April 26, 2011
My 8 month old GSD has never shown any aggression to dogs or people. He recently bit another dog without warning and I’m really concerned. Is this an early sign of a bigger problem?
Full Question:
Cindy,I have an 8 month old german shepherd (Jones) that I have socialized extensively to try and make sure that he had no aggression problems. He has never showed any sign of aggression towards other dogs or people. He has never showed any sign that would worry me. Today we were at a park with a few friends who have a 10 month old Weimaraner and a 4 month old german pointer. The dogs were playing fine and I pulled out a Kong that i throw for my dog and started throwing it for the dogs. Jones had it and was playing keep away from the 4 month old pointer and after a few minutes of this jones would growl at the pointer when he would get close. Noticing this I took the kong from him and about 5 seconds later the pointer approached him and without warning he bit him in the ear and punctured a little hole in his ear. I have been quite bothered by this because I cannot have a dog with aggression problems. Are these early signs of a potential big problem? What advice or suggestion would you have for me. I would greatly appreciate your help. I really value your opinion over anyone elses.
Thank you Cindy,
Max
Cindy's Answer:
The first thing I want to say is that your dog did not bite without warning, he growled at the other dog (most likely multiple times) A growl is nothing more than a warning to a bite. You didn’t do your job as his leader by stepping in and diffusing the situation at that time.
I don’t allow my dogs to play or interact with other dogs from outside our family pack, but if I did it would not be until they are completely trained so they will leave any distraction at any time.
Your dog is now becoming a young adult and may begin to have mature feelings which will include some aggression. This is normal. It’s up to you to show him leadership & structure so he understands that you will dictate the course of action, not him.
I would suggest our groundwork program and Pack Structure for the Family Pet.
I would also read this article, even though it’s geared to little puppies. This is our definition of socializing.
I would recommend learning to use our SEARCH function, which is located in the top left corner of every page of the website. If you type in your key words or question it will find you articles, Q&As, free streaming video and links to threads on our discussion forum.
We also have a number of eBooks, which include a number of topics that may help you.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
I don’t allow my dogs to play or interact with other dogs from outside our family pack, but if I did it would not be until they are completely trained so they will leave any distraction at any time.
Your dog is now becoming a young adult and may begin to have mature feelings which will include some aggression. This is normal. It’s up to you to show him leadership & structure so he understands that you will dictate the course of action, not him.
I would suggest our groundwork program and Pack Structure for the Family Pet.
I would also read this article, even though it’s geared to little puppies. This is our definition of socializing.
I would recommend learning to use our SEARCH function, which is located in the top left corner of every page of the website. If you type in your key words or question it will find you articles, Q&As, free streaming video and links to threads on our discussion forum.
We also have a number of eBooks, which include a number of topics that may help you.
I hope this helps.
Cindy
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