Aggression Towards People

First of all you need to remember that GSD, are intelligent, and can be wanting to be the dominant one in the house hold. They will dictate their behavior unless you say other wise. They require a strong leader that is calm and serene in their leadership. But no nonsense at the same time. By being a strong leader and the stronger and more sure of your self the less chance of rebellion or challenges will come. So when he behaves in an ill manner, you are allowing for him to dictate what his behavior will be. Esp. toward strangers, when on being greeted. Now remember that GSDs are supposed to be naturally aloof toward strangers, and if allowed will be aggressive toward them. GSDs are not Labs, or Golden ret. But they are GSD, and need to be socialized allot in order to function in our society. Some people think that a guard dog should not be used to people (WRONG) this just makes them fearful, and not confident. They should be friendly and feel comfortable around humans. They do not actually have to like people but they do have to accept the fact that they are part of their lives and ours.

A fearful dog will bite, the people you do not want bitten. A small child, your neighbor, or a friend dropping by. A confidant dog will or should only act aggressive when he needs to be, and believe me they know the difference.

Ok so now you have a friend come over and your dog is acting aggressive or barking, Now he is allowed to give off the alert which is what GSDS do, but once you give the command ENOUGH then that is it. His job is over and you now must take over the leadership role in protection. You will give him a good correction by his collar or use the NO can, and SAY NO! Or Enough, Remember you must act the boss, stand like your the boss, stare him in the eyes like your the boss and most important believe your the boss. In a actual pack, there are very little fights between the Alpha and up coming adults. It is by being confident, and sure of him self, that a real fight does not happen. But the offending member of the pack will back down when he tries to challenge the leader but once the leader counters the challenge all is forgotten and back into place. It is only when the Alpha is sick, old, or to weak the upstart will challenge and win in a fight. So If you are sure of your self, you dog will believe also, and will listen to you when you say NO and knows you mean it. Now after you say NO, tell him ( in a lower tone or deeper from with in you ) what you do want him to do, example is, be nice! Or Friend! Now you may have to give his leash or collar a good snap, to let him know you mean business. When he becomes quiet let him know what a good dog he is by saying IN A GENTLE TONE, good be quiet, good be quiet. And give the dog a treat, and redirect his behavior with a behavior you want with either a sit or a down. I would have the quest ignore the dog. As a Alpha member of the pack, they do not greet the underlings of the pack. He ignores them and lets them greet him. This communicates to them that all is well, and that the pack is same as before he left. It is the underlings of the pack that do all the greeting which tells the Alpha that they accept his renewed leadership. So wait five minutes after the dog has relaxed and gone and laid down. I would keep a leash on the dog as it is much easier to correct a dog with a leash on them. After the five minutes is up, let the dog greet the stranger and let the quest give the dog a treat. When the dog greets the new person in a proper manner you may praise him and make him go lay down as all is well in your pack.

Now when he understands this command, and you are confident of your ability to know what he is thinking before he does go into action of aggression. You can take him to the parking lots and mall, to get use to different people. I would let the dog be bored, hungry and have lots of soft chewy treats, hot dogs, string cheese, or cheese, left over chicken also works good. But make sure the treats are very small and easily chewed. Now when you go to a stranger and have them agree to meet your dog, have them be as comfortable as possible. Be on the look out for any sign of aggression, as soon he is just thinking of it is the time to stop this behavior. I would give his collar a good correction. Which by the way should be a choke collar, prong or a halti for better control. Have the dog greet the person, he starts to act up, you will say NO, or leave it, give him a good correction and he will stop the behavior. Now is the time to redirect his behavior with sit, or down. Then praise him with your voice which should be soft and praising , and his treats. You may also use the watch command for this if you need to. This is a very important exercise and you should do this at least three times a week. The really amazing thing is once they learn what you expect from them, they accept this rule or law. Well this is how I socialized all of my dogs, and once they learn they can not behave in a ill manner they will back down and behave in a great manner. Well good luck I hope this helps those that need it.

MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE LIKE A GSD.