Hello,

I have a 1 year old female GSD that my wife and I love so much, we have done all the PetSmart training there is with her. For the few month she has started showing signs of aggression toward me and my wife for no reason and we are very concerned because we will soon have a baby in the house. She bit my wife 3 times already for no reason. Is her aggressive behavior fixable? Also what type of exercise do you recommend for GSD dogs physically and mentally? I currently walk her 2 times daily and play catch with her for 40 minutes in the mornings.

Lastly she has been chasing/biting her tail for the last 6 months and it’s very hard to correct it, when we say NO , STOP or try to take her tail away she growls. She can go at it for hours, she makes a big mess with all that saliva she throws and on top of that when she bites it she has it in her mouth for a long time and breathes very hard. we have dome testing on the tail for everything and all the results came negative. The vet has ran out of ideas. The Dr. told us 4 months ago that if she continues the best thing is to mutilate it. We never went back because we are afraid they will tell us that again and I honestly don’t want to chop her tail off, i have faith there is a solution somewhere we just have not found it. I need help because i don’t know if she has anxiety problems. all help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Hi Joseph! Welcome to the forums!
Csn you detail exactly what was going on when your dog has bitten (or reacted strongly) Who was where? What was going on in the house and were there any toys, food or other coveted objects around?
How is she about performing her basic obedience commands and how often do you practice these in a training session?

(I'm sure you'll get some great answers, but everyone will probably need this info and more to help)

Boy, I'd try some mood altering medications before I cut a dog's tail off for that behavior. There are veterinarians who are more educated about the uses of anti-depressants, etc. in dogs; I'd suggest you try to find one in your area.

As well as apply the training suggestions that will be coming along shortly. Be prepared to answer many questions, to give folks a better idea of the circumstances.

Beginning with: How soon is the baby due? That's going to be a bit of a training parameter.

And good luck! I'll be watching this thread for sure.

I think that immediate in-home eval by a very experienced behaviorist is indicated.

The tail-chasing has turned into a full-blown OCB, and the aggression on top of it .... you're way over your head at this point (as many or maybe most would be).

Where are you? (Hoping that someone here will know someone near you.)

BTW, I'd be exercising this dog to the tongue-dragging point, regardless of age. JMO. I'd keep it on dirt/grass, not cement, but that exercise described sounds like a drop in the bucket here. Again, JMO.

There's much too much here to give real help online unless it's stop-gap while you locate professional help, but I do believe that dog needs to be tired. And you need immediate help.

Hi Amy,

The worst incident was 2 months ago when our GSD was laying in the floor very calm in the kitchen. Normally when she is calm she lets us pet her and give her puppy love by tickling her tummy and stuff. My wife came up to her and sat next to her and started petting her for about 3 minutes because she was behaving well. When my wife stood up, at that moment our GSD just had a mood change and bit 3 fingers from her right hand and didn’t let go until my wife started to scream and cry. No one was around it was just the 2 of them in the kitchen. There were no toys or distractions around. We are wondering if it’s possible that when my wife stood up and raised one of her hands she took it the wrong way. But we are not sure.

She is no longer in training because she completed all of them from Pet smart. We still practice with her but chasing the tail distracts her. We have no problems doing the Sit, Lay, or Hi5 command when she is fine.

Thanks,

I think that the advice about tail-chasing may be too late for you to successfully use on your own at this point, but six months ago it would have been to intervene with a distraction WAY before she became focused on it. Every single time.

As you mentioned, training goes on always, every day .... Petsmart classes (or any classes) are simply a beginning.

This is now an emergency situation, if I am reading it right.

JMO, though.

Jane,

I have been told that mood altering medications can help, but the Dr. is afraid to prescribe it because dogs that are on those types of medications reduce the risk but when they do attack they will do it hard.

Our baby is due in March of 2012. i am looking forward to your training suggestions.

Thanks,

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I think that immediate in-home eval by a very experienced behaviorist is indicated.

The tail-chasing has turned into a full-blown OCB, and the aggression on top of it .... you're way over your head at this point (as many or maybe most would be).

Where are you? (Hoping that someone here will know someone near you.)

BTW, I'd be exercising this dog to the tongue-dragging point, regardless of age. JMO. I'd keep it on dirt/grass, not cement, but that exercise described sounds like a drop in the bucket here. Again, JMO.

There's much too much here to give real help online, but I do believe that dog needs to be tired. And you need immediate help.

^^^What she said is exactly how I feel.

Connie,

I am located in Chicago IL. When you say exercising can you give me examples?

I have not done the behaviorist because I am trying to see if there are other ways to battle this problem. But if its necessary and the behaviorist tells me she has a fix I will consider it.

I had a feeling what my Dr. said was wrong. When i first brought the tail chasing issue up to them, they told me it was normal for puppies to do that. They told me they grow out of it. Thanks for your advice. I wished i would of known about this forum a long time ago.

Thanks,