Updated: September 1st 2020 Aggression and behavioral problems do not occur in every dog breed. However, if you have bought a German Shepherd, you might face aggression problems quite a lot. So, why does a GSD behave like this? Are there any situations that trigger this behavior? Or is there something wrong with my dog?
All of these are questions that many GSD owners ask different GSD trainers and vets. If your GSD is acting up, barking on family members, biting furniture, etc. , then your dog is just being itself. German Shepherds are wild dogs, and we know very well that they are excellent guards our police department uses for protection and other purposes.
They guard herds and are strong fighters. These personality traits of a GSD make it aggressive. However, if you train your dog well in its initial days, you will not face aggression problems that might harm you or your dog.
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Common Aggressive Behaviors
If you own a GSD, you’ll probably be dealing with its mood swings and bad temperament. The common aggression problems that GSD owners face are listed below. The list will help you get to know about your dog’s behavior and judge it before it creates problems for you.
- If your GSD is barking at you and when you tell it to ‘stop,’ it starts to bark louder.
- If your GSD is biting on the furniture or chewing something, it shouldn’t and you tell it to ‘stop’ or give it a ‘no’ command, but it starts to growl at you.
- If your GSD snaps at you when you ask it to stop doing something.
- If your GSD is trying to harm children or other animals in the home.
- If your GSD is biting on your hand and feet with force.
- If your GSD is chasing other pets in your home with a continuous bark.
- If your dog growls at you when you touch it.
- And much more.
Why does a GSD get Aggressive?
If your GSD is being aggressive and behaving badly, think clearly.
German Shepherds do not react badly without a reason. It will become aggressive when it is upset, bored, threatened, etc. There might be something that is triggering this behavior in them.
If it doesn’t get enough exercise
Your GSD might be aggressive because it is not getting its daily dose of physical exercise. GSDs are active by nature and in the wild, they spend their time running around. They need time to exercise or else they become snappy. If you cannot take your GSD for a walk or run on a daily basis, try to take it out at least once in every two days.
GSDs are not used to stay all the time indoors. If you are living in a confined apartment and not letting your dog out, you are the one triggering its aggressive side. Take your dog to family picnics, parks, swimming, hiking, etc.overly-protective, so that it can stay active.
If it becomes overly possessive
German Shepherds are extremely overly protective when it comes to their family and owners. So, when they see a stranger coming in the house, they see it as a threat that could harm its family. That’s why a GSD becomes aggressive, starts barking and charging at the person. This is a common behavior problem of a GSD as it is a loyal dog and cannot see its family in danger.
Sometimes a GSD reacts aggressively with friends visiting your home. When you give a lot of time to your friends and your GSD feels neglected, it starts to bark or growl just to draw your attention.
If you try to dominate it
German Shepherds live in a pack and that’s why they have a hierarchical system in which they take the position of an alpha. So, when you try to rule over your GSD, your dog will get aggressive and show signs of bad behavior. This happens because it is dominant by nature and does not take orders too well. To solve this problem and make your dog listen to you, you will first need to set your position as the alpha of the pack. Only then you will be able to make it follow your commands and not react otherwise.
If it gets bored
Leaving your GSD alone at home or not giving it enough time will make it extremely aggressive. German Shepherds are loving dogs. They get attached to their owners and need their attention. However, if you do not spend time with your dog, it will try to grab your attention by barking, biting furniture, biting your foot, etc. This behavior is very common in GSDs that are left alone by their owners. Do not leave your dog alone as it will trigger its aggression which will become a huge problem for you and other family members.
The Solution?
Now we know what triggers aggression in GSDs but how do we control it?
Behavior Training
The best thing to do to avoid aggression and behavioral problems in GSDs is to train them at a very small age. It is best to start training your GSD when it is just a puppy. A pup can be easily controlled due to its size and capability. If you try to train an adult GSD to behave, it is going to harm you or get overly aggressive.
Adopt a positive reinforcement strategy for training your GSD. Do not get angry or frustrated when your GSD doesn’t follow your commands. Be patient and wait for it to learn. Many owners make a mistake of getting violent with the dog which ends up badly. Train your dog to behave and teach it different techniques taking help from treats as a sign of appreciation.
Early Socialization
If your dog is being overly possessive or protective when guests come over, this means that you haven’t trained him to be social with others. Early socialization is extremely important for GSDs as they are dominant in nature. Due to their dominant nature, they do not become friends with others and see them as a threat.
Expose your little GSD pup to other people, friends, pets, etc. Do this in a positive way and let them socialize with other pets in your home and your friends. Once your pup will be familiar to them, it will not grow-up to charge or bark at them.
