# Adopted a 7 year old Shepherd. Need help!!!



## miro2010 (Mar 11, 2010)

Hey everyone!

We just adopted a 7 year old GS. We've had him for almost 12 days now. He is an absolute sweetheart. He is very gentle and kind. He does not bark (very well behaved at home). we have 3 children (ages 8, 6, and 21 months). Miro is great with them (teh baby pets him, touches his ears and he just lies on the floor).

One big problem: He seems to be very aggressive towards other dogs!! 
:-( At first it seemed like he had it out for large dogs but yesterday he snapped at an 8 month old Dachshund. Next thing we know....Miro had the pup in it's mouth!!! He didn't kill it (he could have) but the poor thing still ended up a the vet's with bruises (he wasn't bleeding but still had some trauma).

We're freaking out right now. Does this mean he will snap at the children? We don't know his past. He was found lost and starving on the streets in southern Italy and rescued.

I am thinking about hiring a dog trainer to assess him but was hoping to get some advice from experienced GSD owners. 

Why would he attack the pup?!!! Aren't adult dogs supposed to "smell" and know when they have a puppy in front of them and not harm them?!!! Does this mean that we need to be careful with the kids (even though he has been here for almost 2 weeks and has been an absoulte angel with them and the rest of the family)? 

A friend of ours yesterday came by for a visit and she held the baby and Miro immediately got on all 4's and stood next to my friend (with his ears pointing up) and did not leave (or relax) until she put the baby down on the floor (at which point he went back to his bed).

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!!! Thanks a ton!

Maria
(living in Switzerland)


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

From the sounds of it, you shouldn't have a problem with him and your baby or children. That said, you should ALWAYS supervise your baby especially with him, because he is big and can hurt it, without knowing. Never let your baby crawl around on the floor with him around, he could start playing and easily hurt it badly. But with dog aggression, some dogs' past makes them that way, and it won't matter whether they're a puppy or a senior, if they're dog aggressive, a lot of time it's towards all dogs. I wouldn't disadvise you to get a trainer of course; but I would ask for help with his dog aggression, depending on how severe exactly, it can be easily reversed, but it sounds like he's already protective of your children, and if you haven't had an issue yet, you shouldn't. Most dogs that are DA (dog aggressive) are extremely attached to their owners, or at least aren't human aggressive.


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## LClark (Aug 25, 2009)

Rescue dogs need structure and time to learn the rules. Put him on leash and limit his freedom in the house. He shouldn't have free roam of your house just yet. If he stares at your other dog, correct him immediately. If he is barking or staring at other dogs while you are walking, correct him immediately. Reward for positive behaviors.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

What DJEtzel said.  Dog aggression is different from people aggression. He sounds wonderful to have around children, but unfortunately, dog aggression is not something you can train out of a dog. Your dog may have been born with the innate aggressive reaction to other dogs, or she may have developed it by not having been socialized to other dogs as a pup, or by having had bad experiences and having been attacked by other dogs from a young age. 

Adult dogs stop seeing puppies as puppies around six/seven months of age - so an eight month old pup does not get puppy-deference anymore, and will be treated more as an adult dog. So your new dog may still be good with younger pups, but not older ones. 

In a multi-dog household, when two or more dogs don't get along, separation and constant supervision is key. I know you must be very attached to him already, but you may want to find him a good home where he is the only dog, or set up a routine where the dogs get separate areas in the house, the yard, and separate individual time with the household humans. The difficult part is that with young children, it is very easy to have oups - accidents where a door or gate is left open, and dogs which are supposed to be kept apart have access to each other with disastrous results.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Hi Maria. Thank you for adopting an older GSD. They are best. If it makes you feel any better, I have a similar story. We adopted our GSD when she was 2. At the time, my kids were 10, 6, and 2. My dog was also wonderful with the kids. Like you, we learned very quickly that she did NOT like other dogs. My kids are now 20, 16, and 12. The dog is also 12. She still adores the kids. She still hates other dogs. She has never attacked another dog. I never allowed that to happen. I always have control over her. She has also responds very well to the recall and leave it commands. As she has aged, she has gotten better. We can take her for a walk without her being reactive to other dogs. She has even made a few doggie friends. As others have said, "Always monitor your kids and dog." The dog aggression really has nothing to do with people. Work on obedience. Find a good trainer. It will work out just fine.


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## miro2010 (Mar 11, 2010)

Thanks so much everyone! He's actually our one and only dog. ;-) He's exhibits aggressive behavior to other dogs.

This 8 month old Dachshund incident was bad but I know that he had no intention of killing him otherwise he would have!

Problem is that here in Switzerland, dogs are reported and are entered in the "system" if they hurt a dog or human so now Miro is marked. I don't know yet what will happen but this is not good. :-(

The good news is that tomorrow we have an appointment with an experienced dog trainer so hopefully she will be able to help Miro with his agressive doggie tendencies.
Wish us luck everyone! We really love this guy!!!!

Maria


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

We rescued a two-year-old GSD who was very reactive to other dogs. I couldn't even walk her without her growling and lunging at other dogs. We worked with a behaviorist and took a couple of reactive dog classes, which helped a LOT. She still doesn't like some dogs and she doesn't like it when other dogs get into her face (especially while on leash), but she's improved immensely.

One thing I wanted to say was that it takes a couple of months for them to settle into a new home. It took about three months for us to see the "true Heidi." So, keep a close eye on him and, as others said, don't let him have free run of the house just yet. Crate training was a godsend for us in the early months. 

The best of luck to you. And thanks for rescuing this older guy!


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