I have an aggressive dog and need help please.

Sorry for the length of this post but I am at a loss at the moment and need some advice!

So, I own an 8 year old german shepherd dog. He was castrated at 2 and I have had him from 8 weeks.
Right from the beginning I have tried to socialise him, he has met people and other dogs regulally and I attended puppy classes up until he was too old at 8-9 months old and continued with the training. He is an obedient dog at home, knows and follows commands and is not in any way destructive or aggressive. Myself and all members of the family can play with and do anything with him and he will not make a fuss, he will allow us to touch any part of him and is generally quite submissive towards us.

However he has some major issues. He is a very aggressive and dominant dog towards strangers and other dogs. He constantly barks throughout the day at passers by, other dogs, postman etc etc. Neighbours have complained numerous times but I am unable to shut him up.
I have tried 3 different bark collars, one water, one citrolnella and one with a funny noise. None worked.
I have tried soaking him with water, he shuts up for 5 second and then starts. The only way I can get him not to bark is to stand over him and block the door/window and he will lie down.

Unfortunatley for all of us in the 8 years since getting my dog my curcumstances changed drastically and instead of being home most of the day I now work full time 6 days a week and so dog is home alone between the hours of 9-4, sometimes a little longer Monday to friday. He is walked for an hour each time and my parents come home on a dinner time occasionally to walk him too but apparently he barks constantly when home alone. I cant leave work to tend to him so am unsure what to do about this, he isnt exactly a candidate to rehome and I would not rehome him as I wouldnt like to be responsible if he bit a child or another dog while in a new home.
I actually work in a vet hospital as a vet nurse and most staff take there dogs to work, however I could not risk this as he is so volitile and I couldnt trust him alone with a pack of dogs so thats out. I also have horses and I cannot take him there as there are dogs about.

Anyway yesterday it came to a head as somebody left my gate open when delivering a parcel (we have two gates, one inside to contain dog and one large iron gate at the front of the house) and dog escaped without my knowledge and proceeded to bite a dog on our property. I was obviously mortified and offered to pay for treatment for the other dog which fortunatley only had a nick and not a full blown bite but still its really shaken me. He is normally never out of the house without a muzzle and lead.

He is a very playful and happy dog as I said and always was until he was attacked by a pit bull a few years back, now he wont tolerate another dog anywhere near him. Maybe this is the cause I dont know.

I just dont know what exactly to do with him next. I have tried to contact a behaviourist but they cost a small fortune and I dont really have the funds to pay for that right now as OH has lost his job and we are funding him through uni as well as keeping house and horses etc.

I just wish there was some way of helping him to behave. I am not exactly inexperienced with dogs as I work with them most of the day but I seem to have failed my own!

Any thoughts?

Sorry your having trouble with your dog. But you haven't failed him, so don't think like that! I'm no behaviour expert but I would think that dog attack has left him with fear aggression and as it wasn't tackled straight away, he is now probably well into the habit of reacting aggressively towards other dogs. I'm am struggling with this with my dog and it's a long road to recovery and there's no way I could do it without my dog trainer. Aggression is such a complex issue, you really do need a qualified behaviourist, it's not something that can be sorted out on a forum.

Could you afford just one session? My dog trainer will go and advise people and set a programme in place and a follow up appointment often isn't required. Or is he insured? Some insurance companies will pay for behavioural treatment.

Whatever you do, good luck! I know how you feel and you sound like a caring owner who is trying to do the best for your dog.

Oh and re: the barking, have you tried clicker and treat training a "Quiet" command? With my lad if he doesn't be quiet when I say, we shut the curtains and he only gets to look when he's quiet. As for barking when your out, that's harder to solve, sounds like hrs struggling to adapt yo being home alone for so long. Do you take him for a long walk in the morning to tire him out? Do you leave him with toys or food stuffed interactive toys to amuse him? If you can afford a dog walker, could a friend pop in to visit or walk him? That is a tricky situation. Let us know how you get on

