Hello everyone. This is my first post and I look forward to all responses. Over a year ago our 11 German Shorthair died and we had decided on purchasing a smaller dog which would work well for us in New York City. I found it difficult to find breeders in close proximity to the City and so while knowing better, went to a high end pet store where I decided on a Boston Terrier. When we returned to pick her up we asked to spend more time with her in an open play area. She was a little doll but had a high pitched bark we knew we could not handle in the apartment. Playing in a large space next to her was a lovely 3 month old female GSD. Over the years we had considered this breed and felt we were really big dog folks. I knew all of the pitfalls of buying this way and can only say I made an emotional decision. " Elsa" came home with us and adapted very well to her ex pen, crate and house training. Exercise was a big priority and a neighbor suggested a doggie day care up the street. It had large playrooms and small staff. She started going in the afternoons. At 5 months I noticed her manners were slipping and I found this site and read the information on dog parks etc. I decided to take her out and to hire our previous dog walker to take her out mid day. Several weeks later he told me of an incident which he dismissed as not important. He had stopped to visit with a friend and when the man turned to go Elsa nipped at his fingertips. About a month later our daughter and grandson were visiting. We kept the dog in a separate part of the house until my husband brought her out to the living room on a leash. She was laying down at his feet between him and a coffee table. My very hesitant daughter wanted to pass by and when she did, the dog nipped at her ankles. I did not see it but was very concerned. I made an appointment with a dog trainer who works in the Connecticut area with GSD. We took the dog to him for a short consultation. She was fine with him but his best guess was a fear biting situation.
This summer I came for a long visit to MN. I planned on spending a lot of time with the dog and trying to gain some insight into her reactions. We found we could not have her in our rental apartment so she joined another family member on a small farm. I spent time with her but was not in charge of her daily care. All seemed to be going well, she played well with their dog, accepted them comfortably. Last week she was tied on a trolly cable when a friend of theirs came to work in the garden. He had interacted with the dog in the past and felt comfortable with her. She was barking at him, he continued to approach her with his hand out stretched. My daughter heard the dog, called out for him to just stop and go around. Elsa then nipped at his thigh. Thankfully no broken skin nor real damage to the fellow. I arrived soon afterward, was very upset. Many years ago I was involved in a lawsuit involving a horse that I owned. The suit was settled in my favor, and I was not negligent but it was the worst experience of my life. You never want to feel responsible for someone getting hurt and the entire experience is something no one wants to go through. I don't know if the dog has weak nerves, she does not act shy. She is somewhat aloof, but enjoys people. I live in a very demanding environment as the city is crowded with lots of distractions. She has never been dog aggressive so am not dealing with that. I don' t know exactly what is going on nor how to approach desensitizing if that is the issue. I was ready to put the dog down, our of fear that what ever is going on is not something to manage. She is 10 months old and I have gone through a pack leadership program with her. She responds well to me and is very accepting to obedience. She has no problems with toys, or food protection.
I welcome any ideas. I know how difficult it is to get a true picture from a written account.

Hi, and welcome.

I don't see the words "train" or "training" anywhere in this post. You'll get replies, but a third-person discussion is not very productive. For example, what kind of training is happening daily right now is more important to discuss than what training was done when you had the dog. Is the new owner able to join here?

Of course, there's more than training, but again, the daily "right now" stuff is crucial.

Or am I mis-reading?

hey and welcome!

first thing i would get is a muzzle.Basket one is the best im my humble opinion. plenty of room to pant and sniff, even drink and most importantly you can still administer treats rather easily. This is to protect others and yourself of getting sued tbh. You might not like the idea of muzzeling a dog but in the long run it is better than her biting someone and eventually paying the ultimate price for it.

As far as Elsa's issues are conserned I'm not qualified to give you any advice. I had a dog who was fear imprented due taken off from mum at the age of 4-5 weeks, loosing littermates by age of 7weeks.. He was socialized we thought but eventually the reality was that he was terrified of absolutely everything outside his home. He's response was to attack. We did what we could for him trying everything and eventually I got to the point where I though his issues had gotten as good as they ever would and I was happy that I could manage it. Sadly he had to go to forever sleep due having such bad hips but he was a wonderfull dog to have around the house, such a loving chap. It was hard work for the years we had him but it was worth every single day of it. All I can say is that IF your problems are anything like my little chap had.. It is your responsibility to provide "safety net/buble" around your dog. the size of this buble is individual, my chaps bubble was rather large, and i would not allow anyone or anything to get into that bubble unless it was a trained trainer. It may require some radical adjustments to your life but the girl will pay it back to you with unconditional love and loaylty.

