I Know a person in need of some GSD expertise, because she has Pit Bulls she has requested guidance on a Pit Bull forum and I feel there is expertise here that could be helpful so I invite your guidance. Here is some additional information from PM when I asked if help from Leerburg might be desired, the answer was yes of course:

She is a spayed AKC registered GSD, whelped 3/27/04. Shea had her yearly in either March or April, I have her on Interceptor and Frontline. I have her ped available.

You have all the info from my posts, you may edit for space and crosspost them if you'd like. This is a beloved dog, but she would need a very special task in this life with a very special trainer. She should not go to a family or a home with any females- preferably any dogs at all. There are people who know much more than I do in situations like this, so your help is so very much appreciated.


Now here is the post:

I have a 12 year old pit and a 1 1/2 year old pit, an AKC German Shepherd, and a Great Dane rescue. A very unfortunate incident just happened in my yard, and I am afraid the only feasible end result will be to have my GSD euthanised.
Athena (GSD) was sort of a charity purchase two years ago. She was kept in a undersized crate with her litter mate in the back of a petstore where I worked. She was the pick of the litter hands down, but for some reason the litter did not sell, so when they got too big they were banished to the back. My husband had always wanted a GSD, and I told him about her, so we got a hell of a deal on a 5 month old GSD who had to be taught how to walk, run, climb stairs, etc. because all she knew was the crate. Horrible, eh?
She has done well with us, although timid with controlled stranger aggression. (By controlled I mean she would get low on her haunches and growl at a stranger, but immediately go up to them and sniff and lick once she was called down.)
She's been wonderful around my 1 year old, but I wouldn't say she dotes upon him. She has shown increasingly aggressive jealousy issues with the other dogs, and does not hesitate to snap at one of them if they get too close when I pet her.
My 12 year old female pit (Natas) has always shown her dominance over Athena (mounting her, etc., always let her know she was queen around here), but Natas is getting older and today out of jeaousy in the backyard right in front of me, Athena snapped and tried to kill her. She would not be called down. Dante, my other pit bull, thought it was playtime and jumped in the fight- but immediately ceased when I yelled at him. Ranger, the Dane stayed out of it completely,albeit barking his head off. Athena lost all ability to focus on anything but killing her, and her face and ears are pretty shredded. The only way the whole thing ended was because I was grabbing and twisting Athena's collar so hard she lost her grip and Natas was able to get away from her. I had to use all my strength to drag Athena into the house, and if she had gotten away from me she would have gone right back to Natas, who by this time was lying down about 20 feet away.
All my dogs are spayed and neutered, but I truly feel if I didn't have the strength and knowledge from horse breaking and training...I was in danger as well. 4 large dogs are not easy to control in a situation like that- and even under such close supervision I almost couldn't save my dog. If my male dogs weren't so well behaved and really wanted to get involved, I would have been lucky to get out of that situation okay myself, let alone save Natas.
My conclusion is this incident is merely a sign of worse things to come, and she is the only one of the dogs with this kind of unstable temperament. There is a German shepherd training facility in Valdosta, so I will call them to get their opinion- she might make a good dog out of a family situation as a worker, but I feel I should tell them exactly what happened. As a dog rescuer I consider her unadoptable. Advice, other options I may be overlooking, opinions...please.

Athena lacks the ability to be jealous. Natas has been the dominant dog and Athena decided to challenge her for the position.

Have this person in need read from Ed's training material on this site, with emphasis on dog on dog aggression and pack behavior.

I think you misunderstand, the old female Pit is the one that suffered the injuries from the stronger younger GSD.


At least that is how I read it, and a lot of what you have written has been said on the other forum so there is a sanity check....your point about the Pit gettin her back up is a good one with a second on the side lines...never even thought of that ...Thanks

I honestly don't think this is a dog BREED question. ie: GSD temperament vs Pit Bull temperament. I think this is basically a question of two bitches in a dominance battle. The young GSD bitch is trying for lead position. Bad thing about this is usually the battles don't ever stop until one or the other of the bitches is dead. That is, if you don't keep them permanently seperated. I am not the expert that a lot of people on this board are, but I don't see it as needing GSD expertise. This sort of behavior happens in all breeds of dogs, if you happen to have two dominant bitches in the same household. Their fights are MUCH worse than when two males get into it and never seem to ever stop, in my experience.

Janice -

With the GSD being pulled from the Pit and taken inside, why would the GSD then hide for the last 24 hours? Is this her temperment? I would think she might feel she over took the Pit......odd behvior to my mind.....

Valerie, where does it say in the original post that the GSD has been hiding for the past 24 hours? I didn't see that part at all.

It does not, it is an update I just got

OK, makes it kinda hard for us to offer advice when we can't see the whole picture. I agree it's odd behavior, but I still don't see this as a breed-related temperament issue. I don't think the incident had anything to do with the dog being a GSD as opposed to any other breed of dog large enough to challenge the alpha bitch in the pack for leadership.

Good because I think this individual is seeing a temperment problem that is driving a radical solution......I suppose it is not uncommon for a dog to be a little shook after a major squabble.