The key to handling an aggressive or ill-tempered GSD is to train it starting at a little age. This is the only way to turn your GSD into the loving dog you want it to be.
Last Updated on February 11, 2021 by Shepped Team
I have a GsD that we rescued two years ago almost three he is super aggressive to visitors is there anything I can do. He totally hates my best friend and I don’t get it he is also 109 pounds so he’s scay to others
You must acclimate slowly to people. My 105 lb German shepherd wants to tear my ex wife apart every time she cones to get the kids. We are slowly trying to work on this. These dogs have a natural instinct literaely to destroy anything that they are threatened by. Slowly get him used to your friend being around. Let friend be there while he is Kenned so he can see it is safe.
I have a GSD muzzle for my dog. what I notice is when you have a friend or family member come over if they are willing too, you talk to your dog and tell him/her the muzzle is for protection to pl it on them while co is around. if the dog is still misbehaving place him/her in their cage for a apox 5 mins w/muzzle and then release him again. This is according to your guest response to your dog. If the are terrifyed of the dog it will not wk. Shepherds respond to the behaviors around them. Also make sure your guest are seated at most time and you walk w/them as they begin to move about your hm and mk your dog ly down while you socialize w/muzzle on for protection it takes x. lv the muzzle on at all times though! They do not like for strangers to tower over them!
I have a 6 year old male GSD who was raised around his parents, grandparents and siblings. He has also been around other pets as well. However he gets overly excited and sort of aggressive when he sees other dogs and cats. He can’t stop barking and wants to get to them. It’s not always in a mean aggressive way. Sometimes he just wants to smell, chase or play with them. When this happens I am invisible to him. He will listen at any other time. My daughter and I literally have to wrap ourselves around him at the vet to keep his 100 lbs in check. It’s truly embarrassing and we get covered in hair, due to his excited shedding. He’s run through multiple screen doors to chase loose dogs and cats. What can I do to stop this and keep him obeying at all times? He used to stop mid sprint if I told him to, but now, not so much. You’re advice is deeply appreciated as I don’t want him to run so far and fast that he gets lost.
I have an 8 months GS and its still undergoing training on obedience. However the habit of climbing on me is still a challenge. Even when I tell it to stop it will carry on with the behaviour and it will make teeth contact with me but it doesn’t bite.
It has not stopped on climbing the family members but its doing it when I arrive home in a car. It will tend to climb it and this led to the car developing scratches on its finish.
So what do I do with this behaviour? At times I regret punishing it by beating to cause pain such that it doesn’t do it again.
I really hope you’re not beating it – you’ll end up with a severely aggressive dog… though this comment was rather a long time ago – it’s probably already happened…
If you are inflicting pain on your dog you don’t need or deserve it. I hope you have given it to someone that isn’t an asshole like you. If you still have it, I will buy it from you before you ruin a perfectly good animal. Phone 615-738-6121
when you GSD jumps up on you ,gently ease your knee out in front of him or her and they will remember you doing so. Dont do it hard,just enough for the dog to remember that your knee is not a common object to come into contact with when hE/she jumps toward you. GSD dont forget anything!
Have rescued German Shepard at 8 months he is loving and good with me but is very aggressive with other dogs. I do crate him as I do work, but I try to walk him at least 2 times a day . He makes me nervous when strangers approach or other dogs,because he becomes hard for me to control. Any thoughts?
I had this problem too, and got a prong collar that I pull to bring her towards me when this happens. Good luck.
I am not a do trainer just a GSD owner. From what I have been taught, you would need to train your dog on leash in your home first before taking him around ppl. Try first waking him outdoors where there is a limited amount of ppl. Once your dog has your respect as his pack leader the walks should come easy. With or without distractions.
I have a 7 week old GSD that I’m still trying to train. The problem I have is, how do I punish him without being aggressive.
From what I have been told, you should crate him when he is misbehaving. Like a child we send them to there room we should do the same with our dogs. We let him out when he has calm down and if his behaviour starts up again we put him in the crate again. Eventually he will know that he is being removed from his pack/family because he is being bad mannered.
My gsd I got him at 4 years old he loves ppl and children he is as soft as anything but the only problem he goes for dogs cats any animal what can I do
Keep him on leash around all other animals. Start training a “leave it” or “watch me” command (use positive reinforcement methods only and make it a fun game) – do this training at home with no distractions until it’s reliable 100% of the time you use the command.
Take him on leash and walk past other animals at a distance. When he looks at the animal (BEFORE he’s reacted negatively to it) use the leave it or watch me command, whichever you think will work best in his situation (watch me didn’t work for my border collie but leave it did). If he ignores the animal or looks at you immediately praise / treat him (I used verbal praise only with my border collie but many dogs need more incentive than just “good boy” – you will get better results using food rewards).
