# 5 month old attacking me, HELP PLEASE!



## GSDloving (Aug 10, 2011)

So, my pup is a resource guarder, we are currently working on his problem with a personal trainer. 

But tonight something extremely out of the ordinary happened, I was just petting him when he started growling, when I pulled my hand away he stared me down and than lunged at me growling and trying to bite me. I ended up pinning him down until he could calm down, his pupils were extremely dilated and you could tell he was completely out of control. Since than he has been walking around on edge, and every time I say his name he will growl at me. I only notice his resource guarding and growling at night...

I am really really confused as to what could be going on with him, I have been training him with positive reinforcement so there are no trust issues. I take him to the dog park regularly for exercise and socialization. And he follows me everywhere I go and sleeps with me and everything. We have a very tight bond.

Why would he try attacking me? I am wondering if it could be a hormonal thing since he is a pup or maybe he is trying to control me, I know german shepherds (males especially) can be very dominant. 

Anyone else ever had this problem? I am just shocked he tried to attack me....but yet he is very protective of me and follows me everywhere.

I am going to mention this to the trainer tomorrow but just wanted to see if anyone had similar issues. I love my pup so much, I just want to be able to fully trust him. Btw, he does very well with other dogs, pretty submissive. He also loves people.


----------



## mthurston0001 (Jul 12, 2009)

Why did you pull your hand away, and what was your frame of mind when you did it? What have you done to change this behavior in the past? I _have_ had my own dogs become posessive over an item, but has_ never_ escalated to the point where the dog feels he can/should continue an assault.


----------



## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Is your question serious about why op pulled his hand away?


Did you have him checked out by the vet? It could be something medical. 

Also, if it isn't something medical, any clear headed dog would not react the way your pup reacts, especially at his age. It does sound like very unusual behaviour.


----------



## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

When you say your dog is very protective of you, this raised a red flag with me. He is probably possessive of you and not actually protective.Obviously, your dog doesn't see you as his leader. This needs to be established. 

How has your trainer told you to handle his aggression? I would suggest you use NILIF, and I mean NOTHING. I did have aggression problems with my dog when he was a puppy, and he would never growl at me or attempt to bite me anymore. However, the technique that I used can't be attempted without a professional trainer so I will leave it at that. But I also used NILIF, and that is very effective as well. And something that a dog with aggressive tendency's must always be kept on.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

is there any corner of the house that is "yours".
what you may think of as a tight bond , in the dog's perception , may be his being an equal or more than an equal , in charge, or able to usurp you , and be in charge.
as an experiment ask him to get off the bed , off the couch , out of his/your favourite chair.

what is the reaction from him? is it utter amazement that you would have the gaul to ask him?

in my training years I got lots of problem dogs with "bedroom issues". 
a couple may have thought it cute when little pupser would playfully bark at husband coming into bedroom or bed , and wife would laugh and egg the pup on . 
months later you have a dog in the bed , and the husband in a spare room or couch because the dog is aggressive .

how about the leg bite when you disturb the dog when you change positions.

from the very brief description I would tend to think that the dog is possessive , not protective .

when you pinned him he was shocked at the change in your behaviour , from permissive to aggressively dominating him , putting the fear and defensive in you .

so for the rest of the time he walks around on edge , not trusting you , the unpredictable .

establish a set of rules of the house (and his doggy world) where there is a clear cut set of expectations .

you did say "btw , he does very well with other dogs, pretty submissive "

I don't know the dog but I do think there is a clue here to his rank problems. Each and every time you take him to that dog park he is sorted out - and he may just be consistently bottom dog , under dog , because all the other dogs are older , have claims of territory in this dog park. Each time he submits . So his position of being low dog is established . Just as the tough dog goes in there and keeps affirming his rank as he defeats and puts notches in his doggy collar - .

so there is your dog at home , where the position is reversed . He is more or less in charge . Finally he can be in charge . You submit to him. And then there you go out of the blue pinning him - unexpected - 

this is a complex situational behaviour problem , very well covered in "Crazy Dogs, Crazy People" by a dog psycologist who specialized in extreme fear aggressive dogs.

5 months is still young enough to make changes .

is there any other information that you can provide

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Its not protection. Its possession. Your pup is 5 months old. He doesnt know what protection is let alone how to behave in such a manner but just like any child he is old enough to fully understand possession means MINE!!! If your pup is behaving in such a way and you're working with a trainer, you need to step up your game and remind your pup who is boss in the house (NOT HIM!!!) and if your trainer isnt helping, you need to find a new trainer. 

