German shepherd

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billyslad

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My German shepherd (7 ) has just bitten our land lord and has also bitten the postman before what do I do ?

Do I have him pts or do I rehome him and if so where do I start ?
 
tough one, did the bite happen on your property? if so he may be off the hook. how bad was the bites? do you have a notice on your property warning of the dog? if so youve already admitted you have a dog that could be dangerous and therfor should be tied up. has your gs always been a bit aggressive or is it just recently? i have grown up with german shepherds and have 2 at the mo so know a bit about the breeding. unfortunatly german shepherds are natural bullies and love to pin people in corners, it makes them feel tough.
hope you sort it.
 
Its awful , our land lord walked onto our area behind our gates and to be fair is being ok about things but is insistent that it is sorted out.

In the last few weeks he has bitten their builder and the postman who were not on our patch.

The more we tie him up the more he protects his space and the more aggressive he becomes

Because he runs at these people they are understandably frightened he will then bite them and then run back

It cannot continue but am I wise in rehoming him or not ?
 
Personally I would PTS. I know its a difficult decision but once an aggressive dog always an aggresive dog, and it would be too dangerous to pass him on to someone else.
 
the post man will probably report it as it happened while he was working so will have to go in an accident book! having a sign up does not mean you are admitting you have a dangerous dog, it is simply warning people you have dogs
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been through this plenty of times with the police when i had both rotties and GSD and kept getting told i was admitting they were dangerous.
i would now make sure the dog can not get to any visitors at all, won't go down well of the dog warden arrives and gets bitten!! sadly it is out of your hands really as it depends on if the police get involved and what they push for
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not a lot of help i know but if you ensure that the dog is away from visitors and muzzled in public you can at least show you are being responsible
 
no, dont rehome him, you cant risk someone getting him and he attacks and does some serious dammage, how would you feel then. have you tried a muzzle or have you taken him to the vets to see if there is anything wrong with him? im afraid if you cant sort him you may have to have him pts.
 
I would consider PTS, sorry.
We destroyed a great dog (GSD) because he was becoming dangerous...it's a tough call.
Unless you can secure the dog in a run, I would seriously consider this option.
Sheps are too big and can cause too much damage to take any chances with.
I would disagree with whoever suggested tying up - this normally makes them more aggressive/territorial.
The 'pinning people into a corner' is more a herding instinct than a bullying one.

ETA: Have you considered a medical explanation? Eyesight or a tumour maybe? If he has never bitten before and has just
suddenly started at seven that might be something to look at.
 
To me biting and running sounds more defensive/nervous than aggressive. However the fact that he has bitten several people is a real problem, as jellyshake said you may not have a say now if the people complain to the police.
Where abouts are you? I'd take him to a proper dog trainer/behaviourist who has experience with the breed. They will be able to tell you if he is a lost causeor if you can overcome this with. Personally I would rather PTS than re-home I wouldn't want to take the risk of someone getting hurt, lots of charities won't take dogs that bite anyway.
 
Don't do anything too hasty - is he castrated? If not, sometimes entire dogs will be more territorial & you should consider this.

Is there a common theme relating to the bites, is he secure when in the house & how did he get to the postman & landlord? Is there a way of preventing him getting to the same place again?

If the matter is reported to the Police then generally, a control order can be put on the dog by the Courts. This means that if the dog bites again, after having the order, it may be PTS then. It would be unusual for the Courts to go straight for a destruction order.
 
I have been in the same position and mine was rehomed by the army where they worked with him. They don't mind a dog like this at all - so checl with police, and army.
 
I know exactly what you're going through. My GSD is 2 and has nipped 3 times and bitten once. The last incident was yesterday! After the 3 incident of nipping, the police called and we told them that we would now be muzzleing him in public areas. THey agreed with this but confirmed that in open fields if we could not see anyone about, then he could have the muzzle off. This is what we've done for the last 6 mths or so, but yesterday a young woman out jogging appeared from nowhere and our dog bit her. We are so upset about it. We have assured the woman that our dog will be muzzled all the time now. We have a friend who is a police dog handler and we rang him last night, but unfortunately they won't take our dog as he has epilepsy (fully controlled by medication).