When he’s reliable at a distance, decrease the distance little by little (over multiple training sessions, don’t try to do it all in one day), using your leave it / watch me each time (keep praising / rewarding for each time he obeys the command). It will take many weeks / months (depending on how ingrained the behaviour is) to change his behaviour but it should eventually work. This technique worked for me to keep my very drivey border collie off sheep / cattle / cats etc, even off-leash.
Note: make sure the target animal you are using for this training cannot get to your dog and is calm and non-reactive. Also note that if you allow your dog to break free and attack the other animal you will set back your training to square one so ensure you have a very secure collar / harness / halter on your dog and you have a tight grip on the lead (or attach lead to your belt perhaps).
Barking / lunging at the animal should also be avoided – if the dog barks at or lunges at the animal simply turn him around and walk him in the opposite direction from it until he is calm, then come back. Don’t shout at or hit him, just say quietly and firmly “no” and turn him away (quietly because if you shout he will assume you are joining in on the barking frenzy).
Don’t let him work himself up into a frenzy – if he’s too agitated take him away and do something else. Try again another day when he’s calmer and in a good mood (after a tiring exercise session might be best).
If he reacts negatively the moment he sees the animal (Without giving you time to issue your command) you need to start at a greater distance. Find the distance at which he can see the animal but he doesn’t immediately start barking / growling / raising hackles etc. As soon as he looks at the animal give the command and praise / reward the SECOND he obeys. The first few tries at this are going to matter the most so set him up for success and start off very easy.
I have a 12 week old male GSD who is quite aggressive towards family members biting really hard and being viscous. We all have full time jobs so he will be left for periods of time, so there is nothing we can do about this. Please help us be able to control my puppy before he is a fully grown GS and much more aggressive.
Try training at early age .he is still youger so behaviour get solved and he is teething so try bite inhibition. Go out as much you go just let him watch people everyday give him treats for good respons . Socializing is most important part of gsd life. Dobt heat him,try positive reinforcement training. Serach kikopup, zakgeorge,kristin krestejo, for good informative video he will be better my gsd learn new trick within a week or less so its very minded dog , if you cant join fog classes then socialize with neaghbourhood dog its good on long run need more info email me on www.jp26@Yahoo.com
Good luck
U need to learn bite inabition,when he bites,no matter who it is they must scream or cry out every time he does it,eventually he’ll learn that he hurts u,probably taken from litter mates too soon as they learn bite inabition through playing with them and mum
I HAVE 3 MALES SIX FOUR AND THREE SAME FATHER DIFFERENT MOTHER AND JUST YESTERDAY I GESTURED WITH MY HANDS TO THEM AS IF I WANTED TO PLAY AND ONE PUSHED ME FRM BEHIND LOST MY BALANCE, TRIPPED AND FELL ON THE GROUND AND THEY STARTED BARKING AT EACH OTHER, PULLING ME BY THE ARMS AND BITING HARD AT MY FOREARMS, THIGH, AND WHEREVER THEY COULD VERY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE AND BAD BITES URGENT ADVISE AS TO KNOW IF THEY WERE WORRIED BECAUSE I FELL OR WENT INTO A FRENZY BUT IF MY
WIFE HAD NOT ARRIVED AT THE SCENE IMWOULD HAVE NOT SURVIVED THIS SITUATION PLEASE EMAIL TO ZULYAL@LIVE.COM
My 9mo old GSD is the sweetest dog ever, great personality. Gets along great with our first dog, walks really well on leash…..until she sees another dog! She gets crazy! We’ve been working constantly on trying to control this and distract her before anything happens but it doesn’t always work. She’s been walking well in a “pack walk” with other dogs, but comes face to face and problems begin. We rescued her when she was 5mos from a poor situation. Maybe some of this aggression stems from that? We’re working hard but it’s very frustrating. Any suggestions???
Have a 9mos old GSD that is perfect in every way, except when seeing other dogs. She’s getting really hard to control on walks when this occurs. Otherwise she’s great on leash. Never leaves my side. Loves to please me. Have been working on pack walking and it’s going fairly well except upon initially starting. She gets so amped up and excited. When she calms down she walks right next to the other dogs but goes crazy upon seeing other dogs on leash or behind fences. I’m afraid that when she’s full grown and still acting this way, I won’t be able to handle her. Trying very hard everyday.
My 2yr old shepherd gets aggressive with me when i leave he barks circles me he pulls my purse away. Its getting worse what can I do?
I don’t have a solution; I can tell you what you already know, he doesn’t want you to leave him. We have one; he was crate trained so us leaving doesn’t cause him to react(I’m assuming the crate training was it, idk) Now, if ours doesn’t get walked often enough he digs big time. My new role requires me to travel so his walks have dropped dramatically and needless to say our yard is dangerous for ankles!
