That is debatable (I bet the owners did not see any reputable people before they grabbed their moments of fame on tv...) but certainly, his more extreme methods appear to have caused some dogs to be put to sleep.

That's not always true. For example with this dog, it seems he was attacked and has been fearful/aggressive with other dogs since. It could be genetic, but the OP has not suggested this could be the case, as far as I can see, as it appears the dog's temperament altered after it was attacked.

If this is the case, it's very common, and not the owner's fault, or the dog's

Anyway, let's not make this thread about CM, I think we should concentrate on the reasons for the thread (although I did just want to have my say ).

Wys
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Hi

I think one of the main things that needs to be considered, and somehow worked on, is the fact that your boy is "home alone" for a very long time each day. I realise you don't want this for him, but it is a very important factor as he is probably under some stress, (ie constantly wound up) for a fair bit of time during the day. He may even be bored and giving himself a job of work. The most I leave my dog is for 4 hours - I do realise it's not always easy for people who work all day, but I think something has to be done about the situation somehow. For example if someone could come every day at lunchtime, it's not ideal but it's better than being alone for 7 hours or more

I would definitely seek a reputable behaviourist - you will find their costs vary, and as mentioned, some will be paid via some insurance policies

I do wish you lots of luck!
By the way, i agree that he seems to show good bite inhibition, and this is a good thing overall.

Wys
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Are you for real How dare you tell someone who obviously loves thier dog and wants to do the best for it that they should give it up. As i read it, The op has had no problems with the dog till recently so for years they have managed perfectly fine and because they care they came here to get some help and suggestions.
Sometimes it just takes someone from outside like a behaviourist to get everything back on track as they can immeadietly see things we when we love our dogs miss.

What do you mean they shouldn't have got a GSD in the first place, as i said above everything has been fine for them for years its only now a problem has arose, they wouldn't have had all these happy years with no problems if they were not suitable owners.

Not all faults are human error either that is nonsense. Some are granted but certainly not all. No dog is perfect the same as no human is perfect, every dog has something whether very minor thats not really noticable to anyone outside to a major problem. Perhaps none of us should have dogs then as we can never make them perfect.

Firstly, thankyou everyone for taking the time to offer your advice, its much appreciated.

He is walked a minimum of twice a day. I could walk him more (ie, take him to farm with me) however he is dog aggressive and a place full of loose and unruly dogs is his idea of torture!

I personally dont feel he is dominant towards me so am unsure how I could become his leader when I felt I already was. I mean he is never ever agressive towards myself or members of our family and as I said does not bark when I am present. He does growl etc at strange dogs if they get too close but generally egnores them providing they are at a safe distance.
In all honesty his dog/people aggression isnt the worst issue as he is happy at home and I could easily just keep him muzzled and walk him at unsociable hours, its the constant barking and guarding when I am away that causes the most problems as he is causing upset between myself and my neighbours which I dont want.
I dont want the dog put down nor do I want him rehomed, I do work in a vet surgery and see hundreds of rescue dogs coming through my doors each week and wouldnt put him through that, he hates change and has been in his routine from 8 weeks to 8 years, he isnt exactly a youngster anymore and I feel it would be cruel to uproot him at this stage.

I am working on the left at home thing, We are trying to rota our shifts so that we are home more, fingers crossed! I also have invested in some toys etc to keep him busy, even though he dosent normally play with them!! Any ideas there?

From being a tiny puppy he has always been wary of strangers, dont know why, maybe its just in his nature! Once introduced he is fine but I think this is why he hates people like the postman, strange people on his property. As I said previously he has not always been a problem as we have been home, its since we have started new jobs etc that he has become a problem. He has lived with dogs in the past so I know he can get on with other dogs, just not strangers.

I have owned 3 GSDs previous to him, and also other breeds so am not exactly clueless, but ive never encountered a situation such as this, I am sure all experts learnt somewhere!


Oh and I am in the north east if anyone can reccomend anyone.
Thanks again!!

Hello there

don't worry, you sound like your doing a great job with him I would agree with earlier posters that it's probably his access to outside causing the problem. My dog Cain is a GSD x and he does exactly the same, barks at the front window (we live on a main road) and will bark in the garden, he's just showing his natural guarding behaviour.

When we go out I do not allow Cain access to the front of the house as I know he'd occupy himself all day by barking at the window! He is confined to the kicthen only. I leave the lights off so it's nit brightly lot, just natural light. We put on a radio so it drowns out outside noise and I freeze food in his Kong so it lasts longer. If you give him his normal morning walk hopefully he'd just settle down.

I feel it's his access to the back yard that is the problem and encourages him to feel the need to guard, it's so stimulating for him. I understand that leaving him home alone all day, you feel better that he cam get out to go to the toilet, get some air and freedom but I think you should try restricting it and see if his barking decreases.

