April 22, 2011
I have been told that German Shepherds are somewhat special in that they will accept a bashing and still try and try to please their owner. Do you agree with this?
Full Question:
Dear Mr. Frawley,My parents have a four year old Labrador bitch that is aggressive towards other dogs, including my own 18-month old lab bitch. The reason I have concluded is fear or insecurity of other dogs, although I do not know where it stems from. I am told by many that I should not punish her for her aggressive behavior since it is based on fear. The rationale behind this I suppose would be that it is an uncontrollable behavior not a chosen one hence the correction will only suppress the behavior and not cure the underlying problem; fear. After having read your articles and Q&A section, I am assuming that your opinion differs from the aforementioned. Am I correct in my assumption that you find it ok to punish unwanted behavior based on fear/insecurity, and could you explain why you think this is correct, contrary to MANY other theories?
I also have another thought. Although I have little experience of German Shepherds it is my impression, after reading other peoples literature, that these dogs are somewhat special in that they will accept a bashing and still try and try to please their owner. Do you agree with this, and if so is your training advice regarding German Shepherds equally applicable on other breeds?
Best Regards,
Tor
Ed's Answer:
Let me offer words of advice.
Everyone has an opinion on how to train a dog and how to solve a dog behavioral problem (just ask your mailman or your barber). The problem is that very very few people have the experience to back up their opinions. That’s the category of people you have been getting your advice from.
There are many reasons for dog aggression. Who knows what the reason with your parents dog? Not me and not you.
The solution is obedience training and control of the environment the dog is allowed to be loose in. I have had more dog aggressive dogs than I can remember. They never got into fights because I controlled their environment. I did not allow them to be with other dogs. Hence – PROBLEM SOLVED.
The people who made the stupid comments on German Shepherds were dumb asses who need a lot more experience. Obedience Training is not breed specific it is temperament and drive specific. I have trained police dogs for 28 years the worst dog bite I ever got was from my mothers toy poodle. Go figure!
Everyone has an opinion on how to train a dog and how to solve a dog behavioral problem (just ask your mailman or your barber). The problem is that very very few people have the experience to back up their opinions. That’s the category of people you have been getting your advice from.
There are many reasons for dog aggression. Who knows what the reason with your parents dog? Not me and not you.
The solution is obedience training and control of the environment the dog is allowed to be loose in. I have had more dog aggressive dogs than I can remember. They never got into fights because I controlled their environment. I did not allow them to be with other dogs. Hence – PROBLEM SOLVED.
The people who made the stupid comments on German Shepherds were dumb asses who need a lot more experience. Obedience Training is not breed specific it is temperament and drive specific. I have trained police dogs for 28 years the worst dog bite I ever got was from my mothers toy poodle. Go figure!
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