I'm no expert but the very fact that a loose GSD on his own land only gave the other dog a nick, rather than a very serious injury, suggests to me that perhaps your dog is actually suffering from fear aggression, rather than having a true aggressive nature towards other dogs. He was attacked by another dog, and has now learnt that making himself big and scary towards other dogs prevents them from approaching him, or makes you remove him from what is, to him, a scary situation, so he's found a method that works for him. Lots of GSDs tend to be fear aggressive or dog reactive (the latter tend to give it the big scary look on lead but actually mingle fine in other situations) because they're quite a sensitive breed.
I would recommend finding a good behaviourist, who uses positive reinforcement - as you've found out, negative methods like bark collars, etc. do not work, or in the case of the water, they have short impact until the dog figures them out. You seem to have two issues to work on here, the dog aggression (whatever the cause may be) and it sounds like a case of seperation anxiety may be coming in to play with the barking all day too. Again, another problem GSDs are prone to, given their loyal nature. Barking at passers by may be something you can deal with yourself, with some friends/family to act as stooge people passing, and something like clicker training to teach your dog to both bark and be quiet on command - you should build this up from a situation where there's no distraction or stimulation and make sure he's doing it 100% then before you try to train him to go quiet from something setting him off. Or another method is for him to associate people passing by as a positive thing - again, with a stooge to keep walking past, but before he gets a chance to bark, throw down lots of treats/feed him treat after treat. After a few goes of that he'll soon realise passerby = treats and his behaviour should change from defensive barking, to waiting for his treats. Perhaps it may be worth starting a thread for this issue seperately, I haven't actually put it into practise, just read the above methods, so someone with more experience may be able to explain better.

To find a behaviourist, I'd check out this website of APBC registered behaviourists - http://www.apbc.org.uk/. Is your boy insured? Some policies will cover behaviourist treatment, if money is an issue - or as suggested above, perhaps scrimp enough money to pay for one session, probably with someone who's had several good recommendations so you're not risking wasting your money, and see what advice they can give you in the immediate future until you can afford further sessions.

If you do want to socialise him at a safe level, there is are a couple of GSD forums that arrange socialisation walks all over the UK. They certainly welcome 'problem' dogs - obviously insisting that your dog is muzzled & on-lead if required, and that you have a minimum of third party insurance just incase, but they have certainly had some pretty scared/troubled dogs on the walks I've been on and the members of the walk do accomodate the dogs and the owners - whether that's a couple of them hanging back from the main group so that your dog is only initially dealing with one or two other dogs, to giving advice from their years of GSD experience. I can PM you the forum link that I attend walks with if you think it may help.

If you really are struggling, mentally, physically or financially, do not write your boy off as un-rehomable, I have seen far worse behaved dogs go into rescue and end up in homes with people who have plenty of experience and are able to turn the dog around. These traits seem very typical of the GSD breed so in a worst case scenario please do contact your local GSD rescues, as a breed specific rescue may be able to help more than your generic rescue like Dogs Trust etc. Where are you located roughly? I may be able to recommend a local rescue who may be able to help, even if it's not to rehome your boy but to recommend a local behaviourist or even offer help themselves - my local rescue were fab when I was having some problems with my previous GSD and didn't have forums like this to ask advice on.

Thank you both very much for your help



I could afford a few sessons with a behaviourist but not lots! I was in contact with a lady from a company named 'bark busters' but it was a few hundred pounds for a limited amount of time and I just cant justify that at the moment.

krlyr the walks sound interesting- would like to know more if thats possible. I am located in the north east of england so quite a way from you though!

He is walked twice a day, one long walk on the morning and another on the evening when we get home from work, he is left with plenty of toys and treats and also access to outside to play if he likes but I think he spends most of his time 'guarding' the fence!

a few sessions will hopefully be all you need so you know what to do actually solving the problem will take longer, but you won't necessarily need loads of visits providing they prepare you well so you can deal with the behaviour yourself (which I'd what a good bhaviourist with do)

I know nothing about Bark Busters but I think it's a franchise? I'm always a bit wary of franchises, I feel a bit like anyone and everyone can call themselves a behaviourist as long as they have a well known name attached! This may not be the case and they may be great.

Just ask around before splashing the cash. It's only worth the money if they are actually any good! Try and get someone used to dealing with both fear aggression and has experience with GSDs. A personal recommendation is always a great way to go. Maybe someone on here can recommend someone local to you? Or through your work place? Or maybe ask on a GSD forum?