We will not rehome him elsewhere because the situation for him would be the same. So we will keep him and will ensure that he is muzzled whenever he is off our property.

He is VERY protective particularly of my OH. My OH cannot take him to the vet for instance because the dog will not allow the vet near him. I can take him however, and he is as good as gold! LOL - obviously doesn't feel so protective of me!

Anyway, I hope you sort out this situation in whatever way you feel best. You may find that the police/army will not take him becasue of his age, they ideally want dogs age between 1 and 2 years.

Also, has he always been like this or is it a new thing. If new, then I would consider taking him to the vet for a check-up - it could be a tumour or something.
 
Firstly, Is he castrated? How long ago did the agression start? Have you had him checked over by a vet? It is possible that his eyesight is causing him problems, or he is in some kind of pain.

Then, I think you need to think seriously about commiting yourself to Muzzling him at all times that he is not inside the confines of your house ( including wearing the muzzle when he is in the garden), and keeping him under close control i.e on an extending lead at all times when out walking - remember a muzzled dog can still charge and jump up at people and this can be very frightening with such a large dog.

If you cant commit completely to this then I would reccomend having him put to sleep.
 
Firstly, I am sorry that you are faced with having to make a decision as to his future.

I have two Shepherds myself so am certainly not anti them. I think, in your position, that I would have him PTS, I would never be able to trust one of mine if they had already had three strikes as it were, in fact, mine wouldn't get three chances, the first bite that was really intended other than in mitigating circumstances (someone attacking me or mine) and they would be straight down to the Vets. I could never feel the same way about them again. It could be a child he bites next time.

I would not rehome other than to the Military or Police (which you explained you couldn't do) because once he had been signed over I would have absolutely no control over his future (and the safety of other people) and I would feel as if I was just handing the problem on to someone else.

A rotten decision for you, Good Luck.
 
If he's not neutered, doing so may help. Any change of behaviour/beahviour worsening and he needs to be taken to the vet in case there is a pysical problem.
If no problem there then a behviourist is the way to go - they can assess the triggers and correct yourbehaviours/reactions so that you are not encouraging/allowing him to react in such way - 9/10 a dog bites for a reason.
How often is he walked? What is he fed on?
PTS should be the last resort, not the first port of call. There may be a problem that can be fixed, or managed.

Question is, are you willing to put the work in?
 
Unless you can cope if he does something like this next time I suggest you either pts, or if you really believe he is not a 'bad' dog then try the police etc who are not fazed by this type of behaviour.
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This was a rough collies attempt at rearranging my 13 yr old daughters face...... although he was on our property, not tagged and had been wandering only the week before (picked up by dog warden twice) we can do nothing....... I would consider that you will not be pressed to do anything, but if he is a bad dog then do you really want to risk it
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Sorry, rant over, Im a bit raw about all this at the moment
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We have a GSD that is extremely protective / territorial and will bark and lunge at anyone who approaches us. He's never actually managed to bite anyone but has scared a few people (including the postman). We've had him since a pup and he's 10 now and his behaviour has never really improved. We keep him secure at home (he's put away if anyone visits and never allowed in the garden unless we're with him) and we always have him on a lead when out and about. I think your landlord, postman and builder are being incredibly generous under the circumstances. If my dog ever actually bites anyone I would have him PTS but I'm really careful not to give him the opportunity so hopefully that'll never be a decision I have to make.
 
You have had this dog for 7 years, do you not know what triggers your dog to react? German Shepherds are naturally weary of strangers especially on home ground. How did your dog have the opportunity to get to the postman and the landlord? You have the responsibility to ensure the safety of your dog and people in these situations.
Why put your dog in a position where he feels he has to take control of the situation?

It would be a good idea for you to have a read of the Dangerous Dogs Act.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1991/ukpga_19910065_en_1

It makes an interesting read as not many people know that their dog only has to act in a manner to make someone fell threatened/ frightened and does not have to actually bite someone.

