Help - My dog has started snapping at other dogs and people

Hello,

I really need some advise about this. I got my dog 7 weeks ago. He is a GSD x dobie and he's 6 months old. When i first got him he had all the usual jumping up and nipping puppy behaviour which we started to correct from the start (turning our backs on him when he jumped up and ignoring him for a second, and yelping when he nipped and ignoring him for about a minute or two after he did that). He started to turn into a lovely dog who was still pulling on the lead when he saw other dogs to go to play with them and he would bark at strangers he hadn't met before.

I the last week or so he has seriously started going backwards with everything. He now barks at other dogs when he's out or in the front garden and will growl at them when out on walks. He has started to show really aggessive behaviour and i'm finding it difficult to control him. He is already strong at 6 months and i am worried that soon i will be in a situation when he takes me by surprise and pulls me over. Befor he started showing this aggression he was learning recall and was getting good at coming back when called, even if he did have to think about it for a minute if there was another dog around. When i am walking him now he is on lead. If i see another dog i will keep him on a short lead but try and relax the lead as much as possible so i don't send signals of anxiety down the lead to him. On the odd accasion that he has more or less ignored the other dog and not shown any aggression i will praise him and carry on our walk as normal. If he goes for the other dog i tell him a sharp 'no' and still carry on as normal but i don't talk to him for a couple of minutes after.

He has also started showing slight aggression to people he doesn't know and last night it escalated to him nipping the heel of a cyclist as he rode past.

He gets on brilliantly with dogs he knows although he has started playng a bit rougher than he used to.

He also nips us whenever he can. If he can't get our hands he will start going for our sleeves or any other bit of loose clothing he can see.

I am at my witts end as to what to do. We cannot carry on like this and i need to nip it in the bud before it gets any worse.

If anyone has any suggestions on methods i can try i would really appreciate it. Also, if you think that i am doing something incorrectly, or not at all i would be grateful for your imput. I will answer any questions you have.

Many thanks,

Tiffanie.

Oh, its so worrying when this happens, isn't it!

We had a spate of this with our eldest Boxer. I put it down to teenage temper tantrums. He wanted to sniff, and then growl, at every dog we passed.

You've only had your dog 7 weeks, which isn't a long time, plus, he's starting to try it on a bit with you.

You're doing the right thing, but it may take time for the behaviour to stop.

Have you taken your dog to training classes? They can be an excellent place for training your dog to be around other dogs, and also (obviously) learning some discipline.
My training class also provides one to one support for any "issues" you may have.

I'm sure others will be along to offer more good advice. But in the meantime, please don't worry too much about this.

Thanks for this.

I am looking at training classes as we speak! Obviously he needs to be socialised more with other dogs. He sees quite a few when we're out walking but it's not the same as being in a more controlled environment where he can have a bit more freedom without me worrying too much about how other people are going to react.

The main thing that i was thinking last night when he nipped the cyclist is that he could've very easily reported me for having a dangerous dog. I live very close to where i walk him and lots of people walk past our house to get to the paths. I have left the front curtains closed whilst i'm out today just in case the cyclist goes past and spots Eddie!

Tiffanie.

Max doesn't like cyclists, or anything smaller than a car with wheels (pushchair, pram, scooter etc). He either tries to chase them, or barks at them

Recently, I've been taking him to a local area where children skateboard, rollerblade and ride BMX's. I ask the kids if it's ok to watch them, they get to fuss Max. We then sit and watch them riding around. At first, Max was very wary, but I try and do little training things with him (down, sit, stand, stay, watch me) to distract him from the "wheeled monsters".

He's getting better, although still has an odd moment when he barks at things.

Training classes are good, because Eddie will realise that he can't play/growl at other dogs all the time. He'll have to focus on you, and it can be a really good distraction-training exercise for "real life".

At 6 months, your dog is very young and I would imagine can be really helped but as you rightly say, you need to sort it out now rather than wait.

I'd suggest firstly a one to one session or possibly a behavioural with a good, reputable professional in your area. I'd tend to avoid classes if he is barking and not happy with other dogs just yet, as it may encourage him to get over stressed which you want to avoid.

He is probably going through the stage of adolescence/seond Fear Response which occurs around 5-14 months. It's a developmental stage and happens because there are hormonal changes - to quote AngelaWhite, the dog has adult desires and behaviours but lacks the social skills and experience to utilise them correctly or in an acceptable way.

During this development stage, dogs are sometimes fearful of things that tney did not used to be fearful of and may be afraid to approach something new (could show as being scared of people, other dogs etc).

Although it may be a developmental stage, how it is handled is very important and the handling will impact on the dog's future.

Ongoing socialisation is very important too with guarding type breeds but it's important to never force the dog to cope with something, it's best to go at the dog's pace.

I'd suggest contacting a member of the www.apdt.co.uk in your area and explaining what is happening.

Much better to have hands on help and it will be worth it in the long run :smt001

Wys
x