I'm fostering a 2yr-old male GSD (owner surrendered) who was trained in obedience and protection. The dog has a wonderful temperament, but the previous owner rewarded him for acting aggressively at the end of the leash. With strong prey drive, this beauty thinks he has to bark at most things that go by. We’ve been together 9 days, and I’ve already seen an improvement in his social manners. He only needs a verbal correction indoors and understands perfectly. Outdoors, he’ll easily come to me when no distractions. Any distraction, if not on-leash, would cause him to bolt. Currently using choke collar (although I’ll try your suggestion of the dominant dog collar & lifting him off his feet.) He sometimes needs a level 1 correction for not heeling perfectly, and a level 8 when, after fixating on his target, lunges aggressively, based on 2 years of reinforcement and no socialization outside of his immediate family. I'd like to adjust his training (not undo it) so that he does not bark at 'non-threats' and that he only acts offensively upon command, but a trainer told me that this is part of imprinting, which at this age, is not reversible. Not sure I agree, but I'm not an expert. I’m going to try your suggestion to teach him to bark on command, then move to the NO BARK. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

I would take more time to bond with the dog before any serious corrections or training, the dog doesn't even know you.

Whose suggestions are you referring to when you say "your suggestions"?

In what situation (details) are you thinking of lifting the dog with a DD collar?

What is your goal? I'm confused by "adjusting but not undoing" ... You are allowing him to fixate and then giving a "level 8 correction" when he lunges? What is your experience in protection training? (You mentioned that you want him to "only act offensively upon command.")

Connie, thanks for your response and apologies, I'm new to (this) forum. By "your suggestions" I meant Ed Frawley's. A quick background on my dog knowledge/experience - I had a German Shepherd and a Rott, both trained off leash, excellent obedience but nothing fancy, just great family pets that I could take anywhere with me. Nothing formal. But I had these dogs from when they were 3 months. Starting with a 2yr old, I have many questions.

My goal is primarily to find the proper permanent home for him. While I am fostering, I am trying to keep the dog safe, along with the people we come into contact with, and I don't want to mess him up completely. I've not yet done anything major with training aside from basic obedience; as Al mentions above, we're still getting to know each other. The only time he needs or receives a harsh correction is for going after a person or dog that, for different reasons which I'm still learning, spooks him. His training and 2 yrs of reinforcement have taught him to do this, so there's no chance he's listening to my verbal command to do otherwise, at least not at this point. He flips pretty quickly, too, but I'm extremely cognizant of not letting him get to that point, and when he does get there (crazy prey drive), continually distracting him works to keep things positive. ( The Greater Dog Network Here's a link with some pics and my blog about our adventure.)
Feel free to be harsh in setting me straight. Thx.

OK, again, there is no protection work in his future, right? You want him to have a home.

(You mentioned that you want him to "only act offensively upon command." ??)

I wanted to keep his options as broad as possible. He was apparently tested by the Quebec provincial police and wasn't even-keeled enough for police work. The breeder/trainer said the ideal situation for him would be with someone living rurally, who understands the dog. I figured if I could socialize him a bit more and build his confidence around people....but I guess that would 'undo' his training. Personally, I'm not qualified to train him in proper protection work. I take back what I said about acting offensively upon command. I figured (in my layman ignorance) that if he's going to be shaped by the experience of being with me, that at least I could try to be responsible in what direction I take him. I just don't understand how to properly curb his aggressiveness by myself, which I think is necessary.

Heidi,
As one laymen to another I wouldn't worry about any future protection work, or worry about ruining what has probably been ruined already.
Any dog that's unfit for police duty is not going to be any better fit for protection work.
Without getting hands on, I'd say the best you can do for the dog is to continue giving him varied enviroment stresses with good solid leadership. He's only now closing in on adulthood, the next year can make a big, big difference in his life.
Look for an experienced home for him, perhaps someone interested in SchH. or the FR.
Forget all this protection stuff, it only muddles the picture.

ETA,
I wouldn't listen to thing the breeder/trainer had to recommend for what or where this dog should go. He's already taken him to where he is now, then allowed the dog to be put into a rescue bank. I think you've gotten all the use you can from that guy.

The behavior you're describing (barking in prey) is not uncommon in a young, driven dog. Don't take this wrong, but are you absolutely 100% positive you understand his behavior well enough to choose the right way to modify it (or for that matter, are you sure about the parts that need modifying?)

I'm not sure you need to do anything very fancy; what does he do when you correct him for it? I would put a prong on him, rather than a choke. You will solve 99% of your lunging problems w/a properly fitted prong.

Unless I'm missing something major, what has he done to warrant a DD collar?

There are many reasons a dog may not be suited to PSD work, and not all of them mean the dog has problems. Take the words of this trainer w/a grain of salt. Judge the dog in front of you w/a clean slate.

What do you mean by curb his aggressivness? When is he aggressive? Sorry if I'm missing something, but I don't have a very clear picture of what the particular problems are w/this dog. Could you give a few examples please?

Sorry for the disorganized, disjointed post, but this thread confused me.

Good advice, Randy; thanks. That's the route I'm going to take - just give him structure, exercise, affection and try to keep it as positive as possible.

Heidi

Jenni,
It's probably me that's not being clear. Without getting into too much detail, I'm not qualified to test the dog, nor do I understand him well enough yet to know the right way to modify his behaviors - the reason I reached out in this forum and am glad that I did. I do know that his public manners are often unacceptable and I'm trying to keep my corrections appropriately measured so as not to be too hard on him and hurt his spirit, yet to also get results. When he's fixated, it's hard to snap him out of his adrenaline rush. Outside of that headspace, he's great.

I never liked the prong collar, but after reading Ed's articles on it, I will have to give it a try.