Okay, things have been going very well for us with Rocky - ummm, for the most part. I did buy the dominant and aggressive dogs video and the Pack leader training video. We have gone through all phases and he is great. I am the pack leader and he knows it without a doubt. He does exactly what he is told. He is great with the large farm animals, but not so great with the baby animals which is what I am working on, currently, and even that training is going well.

HOWEVER - Rocky has bitten one of my sons on 2 different occasions. One was probably out of frustration bec my son was running by Rocky's kennel (Rocky somehow reached out and grabbed David's clothes and pulled him to the kennel and bit him) and Rocky couldn't get out and play, and the other was when Rocky knocked down our 2 yo daughter and David was picking her up. They were not bad bites, but they have left scars on his arm and leg.

My husband and I were ready to get rid of Rocky. We called the breeder and he wanted to assess Rocky and see if he had placed the wrong dog in our home. Sure enough after what he said today we ended up with the pack leader of the puppy gang, very high drive and aggressive. The breeder let out 2 of his adult breeding females and Rocky would NOT give in to either one of them. One of them was his most aggressive female the Alpha Female. The breeder had to put her up bec Rocky would not succumb to her. This was on their territory. Rocky has not been there since we got him 1 1/2 years ago.

Just before we left Rocky tried to challenge the breeder. The breeder would not let me call him off and I refused to let him "beat the ..." out of him. When they were both calm the breeder let Rocky loose and I called Rocky to me. We put Rocky in the crate to bring him home and the breeder put his hand up to the crate - Rocky started snarling and growling at him. I immediately told Rocky, "No, down." He responded beautifully. The breeder was shocked that I had that much control over him.

The breeder told us he would give us our money back for him bec this is NOT a good placement since we have 7 children. He said that Rocky should be trained in police protection work or Schutzhund.

One problem is that I would NOT give Rocky back to this breeder bec he admits to beating his dogs and even told us that if he had hit him today he would have probably hurt him. I am NOT okay with that - even while training for an aggressive sport.

Now my questions are...1) Is it feasible to keep Rocky? The kids were upset, including David, that we were going to get rid of him and were so happy to see that we brought him back home with us.

2) Can we train him in protection or schutzhund and him still be a family dog?

3) Is it only professionals that can train for protection and schutzhung?

4) If training him in either of these two sports is not an option do we have other options that would allow us to keep him? Are there other sports or "jobs" that he could easily be trained to do?

I am really interested in your suggestion and comments.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I wouldn't advise keeping him. Even though the bites weren't serious, they could have been.

I really don't think you have enough time to give Rocky what he needs. He needs A LOT of structure, training and exercise and that can be difficult with seven kids.

I guess I'd ask it this way, is it fair to Rocky to keep him? It sounds like he really needs a job and he's getting frustrated without one. While you can train in Schutzhund, do you honestly have to time to get out and train at least once a week with a group and then every day on your own? I remeber from your posts last time that you live out in the country and it was kind of hard for you to get out and about with your dog.

Also what happens if next time one of your kids gets bit and it is serious?

As far as the breeder sticking his hand near the crate, that was just plain stupid on his part. I'd be quite wary about turning the dog back over to him, too.

IMHO, it's probably not feasible for you to keep the dog.

From prior threads:

"It seems that Rocky has given you some priceless information: if people come to close he is going to use his mouth to get them to back off."

"... he has tried to bite nearly everyone who comes to our house."

"I would be careful with Rocky around the kids .... "

"He is perfectly fine around our children, but I keep him in his kennel when I can't supervise the younger children."


But two kids have been bitten.

Hi Theresa and welcome to the board. I will be very interested in reading your replies which I would think will come quickly and be many.

I have some questions if you don't mind. It will help the others more familiar with this in the direction of their comments.

How much training experience have you had?

Was it formal or did you self teach?

Have you EVER been around a high drive, aggressive dog before?

If yes, were you intimately involved or just observed from afar?

Rocky is how old?

Does Rocky live with you as a family pet?

How much time did you spend socializing Rocky as a puppy?

Is Rocky Neutered?

What breed is Rocky?

How often is Rocky allowed to roam free with the children or on the farm?

What type of collar do you use with him?

Ok those were my questions that came to mind right now. I hope you don't mind. Again, I will be watching this thread with great interest as I have no real experience with this and how to train it constructively. The way my Stepson corrected his Rottie just would not even be appropriate to go into here.

Thanks for much for asking the question.

Polly

Polly, if you click on the OP's name and then choose "view posts," you'll see a long detailed thread about this dog.

Yes, we have seven children, but that doesn't mean I can't find time for Rocky. I already take him on 2 long jogs/runs per day, and take him out numerous times during the day.

Total, I spend about 3 hours with him per day. Haven't skipped a day in several months. I could restructure the time I spend with him doing other things than just jogging/running.

And in the past it was hard to find extra time for him, but since I have been doing this for a while, it is just a matter of restructuring my time for him.

I know it is contradictory, but he seems to love the kids and they all love him. I do NOT let him out with them without supervision and he must stay by me when they are out with me taking care of him.

As for schutzhund, we have a group an hour from our house, so, yes, that is an option. However, would another sport be better for him, especially with us having children?

Polly, to quickly answer your questions...

How much training experience have you had? NONE, except for Rocky.

Was it formal or did you self teach? Taught from Leerburg videos.

Have you EVER been around a high drive, aggressive dog before? NO!!!


Rocky is how old? 21 months

Does Rocky live with you as a family pet? Yes

How much time did you spend socializing Rocky as a puppy? Very little.

Is Rocky Neutered? No, and we don't plan on it.

What breed is Rocky? West German Shepherd

How often is Rocky allowed to roam free with the children or on the farm? Free...never. Only on a leash.

What type of collar do you use with him? To train I use an e-collar. Yes, I know how to train with it. I only weigh 110 pounds and he weighs about 95 pounds, I don't have any other option.

Thanks for asking.

I, too, look forward to the responses.

Thanks Connie I am trying to learn how to use this forum. Now is when you mark my willingness to learn and GIVE ME THAT M&M!!!

LOL

Thanks again,

Polly



NOTE: Polly, sending you a PM.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (08/06/2011 02:41 PM)
Edit reason: mod note added

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

From prior threads:

Exactly. A lot has changed since then. He has been around quite a few people since the previous posts and has changed a lot. He is a much better behaved dog (socially) than he was back then.

He has been around other dogs and has displayed a lot of improvement in that area, too.

AND I have been spending a lot more time with him. He actually loves for the children to pet him and sit around him. The 2 yo cuddles up to him and he seems to like it. Not once has he ever offered to be aggressive to her.

Also, it is the same child that was bitten two different times.

"AND I have been spending a lot more time with him. "

Good! Sounds like the isolation that worried so many of us may have been alleviated.

How much of that time is spent in daily tongue-dragging exercise? How much in daily training?

My own POV is that I'm asking these questions only in order to help to eval re-homing. I don't think it's working out in his present situation, and two kid-bites are my signs .... absolute deal-breaker signs.

I'm sorry to say this because I know you put in a lot of time and energy with Rocky.