# Surrendered our 4yr old due to pursuant aggression to family members.



## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

Hello,
We have had our pup since 7weeks, he was a litter of one, no litter mates, they died. Since about the age of 2 he has become increasingly aggressive, very protective, and impossible for anyone except a few family members to be around. Since then he has bitten a neighbor, a delivery driver, my sons fiancé... has attacked by my daughter and brutally attacked my husband. The last two were pursuant attacks as our vet said because of the nature of them. Early training started at the breeders but as time progressed the breeder felt that we should have him neutered or sell him to a police dept., we did not and kept pushing on to see where we could get him trained once we started to see the aggression. We have had the dog trained since he was two at a reputable training facility, they felt that he was a lot of dog and very difficult and will be a challenge. We are at a loss and so terribly sad because this dog had a very sweet loving side to him and we are in agony. We have surrendered him back to the breeder and he is now living in a kennel. We gave him a wonderful life, he was on a complete raw diet, exercised every day (we have lots of property), we built our life around him to accomadate his needs and try not to set him up for failure. We are distraught as to keep him at the breeder in the not so nice conditions or to put him down, which I feel would be closure, but we know we cannot bring him home because of the risk and liability. Please help with input as I am at a loss thank you


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## GSDnewbieNero (Aug 1, 2020)

From the sound of things the dog obviously does not fit into your family - and personally for me, any dog that attacks one of my children has crossed a line and he would be gone (it sounds like something went seriously wrong from the start if he’s gotten to this point at 2 years of age). If I was in your shoes, I would try to find a new home for him where his job is to protect the house or land - and with someone with no children. A farmer would probably be a good fit - if he doesn’t attack animals that is.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I'm sorry you are in this situation. It sounds like the wrong dog was placed in your home. I doubt there was any more you could have done. You were training him. In contact with the breeder. Making sure he had proper exercise. 

Unfortunately, now that the dog has a bite history there isn't a lot that can be done for him. You surrendered him to the breeder, which you should have done, which makes him legally owned by the breeder and it's now up to them to do what they feel is right. The only thing you can do at this time is reach out to the training facility (assuming it was for working dogs) and see if they have any contacts that would take a dog like this and then pass that contact on to the breeder.

I'm going to stick with that because a very similar situation just happened with a good friend who is the breeder but she got the dog back before it accelerated and the buyer trashed her online for "stealing" her dog even though she willingly sold the dog back and willingly admitted to me that she didn't know how to handle the dog.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

It’s unfortunate what has happened. What information is it you want? Your story seems to have run it’s course with this dog. Someone could suggest a trainer based on your area. We don’t even know much about the trainer you used before. This situation is in the breeder’s hands at this point. I don’t think there is much you can do now.


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

The decision is a hard decision , do you all feel that if we gave him a second chance it would work. Having strict boundaries in place, maybe medication (the vet said that would not work)... we have already been living by his rules as to say being constantly on guard when someone comes to our house, putting him away because only my husband and myself can be around him and I don't even know if he will attack my husband again. its the heartbreak over losing him because he was a lover  trying to make sense of him and I know that's impossible , thank you all for your responses and listening.


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

The training facility is in PA very reputable and has worked with these type of dogs, that is why we took him there.


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## BobbyShermanice (Jul 25, 2019)

Don't beat yourself up for your decision. Sadly, the dog posed a danger to your family and you had no other alternative. Keeping him under the present circumstances was not an option. Don't go back to that breeder!


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

roscoe411 said:


> The decision is a hard decision , do you all feel that if we gave him a second chance it would work. Having strict boundaries in place, maybe medication (the vet said that would not work)... we have already been living by his rules as to say being constantly on guard when someone comes to our house, putting him away because only my husband and myself can be around him and I don't even know if he will attack my husband again. its the heartbreak over losing him because he was a lover  trying to make sense of him and I know that's impossible , thank you all for your responses and listening.


