how can i stop my rescued 18 month old gsd from lunging & Barking in fear?

Question

my 18 month old gsd is a resce dog who has been very badly treated at the hands of a man so he is frightened of men we have only had him for a month but we know he is not a nasty dog he barked growled and made a lunging move towards my dad this has now caused problems in the family because they dont trust him i dont want to give him up but i dont want my parents to stop coming and to learn to trust him and let him learn to trust them help.

i would just like to add that i have an 8 year old female gsd as well they get on fine together and my new boy loves my grandchildren

Answer 1

i have 3 gsd now but Ive had different shepherds throughout my life as my dad breeds them so i think i know the breed well enough to offer you advice unlike some. Ive been in your shoes i have a big boy now called "soldier" he is a great dog but i got him as a rescue when he was a pup and boy does he have some issues, even now with all the training he has had he can still be a royal pain in the **** but that's shepherds for you, they can and often do suffer from nervous aggression its common in the breed and you need to get a firm hold of him (mentally) he needs to know who's the boss it takes time and Patience and i suggest a professional trainer is your only option as hes age and past experiences go against you solving his problem this is not saying you cant start basic training as it were but this can be a complex area and cant be solved by posting an answer here , it needs professional attention especially him being a shepherd, because if it it isn't things can and probably will go from bad to worse. seek advice from your vet as to a good trainer in your area don't for god sake ring some animal behaviourist out of the paper without a good recommendation as these people are a waste of space. remember he is a shepherd the most intelligent breed in the world he and you just need pointing in the right direction which given some professional advice and guidance wont be a problem. good luck

Answer 2

You have to re-socialize him. Most puppies are socialized before they are 4 months old, so you have some work on your hands.

1. Find a location where the dog is not freaked out.
2. Find some friendly folks who have a dog such as a Lab or Golden. See if your dog will play with them.
3. Get some cheap hotdogs and cut them into small bites and give them to the owner of the other dog.
4. Have the owner toss the treats to your dog (Toss, don't hand... I wouldn't trust your dog yet).
5. Keep doing this for a few months and increase the number of people.
6. You might also try intelligent teenagers, and smaller males.

GSDs can be fear biters - bite first and ask questions later. Your goal is to try to convince your dog, through very gentle means, that the world is a safe place. Unfortunately, you have an uphill battle, because his previous owner already convinced him otherwise.

Sometimes, Mans Best Friend can help with these cases... You can also ask PetsMart, if they have some professional trainers ... You don't want one of thier in-store trainers, unless they've had 5 or more years of experience.

You might also look up books by Ian Dunbar and Turid Rugaas to get get a better insight into your dog.

Answer 3

I've just read through the answers on your post and it's all obedience class this and train the dog that.
As in all these cases it's the owner who needs training first.
Don't forget that a dog lives in the moment,not in the past or the future,let me explain.
The dog may have been treated badly in his previous life but he is now in your life and all it is thinking about is "where do i fit into this new pack"if it doesn't know where it stands then it becomes frustrated and frustration in a dog is shown as anger.
The first thing that needs doing is to create a pecking order in your family and the dog is always at the bottom.
So if you decide to be the top dog then you have to assert yourself when dealing with the dog so that it knows where it stands.
There are a lot of things to do,to achieve this,in short,there are small things like every time you walk through a door you make sure that the dog comes in after you,When you have the dog on the lead then it walks beside you and not in front of you,as this is a pack leaders job,but the dog isn't,also when your feeding it make sure that the dog allways does something that you want it to do before you put the food on the floor,like sitting or giving a paw,this again shows that you are the leader.
When your father comes to visit , allways make sure that you are between him and the dog and any movement by the dog at all is checked by you,it is always to either sit or lie down,and after a few visits and constant training then you can slowly introduce the dog to your dad,but allways make sure that you are in between them for the first few times,when the dog has sussed out that your dad is also above it in the pack then it will realise that this behaviour is not on.
This sort of handling is to be carried on all the time in all aspects of owning the dog.
There is never a good reason to hit or harm a dog,it is a sign of poor handling.
And lastly but not least, Exercise,Exercise,Exercise,if a dog doesn't get exercise then it gets frustrated and you know what that develops into!
Good luck and stick to the rules.

