How can you make a German Shepherd more aggressive?

Question

I have a 3yr old GSD dog but he isn't a guard dog at all. The only thing he barks at, is next-door's cat. He also only barks when nobody is looking at him. When somebody is with him, he wont bark at all.

Today somebody came in the house and seen the dog and the dogs ears went down ( this is when i felt really embarrassed lol). I was expecting at least a growl.

He hasnt had much socialization with other dogs, only a few. He is really scared of my dad ( because he is a strict person ).

I just want to toughen the dog up, so people are more afraid of him. The reason I brought a dog was to guard the house and family. I dont expect the dog to bite people or cause harm, just to give a loud bark and show his teeth as a warning.

Any suggestions?

(If your going to waste your own time and my time by giving a sarcastic answer... please dont)

Thank you 4 your help..

Answer 1

He needs to be socialized more..Get him out on walks daily, and let him meet new people and new dogs..He has no way to judge good from evil, without meeting many people and dogs...Once he is comfortable with strangers, he will be able to tell who is dangerous, and who is a threat..And, as the great dog he is, he will be able to 'read' malice in anyone...and will not be afraid ..

Also, daily walks will create a stronger bond between you, as you learn to rely on each other, and his natural protectiveness will be enhanced..

However, on those walks, encourage him to be friendly, and you will know you have succeeded when he approaches people in a friendly manner....the most protective dogs are actually friendly towards most strangers, and, as dogs 'read' people well, they do know the difference between a dangerous person and a friend.
Here is a good site> http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=997&S=1

Answer 2

You need to teach him to speak on command first. Sit on a chair & find a way to make him bark & then give him a really tasty treat. Even if he just whines in the beginning with fustration, still give him a treat. He will soon realise that when he makes any noise at all he will be payed. When he gets good at it start to say 'speak' just before he does it. Later you can ring the bell or knock on the door followed by your speak command. This won't make your dog aggressive in anyway. He just needs to be conditioned when to bark & be praised for it. It won't bark when someone is with him because he sounds like he is a lower ranking pack member, due to your dads strict ways.That is not a bad thing. Your dog feels safe when people are around him because they are higher ranking. He lays his ears back to show he is no threat. The fact that he is a GSD should be enough to protect your property from unwanted visitors anyway. I wouldn't want to go in with him if no one was home.

Answer 3

Go here for the best dog training couse http://dog-training-course.checkhere.info

Since it is obvious that you do not have a clue about obedience training, your services should be for free. You cannot train even an adult dog for 8 hours a day. About the most that can be done at any one time is 10 - 20 minutes and that is with an adult dog and not a puppy. The attention span on this baby is extremely short and training session should be no more than 10 minutes and twice a day. Additionally, there isn't going to be much learned if you will only be training for 5 days. Obedience training is cumulative and is done over a much longer period of at least several weeks to several months.
What you can charge is determined by your experience, reputation, and accomplishments and in a case like this, should also include guaranteed expectations. Just working with dogs over several years, is not the experience that is necessary to be a dog trainer. There are too many people who are putting that title to their name and fleecing the public. Don't be one of them.

Answer 4

You should socialise your dog...get it used to other dogs and people...maybe theres a concern about the way he reacts to your father...take him to training classes and spend time playing and doing training tasks with him. You could also keep him out of view when strange people come to the house...he will not react at all if you have invited them in to see him.
Believe it or not...your dog at 3yrs old is only just becoming an adolescent and has a lot of puppy left inside...He will protect you when the time comes to be needed and just the sight of him should warn off any intruders.It is natural instinct to a dog to protect.
Make sure you have a beware of the dog sign in your front and back windows, this is ta make sure people are aware he is there before attempting to enter your house.
He will also become a very large dog to have whom is aggressive...please don't turn him into a monster.

Answer 5

Police dog trainer won't take your dog because your dog won't pass the temperment test. He is not bred to be a guard dog and you cannot change the genetic.
Good trainer will make your dog as a watchdog if lucky, but he will never be a guard dog. That mean your dog will bark at the stranger, but he will run from danger instead fight til the end.
Trick ,to train your dog to bark, is make it as a game. Your dog has to think that barking at stranger is fun, and stranger is not a danger to him. Unlike Protection dog, your dog dosen't have defensive drive. To him defensive move is to run ,not to fight. this is time consuming training (Time = money), and now you know the limitation of this training can bring you.
First what you can do without trainer : Take him to walk everyday. go to parking lots of shopping center or puplic parks where there are many people. Don't let everybody pet your dog ,but let him used to people. Let him walk around people if you can. . Do not scream at him or hit him .That's for you and your father. this will make him little better.
Before real traininer, you might want to take group class for dog. (Petco, PetsMart) They are not the top notch trainers who will get your dog a UD title, but they are good for basic obed. and socialization. This should help your dog a lot.
Now, if you want your dog to be a watch dog, and you want your dog to bark and show some teeth, find real trainer who understand all stage of training.( Obed, Protection, Tracking, scene search.....) He will charge you about $ 55.00 to $ 80.00 per each class. and your dog will need many classes to be trained.
My recommandation is first two. Last one cost too much for what you will get. Just love your dog, and have a great time with him. Just remember your dog loves you no matter what.
When you buy your next dog, make sure the dog is bred for what you want him/her to be. Guard dog breeds mean nothing. There are many GSD, Doberman,Rottis, and Belgian malinois who have same problem as your dog.

Answer 6

Why not trade your GSD in on a pit bull, they are the current fad for guard dogs? Your dog is secure and not going to bare teeth and growl at anyone who looks your way. Can't you be happy with a nice family dog and get an alarm system for the house? He's probably really scared of your dad because your dad beat him. Or get a guard rat.

