I have three German Shepherds, Mom, Dad and son. The son has started to test the dad. I do not want to have the son neutered. Any suggestions?

Neutering wouldn’t fix this problem, no matter what a vet tells you. Dominance is not fixed by castration; it’s fixed by offering these dogs the leadership they need. This is completely normal dog pack behavior BUT when dogs act like this they lack leadership from their owners. In other words their owners don’t understand how important pack drive is in how they raise their dogs.

Owners of dogs like yours underestimate the genetic power of "PACK DRIVE." Pack structure is not something new and it is not optional, and if you don’t provide the structure and leadership a dog NEEDS then they will behave as canines have for thousands of years and will structure your family and household their own way; your dogs simply need guidance and rules.

If you want to fix a problem like this you can but it takes some work. You will need to work with all the dogs, I’d start with our Groundwork program and the video that picks up where the article leaves off - Pack Structure for the Family Pet DVD.

Here is a DVD that I would recommend titled Dealing with Dominant and Aggressive Dogs.

If you go to the link on this DVD you can read about what it covers. You will also see a detailed outline of what’s in the video.

If you do some reading on our website, you’ll see this same issue discussed hundreds of times. It’s totally predictable when dogs are allowed to work things out for themselves. The young dog starts maturing and tries to move up in the pack rank.

I think if you read some of the questions and answers here, you’ll recognize your situation in the emails from others.

Cindy