Hi Joseph, You've received some good information from some very experienced trainers. I am by no means an expert and have very little experience where trained protection dogs are concerned. However I do have some experience with fear aggression in recues and there were a few things in your post that caught my attention:
most gsd's show protection towards their pack or owner but this one is out of fear. the dog is great however when fearful he turns his protection drive own which can be a bad thing.
I just wanted to point out here that any dog left to his own devices, to choose and initiate battles as he pleases, is going to result in dog that develops bad habits. He feels some fear of the unknown, he barks viciously, it goes away. If he hasn’t been properly socialized and the previous owner was rewarding him for this behavior, he had no choice but to learn what worked for him in that situation.
Like you said a time bomb and most of it is because I think the owner had him trained for the idea but knew nothing of what was involved herself. Like lets get our dog trained and leave it at that afterwards.
With the right/wrong ingredients, time bombs are made. If this woman was under the impression that all she had to do was pay money to have Atilla the Hun living with her, she may have been encouraging and rewarding all the wrong behaviors. From a “showing off” type situation to a totally uneducated understanding of the dog’s limits.
help us turn this gsd into a strong willed dog that you don't have to worry about instead of a fearful dog.
I’m not sure what you mean by “strong willed”. Dangle a leash and grab some cooked chicken and I think you’ll see just how strong willed almost any dog can be. If you’re looking for that rock solid temperament, it may not be there and no amount of training is going to change that.
On the other hand, he may just need to have his confidence restored and redirected. Each one of his movements, every aspect of his being, broken down into understandable behaviors, teaching him the appropriate way he is to function in society.
He didn’t get a good start and taking on a dog like this is going to turn your world upside down. YOU will need to be vigilant and on guard at all times in his presence. You will now have to take over that role for him. You will need to be his protector and YOU can NEVER fail in those duties, ever. It can mean the difference between life and death.
I don’t know how many other dogs your friend has but in order to do this right, he can expect that the next few months will be totally consumed by this dog, building a trusting relationship and slowly desensitizing him from his current state of mind into a more predictable, peaceful one.
I got a feeling that if we don't help then they might send him to shelter and then they will definetly uthenize him.
While this is a very heroic and noble thought (we saved his life), what are the plans for this dog? Before taking on a dog like this, I always have a good idea what I want his future to look like. Some of the goals may be lofty and we may change directions several times as we find out what the capabilities are but it starts with a carefully thought out plan nonetheless – prior to bringing the dog home.
they have a multiple kennel setup for fosters.
This is great to keep dogs contained, but what is the situation for training and exercise. What kind of pack structure has the dog now been brought into? Is he going to be kenneled 20 out of 24 hours while your friend also works with other dogs in his care? From a bad home into a shelter/kennel type situation?
Fearfully aggressive dogs need a stress free environment while they are learning to live in a new, protected, calm state of mind. A training plan that involves a slow, comfortable learning and socialization progression, one that is broken down into simple, understandable stages.
Again….
…help us turn this gsd into a strong willed dog that you don't have to worry about instead of a fearful dog.
But also…
He did well through the test such as with us being the strangers, and then with two other gsds walking around.
Has he ever bitten anyone? I’m thinking maybe just too much dog for the little woman to handle. Mess him up good then turn him into a shelter.
The goal of a hard headed dog that has possibly had some bite training (you didn’t mention who or what kind of training he received – maybe scary bark only?) isn’t a goal. It may be an outcome, reflective of his past and breeding, but a dog like this needs an active lifestyle.
Is your friend planning on keeping him or is the goal to re-home him again. If re-homing is the plan, I’d start looking for that right away. Someone that has the time and knowledge to take on a dog like this. In the meantime, you can improve his lifestyle greatly by keeping him away from any stressful situations and getting him out for plenty of exercise, provided he’s able to control him in a safe environment.
If he’s planning on keeping him, tell him to hop on board and provide as much information as he can. I’m sure there are experienced folks here that would be more than willing to help guide him in the right direction, whichever route that may be.
I hope you're able to find the help your looking for.
Re: Help with a foster dog
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