Hi All:

I am posting this question for my boyfriend, Ron. I am hoping to engage him here for help and support with his DS- Blaze.

Blaze is one year old spayed female. He has had her since she was 4 months old. I would say she has been well socialized to many different situations, she literally is with him at work and home almost 100 percent of the time. He brings her into the office with him and while there she can range from playful to aggressive with almost no predictability. She can be fine with one person and nip ( with no growl or bark) at another. We try to contain her because of this unpredictability. She is not aggressive towrds anyone she knows its mostly strangers who come in and out of the office for various reasons that we see this mixed response. Up to this time she has mostly snapped but never made any real contact. Last week she got away from my boyfriend outside, chased down a girl across the parking lot, grabbed her coat and according to the girl, bit her in the leg. Her recall when she is 'on target' is NIL. She doesnt seem to hear. Tunnel vision all the way. Ron has been working diligently on pack structure and again for the most part she is great, EXCEPT in this regard or when she has locked on to some target.

So, what are your suggestions re. training approaches. He purchased the Dogtra E Collar and hs been desensitizing for the past couple weeks. he will start formalized training with her and the collar next week. Is there anything else you can think of?

Thanks much.

keep her kenneled at home

Leerburg's Basic Obedience, e-collar video and dealing with dominant and agressive dog videos come to mind. Also, a basket muzzle.

At a year old the dog is still like a puppy in it's mind. If there hasn't been consistant work (training) with her from the day he got her, then there's some work that nees to be done.

If the dog must be with your boyfriend at work, then she needs to be on a leash until her obedience is better and she doesn't "get away" or get loose from your boyfriend.

The last thing he's going to want is someone trying to sue him because they say that the dog tried to bite them or did bite them. Most cities have laws about agressive dogs and if the dog seems agressive to the wrong person, then you're looking at some trouble.

I hope someone else chimes in with some more info and expertise.

Thanks for the advice so far. My boyfriend will be checking in here soon and can also give some info regarding Blaze.

** Mods: Im sorry for posting this topic here. Im still learning, please forgive me and feel free to move to the correct spot..

 Quote: Lois Miller

... ** Mods: Im sorry for posting this topic here. Im still learning, please forgive me and feel free to move to the correct spot..

Moved.

 Quote: lois miller

She can be fine with one person and nip ( with no growl or bark) at another. We try to contain her because of this unpredictability.

This is not good enough.

"We DO contain her" is what you have to be able to say, with no exceptions.

I wouldn't have the dog at work. She is not ready for that.

I'd be working at home on focus, on the recall, and on basic obedience and pack structure, but not interspersing that with letting her get away from the leash in public or being inundated with strangers all day. You want to set her up for success. This isn't the way to do that.

Thanks for the move Connie, again I apologize for putting the topic in the wrong place.

Im going to have Ron come to this board for expert advice. Leaving her at home has not been the best situation for her since he works long hours and lives alone. I will pass on info regarding strict NO CONTACT, since there are ways that he can make sure of this, even at the office ( having her behind closed doors in an empty office area and etc). The suggestion made by others regarding the muzzle is probably safest until she is trained more thoroughly.

Has anyone had experience using the ecollar with this type of situation? Also has anyone experienced a difference in pain tolerance in dutchies vs other GSD?

Thanks Again.

How long is he away from home? I keep my two in kennels about ten hours then let them out to work/play/train for an hour and be under foot the rest of the evening then put them back when I go to work. week ends and holidays they are out all day

He can easily be gone more then 14 hours in a day. He owns his own business and depending on customer needs, somedays are even longer then that.

If he takes her to work regularly, it is probably worth the investment to purchase and keep a crate at work under his desk, or in a quiet corner, to contain the dog when necessary at work.

When he has free time, he can take the dog out for potty breaks and sneak in some training at the same time.

I would keep this dog tethered to me at all times when it wasn't crated.