Consider all possibilities before making judgment... it may have nothing to do with aggression.
Connie's inquiry might suggest that the dog needs more stimulation and outlets for energy, and it could be something as simple as that.

FWIW, my dog has nipped me twice (very lightly-inhibited) as I was putting her in the yard when she wanted for me not to leave her in the yard. That was a mild form of separation anxiety (she knew I was leaving her and going back inside, and she wanted to go with me). I've also seen dogs who nip to get attention.

I'm not saying that's your issue...just suggesting that it might not necessarily be aggression. You stated that the first time it happened was when the stranger was departing, and he was possibly petting her up until that point. That tells me that she was pbly comfortable with him until she sensed the visit was over.

As far as the handyman is concerned, any non-family member can trigger defensive behavior when your dog is restrained (tied on a trolley cable). He was foolish for continuing to approach a posturing dog, and your daughter was right for stopping him when she did. I wouldn't read too much into that, unless it becomes a repeated issue, and I would certainly try to AVOID PUTTING THE DOG IN THAT POSITION. If you know someone is coming into the yard, don't leave her tied there.

You certainly need to be vigilant and observant, but I wouldn't jump to any rash conclusions. IMHO, I (emphasis on I) would start exercising and training this dog more, and work her in desensitizing, while watching to see if there is a triggered behavior.

Before you jump to "putting the dog down", remember this is a TEN MONTH OLD GSD. In other words, A BABY! 10 month GSD = 2 year old toddler in human terms. Also remember that a tied dog is a trapped dog. If she is already feeling a little intimidated and defensive and she is on a tie-out, she has no place to go.

"I (emphasis on I) would start exercising and training this dog more, and work her in desensitizing, while watching to see if there is a triggered behavior."


I see handler errors in the post too, past as well as recent, but "not in charge of daily care" to me meant "no longer the owner" ..... ??

I don't know, though. I guess we need clarification from the O.P.

Farms are territory to protect . A young dog could get pretty full of herself, pretty big for her britches in this situation if she doesn't have a person to tell her how to behave.

What I got from Suzanne's post is that she lives in NYC but went to Minnesota for the summer. While there, she was staying in a rental apartment that wouldn't allow her to have the dog, so the dog was sent to live (temporarily) with a family member who had a farm, but Suzanne still spent some time with the dog. I'm not clear if she's still in Minnesota or back home in NYC.

I too was alarmed to read that she is already considering putting this dog down. Please, Suzanne, there are people here who can help you. And as Becky pointed out, this is a BABY.

Suzanne, please post again to clarify where you are living and whether the dog is with you on a full-time basis now. I think it would also be very helpful to know a little bit about your day-to-day life with this dog. For instance, how much time the dog spends alone, what kinds of activities you do with her (both exercise-wise and training-wise), and what kind of training methods you have tried so far.

What I got from Suzanne's post is that she lives in NYC but went to Minnesota for the summer. While there, she was staying in a rental apartment that wouldn't allow her to have the dog, so the dog was sent to live (temporarily) with a family member who had a farm, but Suzanne still spent some time with the dog. I'm not clear if she's still in Minnesota or back home in NYC.

Oh, I see.


I too was alarmed to read that she is already considering putting this dog down. Please, Suzanne, there are people here who can help you. And as Becky pointed out, this is a BABY.

Suzanne, please post again to clarify where you are living and whether the dog is with you on a full-time basis now. I think it would also be very helpful to know a little bit about your day-to-day life with this dog. For instance, how much time the dog spends alone, what kinds of activities you do with her (both exercise-wise and training-wise), and what kind of training methods you have tried so far.

I would like this information too. I think we all would.

Interested to hear back from the OP about what training is going on right now. Never tie out a dog like that. There is no flight option when tied, leaving only the fight option.