I sympathise, I really do, I also work all day. I manage to scrape together enough money for a dog walker 3 days a week but I just can't afford 5. So Tues and Thurs he is left, shut in our kitchen, for the whole day till I get home from work. I give him some extra stuffed toys and keep back his fav toys especially for these days.

I do feel really bad about it but you have to work with what you can, in an ideal world we'd all be home all day but you have to work to get money to feed the dog! I'd be mortified if someone suggested I rehome my dog because if this, we are the best home for Cain and he has learned to cope well at home. Cain doesn't chew or bark and gas great bladder control so we are very lucky, bit given the garden he would bark the place down!

I know removing the garden may feel hard when you can't get home during the day but I think it would really help reduce the barking. So good luck but I would recommend dim room, nice comfy bed, soothing radio and sone stuffed toys and see how he goes. Keep us updated!

Just to add that if you feel any of his barking is caused by anxiety maybe try a DAP plug in or coller or try Bachs flower remedy drops to calm him. Cain has a DAP collar and it chills him out, maybe help take the edge off his anxiety outside the house too. It's not a long term solution but could help relax him a bit while you train him. It doesn't work for sone digs but it's worked wonders for Cain

Thankyou Moons mum for the help

Interestingly I have thought about keeping him inside but the thing that puts me off is that he is not generally a 'house' dog. He is allowed in but we have a conservatory and he has decided that is his house, given the choice he will sleep in there day or night and we always leave the door ajar so he can go out for the toilet etc without worrying about him. He wont settle in the living room or kitchen and never has. I obviously cant lock him inside the conservatory as he would certainly overheat.
I am concidering bringing him in the living room during the day but we have a huge front window and he will just bark out of that all day instead.

Worth a try though, now to convince OH as he refuses to let dog be alone in the main house!

Could you try gradually leaving him in a set room in the house for short periods and working up to leaving him when you're at work? E.g. when you're home in the evenings or at the weekend and need to pop out for 10 minutes, leave him in a room where he can't do much damage and give him a Kong, put the radio on etc. and see how he fares with that (and hopefully show your OH that he'll be fine in the house).
Casper can be a bit restless in the living room so I sort of know what you mean, I think he gets too warm in here and prefers the cooler kitchen, but he will settle in any room given a bit of time so I'm sure your boy will settle after a while.
Could you fit some kind of blind or net curtains to your front window if possible?

Ok, I give up, before I do tho, some of my theories.

Firstly, the owner of the dog said the dog was fine until they both got a job, so I would imagine this was a quite a nerve racking time for the both of them? And so,the dog picks up on thier stress, he doesn`t know they have a new job, but still senses the stress, the owner takes the dog out, and now, because the owner, in the dogs eyes, is showing weakness, (something that pack orientated animals DNA cannot accept), so the dog has now got to take over and when he see`s another dog from a different pack approaching he warns (growls), so, he is now starting to protect the owner ( guarding, see `especially` GSD traits.) Now what happens, the owner becomes more stressed in other areas awell, which inturn means the dog gets confused as to his status in the pack because "once upon a time he wasn`t like that", so he again has to take over, the result being, he becomes territorial, ("doesn`t like the postman on HIS property") This dog is now fast becoming more GSD than a pet. You can get all the behaviorists you like with their possitive re-enforcment, (possitive re-enforcment is a great idea for stopping a particular unwanted behavior,) but at the end of the day, you can totally avoid these behaviours before they arise, by looking at your own vibes and to understand how a dog would naturally behave with another dog. You will find he will behave the exact same way to a human, unless you teach him not to! What Cesar Millan is teaching is far from being "harsh" it is, to be honest with yourself and to your dog, respect yourself and your dog, our dog`s have the ability and intelligance to understand us totally, because to him we are just two legged dogs. We have to let the dog know that we understand it too, to do that we have to behave like a dog behaves to a dog. Physical touch is used by other dogs to stop a behaviour before it esculates, this is what nature has taught dogs to do, it`s in their DNA, try and look past your human emotions for a while and think about this, if we had CM`s knowledge and techniques and taught from puppyhood, there would be no need for behaviourists. I get the feeling I upset quite a few people, no intention honestly, but I am horrified by some of the advice given on these forums, and to Littlepopony, it `s bloody scarey how little we know about OUR dogs. I hope littlepony you succeed with your dog, be honest and a good leader and you cannot fail to enjoy your dogs huge amount of attributes!!

If only it were that simple...

What is scary is how many people listen to CM and then believe he has all the answers! On his Uk tour, he could not do his choking, pinning, "touching" etc because he was warned that he might be acting illegally. CM tried to use his legal team to throw his weight around, and did not succeed here in the UK!
Quite a shock to him, I suspect.

As for what dogs do and don't know, have you read any of the up to date information about dogs and how they interract with other dogs, and humans?

If not, try taking a peek at some of this:

http://www.apbc.org.uk/articles/why-wont-dominance-die

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/why-not-dominance.php

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/if-not-dominance.php

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/im...punishment.php

Please don't pooh-pooh the above info - at least read it with an open mind

Wys
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