Answer 4

He needs some really intense obedience training. Fortunately he's smart - and can learn. Speak with your rescue group, veterinarian, and professional handlers about some good techniques and trainers. Even your local police K-9 folks may be able to at least recommend resources. At least they're worth asking.

But it will take time and patience. Lots of time and patience.

Couple of things the all the humans - especially the men - and children - can do in the meantime. 1. allow the dog to come to them - not the other way 'round - otherwise, ignore him. 2. act in a calm, deliberate manner - avoid sudden movements such as standing quickly, grabbing around the middle, etc. 3. speak gently - big booming voices will trigger the scare reaction - and pet gently - approaching him from the side as opposed to coming from above... The idea is gentle quiet deliberate movements etc.

As you have noted - fear attack is a learned behavior - and that habit can be overcome - with time and patience.

Funny thing - once your dog learns how truly nice your dad is - if he's patient enough to work with him, the dog will stick to him like Velcro forever.

Answer 5

There are several things you can try. First thing I would do if you haven't already is to crate train him. He will see that as a comfort zone.Put him in it a few times a day and leave the room. Get him used to being by himself in the crate. You'd be surprised how much crate training can relieve anxiety.I usually give them a favorite toy to have in the crate but no food. Also, I leave the tv on when I'm gone. Hearing the voices seems to help. If he's quiet give him a treat when you return. The second thing to try is a bark collar. There are several kinds. Do some research to decide which one might work for you. Usually they do the job but there are those rare cases where they don't. And the collar will do nothing to resolve the anxiety. Training might help, but the trainer can't be there when the problem is occuring so hard to say if that'll work. I personally think the crate training is your best bet.... good luck and best wishes!

Answer 6

Years ago we had a rescued GSD b1tch who was exactly the same. She would let people come in and sit down then, every time they moved she growled at them! My father in law sat very still for about 4 hours on one visit!
Anyway, your dog is acting this way because he is very scared. It will take time to build up his confidence, don't push him into anything he doesn't want to do at the moment, he has to learn to trust. Try getting dog-minded people to come to your house, maybe just in the garden to start with. Tell them to take no notice whatsoever of the dog. Eventually, the dog will probably approach them - most GSDs prefer to take their time with people anyway.
Meanwhile, you can increase his confidence by doing basic obedience exercises with him. Obedience really does build up a dog's confidence.
Get some advice from your nearest experienced dog trainer:
http://www.apdt.co.uk/list_trainers.asp
If you don't find one on this list, make sure the trainer has long experience of training - some so-called trainers have had no more than a 6 week course and can do more harm than good.
Good luck

Answer 7

The suggestion of an obedience class is an excellent one. Read here https://tr.im/8mL4l
It will help your dog learn to behave around other dogs, and help keep your training moving forward as you'll want to be prepared for the next class. Also, a good instructor can be a wonderful resource, someone to help you with any questions or concerns about your dog. Leash training can take a LOT of time and patience, depending upon the dog. I'm not sure what you mean by 'horrible on a leash' but my basic suggestion is that you take a lot of yummy treats with you on walks. When your dog behaves well on the leash (not pulling) praise her and give her treats. Change direction a lot so that she learns to pay attention to YOU and where you are going. It's also helpful to teach a "Watch Me" command such that whenever your dog looks at you you praise her and give her a treat. About chewing, yes a Kong is a great chew toy. Some dogs also like Nylabone brand bones. I suggest also teaching a "Leave It" command. You use this when she shows interest in chewing on something she shouldn't. Then immediately give her something she is allowed to chew, such as the Kong stuffed with somethig yummy. This same command will be helpful on walks when she wants to sniff or eat something she shouldn't. Again, when she does leave the item alone, be sure to give lots of praise. I would look into an obedience class right away. I think that you'll find that a good obedience class can help enormously! Good luck and enjoy your new dog.

Answer 8

Wow! I hope Tommy S. never gets "damaged". No one will want him, either!
Your poor dog is obviously traumatized. That being said, you will need to do alot of things differently than with a normal dog right now. At this point, you need to realize that your dog could be DANGEROUS. Get him into obedience training asap-and you may have to do this with an individual trainer, as he may not do well in a room with other dogs and people.
In addition to the abuse he suffered, he will go through a period of distrust of everything around him because he is not comfortable in his new home yet. When a dog doesn't feel safe, aggression can come out easily. In order for your dog to feel safe, he needs to know that you are in control of him and the household, so that way he doesn't have to worry about anything and won't feel it necessary to do your job for you.

Some tips on handling abused animals-don't let people come right up to him standing up. This can be taken as threatening behavior by a dog. Don't pull his collar to lead him anywhere. Use a leash. Don't let anyone in the house raise their voices for awhile. Always have your family members let the dog come to them first.The dog needs to make the first move here. Introduce him to new things slowly, so he has an opportunity to tell you he doesn't want to do that right now-you can always try something tomorrow!

I also wouldn't suggest taking him outside in public much either, until you get him obedience trained. Right now you will have no idea what he might do.

Don't expect too much too fast. Your dog is in a very scary place right now, and it may take him quite some time to get used to his new home. You will love it the day he realizes he is home and he relaxes for the first time!
Good luck and thanks for taking him on! We need more people like you out there!

Resource: Five months of obedience training with an abused Australian Cattle Dog

Answer 9

Fear aggression is one of the most difficult behaviors to treat. They can be especially troublesome in 'guarding' breeds such as the GSD or dobies. You first need to establish trust, from which you will earn his respect. DO NOT feel sorry for him, do not let any of his 'past' affect how you treat him. He NEEDS to sense there is an 'alpha' he can trust...only then will be begin to give up his issues. You need to be his 'lookout', he will probably lunge at other dogs too, when walking him if you see possible trouble up ahead, don't telegraph that to him, simply stride more purposefully forward with a little tug to his collar and say, 'Mind your own business'. You need to pay very close attention to his body language and learn his 'cues'...GSDs are naturally always 'on alert'--the more YOU don't make a big deal of whatever he may be 'freaking' about, the better his rehabilitation will be. As to having him 'play' with other dogs--I would caution you here. Unless you trust him 110 percent, wait a bit.
What you have to understand with fear aggression is the inborn 'fight or flight' instinct. Usually, if he picks up ANY weakness (fear, whatever) coming from someone, this will trigger it. First there is a milisecond of hesitation, and then he will 'feed' off of that and cycle up and respond with the barking and lunging. He senses fear from the other person and responds in kind, and then you have a 'standoff' and unless you can 'cut it off' before the 'switch' is thrown...you've got trouble..Sorry, this is hard to explain.
You need to get him to the point of obeying you instantly w/out hesitation..(and NOT by yelling or relying on those nasty shock collars), you need to be calm but firm in your body language as well as your emotions. Get him to the point where he will stay in a 'down, wait' or sit, wait. Then you can have your Dad over to begin that part of the 'therapy'. Make sure you never 'force' him to greet someone, tell people not to look at him directly, and basically ignore him...give HIM the chance to choose whether he wants to come sniff them or not. If you sense him freaking, give him a command for distraction, or have a ball or favorite toy with you and redirect his focus on that. Make sure he has a crate (a safe place), and NO ONE can bother him when he is in there. Giving him free rein of the house can be stressful, think of it all as 'new puppy training', i guess. You let go of his prior history, and he will. You be firm and consistent, and patient---and you will be gifted with a wonderful companion for life. Remember--baby steps, patience, and confidence. Keep us posted. Woof.

Answer 10

first off when the dog is in a nervous or frighten state. do not pet him to calm him. in his mind your saying its "OK" to bark and growl and nip at people. I'm glad you saved him to give him another chance at life. but dogs never look at the past, humans are the only mammels with that ability, they work in the now, they live in the now, they dont look into the future either, so he doesnt see the scary man in his past anymore, he sees this new pack leader, unfortantly the past DOES effect his outlook on life, he thinks all males are fearfull because thats all he learned, he never knew males can be nice as well, remember he is a dog not a child. so using human psychology is diffrent from dog psychology. dogs sense energy so if you feel sorry for him he feels that energy and it makes him nervous(they sense fear, aggression, and happiness, ever wonder why he knows your sad or angry? not just by your face espressions..) . if you go down to comfort him when he is in a growling mode your only saying its ok to act like this. while in your mind your simply calming him down. this is hard to teach by yahoo answers so i would hire professional to help you. to the fear of men. dont force him by walking towards him let him walk towards you. have the male human hold a treat and call him. or hold a treat and pretend his not there. the dog will come to you, as they always should. since your the pack leader, a follower should always come to his leader. ignore him, dont pet him until he gain your trust, this takes time and practice, so dont rush.
good luck