I have an 11mth old GSD, who shows alot of aggression towards people while he is in the crate. When i take him out of the crate, he does not show the same aggression. Can someone tell me why that is??? And if there is anything i can do to stop it!!

What are the circumstances?

What are the people doing, and what is he doing?

Is there anything in the crate with him?

How much time does he spend in his crate? What times of day? What for?

1-there is no certain circumstances, he is just there.

2-the people are just walking by, he is in the crate growling and barking agressivly.

3- nothing in the crate with him.

4-maybe two hours daily. when he goes places with me. he will do it at any time..

People come to the crate
Dog reacts aggressive
People leave
Dog wins
Dog feels stronger

Same problem with mailmen

Greetings

Johan

Mr. wilkes,

A little confused... Your item #4...

Is the dog in a crate in a vehicle?

If the dog is in a crate in a vehicle and strangers are walking by...

Or if you are describing strangers walking by the dog's crate...

Mine take a dim view of strangers too close to the truck or wandering too close to their world... I'm little inclined to completely change that behavior... Kind of like some one walking in the front door unannounced... In my case a casual 'enough' will abate the behavior.

But I digress... A little more clarification, if you please.

my dog is the same way in my truck and at home. when a person comes over to my house and i have him in his crate he will show the same aggression.i just want to make sure its not a nerve thing.

It's not uncommon among police service dogs to show aggression when someone approaches the vehicle, kennel or crate they happen to be in. It's just a territorial thing. Whether or not your dog has nerve problems, I don't know. From some of your other posts I realize he's young and has demonstrated some "environmental" issues that might concern me. Again though, from just a description on an 11 month old dog, I can't make a judgement.

DFrost

Are people getting into your truck? Walking past it?

Are they just entering a room in the house, and ignoring your dog, or are they directly approaching him in his crate?

Just wondering. I have a GSD who I think has decent nerves though not to match many of the dogs on here, and she would never react to someone walking past the vehicle (a dog, she would, but that's a whole other story), nor would she be aggressive at people entering a room or approaching her crate (that said, I very rarely have strangers in my home).

She has, however, reacted when someone 'entered' our vehicle (when I was pulled over for speeding - all was fine until the officer leaned in my window, and then, well, let's just say it was a good thing she was secured in the back seat, she still almost made it up front. Luckily the officer I had must have been crazy b/c he liked her!).

I'm really not experienced enough to judge nerves - especially next to people like Mike, David, Johan and Alyssa - but I would be curious for more details of how and when he reacts, what exactly the people are doing and what sets him off.

To note: my GSD would not react well if a stranger came into the house and I wasn't there though.

Are you with these people when he reacts? That would be my other question....where are you/what are you doing, does this affect his behaviour?

my gsd will do this when im with him and when im not with him. as long as he does not show this outside the crate and kennel then im in good shape.