As some of you may be aware I rescued a GSD a few months back. He was always nippy and very jumpy. I recently had him castrated in a hope it would calm him down. Now tonight I came to walk him and he walks lovely most of time. I went to turn a full circle like I do and he bit the back of my leg real hard. I didnt pay much attention to it thought it was a one off. About 20 minutes later I did the same thing and he walked about 2 paces from me and lunged straight for my hand trying to bite hard, He was aggressive, showing his teeth and snarling. Now as I rescued him I dont know ALL of the reasons he was put up for rescue. So he went into time out in his cage. Then the other night my wife went to smack his nose for dong smething i cannot remember and he showed his teeth to her to. now she never tells the dog off so it must have been dong smething bad for her to tap his nose but he retaliated by having a real go.

I need some good advice really as I am at the point of taking him to the vet as I wouldnt trust the dog round the children or us either for that matter.

Thanks

Hello again, Mike -- Your dog is handler-aggressive & sounds like he might possibly be a fear-biter, since being "nippy AND jumpy" can indicate a nerve bag (?)

Please, NO more hitting this animal, or someone will end up in the hospital emergency room !!!

I'm not sure he needs a prong collar, because it seems his biting may be due to fear of pain & a prong will cause him to aggress -- But mostly, I feel that you & your wife are WAY beyond your depth of expertise with this poor dog & that is becoming more dangerous (IMHO, he is still too young & green for punative corrections)...

If you have young children in your family, I would re-home him with someone who is VERY dog-savvy & has a lot of experience with non-violent handling, management & training methods -- I would hate to see this unfortunate GSD be euthanized at less than 1 year of age without 1st being given a real chance with someone who seriously KNOWS how to properly deal with him <:-(

what she said ^^^

also, if you don't have any kids, ed has some great articles about aggressive dogs that might give you other ideas prior to re-homing the dog. if i were you, i wouldn't leave him uncrated with your wife while you weren't home though.

thanks for the replies. he wasnt like this before his castration op. Yes he was jumpy but he never had this aggression before nor did he ever show his teeth.
I walked him the other day for instance and a neighbour stopped to talk to me and he jumped up at him and bit this mans hand. he tried to deny it hurt him and said it was ok but I could clearly see it had hurt him and he had done nothing. I have put the prong on him to control him as he is jumpy, he never gets a real strong correction on it and i dont want anyone thinking it is being missused. I dont know what triggered it. His aggresion towards this man came from nowhere.

Whwn I said I was going to take him to the vet i didnt mean i was having him put to sleep, but she rehomes GSD and thought it was the way to go with him as I dont understand his aggression. Also one day the dog is real playful and happy, next day his head is stooped dopwn and he seems depressed. NOTHING has changed but the dogs mood. If I was more medically qualified I would say he had schitzophrenia and depresion.

Mike, HELLO, buy a good muzzle (one where he can breathe well) and don't work your dog OR take him out in public unless he's wearing it <:-( And yes, for everyone's sake, I would give this animal to your vet for re-homing, but you must inform her of ALL details regarding his behavior (she may even discover that his aggro is caused by a thyroid problem)...

Sorry i am confused. Should I use a prong collar or not then, one post says to use it and the other not too. I really dont want to give this dog up but feel I cannot cope with his sudden outbursts. That said, what can I do to gain the dogs confidence back? and show more authority. I am so sorry to bwe a pain guys but genuinly have come here asking for help

A dog who aggresses when he's afraid of pain should NOT be worked on a prong, IMHO, because it will provoke him to bite <:-(

How old is this dog again? None of this aggression was present before the neuter? Hmmm. I have read a few articles on aggression after neutering, but it seems to be quite rare. Nonetheless, I'd go the medical route first, then perhaps rehome. Have a thyroid check done, too, as someone else mentioned. Thyroid issues are a likely trigger for aggression, particularly in a neutered animal.

I agree that with him being so young and not having experienced owners (not to insult you, Mike; I'm just saying that this dog may need more experience b/c of his past), I'd hesitate to euthanize him without trying all avenues. Good luck and keep us posted.

d