No one can answer that question with any degree of certainty. I can tell you I absolutely would not keep a dog I had to medicate to keep stable. I don’t know what this dogs upbringing was like, the training was like, or the breeding was like. All of that information would be needed before I could hazard a guess. There are many shepherds who don’t do well with guests. They are bred to bite, and being in their home usually amplifies that response. I’d look more at the opinions of people who are familiar with the dog. You have had a trainer work with him for two years, and contact with his breeder. It’s a hard decision to give up a dog. I would suggest you take time to figure out what kind of dog it is you truly want before getting another one. There are very good dogs with more mellow temperaments. I’m not saying your dog was good or bad, but you didn’t have the tools to handle him.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

roscoe411 said:


> The decision is a hard decision , do you all feel that if we gave him a second chance it would work. Having strict boundaries in place, maybe medication (the vet said that would not work)... we have already been living by his rules as to say being constantly on guard when someone comes to our house, putting him away because only my husband and myself can be around him and I don't even know if he will attack my husband again. its the heartbreak over losing him because he was a lover  trying to make sense of him and I know that's impossible , thank you all for your responses and listening.


No. No I don't. This is obviously the wrong dog for this home. You need to do what is right for the dog which should have been done before all the bites occurred. You surrendered the dog to the breeder. He is now legally theirs. It's no longer in your hands. Unfortunately, this situation is becoming all to common with working dogs being put in pet home. 

Just curious but can you PM me his pedigree privately? So the breeder doesn't get critiqued publicly.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Sad situation.

I have and would again keep a dog who doesn't like strangers but is good with known people and family. 

I'm not sure I could keep a dog who "brutally" attacked family (other than a simple redirect). German shepherds, malinois, many of the mastiff type breeds, do not belong in typical "pet homes". It's a disaster waiting to happen. Covid puppy fever is making this type of scenario even more common. Board and Trains can't change genetics or the day-to-day life of the dog.

I think it's up to the breeders to ensure this doesn't happen to a pup they breed. People buying puppies don't understand what "civil" "suspicious" or "handler aggressive" and "high possession" really mean. They watch a fancy video and think they want that... I digress, but this is a GSD-malinois (working dog community) issue and it's becoming a serious problem.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

You made the right choice.


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## jstijerina (Jun 26, 2020)

I also think you made the right choice. He is not a good fit for your family, but I'm sure that he will be a good fit for someone. Hopefully, the place you surrendered him to will find him a good home that fits. If I were you, I would make sure those people know his character, so they offer him to the right owner. Try giving him to a GSD rescue group. That is how I got my Maverick and they did a wonderful job verifying that the owner and dog were a good fit for each other.


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

thank you all for your replies, sadly he most likely will not be re homed because of his bites and attacks, we are finding that out quickly. I do not blame someone for not wanting a dog that is dangerous. he hopefully will stay at the breeders and be okay, or we would have to get him and put him down which we could not do, too painful. praying that there is something good that comes out of this, thank you


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

LuvShepherds said:


> You made the right choice.


thank you, I hope so , a very tough time


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

jstijerina said:


> I also think you made the right choice. He is not a good fit for your family, but I'm sure that he will be a good fit for someone. Hopefully, the place you surrendered him to will find him a good home that fits. If I were you, I would make sure those people know his character, so they offer him to the right owner. Try giving him to a GSD rescue group. That is how I got my Maverick and they did a wonderful job verifying that the owner and dog were a good fit for each other.


so sad because GSD rescues want to know if there is a bite history and maybe there is someone out there the breeder will find


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Not burdening a rescue with him was the right call! If he has a future, it's not in a home as a family pet -- if he's stable enough for a working life, maybe the breeder can find that for him. If not, let the breeder make the hard decision after fully evaluating the dog -- it relieves you of the emotional weight of it, which is a very kind thing for your breeder to do.

