to the leash) is immediately corrected the instant she starts to get into something or behavior that's not wanted. Overall she is much happier, as is our other dog (and us too). They need boundaries. They need a leader. They need to know you're the boss and that there are structure and rules in the house. It seems backwards in a way. Like they would rather be free and have less strict boundaries but it really isn't like that (like it is with some other breeds). They want to please you and want to do well. To do that, they need rules, boundaries and something to do. Everything is a training opportunity for them. They actually enjoy it. Our relationship has gotten much better now that I realize that and I wish I'd have been better about it from day one.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

NerdicEclipse said:


> This. Minka was wild and out of control, badly mannered. Still is on some things. There was an incident when she got WAY too rough with our chihuahua and just to get the chihuahua safe I had to take physical action against her. It felt awful. Bad because I had to do it to her, worse because I hadn't been proactive enough to keep both she and the chihuahua safe and happy. It was all preventable. She just needed more structure and for me to rely less on "it'll get easier when she gets older". It prompted me to look into things more, and it doesn't get easier until the work is done.
> 
> Since that time, she's on the leash 90% of the time indoors. She's never unsupervised and I ride her like a horse as far as making sure she behaves and (thanks to the leash) is immediately corrected the instant she starts to get into something or behavior that's not wanted. Overall she is much happier, as is our other dog (and us too). They need boundaries. They need a leader. They need to know you're the boss and that there are structure and rules in the house. It seems backwards in a way. Like they would rather be free and have less strict boundaries but it really isn't like that (like it is with some other breeds). They want to please you and want to do well. To do that, they need rules, boundaries and something to do. Everything is a training opportunity for them. They actually enjoy it. Our relationship has gotten much better now that I realize that and I wish I'd have been better about it from day one.


I tethered mine to me for similar reasons. I have a rescue and he was beating her up because he is stronger and bigger. She is good at dishing it out but I felt she needed a break. I worked on indoor behavior a lot with him and he gradually became much calmer and well behaved.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

You've basically taught him to get on the couch, paw you and demand your attention by rewarding that behavior with bones, etc.. As everyone has said, you need to get him into training. You will learn as well as him.


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