my dog hates other dogs!! help,?

Question

i have a well behaved german shephard, male of 4 yrs, He is great in the house and around my kids, and walks very well on a lead until he see's other dogs, he just wants to eat them, and i have no control over him at all, i have resulted in walking him very late at night and early in the morning, to avoid other dogs. I would love to walk him more often but i'm so scard in case he does some damage to an other dog or myself, i have tried the clicker, turning around and walking the other way and even moving off the path to allow the dog and owner to pass, please help

Answer 1

I believe that your dog is reacting to your actions. When you see another dog you tense up, tighten the leash and your dog reads your body language and believes there's a reason for it and he better be protecting you. I'm not sure if you can re-train him yourself at this point. There are some excellent articles you can access on-line written by dog trainer, behaviourist, author and german shepherd breeder, Suzanne Clothier. Go to www.flyingdogpress.com and click on articles. You'll find lots of help there.

Taking him to obedience would not help him, just the opposite, because the vast majority of instructors don't know how to work with problems, they'll end up putting a prong collar on him (or worse) and not address the underlying issues at all. One option would be to find a behaviourist to work with you and your dog. He'll teach you how to train your dog. I hope you can get help for him - he sounds like a great dog!

Answer 2

Some posiblities:

You're not being the leader
You must be the leader of your dog (means make him to think that way), I think your dog don't take you as his leader (and you're not being a leader), so he think he could do whatever he wants. If this is true, then he's well behave at home only because he don't felt threatened. While at streets, He felt threatened by other dogs.
To check this, try to take his food/toy when he was eating/playing it, if he was angry and become agresive then my prediction was right. But, if this is right, there's posibilities that he will attack family member when he feel threatened in the future.

Or...
maybe he has never contact/counter with another dog, that's why he was very interested/unpleasent/whatever when he sees another dog.
But still, if He take you as his leader, he won't disobey when you stop him from attacking another dog...

I hope this informations help you

Answer 3

He may be four years old but its never too late to learn. If he is well behaved and good natured otherwise, I would talk with your vet about a trainer or behavourist. They may recommend a doggy day care where your dog can spend time with other dogs, away from you. Believe it or not, he might be an absolute angel when you're not present. Mine was. They told me when I wasn't around my "Mr Tough Guy" was the most patient and gentle dog in the place, even when the little guys jumped all around him.

There are a few things going on when you're out for your walks. First, away from his own territory, he is less confident about his surroundings so he is going to be more on guard & protective of you. Second, whether you mean to or not, you're communicating your concern/nervousness to him when other dogs approach and he is going to react to that because he doesn't understand why you feel that way so his reactions are bound to be more pronounced. Third, because you are already concerned, he takes advantage of that and gets "out of control". Some training sessions with a skilled trainer (again, see your vet for recommendations) will help you present a more confident front to him, and he is less likely to get out of control because he doesn't sense your unease, in fact, he'll sense your the boss.

Finally, there are lots of different style harnesses and leashes out there. Some fit over the nose/head that will help you prevent a bite. GSD's are incredibly strong, the muscles of their necks and chests can make it tough for you to control him w/a traditional collar and leash. A different style, over the nose or over the chest/back style might give you more control over him.
Good Luck!!

Answer 4

This questoin is very simple to answer.... the problem you have is that your dog is whats called an alpha male.... dogs are pack animals and the alpha male is the natural leader.... by attacking other dogs he is showing his dominance.
the only way you can stop this is to control him.... for this to work you have to be the more dominant one....
unfortunately it will be harder to achieve this now as it should have been done when he was young... but its far from impossible...
A dog owner should never ever use the sentence "i have no control over him at all".... you should have control of him at all times otherwise you´re just asking for trouble.
When you dog tries to attack next time tug firmly on his leash and tell him in a strong commanding voice "NO" ... use a low menacing tone... not a high pitched nervous tone... when he does not stop you must punish him.... this can mean anything from a smack on the head with a newspaper (doesnt hurt but they hate the noise) or taking him straight home and not allowing him treats..... when he does obey always have treats on standby.... if you cannot master this you may need to bring him and yourself to training classes... one more thing.... you must never show fear to your dog... if you do then he´ll be the boss.... if you are afraid of him then you shouldnt keep him...
good luck

Answer 5

I do not know if your dog is neutered but that helps a lot with dog aggression. The testosterone can make them more aggressive. I had a similar problem and I know how nerve racking the whole thing can be. I resorted to very late night strolls at closed malls. You can also try muzzling him, it does not fix the aggression problem but it will cut down the liability of someone or another dog getting hurt. I know our dog is not people aggressive but a lot of owners get bit during a dog fight. You can try obedience classes but they did not work with my dog, he was two when I got him and his previous owners never socialized him as a puppy so he did learn how to be around other dogs.

Answer 6

It's a tough call and you have my sympathy, not least because you do seem a responsible owner.

Without actually seeing your dog in action, what triggers him and how (it's amazing the number of things you might be doing subconsciously!), it's difficult to give good advice.

Personally I'd read up as many dog behaviour books as you can, (I found Jan Fennel's books useful) AND get your vet to recommend a behaviourist. I don't know how much it will cost but someone professional could save you a lot of heartache.

Hope it turns out ok.

Answer 7

I have a chocolate Labrador he is exactly the same loves people hate other dogs, or so we thought!

The chap above is correct it is the lead that makes him aggressive. He is protecting you from the other dog. When you both see another dog approaching I bet the first thing you do is reign him in and pull him closer which to him means "protect me".

We now let our dog off the lead and when another dog comes along he walks over to it greets it and trundles off "unbelievable to see" we used to worry sick about him thinking he was a very aggresive dog.

You can get a halti face harness which works along with his normal choker. When he pulls on his lead the halti fordes his mouth closed and his head down, stops him pulling as much.

I would advise going to dog obedience classes, he can socialise with other dogs as well as get trained.

Good luck.

Answer 8

He Has An Issue Where As He May Have Been Attacked Earlier In His Life,If You Do not Plan To Breed Him Then Cutting His Goobers Off (At The Vets.Office Will Help Calm Down His Canine Urges)

Answer 9

We tend to think of dog training as a series of steps for teaching particular behaviors. To teach a dog to stay in a particular position, you reward her as she remains in place for gradually longer times, at gradually greater distances, with gradually increasing degrees of distraction. Read more https://tr.im/SIjnC

Now, this is fine, training does involve teaching dogs specific behaviors with a step-by-step approach. This week, though, I’m going to discuss three mental habits that will not only enable you train more effectively but also make life pleasant for both you and your dog.

Answer 10

Firstly, if he isn't castrated, get it done, then put a muzzle on him to give you more confidence and join a training class with a good trainer who is experienced in the breed and the problem. The less he gets to meet other dogs, the worse the problem will become.