Answer 7

Let me start out by saying your dog is tougher than you think, he has just never had to prove it. And believe me you don't want him to either.
But one of the people were correct in that you need to go to a class where you can get him socialized and develop a tighter bond between you two.
You’re not a professional trainer, watching a trainer won't teach you much either. Sources from the web and using a book won’t be of any great help, you need an instructor, and you need to go to a class that will teach you how to train the dog and then you can train it.
You need a class to instruct you and the proper use of the lead and choker.
You need to go to a training class, I have been into training for some…35 years or there about every pair of dog and handler is different.
Unless you are knowable about training the best thing to do is find a class where you will get trained along with you dog. You will both benefit, you will both learn the proper commands and bond in the progress.
Contact your vet; they may have a bulletin board or postings that list training organizations, schools or associations or clubs. If they don't then ask them where there is something in your area. Join one and you will see what you and your dog can do together.
You only need simple obedience training, but once you get started with it you may want to go on further. I started taking my dog for training, I got involved in it and before I knew it I was teaching the class.
It works like this, you are taught to train your dog, and it’s that simple and only requires spending time with your dog.
Whatever you do just remember, if you try to toughen him up you will just end up making him mean...I have seen it way too often...then the dog pays for it because it is put to sleep!

Answer 8

I'm afraid you won't be able to because your father has intimidated your dog-only way a dog can be so afraid of a human being is that he's been beaten by that human being into submission-your father has established himself to be THE TOP DOG. Dogs have the same social stucture as wolves-there is one(1)dominant dog-only 1 alpha male and because your father by his stictness-physically abused this poor dog he's taken away the dog's normal territorial dominancy that would cause him to bark at strangers. The ears gong down is a form of submission-probably the person that came reminded him of your dad. Normally a dog that has not been disciplined too harshly and is then afraid will bark at strangers for its his role to be the dominant dog of his pack-the family- the protector-the alpha male. That's all a dog should do is to bark. Showing its teeth takes it a bit further where the dog is aggressive to the point of being dangerous for the next step is attack. A family dog should NEVER be made to show his teeth. Look up Dog Behaviour on line and Wolf Behaviour then look up www.dogbehaviour.com
What your dog needs right now is care and love--something else a dog normally gets from its family and playtime-a dog is not a thing but lives.A dog has feelings. Seems to me you want to impress your friends by what a bad dog you have-wrong reason to have a dog-and if your father continues to take away the spirit of this dog-takes a lot to make a German Spherd be afraid then perhaps it would be better the dog be given to Humane Society and you can get a alarm system. If you care for your dog then don't allow your father to abuse.

Answer 9

Basic Training of the Puppy - Read here https://tr.im/am6Cw

The new puppy is certainly one of the most adorable and cuddly creatures that has ever been created. It is the most natural thing in the world to shower it with love and affection. However, at the same time it is important to realize that if you want to have a well trained adult dog, you need to begin the training process right away. The dog, like its related ancestor, the wolf, is a pack animal. One of the features of a pack is that it has a single dominant leader. Your new puppy is going to want that leader to be you, but if you do not assume that role from the very beginning, the puppy’s instincts will push him to become the leader.

The most important thing to remember about training the puppy during its first six months of life is that it must see you as the leader of the family pack. The essential thing is gaining the trust and the respect of the puppy from the beginning. You will not do this by allowing the puppy to do whatever it wants to do whenever it wants to do it. On the other hand, a certain amount of patience is required. Most people err in their early training by going to extremes one way or the other. Although you need to begin the basic training process at once, you can not expect your dog to do too much at first. Basic obedience training is fine and should include simple commands like sit, stay, and come. Remember that trying to teach the dog advanced obedience techniques when it is a puppy is much like trying to teach a five year old child algebra.

It is also important to restrain from cruel or abusive treatment of the puppy. You can not beat obedience into your dog, and it certainly is not going to engender feeling of respect and trust. House breaking is an area where this usually becomes a problem because of the anger that is triggered when the puppy fails and creates a mess inside the home. Although this issue must be addressed without anger, it most be addressed. If you allow the puppy to eliminate inside the house, it will continue to do so as an adult dog. The same thing is true of other destructive or dangerous behavior such as chewing and biting. Do not expect the puppy to grow out of it. You are going to need to train the puppy out of it, but you should do so firmly but with a sense of play and fun using positive reinforcement and lots of love and praise for good behavior.

Answer 10

dogs, like people, have different character and temperaments. i currently have 6 german shepherd dogs and have had many many over the past 25 years. each one of them is different. some of them i purchsed here in the states, some i raised myself and some of them i imported from germany or belgium. i will tell you for certain, though, if you try to force a dog to become aggresive or protective when it is not in his character to do so, you will have an unreliable, unmanagable dog that will be more of a liability than an asset. if you want a protection dog, buy one that has been bred for that reason and has the "nerves" for it. learn to handle the dog properly. i will use this illustration: you can't run the kentucky derby with a shetland pony. it is no different with dogs. get the right dog for the job. good luck.

Answer 11

German Sheperds are aggresive if need be. Your dog need's to hang around you more. How does he know he's suppose to protect if he's never with anyone to protect.

When someone came over to visit he was on alert that's why his ear's went up and when he realized the person wasn't going to hurt you or your family he went back in the relax mode.

All my father ever dealt with are German Shepard's they are good gaurd dog's. The guy that broke into my parent's house while they were asleep can tell you. He had to get thirteen stitches and is doing sixteen years for burgalry.

Need I say more?