My puppy is aggressive with me, what to do?

Question

i have a shepherd/terrier mixed puppy that is almost 1, he's about 75 to 80 lbs. Recenty he has become very aggressive towards me. he runs full force at me, jumps and trys to nip my wrists and forearms, sometimes he bruises. he also will jump in my lap and start barking at me, very aggresive behavior. he rarely barks at other dogs or shows any hostility. he's fine w/ my husband actually ducks his tail when he's around- i guess it's the alpha male thing going there. he has no formal training, he is nuetered, and i'm sure he doesn't get quite enough exercise as i work a lot and my husband doest like to walk him. i absolutely love my puppy, but if i can't even pet or play with him, what should i do? Any suggestions on what to do to make him less agressive or back they way he was at 6 months wld be very helpful.

Thanks

Answer 1

You should have taken the dog to a puppy pre-school. You need to find out ways for him to know that you are the boss.
Do not spank or isolate your dog like some other person said.
You really need to get your husband to go walk the dog wether he likes it or not.
German Shepherds need a lot of exercise and if they don't get the exercise, they can get like this.
You also should have considered the exercise factor before you got such an active breed of dog.

Answer 2

You need to establish youor place in the pack. Using your dog's favourite treat, spend 15 minutes max. a day teaching him sit commands etc. He needs to know that you are the boss. Speak firmly to him (don't shout), and when he complies give him the treat.

Sit command : Hold treat in your closed hand and put it to his nose. Raise your hand up still near his nose so that his head is looking upwards, say the sit command, gently encourage hind quarters down with other hand if neccessary then give the treat.

You mustn't show nervousness...dogs detect this and see you as lower in rank. If he nips you, try not to react, just walk away and ignore him for a few minutes, he then learns nipping doesn't get the desired reaction.

Make sure it is YOU who feeds him so that you become the one he is dependent on. Be consistent with this.

If he jumps up at you, turn your back on him and stand still so that he learns he gets no attention from this behaviour. When he has stopped jumping, softly praise him (Loud voices and overpraise can get some dogs excited and nippy).

Use the above method also if he jumps up on you when you first come home.

It is essential that you try to correct this behaviour now while he is still young enough otherwise you will have an unmanageable
dog who may really hurt you one day.

Remember consistency is the key.

Exercise is crucial otherwise you have a very frustrated dog on your hands. Can you pay someone to walk the dog during the day for you?
Would you be able to take him to a field and run off his energy before work?
While you are at work, leave a Kong for him, this is a strong rubber toy that you pack full of treats. I usually put wet dog food in the bottom of it then dry then wet. Pack it down really tight as this will make it harder for him to get. It willl give him something to do while you are out.

If you follow the above you should soon have a happy well adjusted dog who won't ever nip at you again.

Answer 3

Have you started any obedience training? If you haven't it is past time. What you are seeing is a puppy which has no rules, boundaries or limitations. When you say NO or STOP she has no idea what you are talking about because you have not yet taught her to STOP. How does she know? As far as she is concerned you are another darn puppy initiating serious rumble, tumble play. She needs to be taught sit/down/stay. NOW. You get a handle on those 3 commands then your problem with the so called 'aggression' will be much easier to handle. There are many websites to help teach you and your family how to train your dog. If you need help with the training, find a good puppy obedience class in your area. ADD: Random 'frenzies' are normal! She is a Retriever mix and they have loads of energy. She needs more than walks. Does she like to retrieve the ball? This is excellent exercise! I suggest when she gets into these 'frenzies' you have a collar on her. Leash her up. Get control. A solid jerk of the leash to let her know this behavior is unacceptable. Give her a command. I use No Bite! Say it assertively (with calmness, no anger please) as you are giving the jerk. Then command her to sit. Once she has calmed down some find her a good toy to focus on. I suggest one of those Kongs you can stuff with treats. Stimulates the mind; which as physical exercise does, wears them out.

Answer 4

Best thing for him and you is training. I know some of the petstores have training. He is too big to be doing that.
In some way he has gotten the idea that he is the alpha with you. That needs to change. Also I don't feel that it is a good thing that he ducks his tail when your husband is around. To me that is fear not submissiveness.
A shepard is a working dog and a terrier is a high energy dog both need lots of exercise and stimulation. See what you can work out.

