My german shepherd is barking aggresively at people and children?

Question

Hi
This has been going on for some time(at least 6 months)and no training has helped, he was neutered in April and there is as yet no change...he is 20 months old .
He has never bitten anyone or showed signs of and is a very submissive friendly dog with people he knows but if anyone talks to me when we go for a walk he barks like a warning to them if children are around or run up he is very aggressive towards them(despite being raised with them)the trouble is we live in an apartment and we have to go otu the main doors well that is a nightmare as everyone we pass he goes for and if they talk to me or him he gets worse(it does look quite aggressive)in the house he is perfectly behaved,quiet,loving and very gentle and when ppl come in he is gentle with them and enjoys a fuss.....i exercise him plenty and have tried diet changes and stimulating games etc but so far he is getting worse and i fear he is going to get a complaint and end up being taken from me :( anyone got any ideas ,thank

Answer 1

Two possible explanations come to mind for this behavior. One, the dog was/is being raised without understanding, clearly, its status as a dog in the pack and where he falls in it. If the dog is being babied or not physically corrected for mistakes and disobedience then he will think that his position in the pack is higher then yours and therefore he will try to protect those under him. In the wild, only the alpha dog decides who will fight/protect, when, where and how. If that is the case, a good OB cource based on reward and punishment will work wonders on his head. Please, refrain from the idiotic "only positive reinforcement" crap that is being spewed on here like the gospel. Sometimes this is what that idea does to dogs.
Second guess would be that the dog is having weak nerve issues that are genetic and feels threatened when confronted by strangers or strange circumstances and gets defensive to reflect those fears. You do know what all defense is based on, don't you? That's right, fear, in all beings, human or animal. If that is the case, I am afraid that you have some hard decisions to make because the situation will not improve regardless of what you do. Genetically weak nerves will always be there as they are a part of a dog's DNA. Good luck to you.

Answer 2

nicely German Shepherds are meant to be look after canines so she's in simple terms doing her job. yet, if it gets to the factor that she's barking at each and every thing (it is feels like she may be) i could advise filling a soda (or different steel can) with washers/pennies/rocks and taping the mouth close. once you shake it or throw it on your dogs's direction you will get her interest. tell her "no" or once you would be consistent do some thing like "no bark"...i could probably make her sit down at that factor and pay interest to you (make her shake, sit down, etc) so as that she is distracted from the previous element she grew to become into barking at. Is there some thing else stressing her out? canines are very keen to what's occurring of their proprietor's worlds...additionally while you at the instant are not being the alpha perhaps she's beginning off to sense that she is or must be. determine you're in charge and you're consistent.

Answer 3

try putting a muzzle on him while taking him for walks .as it has happened to my puppy(lab Cross)as well i kno how u feel.well, for starters he should be just taken the other way without any warning.he should just be pulled away and when he realises that ur walking away..eventually he will follow you.This is when he's going for a walk .Also, u would like to try this useful exercise my dog's vet gave me:_
1.make this dog lie on his side with or without muzzle(i would recommend the muzzle here).
2.take the dog's limbs the ones which he's on while he's lying on his side .u can also take both his hind legs and just the paw under also if you like.
3.you must hold the dog firmly behind his ear..he flesh and fur there..but not tightly..
4.if the dog is stationary and isn't creating a fuss its alright othewise and even so, you must hold it in that position for about five minutes and he must stay there like that for one hour if you want him to ,without movement, but thatt doesnt happen until u do this exercise for a long time about a week or less (depends on how much ur dog listens to you).
this behaviour if im not wrong is sometimes because the dog thinks it is higher than the humans outside its surrounding and also maybe its owner..when ur in the house the dog listens to u as it is in its own surroundiong and as u are dominant there.but when it steps out if it tries to go to them(the other people)then it is the fact of what i have just explained..you cannot control the barking..but u can control it listening to u..with a muzzle or ur own voice..the muzzle also should not be recognised by the dog only for bad behaviour but for good and sometimes random things as well.it might try to get it off but u distract it not by giving it treats but by asking it to walk to different destinations..this of course is just the dog getting used to the muzzle.also, dont distract the dog by giving it treats then it thinks that its doing somthing gud.which its not obviously..

well, i hope i have been of some help ma'am..pleasure alwayz :)(sorry about the long answer)

Answer 4

OK I'll go through this yet again. If I was approached to help a person with this problem the first thing I would ask is "What are you feeding?" In your question you do not say what you have tried so I'll just go ahead with my reply. I will have to guess that your dog is on too much protein. Excess protein mainfests itself as COURAGE.AGGRESSION..FEAR..NOISE...etc
Get a good quality, CHICKEN based 'COMPLETE' food with the lowest protein level that you can. The dog only has this food. NOTHING ELSE! If you need to feed him titbits then they come out of his food ration! He should have NOTHING else! No human food. NOTHING, if this is to work. Just fresh water of course.
It normally takes about six weeks to sort out the excess protein levels but I have had an Asker come back to say that their dog was turned round in just a week.
I repeat that, if this is to work, that you and your family and friends, stick to it religiously!
There is also time for the castration to kick in yet. It takes months to get the testoterone levels adjusted following the op..

I wish you well

Answer 5

Well i have a German shepherd myself and she is a good dog, she is not aggressive unless she has a good reason to be. You say your dog has been showing signs of aggressiveness for the past 6 months, may be you should think about te thing that has caused him,/her to start behaving in such a way. May be she / he is trying to protect you outside while she knows that you're safe at home. If there is still no apparent reason to explain her / his behaviour, then try to stop her every time he / she "disobeys" by firmly telling her/him "stop" and if he/she still continues well try to make her understand that what she/he is dong is wrong.

Answer 6

you could muzzle him when out...10years back i had a gsd who we (me and my now ex)had to have put down at 18months old due to epilepsy(she had a very bad fit one nite : ( )anyway she was exactly the same as what you are experiencing,tho when out down the park i could confidently let her off the lead and she would come when called 1st time,she was sod for bikes so i trained her to "down "when a bike was approaching, but if anyone stopped to talk she would start and it can be quite frightening to others so i muzzled her when she was out for walks,then she was diagnosed with epilepsy and fear aggression,and would 9 times out of 10 be more "aggressive "just before she fitted..that is by no means an excuse but having owned a gsd who showed the same things that your is doing mayb you should make an appointment with the vet and ask if he can be tested,my yorkie has epilepsy and gets aggressive with everyone (human and my other 2 greys)just before a fit so its worth ruling out but other than that id muzzle when out its better to be safe than sorry xxx

Answer 7

Any good trainer can show you how to stop this...I suggest you look for one...No one here on this thread can tell you anything to do as they can't see your dog doing this stuff and don't know what "drive" your dog is in when he does it....There are any number of things that will stop this....btw: Muzzles tend to increase the behavior....

Answer 8

German Shepherds are very protective. They can also be very dangerous. I suggest taking him to a dog training school. If you can't afford it, or if it doesn't work, I'm afraid you're in for trouble. Meanwhile, please keep him on a very tight leash when you're out of the house.

Answer 9

It is obvious that he feels that it is his job in the pack to warn off outsiders (non-pack members). MOST important is to reaffirm your leader status- always, always, in the house and out, make him heal slightly behind you. When he barks reprimand him and make him lie down and STAY. You have to remind him that you are Alpha in the pack and that YOU and YOU alone will decide who is allowed near.

Answer 10

he might be trying to protect u in an area were there is a lot of people that he doesn't know very well