# 4 year old male aggressive , male



## bsampl01 (May 19, 2009)

I have a 4 year old male aggressive, male pure breed German shepherd. He is a great dog 90 percent of the time. I am relocating to California in 4 days and I am uncomfortable leaving him with someone who doesn't have dog training experience.

Location: South east Michigan


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## Prinzsalpha (Jul 6, 2005)

What is your plan about the dog that you have set in place? Giving a 4 day lead time is sorta sudden.


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## bsampl01 (May 19, 2009)

I had planned on giving him to a nice family then he went after my neighbor. I don't want to put him down, But I am not comfortable with him going to someone who doesn't have the skills to take care of an aggressive dog. I don't know if he will ever be able to be placed with a family with kids, over all he is good with them but every once in a while he attacks men out of no where.


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## fourdogsrule (May 10, 2007)

Is there a reason you aren't taking the dog with you?


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## Prinzsalpha (Jul 6, 2005)

I would see if a gsd rescue might be able to take him although placing a dog who is unpredictable could be a problem and you would need to honest in your assessment in order to give him a true shot at finding the right fit.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

so this is a male human aggressive dog. and you are unsure if he can be trusted with children. and you have four days to find a solution. where are you in south east michigan?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: bsampl01I have a 4 year old male aggressive, male pure breed German shepherd. He is a great dog 90 percent of the time. I am relocating to California in 4 days and I am uncomfortable leaving him with someone who doesn't have dog training experience.
> 
> Location: South east Michigan


4 days is not enough time to find a SUITABLE home for this dog. I would suggest you take him in and euthanize him.

Sorry if it sounds harsh but the bottom line is that there are hundreds of GSDs out there that need homes that are NOT human aggressive.

And there's no way you can find a home CAPABLE of dealing with a human-aggressive dog in just 4 days.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

please also keep in mind that a dog like this would be a prime candidate for anyone out there with very, very bad motives. there are fates much worse than death for these dogs. much worse.


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## bsampl01 (May 19, 2009)

My back yard is very small. Plus after the attack on the neighbor I am concerned about the well being of others. I am scared that he will attack someone else, he tore up the neighbor pretty bad, but we didn't make any police reports. Unfortunelty it is not he first time he has bit someone, but it was the worse thus far. Or choices now are give him to a rescue or put him down. I hate the idea of putting him down but it is becoming very noticeable that his aggression is getting worse. I feel that we don't spend enough time with him to correct it and it had gotten worse since his male owner left for 5 months of training. We both work long hours and I would love to see him get rescued and have his aggression issues properly managed. I love the dog very much, but we promised the neighbor that we would make sure no one else gets put at risk.


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## Jazy's mom (Jan 5, 2004)

Most rescue will not take a dog with a known bite record or an aggressive dog for that matter. There is too much liability for the rescue if the dog bites someone while in their care. 

If you are not willing to take him with you and seek professional help from a trainer, then sadly I agree with Lauri. The best thing to do is take him to the vet and be with him while they put him to sleep. 

Edited to add that having a small back yard is not an excuse to rehome your dog. Many people who live in apartments and have no yard own GSDs.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

i really don't think your choices are to "give" him to a rescue or put him down. you will not find a rescue who will "take" a dog with a history of two bites, especially one where he "tore up the neighbor pretty bad". even if you had a reasonable amount of time, which you don't. an unpredictable german shepherd dog is no different than a loaded gun. PLEASE. as difficult as it is, do the right thing here.


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## huberm41 (Aug 31, 2006)

I wish you were closer to OH aka Cincinnati OH . . . I know rescue that take in preferred aggressive dogs to only rehabilitate them. I am also working in the rehabilitation of aggressive dogs. I believe every dog has a chance as long as someone gives it the time to be worked with. In this case in does not look like this dog is going to get the time. Best of luck with your decision but I hope your pup gets a chance to be a DOG instead of unstable and aggressive


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

So California doesn't allow dogs. 

I guess I see your options as making provisions to take your dog with you or to put your dog down. 

A big back yard is NOT what your dog needs. Your dog needs his owner to take a crash course in NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free). You could then learn to be the leader your dog NEEDS. A big back yard will not give your dog the training and excersize and time he needs. Only you can do this. 

I am sorry, but unless you are really committed to the dog, then owning an aggressive shepherd with a bite history is a serious liability and doing more of what you have been doing will only make it worse. 

However, if the aggression is a new thing, have you considered a physical cause such as thyroid, etc. It is also possible that the dog is feeling the changes going on with the move and is stressed. 

All of this takes money and time to figure out with a competent vet and trainer/behaviorist. If you cannot do this, than do the kind thing and be there with your boy while they put him down at your vet's office.


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## bsampl01 (May 19, 2009)

I am in Allen Park... If I do give the dog to someone it would only be to a trainer or rescue to ensure that he will be well taken care of. It would be ideal for me to take him if I had the means and space to work through his problems. Thank you all for your input.


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## bsampl01 (May 19, 2009)

Honest assessment. Shadow is a great dog. He was abandoned as a pup and we rescued him. Our neighbor jumped the fence and that is when shadow attacked him. He has bite a few people who have leaned over out fence and one who came in out front door with out us. He is extremely territorial. He has never went after me or any of my nieces. He is very playful and I think that with the right training his aggression issues would be solved. The last thing in the world I ever wanted to do is put him down. All in all he has been a great companion but I think that we don't give him the attention he needs.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

restating my warning above. please make sure any rescue offering help with this dog is well known to the rescue community and checked for training and veterinary references.

bsampl01, the honest assessment above paints a different picture than your prior posts did. ???


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