This is my first post here, so I don't know if General Conversation is where this should go. I have an 18 month old GSD, neutered male. Since the day he arrived here, at 8 weeks old, he's been touchy about being petted on the head....ok, I respect that, and don't pet the top of his head....he does, however, like being scratched under the chin, so we do a lot of that, move to the sides of his face, and he's fine. During the last year and a half, I've managed to desensitize him about having me touch his ears, and has grown to actually like that...and I scratch him between the eyes, which he tolerates very well...these things are done in a relaxed atmosphere, like when watching TV...as opposed to me focusing on "teaching" him something...

But this touchiness about his head really escalates when he's put into a "medical" or "emergency" situation. As a youngster, he was the perfect height to get cheet grass in the corner of his eye...when I'd remove it, he'd have his teeth bared the whole time. No growling, or snarling....no attempt to bite...just bared teeth. I've never backed off, so he has had no pay-off for this behavior. Today, we were in the pasture, and he grabbed a mouthful of hay. There was a stouter piece of grass in it, that lodged between his back teeth, across the roof of his mouth....like a stick or a bone might do. He was going crazy, digging at his face. When I attempted to see what the problem was, he instantly bared his teeth (what's new?), but for the first time, I actually felt a stab of fear in my gut....(...MY grandma, what big teeth you have... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. That's all he does, though....just bares his teeth, no noise, no offer to bite. I didn't back off, because I needed to see into his mouth....

At 18 months, he's very close to maturing....and I don't know if this is something that will escalate, or if this "is all there is", bared teeth, and nothing else.

I've had GSD's for the last 35 years....one at a time, and I've never had my own dog bare his teeth at me....I'm not a dummy, but on this I feel horribly uneducated. I honestly don't know what exactly I'm seeing here....or what to expect, or what to do to curb the behavior.

I really need some guidence....he's a very good boy except for this.....he's willing and happy learning obedience, he's never given me any trouble when disciplined...he's not people aggressive, animal aggressive, or food aggressive....it's only when he's the "patient", so to speak, that we have trouble.

I'll be grateful for any and all thoughts.

Jackie

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It's impossible to be sure without seeing the dog but what you describe sounds more like a submissive grin than anything indicating aggression. What is his body language like when he does this?

What training are you doing with him? Is he on nilif?

Thank you for answering.

As I sit here, I'm trying to replay yesterday's incident through my mind. I put him in a down position, and the teeth baring started the minute I tried to look inside his mouth. He was trying to get away from me, but I had hold of the tag hanging from his collar. He's very strong, so this part of the "battle" is blury in my mind. When I finally hooked the stem with my finger tips and removed it (took less than 2 seconds), and let him go, he bounced around like a puppy, with a look of confusion, as though he were questioning if what had taken place was a correction, or "did you do that on purpose?" He's had to have very little correction, in his life, so there are great amounts of time between one correction and the next. I've seen this look before. And he's relieved when he knows I still love him. On the other side of the coin, I also know he's the pushiest/bossiest GSD I've owned, in that he wants to run all games, make the rules, start them, etc. I've not let him get away with this, but it is a part of his personality....and with every new game, we go through the same attempts to run it. I don't know if that gives any insight to where he might be coming from....

In our house, we don't fall back on NILF if things go wrong, we live it from the time a pup is first here. From getting a doggie treat or meal, to going outside, a "sit and wait" are required.

Jackie

I'd never thought that this perhaps was a girn....LOL...they look so much the same from the outside

Dals are famous for the grins. It's like the big bad wolf saying "The better to eat you with my dear".

GSDs maybe. Try to remember the ears. Pointed. Tail straight or upright! Well its confident enough to bite. A grining dog is always submissive. Ears flat but relax and tail down and relax.

Always have a short leash/tab is you an correct when misbehaving. Also try long sit/downs. 5 secs, 10 to 30.
Good Luck.

jefferson ong

Hey! As I read that again, because I just couldn't figure it out last time, I thought the same thing. I had a (don't laugh) chihuahua who did that. Every time she did something wrong (chased cats, peed on floor, bit someone, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> she'd come running up to me with this idiotic, hilarious grin on her face. I never put it together, but that even coincides with the not liking to be pet on the head. She would duck and try to avoid it also. She was a stray, deemed "not adoptable" by animal control. Actually had a caution orange sign on her cage "Do NOT Touch!". This was all blown quite out of proportion. She was terrified. Anyway, my point is she calmed down after a while, and the grin never turned into anything worse.

I did eventually have to give her away because she became dissatisfied with her submissive station in life. I gave her to an retired woman who lived in a retirement community and had no other pets, so she didn't have to compete for anything. The grin disappeared, as did all the other bad habits.

If in 18mos this hasn't changed, If it were me, I wouldn't worry about it. Growling is something entirely different. I've never seen that in a larger dog, so I didn't think of that right off. What looks funny on a 4lb chi would not look so funny on a GSD. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I can certainly see why you wouldn't look at and think "submission" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

Hope you get an accurate assessment soon!