My first post

scottf · #1 14-01-12, 07:45 AM

Hi all i have 2 GSD dogs one is called Bruno who is 18mounths and a new adition to the family called Dexter who 4 mounths.

The last week or so Bruno has been attacking other dogs even dogs he has been playing with all the time, he did have 100% recall when off the lead. I have now kept him on the lead as i can't trust him at the moment.

Is this due to him protecting the new pup? How do i correct this as i don't want Dexter seeing this and thinking it is ok to copy this.

claire_88 · #2 14-01-12, 08:49 AM

Hi and welcome to the forum!

We would love to see some photos of your pooches when you can.

Regards the attacking, are you sure it is an aggressive attack? It's hard to fully understand his behaviour through writing. It may be a case of boisterous play, with a four month old pup in your pack it wouldn't surprise me that he is in a protective mode.......but that's your job hun.

Tell us a little more about how he approaches an oncoming dog, what he does when he get's to it, when he stops this behaviour, and i am sure people on here will be able to advise you further and help you sort this out

xx

scottf · #3 14-01-12, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claire_88

Tell us a little more about how he approaches an oncoming dog, what he does when he Gert's to it, when he stops this behavior, and i am sure people on here will be able to advise you further and help you sort this out

xx

As he approaches the dog he will be standing tall and quickening his pace then he mounts the dog's back to dominate but he bites the dog and thrashes his head from side to side until i can get them apart. I'm starting to worry as i don't want the dogs to get hurt and the other dog owner having a go at me.

claire_88 · #4 14-01-12, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottf

As he approaches the dog he will be standing tall and quickening his pace then he mounts the dog's back to dominate but he bites the dog and thrashes his head from side to side until i can get them apart. I'm starting to worry as i don't want the dogs to get hurt and the other dog owner having a go at me.

Many see mounting as a displacement behaviour that fills a space when a dog is conflicted between two or more possibilities and can't decide what to do
: play or greet, wrestle or chase...etc

It also feels inherently pleasant when dog's perform humping, ending in repetition and serial humpers.

Humping or mounting is still considered to be an act of dominance, but newer studies suggest it is more to do with arousal, also seen during game playing at significantly exciting moments..

Do you give any commands when he is looking at approaching another dog?

The most important and effective command i use is ''leave it'' and often have to give this command with the amount of sheep in my area, you do need to get the command in asap, when the dog spots the item of interest, it is deciding what to do and waiting for a command from the owner, if no command is given in that split second then the dog has to decide for itself.

I would be returning to basic commands for this sort of training, a long line so you are in control of his movements and if he did decide to ignore your command and proceed with his own decision you can easily reel him back to you, then treat. Never tell a dog off for returning to you, either by you pulling them back or returning by themselves

evabrook · #5 14-01-12, 09:45 AM

sounds to me a bit more than protecting the pup.i have a mother and daughter and Brook (the mum ) only ever barked a warning at other dogs never went for them Eva (the pup) is now 9 months and has been off lead with her mum since she was 5 months.hope this helps

scottf · #6 14-01-12, 10:03 AM

Thank you all for your advice i think i will get that long lead and go back to basics again as recomended i will keep you updated.

Stuart · #7 14-01-12, 06:53 PM

Welcome to the forum.

I have not personaly had to deal with this issue, but I would agree that it is unlikely to be a case of pup protection, as I would think Dexter is too old for that,..so its difficult to know what triggered it, but its like any lapse in training, its a case of back to basics, re-enforce the obedience to the point where Bruno was before

Mazz · #8 14-01-12, 07:12 PM

Hello and welome.
Sorry you are having a bit of a problem with your older dog.
I would say, He is going through a teenage stage, you need to take control of things, as you say the pup is seeing this.
I would up the training, possibly training school for your older boy (both if you can).jmo
All dogs are different, just like people.
You just have to let him know YOU are the boss, with kindness,training and perserverance.
Good luck with your dogs, just remember, they are both still young dogs at the moment, you'll get there.
Mazz

wildmoor · #9 14-01-12, 07:57 PM

Hi welcome to the forum, take them out seperately for now so you can concentrate on training each one

Stuart · #10 14-01-12, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildmoor

Hi welcome to the forum, take them out seperately for now so you can concentrate on training each one

Of course,.. how could I have forgotten that,..with three I should have remembered,.[ Thank you Pam ]

Yes, never try and train two dogs together, never take out two dogs together that are not trained as you would like them to be,.. they will pick up on each other and both dogs will get worse

Seperate training time is needed.