I have a 6 year old GSD… she is good with family and other dogs… but she is a nightmare when it comes to strangers. Taking her to the vet for her yearly physical is horrible. Its so sad the way they look at us at the vet’s office. Like we are the worst dog owners in the world. Any thoughts?
I have a GSD and he is very well behaved. He loves the kids and listens to all commands. My issue is that at first he was good around everyone, now he is 1 yr and 3mths old and things are changing. It first started with children, he would give a light growl when they came to close. Then it was with adult strangers and now even ppl he knows and likes. He will growl a light growl. He has lunged at 3ppl after they have ignored his warning. This really upsets me because he IS a great loving dog. Last but not least he has gone to training but I can’t keep taking classes as it starts to get costly. What can I do?
The vast majority of behavioral problems I see here can be corrected with: exercise, exercise, exercise….and proper socialization.
Your dog has to be WELL exercised in order to release pent up energy. Only then will your training have a chance to take hold. If you’re not sure how much “Fido” needs, err on the side of more than less.
As for aggression towards others while in your presence, if you haven’t established yourself as the Alpha or pack leader, then you’re in a wod of hurt as the dog won’t respect you and won’t listen to your commands. You have to establish dominance through your poise and consistency of actions. You can start by remaining calm at all times with smooth, slow deliberate movements and tone. Be sure to train your dog that you are to enter and exit the home first, eat first and be the first greeted by newcomers. Only then can you give your dog permission to follow after you’re done. Again, remain consistent as leadership is a full time job.
Now that you’ve established your place as the pack leader, your dog should begin looking to you for queues on how to react to future situations. They cN be taught not to fear strangers in your presence by having your friends help you out.
Have your friend walk by and without acknowledging the dog, simply toss a treat in his direction while continuing on. Again, your friend should not react to your dog at all other than tossing a treat. As your dog learns that strangers bring treats, they will allow your friends closer each consecutive time till they are able to directly approach without signs of aggression. Take baby steps and be sure to expose your dog to as many different people, places and other dogs as possible.
Note that each meeting should be a positive experience to your dog in order to be effective.
Very good advice, Sammy Z So true. I am a GSD owner, and exercise is the most important for young GSDs. We got ours(a rescue with no training whatsoever) at 9 months old, and my husband trained K-9s for law enforcement for years, and we ran our dog twice a day until his tongue hung down to his knees. Then he would listen. We wanted him to have no aggression, be a family dog. He was always excited to see anyone, and jumped on us too. As he jumped up, we’d put a knee up and he’d hit it with his chest. He toppled over a couple times and that was the end of jumping on people. We ignored him when we came home from being out for awhile, and the first time he settled down and laid down after being so excited at our entrance, he got all kinds of hugs and praise. Now he barks when someone comes to the door(he is a Shepherd, after all,) but when we say “Enough!” he lies down away from the door and waits until we say he can go and greet the person. He was nippy too, with those needle-like teeth. We disciplined him like his mother would, held him down with a grip on his neck until he stopped squirming and wriggling and had relaxed. They need exercise, consistency in training and they HAVE to know who’s the leader. better yet, that everyone in your household, even your cat or pet bird is above them on the totem pole. Once they get that, life with a GSD is amazing!
I have a Shepard who just recently started getting very aggressive with me, to the point to where he as drew blood several times. He is not just bit me but he will go into a frenzy trying to wrap his front legs around me while doing so. I am in the military and am being transferred to California and his aggressive act has gotten worse. I recently had to put a muzzle on him and took him to the vet where they gave him a shot to dope him up and gave me several pills to give him just so I can calm him down while driving. Any advise in this manner from anyone will help.
Sorry you won’t want to hear this but I would have him pts. His behaviour is downright dangerous and it sounds like you cannot control him; what if he gets away from you and kills a child? How guilty would you feel seeing the crying parent? What if it was your child killed by a neighbours dog? Wouldn’t you wonder why the neighbour didn’t euthanize their dog knowing it was dangerous? If it was a smaller breed I’d suggest lots of training and socialisation but with a large dog that cannot easily be controlled there are too many risks and chances for something horrible to go wrong.