And you have a breed that is amongst others that are getting a bad press lately and people are quick to jump on the bandwagon.


Where do you start you ask, by making sure that you control and manage you dog by putting him away when people come, sectioning areas with fencing, putting up a post box maybe so that the postman does not have to come to your door. Just some suggestions as I dont know what your set up is.

There are things you can do, it depends on how much effort you are willing to put into it.
 
Gallop_on, you are right, an owner can be prosecuted under the act for failing to keep their dog under control regardless of whether or not they actually bite someone.

It seems to me that if your dog gets out once that might be considered unlucky but if it gets out 3 times that's just plain careless.
 
Read MY post above and see how much clout the DDA has
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My daughter has been attacked and the police are doing nothing..
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It was out and untagged (another offence) and bit my childs face.......... we are unable at the moment to secure a conviction for anything at all!!!!!!

The owner of that dog makes no effort at all (dog was picked up by dog warden for wandering only the previous week) and yet we have no recourse at all.

So I really wouldnt have any confidence in the Dangerous Dogs Act protecting anyone.
 
Careless doesn't count either
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Read MY post above and see how much clout the DDA has
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My daughter has been attacked and the police are doing nothing..
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It was out and untagged (another offence) and bit my childs face.......... we are unable at the moment to secure a conviction for anything at all!!!!!!

The owner of that dog makes no effort at all (dog was picked up by dog warden for wandering only the previous week) and yet we have no recourse at all.

So I really wouldnt have any confidence in the Dangerous Dogs Act protecting anyone.
 
MerlinsQuest I am absoloutley appaulled by what has happened to your daughter and by the reception that you have had from the police and the dogs owner. Had it been a rottwieller or a bull breed it may have been deemed worthy of some media attention
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I know that the DDA is flawed but I really think all dog owners should read it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is he castrated

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As my GSD is now 2 yrs old, how much difference will castration make temperamentally?

I know they usually recommend castration at around 6 - 9 mths.

Incidentally my dog has been this protective since a tiny pup. We got him from a reputable breeder at 8 wks old.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Is he castrated

[/ QUOTE ]

As my GSD is now 2 yrs old, how much difference will castration make temperamentally?

I know they usually recommend castration at around 6 - 9 mths.

Incidentally my dog has been this protective since a tiny pup. We got him from a reputable breeder at 8 wks old.

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont want to highjack the OP thread but it depends on why your dog is reacting. If it is what some refer to as 'dominace aggression' than there is a possibilty that it could help along with good training, but if it is fear based aggression than it can actually make the dog a lot worse.
 
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why your dog is reacting. If it is what some refer to as 'dominace aggression' than there is a possibilty that it could help along with good training, but if it is fear based aggression than it can actually make the dog a lot worse.

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I don't think he's being dominant and I don't think he's fearful - he just doesn't want anyone near my OH or near 'his' house. If he's on the lead and OH stops to talk to someone he would be pulling towards them and growling. However, I can have him out with me and talk to someone and he will lie by my feet. I think my OH is the trigger! Perhaps I should rehome him!!
 


[/ QUOTE ] I think my OH is the trigger! Perhaps I should rehome him!!

[/ QUOTE ]

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sounds like your OH could do with some training.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
why your dog is reacting. If it is what some refer to as 'dominace aggression' than there is a possibilty that it could help along with good training, but if it is fear based aggression than it can actually make the dog a lot worse.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think he's being dominant and I don't think he's fearful - he just doesn't want anyone near my OH or near 'his' house. If he's on the lead and OH stops to talk to someone he would be pulling towards them and growling. However, I can have him out with me and talk to someone and he will lie by my feet. I think my OH is the trigger! Perhaps I should rehome him!!

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My GSB is like that with me but only with other dogs. If I take her for walks she attacks any dog that comes near me but if she's with my dad she doesn't bother. I cannot go near another dog if she's around. Thinks she's protecting me I guess.
 
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