Pinning him the way you did until he calmed down, may have actually made the problem worse. By not letting him up until he calmed down, you used force to show him he is not the boss (at least in that situation). You pin me down like that you better believe i'd be growling at you afterwards too. You just flipped his world around in a negative manner. 

I am definitely in agreement with Debi on practicing HEAVILY Nothing In Life Is Free. Also, if he's allowed on the furniture and bed now, i would advise you revoke those priviledges because he is assuming that that implies he's leader since the higher positions usually mean such. Ask him to get off the couch. If he gets snappy about it, this is indicative that you have a leadership problem. Step up training, positive enforcement of the rules and dont let him get away with anything at all. Also, have him drag a leash around the house with him. If he jumps up on the couch and doesnt listen when you tell him "off" or whatever command you use, use the leash to pull him off. By using the leash you are reminding him he is lower on the totem pole and you save yourself from getting bit if you reach for his collar. 

Have him checked by a vet to rule out any medical problems. And i mean FULLY checked. Inside and out. If all medical issues are ruled out then you can safely assume you have a leadership issue that needs to be corrected right now. If he's snapping and growling at you, even over possession of something, its also safe to assume your bond isnt exactly that tight because he isnt respecting you as leader of the pack.


ETA: going back and reading your original post again, it does sound like you have a leadership problem that is causing some problems. Sort of grey area when things should really be black and white.


----------



## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

carmspack said:


> in my training years I got lots of problem dogs with "bedroom issues".
> 
> 
> from the very brief description I would tend to think that the dog is possessive , not protective .
> ...


Great advice! Because of varying work hours I go to bed before DH and Benny, since a pup would sleep on the bed until DH came in and told him "off" . When he got to be about 7 months he growled when DH told him off. I looked him straight in the face, told him "no" and "off" and he complied. He never tried it again. He now gets off the minute he hears DH enters the room without a growl, although sometimes he lets out a sigh!

Dogs, in my experience, thrive on clear consistent rules and to know that actions have consequences , good and bad. Benny needed a bit more than positive only training during adolescence, and with a good trainer I found that humane use of aversives can be a necessary part of training. Dogs like people need to know that actions have consequences, both good and bad. ( in the eyes of the dog)


----------



## Sunstreaked (Oct 26, 2010)

Carmen, that was a really excellent post! 

While I don't have this issue, I always read even the threads that don't pertain to my dog just so I can learn something. 

And I just learned a ton right there.


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

hey thanks , I appreciate that .
KZoppa pretty well reinforced everything that I suggested so I hope the OP takes a moment to think about it.

I would be curious to know what the credentials of the trainer are . That could be anything from years of personal experience with different types of dogs, to watching re-runs of Cesar Milan , or reading some book .

Are there other family members in this household that are interacting with the dog. If so they too need to be on board. 

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

KZoppa said:


> ..........................................
> I am definitely in agreement with Debi on practicing HEAVILY Nothing In Life Is Free. Also, if he's allowed on the furniture and bed now, i would advise you revoke those priviledges because he is assuming that that implies he's leader since the higher positions usually mean such. Ask him to get off the couch. *If he gets snappy about it, this is indicative that you have a leadership problem.* Step up training, positive enforcement of the rules and dont let him get away with anything at all. Also, have him drag a leash around the house with him. If he jumps up on the couch and doesnt listen when you tell him "off" or whatever command you use, use the leash to pull him off. By using the leash you are reminding him he is lower on the totem pole and you save yourself from getting bit if you reach for his collar. .................


 
So what should the OP do when this happens? At the moment when the puppy growls or snaps at the owner?


----------



## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

get him to come to you , effectively winning because he got off the bed/couch etc. Give him praise for coming . Never ever "punish" . A correction is not punishment.

Then you put him on the leash . Walk by the bed. If he veers to jump back on , he can not , and you tell the dog NO - just in a firm declaration, NO OFF , the moment he is off whether by not being able to get on , or by choice you recognize and reward the right action -- that's good , good boy . 

All constructive.

No anger , or dominating , just good rules and authority that a kind leader should have.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## GSDloving (Aug 10, 2011)

Thank you guys for all the advice

As for the question "why did I pull my hand away" he began to growl at me....when I pulled it away I was very calm, since my pup is so young I am not afraid of the small amount of damage he can do. When I pulled my hand away is when he attacked. 