Have a 4 month old gsd I bought he is so aggressive he doesn’t want me to touch him help me what can I do
I have an 11 month old German shepherd dog who is very aggressive to only one of our other 4 dogs. Sometimes they play and everything is fine but other times he attacks her and is always staring her down. She is the only female dog. She has bite marks on her…We try to always give him a nudge or no no when we see it but it’s so bad we can’t leave them alone… he knows all commands has seen a professional dog trainer and has passed every course and week with flying colors… however he even gets a little protective of me and my husband and growled at the trainer and almost bite him on the last session… the trainer tells us not to seperate them on a daily basis which i understand I and to reintroduce them once they are calm…. but the next day it happen again!!! I have had off leash trained dogs for 15 years and taken them backpacking, fostered over 20 dogs, have a small farm, exercise my dogs and seeked professional help… I don’t know what else to do… we orginally went to the trainer for behavior issues he seemed to ignore even when our dog tried to snap at him… now we were supposed to be on our last session and the trainer said to bring in the dog he bullies to see what’s going on… it’s been months of toture… dog on a leash around house I don’t know what else to do any pointers would help!!!! I am happy that the trainer wishes to help us now aND sees how bad the dog to dog aggression us… but not sure if he is capable since he never took this issue seriously he told us maybe we should rehome the dog without ever even seeing anything and the dog is wonderful at every session minus the one time he snapped at the trainer and he even gave a warning growl as the guy went into pet him! Any advice would be great!!!!!
I know this was a while ago, but try finding a certified animal behaviorist. Behaviorists specialize in solving animal behavior problems and should keep up to date with most effective humane methods. Behaviorists can solve dog- dog aggression with science based training. Most trainers may not have the depth of knowledge of behavior to help with this problem. You may be dealing with some protection aggression, as well as dog-dog aggression. DON’T go to trainers that use the traditional method of dominance training (alpha rollover, scruff shaking…etc). This can make aggression worse, and make your dog even more reactive. In America, anyone can call themselves trainers, or behaviorists. But in reality true behaviorists have gone to college, and graduated with either a Doctor of veterinary medicine(for a veterinary behaviorist) or a PhD in animal behavior, and a bachelors in an animal science. Most should be recognized by the Animal behavior society (ABS). Ask for credentials, or check out some websites and sources I’ve listed below.
Check out: Dr. Sophia yin (website)
Books: “Don’t shoot the dog , a new art of teaching and training “by Karen Pryor (will help you understand the concepts of positive reinforcement, and how behaviors are reinforced in humans, and animals
“The other end of the leash” by Patricia B. McConnell PhD- why we do what we do around dogs
– any clicker training book (the power of positive dog training) by pat miller
Clicker training is VERY, Very effective and used in science based positive reinforcement training. Associate other people with good things (high value reinforcer, small fingernail sized bites of chicken, or dogs favorite treat)
1. Start at a distance to where your dog is comfortable with a person within sight. For dog not reacting-Click- and reward.
2. Over TIME your dog will become more comfortable around unknown people and you can get closer to other people without your dog reacting aggressively.
Training should be fun and enjoyable for the dog and the owner So ENJOY it!
DON’T RE-HOME HIM. THIS IS ONLY PASSING ON ANOTHER PROBLEM AND IF HIS AGGRESSION ESCALATES SOMEONE MAY have him put down. Stay calm this problem can be solved.
Keep your dogs separated until you can find a behaviorist. (and to avoid vet bills) sometimes play can become overstimulating and cause a dog to react aggressively.
DO YOUR RESEARCH ! BE PATIENT! AND BE CONSISTENT! Your problems can be solved, I have only listed a VERY BASIC list of the things I think will help you, and encourage you to continue digging deeper and doing more research . It will change your life. Hope this helps to you and anyone who reads it.
I just adopted a 3-month-old GSD mix a few days ago and decided she should be socialized with another dog. I took her to meet my friend’s dogs and she was calm. the next day, My sister’s friend brought over her own GSD mix, but mine got aggressive while hers seemed happy and calm.
Your dog was likely displaying territorial aggression. GSD’S are very protective of their own territory, it’s never a good idea to introduce 2 dogs on one of their territories – a neutral zone is best. When they are good friends you might be able to take one to the other’s yard, then their home but in a highly territorial dog you may never be able to do this.
We have a 4 yrs old GS that gets aggressive at bed time. He sleeps in a kennel which he enters on his own. Lately he’s been very vicious. All day he’s great. Layed back, loving,and we’ll behaved. Only at night Cujoe comes out. Any thoughts?
We have a 3 year old. He never showed aggression toward animals or people. If anything he was timid. We moved about 8 months ago. The new house has a fenced back yard and neighbors are close on all sides. Since then he’s become more aggressive when other dogs or people came on our yard with us outside. Less than 2 weeks ago we brought home a our 3rd child. Since then we have had 3 occasions where he has shown some pretty intense aggression. Twice with other dogs and even charging and barking at a neighbor. I love my dog, but my husband is scared we have lost control and is concerned about him seriously hurting someone or something. Advice?
we have a 1 1/2 old German Shepherd that runs up & down the fence line all day. She licks us or jumps on us. We have other shepherds but have to keep her seperate. how do we calm her down?
we have a 1 1/2 old German Shepherd that runs up & down the fence line all day. She licks us or jumps on us. We have other shepherds but have to keep her seperate. how do we calm her down?
