Angela, sounds like you didn't need my advice about the muzzle. Good thinking. Also sounds like you and your husband are working toward the same goal, with some outside help. The dog is very lucky he fell in with the two of you. You want to keep in mind, though, that this dog may turn out to never be acceptable as a pet dog, and you may have to always keep it seperated from your children and any other dogs you have, no matter how much work you do with him. Good luck and keep safe!

Angela,

About three and a half years ago my wife and I adopted an adult male GSD that had a host of behavioral issues some of which sound very similar to what you describe. Within the first few months we came very close to giving up on correcting his problems and several times we almost got rid of him. I won't go into all the details but after several months his behavior did improve and, although he is still a very quirky dog, he is doing fine now. I will mention that my wife and I did not have any small children living with us during this time.

What helped with our dog was finding out what motivated him (with this particular dog it was food) and then working with him based on rewards as much as possible. He also received corrections when necessary but his behavior really began to change soon after I started this type of praise and reward training. My suggestion to you is to find out what motivates your dog and then try working with him alone in a safe environment. Whenever you see any improvement be very positive with praise and rewards and see if he will begin to bond with you.

Be safe,
Mike

just goes to show it is a complete waste of breath giving some people advice. absolutely no purpose has been served by this family going down this path--working with the dog--and plenty of risk has been taken on.

the dog needs to be living with an experienced trainer, not with a clueless family. i wouldn't have used the word clueless until i saw that despite all the good advice given, they still choose to put their son at risk. nobody is perfect, and dogs get loose, muzzles come undone.

it's not worth it.

it's also not worth the bother of responding to people who don't have common sense.

in future, i'll be a lot more protective of my time when it comes to advising newcomers. as far as i'm concerned, the forum archives and the articles here already have more info in them than any one person needs to know. no sense in repeating it.

That's the nature of web forums.

Advisers have no way of knowing who will consider which advice.

In addition, others (besides the O.P.) will read the thread and might benefit.

"please find a skilled behaviorist/trainer in your area who is experienced with aggressive/dominant dogs and enlist their aid. at the very least, have such a professional assess the dog."

Alice, I believe this was in one of your posts. I believe that a few others also advised having a behaviorist come in to assist. That is what we chose to do.

 Quote: angela cribari

"please find a skilled behaviorist/trainer in your area who is experienced with aggressive/dominant dogs and enlist their aid. at the very least, have such a professional assess the dog."

Alice, I believe this was in one of your posts. I believe that a few others also advised having a behaviorist come in to assist. That is what we chose to do.

i wrote that before you posted that your husband's friend who trains police dogs assessed the dog and the situation and advised your husband that it was only a matter of time before the dog rips you apart.

ime, that was the assessment you should have acted on.

Why should we ever be surprized ???

Why does the title of this thread keep changing?
This is like the fourth title it has been called.

Good post Kacie

 Quote: Robert Passmore

Why does the title of this thread keep changing?
This is like the fourth title it has been called.

Because posters are changing it..... not a welcome practice.