Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Hi Everyone,

First, I would like to apologize for not posting daily, which was my original plan for this blog.  However, as we have moved into spring, mowing and maintenance work has dominated my time.  I see now that I will not be able to always post every day.  However, I will post as much as possible and after I get caught up with all my work, I will post on a more regular basis.  Please continue to check our blog for new posts, and look in the archives for post that may be germane to your current situation or questions regarding German Shepherd Dogs.

Retraining your German shepherd dog not to be dog aggressive is not an easy task and will take a concerted effort and time to correct.  Retrain rather than train is because your shepherd was not always dog aggressive, and likely you had a large part in the development of this behavior as your puppy grew up.  Either you did not socialize the German Shepherd Dog enough as a puppy by exposing them to strange dogs and people or when you came into contact with a strange dog while walking your shepherd you gave the wrong signals, which encouraged the aggressive behavior.

12-Month-Old Heidelberg’s Nelson Being Socialized to Strange Dogs at a Dog Show

German Shepherd Dogs that are bred correctly will have the propensity to be protective of their owners and their owner’s property including the owner’s other animals.  If not nurtured and developed correctly this predisposition to be protective can be demonstrated in aggressive behavior to strange dogs that come to close to the owners or owner’s property or even while on a walk.

Because your German Shepherd Dog is aggressive towards other dogs does not mean that your shepherd is evil or a killer.   If this is your thought process then you need to understand that your shepherd is just doing what they were bred to do and because of your lack of training experience it is your fault not your dog’s fault.  In your German Shepherd Dog’s mind they are protecting you from attack from strange dogs when they show this aggravating behavior of charging at strange dogs while you are walking with them.  From this perspective, while frustrating, it is a little harder to be angry at your dog now that you know they are willing to risk injury and even death to protect you from what they see as a perceived threat.

German Shepherds Will Protect Your Property From Strange Dogs and People

If your German Shepherd Dog is dog aggressive then it is imperative and solely your responsibility to keep your shepherd from contacting a strange dog outside of your property until they are retrained.  If your German Shepherd Dog hurts another dog outside of your property get your checkbook out and start writing a check.  While you are writing a check, then write another one out to a professional trainer to retrain your German shepherd Dog. 

Basically if your German Shepherd dog is dog aggressive, you have four choices: 1) return the dog to breeder or get rid of the shepherd and the problem then get a poodle because you do not understand dog psychology well in enough to own a German Shepherd Dog; 2) ignore the problem and keep your shepherd on your property away from strange dogs; 3) retrain your German Shepherd Dog yourself; and 4) hire a professional trainer to retrain your dog not to be dog aggressive.  Tomorrow, I will continue this blog by focusing on option 3 and 4.

Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion. Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds