My dog is a 2 year old GSD. Loves kids, loves people. Overall, a very friendly dog unless he sees someone outside the house at night.

A couple of days ago, I was making dinner in the kitchen, and my 1.5 year old ran into him with a fire truck and he growled at the kid. I said "Nein, bad dog" and he looked right at me and growled at me. I grabbed his collar and put him in the garage, instructing the wife that he cannot be around the kid anymore. I got run into by the fire truck later that night, and it hurt like hell, so I'm sure he was hurt, hence the reason for the growl. But he growled at me also.

My wife, typically not listening to anything I say, had them both in the kitchen this morning and I heard the dog growl again. Apparently the kid just tried to go through the baby gate at the same time as the dog. Back in the garage he went.

Anyway, I know I cannot have the dog and the kid together at the same time anymore, I knew that after the fire truck incident. Whenever I had them together before, I always kept a close eye on the kid to make sure he wasn't doing anything that would annoy the dog. I *think* I got through to my wife why we can't have them together at all anymore. Of course, she's mad at me for some reason.

My trainers, who are friends with Ed and Cindy, said "If you challenge this dog, he is going to fight you" and "if a kid pokes this dog in the eye with a stick, he'll bite them." I believed them, but I didn't see it firsthand until now. We got the dog for protection when we lived in a shady neighborhood, but have since moved. I still like having him around for protection and companionship. I don't want to get rid of him.

I'll figure out the dealing with the wife issue. Any suggestions on dealing with the dog?

How safe do you want your kid to be? And he is growling at you also. Get rid of the dog or make sure he can be fully contained with NEVER a chance to get near your kid. If your trainers feel the dog is a threat to you if you challenge him.....I think that you have the answer to your questions.

He's never growled at me before this, and I've corrected him since with a rope slip collar (for pulling on the leash) and an e-collar, and he didn't growl at me then either. Obviously, I know there is a problem somewhere here, but I'm trying to figure out what's running through his head and whether or not it can be fixed to some degree. Maybe I'm naive and it's not something that can be worked with.

If I have to give him up, I have to give him up. I have a friend that wants another GSD, and he would be a good fit for him since there are no kids running around and he's experienced with the breed.

Do you happen to know what part of his temperament the trainer had zeroed in on when you were warned about the dog (i.e.: nerve, dominance, forgiveness, fight drive)? Knowing why the trainer made the comment would go a long way in figuring out what would be best for him as a long term solution.

For example if the dog has weak nerves or forgiveness issues you might not be able to find a home for him with anyone. But If he's just very dominant or has high fight drive it's a different story. He may be a poor fit for a home with children, but a schutzhund enthusiast, or even a police department might love him.

If you don't know then you should probably have an evaluation done by a good trainer who specializes in behavior modifications. The answer might be a simple one and you will get to keep your dog. At the very least you will have a better idea of what kind of home he should go to.

My vet told me a story about a bloodhound who bit people for reaching over the fence to pet him. Animal control took the dog and he was in the pound on death row. The family was distraught. They knew they couldn't keep the dog as a pet, but that he wasn't a bad dog. They contacted the vet who attested to he dogs temperament and the police trainer evaluated the dog. The police ended up keeping him!

John, I understand why you would want to figure this out,however, sometimes the reasons just don't matter. It would be one thing for you to work on this with the possibility of you being bit but as I'm sure you know a small child could easily be killed. It is really difficult to have a dog like this with children without total separation of the two. He should never be around children, the risk is not worth it. JMHO

Best of luck. I know it is hard to give up a dog you really like. I feel for you but, I would feel worse if something happened to your baby.

Regards,
Debbie

Lauren, What's "forgiveness issues" ??????? lol

Tough situation John, you'll have to come up with the answer on your own.

Forgiveness issues are when you accidently step on your dogs paw and in return he mauls you.

John GSDs start 'coming into their own' between 2 & 3 years old & often start to really test the boundries at that time. Some do so in a very serious way. This may be why you haven't seen this behavoir until now. He is maturing. Maturing dogs can often show a very different side of themselves during this process, & be somewhat different dogs in some ways at the end of this process. He may just not be the right fit into your home any longer. Been there, it is a hard pill to swallow.

I personally would never risk my son's safety no matter what!
But that is just me. My son means more to me than life itself. But then that's a mom talking.

Never heard of 'forgiveness issues'. That's new one.

well, the "issues" part is added by me

Forgiveness is an actual part of a dogs temperament. When testing for sociability it one of the things to look for, especially if you have kids.

Temperament testing is fresh in my mind because I got my puppy 8 months ago. While I was in the process of checking out breeders one of my clients who breeds labs gave me the whole run down on what to look for.

Yes, Lauren, I meant to put your name there on that. I guess that I would just call that a part of a stable temperment (tolerance). Just never heard it call 'forgiveness' before.