Hello All-

Looking for insights into how to best introduce people into my small (350 sq feet) one bedroom apartment. I have a rescued GSD 100lb castrated male (Ben) who I adopted from animal control about 5 months ago. He has overcome a significant case of protective aggression on the leash, but still is not tolerant of all but a few (female owner, dog walker, one female friend) people entering my apartment.

What I have done in the past is meet people on the street who I intend to take up to my place. they greet the dog, feed him a treat or two, and walk with us a bit, THEN he seems ok with their entry. On one occasion however, I did this meet-n-greet, brought the girl up and things were fine. She stayed for some time, and eventually Ben and I went for a short walk. Our return (with the girl in the apt) was also fine. But a few days later as the same girl attempted an entry into the apartment, she was greeted with an aggressive bark/lunge that did not subside. I was on his collar hard, so she was in no danger. But it is a pain in the a** and disturbing to the visitor, of course.

I have really only tried gentle soothing vs. any sort of "hard" correction. While I dontt baby the dog, I dont go in for any of the harder corrections like a hang spin or the like. Any advice would be appreciated

I'm moving this post to the "Dogs that are Too Aggressive to People" forum.

Personally, I feel it's a form of animal cruelty to have a 100 lb. herding breed in a 350 sq, foot apartment, but that's just me. :rolleyes:

Gentle soothing is basically rewarding the dog for the inappropriate behaviour - "it's ok, boy", etc. ISN'T a correction, which at this point I would think Ben needs. Are you using a prong collar or an ecollar? Tools that give you more control and the ability to deliver a proper correction are more likely to help. One good, solid correction is going to do more good than ten ineffective ones. I'm not saying hang the dog or make him feel like he's been nuked - but he should know without doubt that he's done something BAD, and you are VERY unhappy.

Working on basic obedience would help, too, I'd think - strengthens your position as the leader, and gives you more options for control and redirection.

You'll probably get much better advice from the rest of the forum, but maybe this would be a place to start?

will,
why is that cruel?

Brock. I think that if meeting people outside the apartment was working that you should go back to that until the dog is used to the person. I had to do the same thing with Roxy, not because she was aggressive, but becasue she acted like psycho puppy whenever someone walked into the house. She was calmer meeting my guest outside. After a couple of minutes, her excitement faded and we went in the house without a problem. Once she got used to seeing certain people over the house, she was fine with them coming right in.

I did try STRONG corrections and it didn't seem to diminish her joy in seeing the guest. She's a hard dog in terms of physical corrections though.

Thanks one and all for your opinions/advice. To Mr. Will Rambeau, I must agree that I wish I had an apartment better suited to a large dog. I DO take steps to get him (the dog) good hard work twice a day. A short run (1 mile) in the AM and 45 minutes of ball retrival (uphill, downhill and flat grass) in the PM. More time on the weekends.

Please note that prior to my small apartment, the dog was in a crate too small for him to turn around in, so he's better off than he was.

Considering that alot of folks suggest crating a dog all day with sufficient bathroom breaks and exercise, that the dog being in a 350 sq ft room would be ok with a good exercise routine and bathroom breaks. I guess I am just confused by alot of advice that is posted in the forum suggesting that folks crate their dogs a good portion of the day since they sleep alot, and later you read people saying that a GSD in an apt is bad. Would it not be okay if the dog gets alot of exercise and attention, as it seems the owner gives? Or is this more a matter of personal preference?

Tara, I'm the one that mentioned that dogs sleep a lot, which is well documented in multiple studies.

Your comparison here leaves out a lot of the facts of the thread that you referred to:
http://www.leerburg.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=147;t=001466

Advice given about the crating issue was started by the owner who indicated that the dogs were left home alone while he was at work. Oldest dog was left out, the youngest dog was crated due to it being destructive. Would you rather the younger dog wrecks the fellows house? Personally, I think that'd be bad advice, but that's just me.
That's an apple to oranges comparison, in my book.

And yes, I think a 350 square foot apartment is too small for most dogs. except toy breeds. Pace off that distance, it's the size of most people's bedroom's. It's a combination of both my personal preference due to the size of the animal vs. it's living space, and my experience seeing the results of large animals that are kept in smaller spaces.

By leaving out important information, it makes the comparison less valid.
Also, feel free to provide links there Tara, it helps to illustrate your point.


I suspect Brock has a big heart and is obviously making a super effort to care for the dog. He exercises his dog more than some of my slob neighbors, for sure, and he saved the dog from being cooped up in a too small crate.

But I feel that a dog in a dwelling like that is much like a kenneled dog that is turned out for exercise a few times daily, it's not an optimal existence for a dog. Just my opinion.

Will,

I personally do not crate my dogs all day, they have a kennel, they are let out for exercise and training after they have been kenneled, and then are let in the house in the evenings. They are crated when we go to bed. With that said I do not care if dogs are crated and I may be doing my bit wrong(is this a bad program we have for our dogs?), I just do not know what people that do crate all day do with the dogs after they exercise them... do they let them in the house or crate them again? If they crate them again, why does it matter if the owner is in a small apt or not? Personally I would not want those conditions for my dogs, but my dogs are again not crated when we are around. Does the crating except when a dog is exercising or training only apply to working dogs, or is that for pets as well? I think I have seen other posts where people suggest crating whenever the owner is around but not doing anything with the dog. I am just trying to understand what I am reading from various peoples post that have been doing the training bit for what seems to be along time. Based on your response I must not have understood what was being relayed.

Have no idea if this pertains to the subject in question, but I have some small insight into the "herding breed in a small apartment syndrome" complex. I rescued a 10 month old 90% german working female GSD and lived with her in an approximate 800 square feet apartment in the interior of B.C., Canada. (The apartment in question was a dwelling above a bakery owned by my father-in-law. The smell of fresh baked bread approximately four thirty in the morning coming through the floor boards is one sensation I won't soon forget! And neither will my waistband...sigh.)

But since I worked seasonally through the winter months at the local ski hill, I had plenty of time to work (obedience), walk and play with my girl 24/7 the rest of the year; she suffered no worse than other "joe public" owners who had sufficient acreage to "run" their dogs whenever their schedule suited them at the mental expense of their companion animals. So although it may seem unorthodox, perhaps senseless, to keep a bright, energetic, large breed like the GSD in an apartment setting it can be done.

I raised a well adjusted, loving GSD in a small apartment regardless of the adage "it's cruel to keep a large dog in a small apartment." Albeit she came from a very well thought breeding program which placed it's priority on a working temperment, I don't think she suffered in any sense of the word by living in a small, confined space. She's coming on to eight years old now and currently has the run of a house with a considerable back yard to R and R in but I don't think she is any happier than when she laid about on the couch in the apartment after a vigourous walk/obedience session.

Keeping a large, "brainy" dog in an apartment with no mental and/or physical stimulation is one thing, to entirely "poo-poo" it is another (with sincerest respect to W.R. You totally rock). If you can give the dog what it needs in terms of mental and physical stimulation, where it lives should not be an issue.