My reason for pinning him down is because I backed away to avoid him biting me and he kept going at it. He would not stop unless I forced him to. I do not believe in getting physical with my dog but I didn't know what else to do at the moment. 

I agree, I think he has a possessive issue. My trainer and I are practicing NILF, and I will incorporate not letting him sleep on my bed/sit on the couches. 

But what I still don't understand is why this only happens at night... that's what makes me wonder if its a medical issue.


----------



## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

I would have his eye sight checked out throughly. He could have some type of vission problem that's only there at night or with low lighting. 
If he's only seeing a shadow like your hand but can't tell what it is, or movement in the room but can't tell exactly what's moving, that could explain alot of his problem. 
If medical checks out then I would go with what so many others have said with training.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Having his eyes checked and a full blood work up done is a good place to start. 

Do you know anything about his parents? It doesn't sound like he has the most solid temperament and knowing if you're dealing with genetics v. learned behavior gives you different insights in counter conditioning. 

And I agree that this sounds like an extension of his resource guarding issues, with you being his number one resource.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

GSDloving said:


> But what I still don't understand is why this only happens at night... that's what makes me wonder if its a medical issue.


Look up seratonin levels. There is an article I read a while ago about dogs being more aggressive at night due to a decrease in seratonin levels. So if you already have a dog that is guarding or doesn't have a solid temperament it seems reasonable to me that this would be enough to tip the scales.

My girl was sleeping on the bed when DH came in to go to bed about a month ago. I heard her growl at him and woke up, heard her growl more and came straight out of bed. I told her to get off the bed and she's not allowed up there at night. She does get up in the morning and flops like a dead dog so you can't move her if I"m still in bed.


----------



## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

This is just my humble opinion and don't expect much agreement but......
I don't think dogs belong on furniture, ESPECIALLY your bed. You are setting yourself up for possession/aggression problems, not to mention doghair problems. I love my dog very much and she loves us. We don't need to prove our love by allowing her on the furniture. Since she has never been on it she doesn't miss it.
JMHO


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

codmaster said:


> So what should the OP do when this happens? At the moment when the puppy growls or snaps at the owner?


 
exactly as Carmen said. BUT you would also go back to basics. Literally. You have to reshape the dogs way of thinking into the handler being the leader and not the dog. To do this, the dog has to be treated like an unruly puppy with absolutely no training. Heavily use NILIF and enforce the rules, no exceptions. The dog has to earn back his priviledges such as being allowed up on the couch or the bed. If he crosses the line, priviledges get revoked. The dog will usually be dragging a leash around, like in this case its for the owners safety and ability to gently pull him off the couch or bed or just generally where he's not allowed to be without getting bit. 

when the OP takes the dog out to socialize, again NILIF must be practiced and enforced. Someone askes to pet the dog and OP says okay, OP should then have the dog sit for attention. If he breaks his sit, the attention goes away. Rule enforcement and consistency is always the key with leadership exercises.


----------



## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I happen to agree with PaddyD- our dog isn't allowed on our furniture, bed or even in our bedroom or bathroom. I don't go in his crate or on his bed either.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

a dog can be on the bed or sofa but that doesn't
mean it should show aggression. if the dog is laying
on it's bed and you approach it is aggression allowed?
you should be able to approach your dog no matter
where it's laying or waht it's laying on.

Stosh, what does that mean, you don't
go in the dogs crate or to it's bed? you don't
potty in the yard or eat out of your dogs bowl either.what you do and what your dog is allowed to do is no comparison.



PaddyD said:


> This is just my humble opinion and don't expect much agreement but......
> I don't think dogs belong on furniture, ESPECIALLY your bed. You are setting yourself up for possession/aggression problems, not to mention doghair problems. I love my dog very much and she loves us. We don't need to prove our love by allowing her on the furniture. Since she has never been on it she doesn't miss it.
> JMHO





Stosh said:


> I happen to agree with PaddyD- our dog isn't allowed on our furniture, bed or even in our bedroom or bathroom. I don't go in his crate or on his bed either.


----------



## southernfiction (Oct 5, 2011)

You're taking this problem seriously (if you didn't, you wouldn't have asked) and that is the right beginning. That his eyes were dilated bothers me the most. I think he needs a professional to handle this.


----------

