german sheperd growls and barks at strangers in my house?

Question

I now have a almost 6 month old german sheperd purebred male.He is great with my family.Listens great,took him to obiedience classes best dog there.The problem I'm having is when someone comes in my house he barks,growls and runs.He will do this for hours,never acts calm around strangers.My wife's grandmom comes over and the dog scares her. How can I stop this? Is he to young to know better,or will this get worse when he gets older.I think he has fear agression how do I overcome this?I'm getting him fixed,will that help it?I need Ideas,thanks

Answer 1

You need to take him back to training classes for more socializing. Explain to the trainer how he is reacting towards visitors. He needs more positive greetings with strangers that give him treats. You will need the help of experienced dog people who show no fear & can get him to accept treats from them. Clicker training would be the ideal answer to positive reinforcement towards strangers. See if you can find clicker classes.

Answer 2

Your dog is clearly trying to protect its territory and you from strangers but is not sure of himself..or you at the same time (which is why he runs).
Let him run.
Let the stranger in the house, tell her have a seat someplace. Go get the dog. With the dog present, make an effort to pat the person on the shoulder etc. speak normally, look at the dog and tell him "it's OK". If he starts barking tell him "No barking" (you may want to work on this trick first) followed by "go lay down."
My dobermann would bark at strangers heck I wanted him to! But he also knew that if Mom said "it's OK" he could relax.
Do not yell at the dog just be firm in your tone of voice. He will soon learn to adjust his reaction to yours. Dogs are never to young or too old to learn. Fixing him will help but you are the one that has to be consistent with your directions to him. Dogs can sense axiety if you're calm he'll be calm too.

Answer 3

he is just young and probably has alot of energy. If you hold him and tell him no and make sure he knows it is wrong every time he may calm down a little.
My dog is a year old and does the same thing I think all dogs get excited when people come in the door.
My dog got hit by a car and is healing from it now and she doesn't do that anymore and I miss it.

Answer 4

Basically, your dog is protecting his house, as he see's it. What you need to do is take your house back, because right now, he owns it. Have someone stand outside the door and ring the door bell or knock, the very second your dog starts to get up, it's time to take action. Dogs learn firstly by touch and lastly by sound, so just telling him to stop will do nothing. Using your index and middle fingers (acting as teeth) touch him on the side of the neck, this will redirect his attention away from the door and to you, once you've done this, give him an assertive "sshhtt!". Hopefully at this point he'll sit, if not, touch him again and make him. Do this in repetition, having someone ring the door bell or knock several times. Each time, make sure you redirect his attention away from the door before his excitement level escalates. The sooner you correct this behavior, the easier it will be to maintain control. If he's sitting, the bell rings, and his ears so much as perk up, again, touch to redirect and give him another "sshhtt!". When the doorbell is able to be rung and the dog stays in a calm and submissive state of mind, then it's time for affection to let him know he's done good. This doesn't need to be done with the voice, a simple massage of the neck and back will be more than sufficent. As for people walking in, be sure that anyone coming over knows that your dog is still in the training process and when they do come in, they need to not make eye contact with the dog, in fact, pretend like he's not even there. The dog will pick up on whatever energy the person brings into the house, so if they're exerting fear or any unstable emotions, the dog will immediately see them as weak. If the dog starts to get excited or nervious, again, touch and redirect his attention. If he is to greet anyone coming into the house, he should do so in a submissive manner. Don't let anyone pet him when he walks in, if he tries to jump, they should block him, still not making eye contact. In the dog world, they first associate scent to people. Nose, eyes, ears. Within the first ten seconds of greeting you, they know who you are and what role you'll play. Be it leader or follower. And they will associate your scent with that role every time they smell you from there on out, so long as you continue to display the same mental state of mind each time. Walks are also very important. Always being sure that when you walk him, you go out the door before him, as that will set the basis for the walk. He must at all times remain either beside you or behind you, and only stop when you decide to stop. If he starts to get excited about another person or another dog, immediately stop, touch to redirect his attention and make him sit. If he so much as looks at them, give a firm but short tug on the leash to redirect his attention again. (The leash should always be at the top of the neck, if it's around the bottom of the neck this leaves you with no control and he knows it!) If they are able to walk by with minimal corrections, and he doesnt try to get away from you and to them, praise the dog with a scratch on the neck and continue your walk. Its your job to make him act calm around strangers and he is by no means too young for this, it's all a matter of showing him that You are in control. If you don't practice making him calm and submissive now, then it most certainly will grow into something quite more the older he gets. The three things a dog requires to live a happy and healthy life, both mentally and physically, are proper exercise, proper affection at the right times (when they are displaying calm, submissive behaviors), and proper discipline when they are showing behaviors that are unacceptable. Best of luck to you and your wife!

Answer 5

I think , your wife's grandmom doesn't like dogs. and since your dog barks at her, she dislikes him even more. Every dog can sense friend from foe. your dog too senses that. so he shows his resentment by barking at her incessasantly. If she pets him , or tries talking to him, he will calm down.
A dog can never act calm around strangers.If he does,he would be abnormal.
The other day,I heard my neighbour,scolding the postman.
'Why are you screaming at my dog? It is his home. You can't shoo him away from his own home. You have to behave your self, not him! After all a dog is also human!'
a real dog lover indeed.

Answer 6

i understood your problem this happens with many of the people. i have a gr8 experience about this. can you tell me how many in your house love or like your dog?
this is the the major problem with all. they keep dog only to gurad the house. otherwise that dog is a ****. why so? in my house we keep dogs not only to guard our house but also feel him like heaven.I want to tell you 6 months dog gets very hiper because its just a 6 months old kid. thats it. that small kid dosent understand anything unless you teach him. can i give you a fair example just an example please do not take it seriously please.
imagine you were a 6 months old child. i know you are married just a fair example. imagine your mom wants you to have food and milk by yourself at this ageand wants you to sleep alone without a mom. if you were 6 months old would you be able to live without your mom. no na. dogs can live without their mother because he thinks that you are his family and your house is his house. you tell me does your wife's grandmom like dogs. i'll tell you one more thing dogs imitate the person. if the person misbehaves the dogs then the dog also dogs the same thing. he's just a 6 months old dog. want would you like to expect from a 6 months old dog. thats all i can say. if you wont allow the dog to be free and feel like his own home. believe me you will never find a solution for this.

Answer 7

Your dog is doing his job, protecting his family & home. When he growls & barks, reassure him that everything is okay, such as calling his name and saying "it's okay" in a calm voice. Make him feel at ease. PLEASE do not scold him. As he grows older and more mature, he will realize that the grandma is welcome in your home and will not feel the need to warn her away. He will recognize your regular visitors and allow them safely into the home. I have a 2 year Rottweiler and I had the same problem when he was younger. Now, he loves the company of our family & neighbors, but only allows people into our home that he sees on a regular basis.

Answer 8

Take him back to school soon and let them help correct this. It will get worst, if not corrected in time. He will get big and no one will be able to physically control him.

All dogs must be obeying commands, other wise they can be a big problem. Your wife's grandmom must be like a family member.

Answer 9

It needs more socialising