Answer 5

You need to take controll of this dog. This doen't sound like an aggrestion problem. But more like him showing his dominance and controll over you. German Shepards can be a very dominant breed. I have 2. One German and 1 Dutch Shepard. Both of which are law enforcement trained and very dominant natured because of their breeding. I have been a dog handler for 12 yrs and have alot of expieriance with this breed. Believe it or not? This is and easy fix. First you need to get this dog in some obediance classes. This will build a better bond between you and your dog and will help establish you as a pack leader. At this point he thinks he is the boss. Not Good! When he come up behind you and nips at your legs or arms? What he is doing is herding you. German Shepards have a natural instinct to herd because that was what they were bred to do. And they will do it within their pack Via (You and your husband) The reason he doesn't do these things to your husband is because somewhere along the line hubbie has put this dog in it's place by not tollerating the behavior. So now in the dogs mind its a pack dominance struggle between him and you. And so far he has won. This is natural pack behavior and will continue untill you turn the tables on him. The next time he comes up behind you and tries to nip at you or (Herd you)? Stop,Turn and face him grab him by the side scruff of the neck and without hurting him forcefully push him to the floor and hold him there till he submits . You will know when he does because he will go limp and will stop struggling to get back to his feet. I know this may sound a little harsh to some folks but this is what accurs within a pack when dominance is astablished by a dominant member of the pack This does not hurt the dog but instead lets the dog know that this is not acceptible behavior.You must do this every time he behaves this way (Nipping,Jumping up and barking) or any dominant behavior. You may have to repeat this several times before he completely sees you as being above him in the pack latter ( as we call it). After awile he will stop displaying these dominant behaviors and see you as being above him in the pack. Also when you do the scruff push to the floor and after he has shown submission let him back to his feet and calmly praise him. This is to reward him for showing submission which he will see as a proper behavior and see this exercise as a possitive re-enforcement. But it is very important to get him in some obeidiance classes because it will build the bond you need to get the dog to see your commands as law in his instinctive pack mentality and he will enjoy the time when you and him get to participate in the classes. Dogs like yours need a job to do and they see the obeidiance drills as work and it gives them not only physical activity but also mental stimulation.And you will notice that every time you do obiediance drills with him he will be a more calm and pleasent dog to be around. Dogs like him that have drive but no outlet will act out by being obnoxious and or distructive because they are stressed. And activity such as O.B classes or other types of activity i.e Ball, Frisbee, or even daily 30 min walks. I realize that sometimes we all can have very busy lives and sometimes we wonder when we can get the time to properly train our pets. Don't worry all you really need is MAYBE 15-30 min in the a.m and 20-30 min in the p.m and you will notice a big difference. Most important be CONSISTANT.
Good Luck.

Answer 6

Take your dog to training right away with a certified behaviorist. Dogs are pack animals and your dog is showing you they are the leader of the pack. Yelling at them and spanking does not solve this problem. Ask about "Choice Training" and DO NOT got to Pets Mart. Call a no-kill shelter or find out from the pound who they recommend.

First, you need to walk your dog a minimum of 45 minutes per day and training will help you have control of the walk.

Second, you need to be firm and disapline your dog when necessary and be consistent.

Third, only give affection when they are calm and submissive. Otherwise you are praising bad behavior.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Yup, doggy has delusions of dominance. And needs to be broken of that.

Obedience training might be helpful. And if you can, watch The Dog Whisperer: I did, and the man has done some amazing work with pooches that others have considerred hopeless.

Answer 8

You need to show him you're the alpha not him,

One way to do this is force him on to his back and hold him there by sitting on him while staring in to his eyes. Do not let him up until he completely refuses to make eye contact with you.

Answer 9

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/62892

Answer 10

He's thinking he's #2 in the house behind your husband. You HAVE to dominate him and never show fear. That is not to say whup him mercilessly, but if he needs a pop on the nose or hind leg, you need to administer it.