From what I've heard of them, Bark Busters are a franchise as such and not a very good one. No personal experience but haven't heard any positive reviews! I think one or two sessions with a good, legitimate behaviourist will be a lot better than nothing, even if you can't afford more than that.
Perhaps look on the website I linked for a local behaviourist and Google their name for reviews, experiences, etc.
I will PM you the link of the forum, but I think you need to post a few more posts on the forum before the PM function is enabled. There are walks arranged all over the UK so there may be one near to you. Or you may even just find a local GSD owner or two who can help.
Just out of curiousity, what kind of food are you feeding him? Diet can have more of an influence on behaviour than you'd think. Also, on his walks, what kind of things do you do? Plain marching along a set route, games of fetch, mental stimulation such as new routes, hiding toys in long grass, etc? The more tired out he is, not just physically but mentally too, the less likely he is to put all his energy into bad behaviours like guarding. Interestingly though, I did read a while ago that chasing games like fetch can cause dogs with a stressy nature to actually get worse - something released during a chase can remain in the body and put the dog on high alert and make it much more likely to be reactive/aggressive/whatever the issue is. Kiki, my Rott x GSD, was allowed to chase rabbits a lot when she lived with my parents, and I have to say I noticed a big difference in her behaviour in terms of her seperation anxiety (she used to be really bad - i.e. chewing through doors when left) when I took her on myself and stopped letting her chase rabbits, and instead changed her walking routes, took her to new places, got her to find her toys hidden on walks, etc. I still play fetch with her as she loves it so much, but I am aware of how long I let her play for.

Is it when you`re out he`s barking?
A couple of things you can try -
don`t allow access to windows / rooms that overlook the street. The less he notices, the less he`ll bark.
Give him a filled kong when you go out, and leave the radio on fairly loud to mask noises of people walking past.
Lose the spray collar - they really don`t work.
Give him a good walk before you go out - he`s more likely to sleep.
When you`re in, if he barks at the door, train him to go to his bed and reward - then you answer the door alone (shut him in if necessary). He will learn that it`s your job to grant access, not his.
He is only doing what is in his nature as a guarding breed so we have to be a bit crafty.
If you get a behaviourist and they suggest throwing chains on the floor (Barkbusters) or ignoring him for a week (Fennel) please show them the door.

What area do you live in?, as one of us may be able to reccomend a good behaviourist.

You've had some good advice from the previous posts but I would also stress that the advice from a good behaviourist, given in just one or two sessions is worth it's weight in gold. They should be able to assess your dog, devise a realistic behavioural modification programme for you to work through & give follow up support by phone or email.

Barkbusters & franchises like that give minimal training to the franchisees, don't care how much experience the franchisees have & use outdated & flawed methods. If a behaviourist suggests things like rattle cans, spray collars (or any other type of collar), then go somewhere else! This sounds very much like fear aggression & separation issues so the last thing you want to be doing is adding to the problem by making your dog more anxious & more fearful.

Unfortunately you may have made the problem worse by the methods you've tried in the past (no blame meant ~ you were clearly trying your best for your dog) but now your dog's emotional response as well as the behavioural reponse needs to be changed. It can be a slow process so you'll need time & patience ~ don't expect instant results. Sometimes it's a good idea to keep a diary or journal so you can gauge any changes.

I would suggest that, if feasible, you don't allow your dog access to the garden whilst you're not there. He clearly feels vulnerable & that he has to remain vigilant because this is a weakness in his territory & anyone could come in & scare him (as far as he's concerned!). Sometimes shrinking the dog's boundaries, even keeping them in one room, with everything they need, can help them relax & not feel that they've got to protect their safe place, i.e. your house.

I hope you can get some some proper help. If you don't have any luck, please come back to this forum as there are a lot of experienced people here who will do their best to help or point you in the right direction for help.

I`m sorry to put a downer on things but in this case, I feel some things must be pointed out about potential risks, as some people have mentioned, this is a "fear reaction," due to I suspect, confusion as to who is the pack leader, which is quite an important issue! Especially as you dont have the lifestyle that best suites a balanced GSD`s needs, let alone a fearful dominant and one that has the potential to do serious damage to others around him. Behaviorists are fine, but ultimately are not responsible for the dogs state of mind on the outside world, the owner is the one who has to deal with any situation that may arise. And for such a large powerful breed like the GSD, you must be a both competent and confident around him. Dont think i`m judging you, I dont know your situation, but you seem anxious, frustrated and a little fearful, not a good concoction for a GSD to be amongst, behaviorist or not! You didn`t metion how often you walk the dog, this breed needs to be exercised rigorously and daily and have a structured exsistance. So my advice to you would be to give up your dog and find an owner who has the knowledge and the time, to give the dog a fear free and calm future life. Please dont feel attacked, I just think it would be the best for you and your dog, given you situation, you will feal better for it, knowing you did the right thing for your dog.