Stopping reactivity before it starts?

Lintel

Lintel

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So out lovely GSD boy is nearly 1 year old *how time flies*
He attends doggy daycare once a week where he has a gleaming report of being very good with everyone, being abit of a wimp with dogs that are too boisterous and preferring to play with the more laid back beagles and pugs! - I am more than happy with this as the last thing I want is him being aggressive toward anyone as he is a big boy.

But out a walk today we passed 5 dogs- a couple off the lead who started circling and barking at him and some on the lead who appeared to want to rip his throat out. He did not approach any of them- they approached us head on.
With 3 out of 5 of them he was vocal back and pulled forward on his lead, I diverted him easily and nothing came of it.

But how do we go about teaching him to ignore the aggressive/reactive dogs?
He will be getting the snip late winter, so this should take out the testosterone element eventually.
The handsome beastie himself.
 
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If the other dogs kicked off first then I wouldn't worry about it overly. It's a lot to expect a dog who feels under attack to completely ignore it.

If you say you were able to easily divert it then I wouldn't get too stressed. If you see something on the horizon that you think might be troublesome, then give the dog something to do, distract him with a game or a ball or a piece of food, and if he is just simply being a jerk then don't be afraid to get an early leash correction in for zoning out on something, then reward him when he checks back in with you.
 
CorvusCorax said:
If the other dogs kicked off first then I wouldn't worry about it overly. It's a lot to expect a dog who feels under attack to completely ignore it.

If you say you were able to easily divert it then I wouldn't get too stressed. If you see something on the horizon that you think might be troublesome, then give the dog something to do, distract him with a game or a ball or a piece of food, and if he is just simply being a jerk then don't be afraid to get an early leash correction in for zoning out on something, then reward him when he checks back in with you.
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Thank you, I do hope he learns to ignore it as it looks terrible to a by stander who hasnt seen the full situation. Before he used to walk away but as he is maturing he is displaying more guarding/loyal behaviours of his owners, and obviously his testosterone is on the rise!
 
To be honest most dogs are 'guarding' themselves, not their owners. You just happen to be in the general area. And will pick up on any tensions you might be experiencing.
You won't know the dog you have until he reaches maturity and some reactivity can also be genetic.
 
I know nothing of GSDs Lintel but please don't neuter him too early! I think with all big dogs it is best to let them physically mature first.
 
That's a good point also, I'd be waiting for 18-24 months before neutering a GSD. Especially if he is above standard height and weight at such a young age.
A friend had a dog who was neutered at under a year old and you could put a saddle on him.
 
CorvusCorax said:
If the other dogs kicked off first then I wouldn't worry about it overly. It's a lot to expect a dog who feels under attack to completely ignore it.

If you say you were able to easily divert it then I wouldn't get too stressed. If you see something on the horizon that you think might be troublesome, then give the dog something to do, distract him with a game or a ball or a piece of food, and if he is just simply being a jerk then don't be afraid to get an early leash correction in for zoning out on something, then reward him when he checks back in with you.
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This. Unfortunately, not all owners have manners & allow this type of behaviour.
 
Don’t be afraid to block other dogs and tell their owners in no uncertain terms to get their dogs under control. I would teach your boy to focus on you when passing other dogs - get him really obsessed with a particular toy. I start off with a special tuggy, ball on a rope or rubber ring (something you can have a really good game with). Only bring it out for fast paced, high energy short bursts of play several times a day then put it away out of sight/reach. When he starts anticipating the toy coming/fun game, start taking it out with you and bring it out of your pocket when you see a dog coming. He’ll be so focused on his toy (hopefully!) that he’ll ignore other dogs. I don’t allow my dogs to play with strange dogs anyway and always call them in when we pass any. It’s understandable that he retaliates if other dogs act aggressively towards him but you want to avoid him practising this behaviour and/or starting to anticipate a negative reaction from other dogs. Try to introduce him to known friendly dogs under controlled circumstances to counteract any negative associations he may have made.

He’s gorgeous btw! ❤️

It’s a personal choice but I’d keep him entire unless he has any testosterone fuelled behaviour problems or at least wait until he’s fully mature before neutering.
 
Early neutering=leggy, may lead to cruciate problems.

If he’s fear aggressive inclined, neutering takes away his brave pants. Have a good think about why you’re neutering. Is it cos the vet has recommended it?
 
Plan on neutering around 17 months as he goes to Daycare which he loves and this is not posing any issues at the minute, they state he is more inclined to hump people than other dogs. He is definitely becoming more "interested" in females(especially a little Jack Russel who offers herself whenever he is near!) and we are not planning on breeding so I figure I'm aswell getting them off- I wouldn't like to have the ability but be denied the use. He is not fear aggressive at all- or aggressive in anyway to anything but is protecting either himself or us more now.
 
Humping can become a habit and should be stopped whenever it occurs. If it becomes an established behaviour neutering will not stop it. Plus it is not always sexual but can be a reaction to stress or excitement. One of my long neutered rescue bitches will hump if she gets over excited while my home reared eight year old entire male has never shown the behaviour.
 
The humping is defintley excitment based- 80% of the time which we don't tolerate at home.. The odd time he will head off to his bed and get busy with it!
Tell me more of chemical castration?
I'm assuming it's only temporary?
 
WorkingGSD said:
Don’t be afraid to block other dogs and tell their owners in no uncertain terms to get their dogs under control. I would teach your boy to focus on you when passing other dogs - get him really obsessed with a particular toy. I start off with a special tuggy, ball on a rope or rubber ring (something you can have a really good game with). Only bring it out for fast paced, high energy short bursts of play several times a day then put it away out of sight/reach. When he starts anticipating the toy coming/fun game, start taking it out with you and bring it out of your pocket when you see a dog coming. He’ll be so focused on his toy (hopefully!) that he’ll ignore other dogs. I don’t allow my dogs to play with strange dogs anyway and always call them in when we pass any. It’s understandable that he retaliates if other dogs act aggressively towards him but you want to avoid him practising this behaviour and/or starting to anticipate a negative reaction from other dogs. Try to introduce him to known friendly dogs under controlled circumstances to counteract any negative associations he may have made.

He’s gorgeous btw! ❤️

It’s a personal choice but I’d keep him entire unless he has any testosterone fuelled behaviour problems or at least wait until he’s fully mature before neutering.
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I agree. I don’t think he did anything particularly wrong and he’s going to find it hard not to react if he feels threatened. The best thing is to avoid him feeling threatened, with distraction teqniques and by you blocking the other dog if necessary and instructing the owners to get a grip of their dog. Try and avoid the head on confrontation if you can.
 
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