Yan will bite anyone and everyone who is not a family member. We cannot take him out anymore after he attacked a woman and she was injured badly. He is 4 years old.I don’t know what to do. We had employed a trainer when he was 10 months or an year old. He attacked his trainer and then the trainer left as well. I love him but I live in constant fear of being dragged to court by someone because they were attacked and bitten by my dog. I am under a lot of stress.
What was your solution?
I have a 2 year old GS. She is very aggressive with her food, with other dogs. She doesn’t bother us but will attack other dogs if they even come near her food. Even if her bowl is empty and a dog walks towards it she growls, runs towards them and has even gotten into fights with other dogs. If my husband and I hug or kiss she growls, barks, and bites the bottom of his pants. We live on a couple acres and she is never on a leash. We were at a friends house for a get together and she was on a leash and a little girl walked up to pet her and she snapped at her. She didn’t bark or growl or even seem aggressive towards her so I don’t know if she was nipping or actually trying to bit her. What do you suggest?
Hi…
I would like to ask for some advice, I have a 6 or 7 year old GSD, that I got from a rescue center, I have him for about a year, he is a great dog… My only problem is that when I take him for a walk (twice a day), he barks at people and dogs or anything that comes toward us during the walk… He is a big guy 102 lbs and his bark is loud, so people are afraid of him… What can I do to correct this behavior? I tried the prong collar, the water bottle, the noise distraction tools, some treats which stops him long enough to eat it and then he continues…:) :) Any other ideas?
Thank you in advance..J
Our 13 week (3 month) old GSD is very aggressive when we brush her and put in/take her out of her crate. We have done everything we were told to do and she is still viciously attacking us. We are currently working on putting her in puppy classes at PetSmart, but if they don’t work, what should we do?
Very informative, thank you
My daughter and I have a 1 yr old female GS raised with our 3 cats and 2 POM’s, male and female. Female is 13 and not spayed. Due to surgery in Dec and recoup time Dakota was not socialized as much as she should have. As soon as she came in heat she has turned extremely aggressive toward our female pom literally torn her our of my arms. This usually happens when my daughter gets home from work and she immediately becomes beyond control and only by the grace of God have we managed to pry our pom from her. We have tried shock collars, pet corrector, dog treats that is suppose to calm her, and nothing works when she is in this kill mode. We have them separated but if we cannot find a solution she will have to be put down before she kills our pom. We have ads in gs dog community etc for $200 with crate etc but after 2 months no takers. She is so strong and hard headed and personal trainers are so expensive we cannot afford and she would not do well around other dogs. Any last suggestions? We are beyond stressed.
This is a very great solution, my gsd is overly possessive and now i am going to treat him like you said. Thanks for the info :)
I have a GSD puppy of about 2 months he tries to bite my foot,hand,knee whenever i touch him.He gets aggressive at me and also growls at me when i pick him gently
My White German Shepherd puppy that is 10 weeks old won’t stop biting us. When he bites us there are marks left and those marks start to bleed. I have tried time outs and all that but nothing works. Is there a way that I can stop my puppy from biting.
I have a 15 month old GSD who has been showing aggression towards my 10 yr old son. She gets plenty of exercise and attention and has never showed aggression towards any one else. My son is now intimidated by her. I’m extremely concerned about her behavior. By aggression I mean growling and snarling .
My family and I have a GSD (Marco). He’s just about three and very aggressive whenever we have guests come over. He’ll bite someone when just before he’d play with that person. We never know why he’ll suddenly bite or aggressively jump up on someone. Marco was taken from his liter at seven weeks and all his sisters were taken at five weeks. We’re now his only family, so he has to protect us. My mom is thinking of giving him away! Please help! We want to train him to behave!
Hello! I actually had a question. Can you explain to me the difference between fear biting or fear aggression in shepards and why this happens? This would be greatly appreciated.
My Shepard is 10 months old and he hasnt really been socialized much..We are miving back into my family home and he did good with my son who he never met and with my parents on first visit but last week when my dad came into the home he growled and when my dad went to pet him he bit my dad..Help!!
My 8 year old sheperd is extremely loving, gentle and very well tempered but for some reason all of a sudden he is becoming aggressive with the paper boys mother and some of the other paper boys & today growled at her, charging towards her & nipped her finger. Luckily she knows us and knows he’s usually a gentle guy but something has made him not like her or whow ever delivers the paper and I am concerned with thus aggression. Thoughts???