There are many dogs out there that will adore your kids and worship the ground you and your hub walk on -- let your kids grow up with a stable, loving, fun dog.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Over here he would’ve been gone after the first attack. Do not beat yourself up. You did everything you could.


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## Jen84 (Oct 19, 2020)

roscoe411 said:


> Please help with input as I am at a loss thank you


Here is some information that may help you understand:









Dealing with the Dominant Dog


Very few dogs are truly dominant. We feel the vast majority of the people who need help with their dogs don't have dominant dogs but rather they have dogs that have never learned rules. For lack of a better description, these are dogs that have never learned




leerburg.com


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

Sunflowers said:


> Over here he would’ve been gone after the first attack. Do not beat yourself up. You did everything you could.


yes that's what should have been, we thought with the training things would have gotten better and we could control him. thank you so much


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## roscoe411 (Dec 12, 2020)

Magwart said:


> Not burdening a rescue with him was the right call! If he has a future, it's not in a home as a family pet -- if he's stable enough for a working life, maybe the breeder can find that for him. If not, let the breeder make the hard decision after fully evaluating the dog -- it relieves you of the emotional weight of it, which is a very kind thing for your breeder to do.
> 
> There are many dogs out there that will adore your kids and worship the ground you and your hub walk on -- let your kids grow up with a stable, loving, fun dog.


thank you so much, such a tough decision


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yes you made the right choice. Sounds like you did everything you could. Not sure how bad the attacks were and what was going on the time. The dog could be unstable due to health reasons as well perhaps or just not fit to live with family style life which makes his options limited with that kind of aggression and instability combined. No one can say the cause as no one fully knows the story. It’s good he is in the breeders hands it opens him a up to other options if at all possible.


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## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

Not your fault! Not sad!

breeder brings them into this world. Breeder is responsible now that you've surrendered.

 Never you mind about it anymore. Put it behind you and find better dog.

case closed


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Unless you are extremely experienced, a dog like that is not trainable. He would have to be managed for the rest of his life. I agree with previous posts. Don’t let this experience discourage you from finding another dog. Maybe our trainer can help with that, now that they know your situation and what you are capable of handling. The next dog will be much easier.


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## GSDsOnly (Dec 17, 2020)

roscoe411 said:


> Hello,
> We have had our pup since 7weeks, he was a litter of one, no litter mates, they died. Since about the age of 2 he has become increasingly aggressive, very protective, and impossible for anyone except a few family members to be around. Since then he has bitten a neighbor, a delivery driver, my sons fiancé... has attacked by my daughter and brutally attacked my husband. The last two were pursuant attacks as our vet said because of the nature of them. Early training started at the breeders but as time progressed the breeder felt that we should have him neutered or sell him to a police dept., we did not and kept pushing on to see where we could get him trained once we started to see the aggression. We have had the dog trained since he was two at a reputable training facility, they felt that he was a lot of dog and very difficult and will be a challenge. We are at a loss and so terribly sad because this dog had a very sweet loving side to him and we are in agony. We have surrendered him back to the breeder and he is now living in a kennel. We gave him a wonderful life, he was on a complete raw diet, exercised every day (we have lots of property), we built our life around him to accomadate his needs and try not to set him up for failure. We are distraught as to keep him at the breeder in the not so nice conditions or to put him down, which I feel would be closure, but we know we cannot bring him home because of the risk and liability. Please help with input as I am at a loss thank you


Please do not get another German Shepherd. German Shepherds are pack dogs and if you get an alpha dog they will try to protect and dominate and possibly bite. I have two alpha dog rescues and I trained them both that I am the boss and to listen to me.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

GSDsOnly said:


> Please do not get another German Shepherd. German Shepherds are pack dogs and if you get an alpha dog they will try to protect and dominate and possibly bite. I have two alpha dog rescues and I trained them both that I am the boss and to listen to me.


That is bad advice. OP, please do not follow this. You need to find the right match from the right breeder. Research lines, ask people who have dogs like that and find a trainer to help you from day one. Stick around.


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