My GSD aged 2 and a half years is not happy when I lift him. My job as a Police dog handler entails me having to lift the my dog over fences etc on certain occasions. I have tried this once but he became extremely aggressive and totally reluctant to be lifted off the ground.I have handled him for 4 months - previously he was a family pet. Any ideas on addressing this problem.

Well I know what I would do. Break down what 'holding and lifting and carrying' a dog involves into much smaller steps. And I'd be skipping a meal for him and packing up a ziplock bag full of chicken/liver/roast beef/pizza (people food treats).

And then I would start slowly getting him used to the beginning steps with using tons of the food. No anger, no force. And this may take a few weeks, so if the first day you only can get near him and ALMOST get your arms around him, that's fine. Maybe the next day you can get your arms around him (no lifting) and you can just get him more used to you doing this faster, or holding him more firmly, or moving to adjust your grip.................

And when you do start lifting, only a tiny bit, then back to the ground for the reward and good boy.

Baby steps on this training so he learns that you holding him is a GREAT thing and not stressful and scary. Don't push too fast and do too much cause he's doing so well. ALWAYS set him up to suceed, so that he ends the session being a GOOD BOY with the treats.

And most important, end with a rousing game of tug.

Also, using the "into your arms" training with a toy would go a long way towards gaining your dog's trust in being held. The training is outlined in this video http://leerburg.com/101e.htm

It may take a while but once the dog learns being in your arms is a normal everyday thing, it would just take building up the tolerance for picking his feet up off the ground.

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...My job as a Police dog handler entails me having to lift the my dog over fences etc on certain occasions. I have tried this once but he became extremely aggressive and totally reluctant to be lifted off the ground.

You've had to lift "the" your dog on "certain occasions"...but you've tried this "once". What did you do the other occasions? Please...that's actually funny.

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I have handled him for 4 months - previously he was a family pet.

2 1/2 yrs old GSD, minus 4 months of your handling...and before that he was a family pet? Was he handled by another POLICE DOG HANDLER before you? What Police Dept. do you work with?

Anyway...the question is a very valid one for police dog handlers. With a hard, handler aggressive dog that's new to "you"...you'll be old by the time treats allow you to manhandle your PSD AS YOU WISH.

This is a common problem, and a good solution is this:

Buy yourself a harness that you can lift the dog with. Tie a rope to the harness...and climb something that has good "work space", then pull your dog up. When he gets there play retrieve or give him a decoy bite. Do this a bunch, shortening the distance between your hands and the harness...until your actually pulling up holding the harness. By then the problem should be almost gone.

Bond with your dog.

Andres, This is a good idea. I have used a K9 duffle type harness in the past that is owned by another handler. It is heavy canvas harness that supports the dogs' entire weight and has four holes in it for the dogs' legs to go through. I'm not sure where to get one though.

Howard

http://www.rayallen.com/ramCart/cartDetail.php?prodID=210#

I must rephrase - "my job WILL entail......"
I am a member of a UK police force and their policy is to select dogs from breeders or accept a dog as a donation which was the case with my dog. He was a family pet from a pup but the owner no longer had the facilities to keep him.
He has turned out to be a fantastic 'tracker'and 'searcher'.
The percentage of dogs which actually make the grade is quite low so they try to get as many in as possible to try and test them. The breeders get paid only if their dogs are suitable for Police work - if not they are returned.
If the police carried out the breeding themselves then there would be no guarantee that the dogs would be suitable. This would also prove to be a substantial waste of time and taxpayers money.
Anyway thanks very much for your advice I will ceratainly give it a go and let you know how I got on
Cheers Rob

Rob,
It is not uncommon for many police dogs to dislike being placed in what they think is comprimising and very submissive situation with their handler....particularly with only 4 months to get aquainted.
But, it is seldom a huge long term project.
First, spend time touching him and lifting paws, etc. Then move on to lifting only his front off the ground and progress from there.
Make your lifting an event. He gets soemthing for it. A treat, petting, or even a toy if he likes it well enough. Sometimes I even let them hang onto the toy while we do the lifting and end with a bit of tug-o-war if the dog is so inclined.
If the dog is a real jerk i will put a little nylon muzzle like the vets use on him for safety.
It is a bit hard to discribe but picking the dog up must support the dog well...no chance of dropping him. To lift him over a fence i often loop the leash through the handle around the middle and then snap the lead onto the collar making a harness (I don't use a harness because I don't like the bad guys to have such a nice handle). Then I can place the dog over the fence. You need to practice this as well as lifting.
Insertions into attics and elevated places to search are another matter. The dog is first lifted with one hand on the collar and then your armunder his belly. Once up on your shoulder the dog learns to place his feet on your equipment belt and front feet over your shoulder. Then the hand that is under his belly goes up to the collar so you can push him up.

The best way to train this is to have a decoy on a platform just about eye height. So the dog wants to go up and engage the decoy and can only see him once he gets on your shoulder.
Then progress to attics etc.
The ultimate goal needs to be to able to hand off you partner to another police officer over fences, up on top of things, and for them to hand him to you down attics, etc.
If the handler aggression is such a huge problem then you will have to fix the rank before you can proceed successfully with all this. That is a subject untoo itself.

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I don't use a harness because I don't like the bad guys to have such a nice handle

The harness is only used in training, not on the job.

The next steps after you're lifting the dog with a harness, are to use one hand on the harness, one ON the side of the belly; one on the harness, one under the belly but no pressure; one on the harness, one under the belly with more pressure, and then more pressure, etc. The end goal is to be able to lift the dog without a harness.

If the dog learns to anticipate a "find", play or a bite, after being lifted, he will likely let you do it quickly (five +/- sessions, 20 mins each).

I'm not super fond of the treat approach, because you're too close to the dog, and perhaps you're not aware of where his bite threshold is. Also, a little rough handling for a PSD is a good thing. It can help a lot with his lack of submission. If you have him at a distance, on a harness, he can try to bite, but will soon stop. If he tries to bite the rope, have the decoy present himself as the dog is being pulled up.

Rob, do you have dog experience? Are you being hesitant - evidently cautious - in the approach to your dog?

Thanks for all your suggestions folks - I've started to put my arms around him and lift his front legs at the same time - plenty of praise afterwards - no problems - I will increase the height every time gradually and see how it turns out - I'll keep you posted - thanks again...
Rob