Oh dear things are much worse...

[DelsMum]

Originally Posted by Cruz's mama

not that he doesnt know what to do but he knows of a few bad eggs (his words) which have come out of the puppy farm where i got cruz and is worried that the issues he has are psycological and down to interbreeding or bad breeding and not fixeable really.. He has 30 years experience in training dogs and said he wont judge until he meets him but I think was preparing me for the worse. eg rehoming him or worse...

If you like the guy and trust his judgement then thats great hun, hopefully he will be able to help. I think I'm just a pessimistic old bat as I have met some utterly utterly crap trainers in the last year!

[charlie]

Originally Posted by Cruz's mama

Hi Charlie
the first batch of dog training we did was just obedience but he didnt have these issues then so that went well. it was positive dog training with treats etc. which i have tried to use outdoors and he wont even take a wiff of the sausage or cheese when he is in that state
once the issues started to show I consulted 2 different trainers, both whom sent us home with rules on how to be pack leader or how to shift hierarchy, which we stuck to and it works a treat in the house but once we step outside he turns into the incredibe hulk, a complete nutcase with anything or anyone who comes near us, 2 legs 4 legs, or wheels doesnt matter.
he had never been dog aggresive until this weekend and nothing triggered it either, he just stated to show bad body language then every dog we passed it got worse until he was attacking every dog we passed! it was horrible. Even if the dog was submissive he wanted to attack it.
I am really distressed, as every morning I wake up and think, how can i exercise him, there is nowhere I can go!!!

To be fair i disagree its a genetic reason behind ur dogs aggression as it would of surfaced way b4 now.
Some dogs can be a right pain in arse and push boundaries but with the right guidence and training techniques u can win the battle can i ask what sort of training methods ur previous trainers suggested u use and try?

[wildmoor]

If he is both dog and human aggressive you can not rehome him.

It could be that it is inherent in his lines, sorry but not sure of his pedigree, but it could be that he has high defence drives but a low tolerance threshold and it may be that he can never mixed with other dogs or people he doesnt know. But with good training he can be manageable to the extent that he can be let off lead but you have a long way to go.

I do not think this is a cop out by the trainer, certain dogs are like this from a young age even eye contact can trigger this.

[GypsyGSD]

I agree with charlie's post and a strong dog will push the boundries and needs a lot of firm handling xx

[super D]

Maybe its the exercise and behaviour thing.
I find it Dalton had lead walks all the time he would be a right little ****, but with training a good run, stimulation he is a good lad, the less training and stimulation he gets the worse he is, and yeh will have a pop at dogs who look at him the wrong way, stare at ppl etc, he can be a right horror
What about keeping a diary to see what has happened, why he reacted, what he reacted to, what he didnt etc
xx

[Cruz's mama]

problem is he came from a puppy farm, the people have now been banned from keeping dogs at all apparently so we have nothing to go by with that apart from guess work!
Yeah i agree that he may just be pushing the bounderies and I have already put in an extreme amount of hard work and money into getting him trained but its just once we leave the house, he completely loses the plot. He actually screams and rears on his back legs at traffic or motorbikes. its like anxiety or something.
DEFFO eye contact is the key with him. I have to tell people on NO uncertain terms when they enter my house that NO eye contact is to be made with him until I say so. which is usually a good hour or so after they arrive as this is the length of time it takes for him to become trusting of a stranger.

I know I cant rehome him really but i cant go on like this either, its killing me it really is, I am mentally and physically drained, I work part time and have 2 kids and hubbie who works away,
He is maybe not the right dog for our lifestyle but what do I do - I have him now!!
It breaks my heart to think what else is in future for him, he is a real liability.

[charlie]

Originally Posted by Cruz's mama

problem is he came from a puppy farm, the people have now been banned from keeping dogs at all apparently so we have nothing to go by with that apart from guess work!
Yeah i agree that he may just be pushing the bounderies and I have already put in an extreme amount of hard work and money into getting him trained but its just once we leave the house, he completely loses the plot. He actually screams and rears on his back legs at traffic or motorbikes. its like anxiety or something.
DEFFO eye contact is the key with him. I have to tell people on NO uncertain terms when they enter my house that NO eye contact is to be made with him until I say so. which is usually a good hour or so after they arrive as this is the length of time it takes for him to become trusting of a stranger.

I know I cant rehome him really but i cant go on like this either, its killing me it really is, I am mentally and physically drained, I work part time and have 2 kids and hubbie who works away,
He is maybe not the right dog for our lifestyle but what do I do - I have him now!!
It breaks my heart to think what else is in future for him, he is a real liability.

Can i ask u if u have owned sheps b4?

[GypsyGSD]

Just out of intrest is his behavouir different when your husband is home pls dont take offence in any way it is not meant has your o/h got more control over him ? I can understand you have a lot to cope with at the moment x

[Cruz's mama]

no grew up with them in the family, mum had them and so did my aunt but this is my first, you can probably tell and although I didnt know at the time they were puppy farmers, i knew I was doing the wrong thing taking a puppy from that kind of home but I couldnt put him down, I felt so sorry for him.
I must also say, this has not jsut started, he has been displaying this behaviour slowly in drips and drabs since about 10 months old.

[Cruz's mama]

Originally Posted by GypsyGSD

Just out of intrest is his behavouir different when your husband is home pls dont take offence in any way it is not meant has your o/h got more control over him ? I can understand you have a lot to cope with at the moment x

No offence taken hun, He sometimes does behave better when hubbie is home but it means he is never left alone and prob feels more secure as the family is a whole again.

There has been a lot going on this last couple months as my father in law passed away suddenly only aged 62 and everyone has been distraught including the kids, so this could be adding to his anxiety problems maybe?!

Do your dogs follow you everywhere? and I mean to the loo and everything? as Cruz does this, even when in a DEEP sleep, the minute I get up, he gets up and comes with me, sign of insecurity?!?