I have two 3 year old german shepherds…they are sweet and beautiful. However, a year ago we had a family emergency and had to leave the state in a hurry. In that time span they had to stay in their outdoor pen (as they couldn’t be trusted inside for too long) with our neighbors tending to them (feeding and watering). Our house was broken into while they were in their pen, so I’m aware they were defenseless. Since then…if I have them out in their pen, they act highly aggressive with visitors. If I let them out, they are fine and they do not have this behavior inside the house. I feel as if they believe they are alerting and protecting me, but some people are afraid for me to let them out to prove they are friendly. How can I help ease this behavior? I do not want “friendly” visitors thinking my dogs will hurt them.
I have two nine month old male Shepards. One has started getting aggressive with the other when we a petting both of them and when I walk in the room. I’ve been separating them and telling them now. But it doesn’t seem to help. Need to know what I can do.
I have an 8mos old GS, he had training at a early age but he still barks at other dogs… he becomes aggressive with them, and it gets hard when o walk him, plus when I take him to the park, no one is out there. Please help me.
Thank you, Kim
Socialize Socialize when they are young. My GSD is pre-schutzhind trained nd she still barks nd lunges at people who.come over even tho she is very sweet with us. My fault I didnt Socialize her enough when she was young but I also put her up now when others come in the house. Otherwise, shes the Best guard dog nd Best pet Iv EVER had. Ever!
we recently adopted an 18 month german shepherd dog from a rescue centre and we need advice on how to stop him taking things he is not supposed to have. also when we try to retrive things he really snarls and trys to bite.
I have just rescued a 14 week old German Shepherd pup. I have now had him for 12 days. He was very sick and either abused or had little socialization with people . The second day we had him my husband came up behind him and he bit him. After a few days he has become very attached to me but growls, charges and barks at my husband and every other person he sees. He craves to play with my other dog and is happy to be recessive to him.
I have contacted a trainer who has told me that he is “hard wired” to protect and I will have ongoing problems with him and he is likely to attack people as he gets bigger.
Can anyone offer help?
I moved into a new apartment I was staying at my daughter’s number German Shepherds being very aggressive towards everybody that lives here what do I do he’s my service dog
I had a male and female shepherd attack their male pack member. They were in a fierce “kill mode”. By the time I broke it up, I need to find out what I did wrong and how this happened. I would love to talk with someone with German Shepherd knowledge. (Cesar is too busy!) :)
My German shepherd hates little dogs. Somewhere I read that is a breed problem. Is this true? Am I alone with this problem? How do I fix this behavior?
My friend who i walk with has a Gsd bitch over 2 yrs old now whilst out walking she starts to own the pack but she wont let them go to far in front or behind if they do she grabs them round the neck when put on lead she is so up in the air it becomes a obession where she shakes uncontrolable. The charging at them has started to cause more aggressive behaviour but owner said she is so lovely indoors no aggression. She is very strong & owner finds her hard to hold. Has to use halti to hold her. How can we stop her owning the pack she walks with x
I HAVE A GERMAN SHEPARD ABOUT 3 1/2 TO 4 YEARS OLD. I ALSO HAVE A SMALL DOG INSIDE HE IS ABOUT 11 YEARS OLD. THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW. TODAY MY GERMAN SHEPARD BIT MY POM AND PUNCHER-ED A HOLE IN HIS SIDE . HE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS . WE THINK IT PUNCHER-ED HIS LUNG. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPEN BEFORE THEY NEVER HAVE FOUGHT BEFORE OR ANYTHING LIKE IT. NO FOOD WAS INVOLVED. MY GRAND KIDS SAW HER DO IT THEY SAID SHE JUST SHOOK HIM LIKE A RAG DOLL. MY QUESTION DO YOU LIKE IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN OR YOU LIKE SHE WILL BITE MY GRAND KIDS NEXT. DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. IF I CALL THE DOG POUND THEY WILL KILL HER BUT IF I KEEP HER SHE MAY BITE MY GRAND KIDS. DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. NEED HELP.
My 8 month old gs is aggressive with only me.. the mother of the house. Not aggressive with strangers or rest of the family. Growls and lunges if I look at her when she has something In her mouth. Don’t know what to do. My teenage son adopted her when she was 6 months and he loves her dearly. Any suggestions?
My 8 month old GM is aggressive towards our 7 month old GM. It’s getting to the point I use a shock collar. Please help
I got my female GSD at 5 months old and have spent thousands of dollars on professional training. She does respond to commands well at this time, except she absolutely will not allow anybody on our property and gets nervous at the parks when people come around. This is causing a big problem in my neighborhood and our ability to socialize her in our community. How do I train her to accept other people?
We have a GSD, about two years old, a street rescue I picked up over a month ago. Someone dumped him–he’s fixed (recently, as his sack is still visible and not completely shrunk yet), he’s trained–he sits, shakes with both paws, lays down, and rolls over. Yes, I’ve posted found notices, and scanned him for a chip…nothing. He’s sweet, but there have been clashes (predictable) between he and my 7 year old rottie male. Now, I’ve owned dogs most of my 51 years, so I know that when any breed hits the 2 year old mark, the rebellious teenager in them comes out, and there’s going to be a ‘you’re not the boss of me” struggle. He has bonded with my 20 year old, and when I went in this morning to try to get him outside, he growled at me when I reached for his collar, even going so far as showing his teeth when I kept pulling on it. I can speak enough dog to know that’s “Leave me alone, I’m not ready to go outside,” and I stopped. Went, got a squeaky toy, (his Achilles heel) and lured him out of bed that way. Once he was out of the bed, he was his typical, happy sweet self.
My question is…should I have left him alone until he was ready to go outside, or is my doing that “submitting” to him? Since he’s bonded with my daughter, (and he’ll be going with her when she moves out) should I have let HER put him outside…she usually does it when she gets up. I want to be sure he understands that I’M the leader of the pack, not him.
My GSD is simply beautiful with family and people and has been trained from a pup ( GSD club) and socialised and exercised regularly. He is aggressive towards puppies, labradors and dogs that are younger and infant 80percent of dogs I am on high alert with. He is three and not desexed. Have you got any suggestions.Help please.
Just got a German shepherd from a rescue on Saturday. My husband is the one who brought her home and got to spend the day with her on Sunday. She is 2 to 3 years old. She seems to have taken to him as for me I have petted her and she has given me kisses,and I walked her for awhile. My husband was sitting in his chair with her beside him when I walked into the room she growled at me. We have 3 other dogs who she is just fine with. I turned around and came back out a little later and she growled at me and snapped at me. Don’t know if we should keep her or not I know that this breed is territorial. But I feel she needs to like me. Any advice. Thanks in advance
My GSD male 8 mo old has been gentle raised,has a laid back personality loves dogs likes to meet people. I feed, exercise him and work with him..So the problem? At times he will growl and bare his teeth at me when I pet him.and no he is not sleeping at these times. ..
Hello, we adopted a GS (female) about a month ago. She is 3.5 years old and has been living with a foster family that adopted her from a shelter. She is doing great with our family (2 adults and two girls). However, when my mom comes over or a dear friend visits she barks and growls at them very aggressively. I am concerned that we may have to return her to the rescue organization. We walk her every day more than once. She has a big backyard to play in. She stays inside with us while we work from home. She sits, lays down & comes when called. No problems. However, the aggressive barking is a real big problem. We also take her to training school at petsmart every friday evening. She barked and lunged at another big dog and the trainer told us that is she continues she will be kicked out of the class. Please any advice. Is there such a thing as a doggie xanax?
I have a 2 year old GSD. She was raised with 2 other older dogs. Lately she has been fighting with them. She never used to do this. Nothing has changed to warrant such a change. She gets plenty of exercise. Runs all day…. She has also started barking at everything too. We are afraid of what she may do to our grandkids. She was raised around them also, but look what she’s doing to our dogs now…..Frustrated…We had her spayed as a puppy also…don’t know if it would have anything to do with her aggressiveness.
My daughter took a big adult male king German Shepherd it does not like kids at all it likes her son that’s been around the nine-year-old but it doesn’t like any of the other kids her friends like five year old girl the dog is like if it got it out it would try to really Mall the kid I don’t know what to do I told her the dogs should be wearing a muzzle when it’s around children
We have a three-year-old German shepherd and the only time that he growls at us early in the morning sometimes i wanna give him a kiss but it’s a good go and other time is when my daughter and I are try to give him some TLC but it doesn’t happen all the time just once in a while it’s so weird?lissa
This all sounds great but what if you are gifted a 5 yr old GSD who cannot tolerate other 4 legged animals? She’s a dream dog at home, not in the least aggressive but will fight to the death with any other dog. Consequently she is seldom off leash, it’s exhausting and stressful.
I have a 7-year-old German Shepherd and I have a pillow and a blanket that I use in my recliner but if the dog gets them first and I try to get them back he’s just very vicious and attacks me and tries to bite me only suggestions on train him or who I can send him to
My German Shepard loves everyone that comes to my house. When I take her to the vet she gets aggressive. The vet doesn’t let us go in with her. What should I do? She has been having epileptic seizures and need help.