Dog aggression

[Preppy193]

My German Shepard hates (or at least acts like he does) all other dogs. If the dog gets all the way to him, he stops being cujo and is ok. This makes it hard to take him into public. He's OK with people, maybe a little over friendly and a bit protective of me, but nothing too bad, it's just other dogs. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[DiggityDogs]

Aggression is a hard thing to diagnose/deal with via the internet- My suggestion would be to look for a trainer in your area that specialized in behavior problems or aggression. Don't go to some pet store trainer for help, since most of them may be great trainers and can teach obedience but have little or no experience dealing with behavioral modification. How old is this GSD and how long have you had him?

[Preppy193]

He's 1 yr old, and I've had him since he was a pup.

[Dogwise]

I agree, you need professional help.

[StarWhisper]

Is this a new behavior or has it been developing for a while now? If it's a behavior has your dog had a full health check? First things first always rule out the possibility of a medical condition.

From there the next thing I would ask is, is your dog fixed? Neutering your dog may aleviate some of the aggression problems however it is not necessarily an instant fix and you should expect to have some further behavioral work to do with your dog.

What steps have you taken to socialize your dog? GSD's require a ton of socialization to be well adjusted. By chance did you attend obedience classes with your dog when he was a puppy? Many people will say they did not go to training classes with their GSD's because they know how to train..it's not about knowing how to train...GSD owners (all GSD owners) should attend training classes for the socialization benefits alone.

How do you react around other dogs? GSD's tend to be very dominant and they will not hesitate to step in and take on the roll of leader if they feel you are incapable of doing so...If you are showing your dogs signs that you are nervous around other dogs..(even if the sign comes from you being subconsciencely nervous about how your dog will react) your GSD will take this as a sign of "weakness" and step forward to be leader where he thinks you can't be.

What do you to when you see him acting aggressively towards other dogs? Do you pet him and speak soothingly to calm him? If so you are inadvertently telling him that he is behaving correctly.

As was mentioned already without seeing exactly how your dog is acting it is difficult to diagnose your dogs aggression level and to suggest a suitable modification regime.

[Dogwise]

One reason I no longer try and help people over the net or phone when it comes to aggression problems, is that I have found through out my career is, what I'm told, and what I see first hand are normally two totally different things. Agrression issues are deffinately the one time money shouldn't matter. Also if people would put more than just a fleeting thought behind what it really takes to own a dog, and START OFF as responsible owners, taking a little time to learn how to raise a well ajusted puppy, starting with rules and boundaries at about 8 weeks, then followed up with some training at about 3 months, plenty of *structured* exercise about 5 to 6 days a week, most these problems wouldn't exist.

[Preppy193]

Also if people would put more than just a fleeting thought behind what it really takes to own a dog, and START OFF as responsible owners, taking a little time to learn how to raise a well ajusted puppy, starting with rules and boundaries at about 8 weeks, then followed up with some training at about 3 months, plenty of *structured* exercise about 5 to 6 days a week, most these problems wouldn't exist.

Thanks for the responses....most of you. I appreciate it and he is now in class (actually was signed up when I posted this). I thought some of you may be able to help for times in between classes.
Dogwise: I suppose I should genuflect to you for gracing me with your quote and morsel of intellect. Sorry I offend you by trying to own a pet and do the responsible thing and ask questions of supposed "learned people" when I don't know the answer for myself. I suppose telling you that I have attempted to educate myself prior to having to ask for help would do no good. I'm not even going to get into opinions here other than an old quote, "It is better to be though a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it".

Thanks to anyone that took to time to reply, no matter what the intention was.

[Dogwise]

Dogwise: I suppose I should genuflect to you for gracing me with your quote and morsel of intellect.

No, not really.

Sorry I offend you by trying to own a pet and do the responsible thing and ask questions of supposed "learned people" when I don't know the answer for myself.

Look, I'm not offended, and I apologise for offending you. I'm glad your looking for answers and hope you find the right ones.

I suppose telling you that I have attempted to educate myself prior to having to ask for help would do no good.

Most people get a dog, then...(some, not all) try to educate themselves. I'm saying people should educate themselves *before* they get a dog.

I'm not even going to get into opinions here other than an old quote, "It is better to be though a fool, than to open your mouth and prove it".

Forest Gump's mother always said, "Stupid is as stupid does."