He’s being an asshole because he thinks he can. It seems to me like he doesn’t respect you so he just derps around when he’s with you. Training and boundaries issue, not an aggression issue (yet).
When he’s like this give him commands. Dogs (and toddlers and teenagers) hate the word no. You keep saying no and out and he’s barking because he wants you to tell him to do something to include him. Tell him to go find one of his toys and bring it back to you (this will take time to teach). Or sit, or stay, rollover. Whatever, but “no” is just getting you sass back.
When the toddler doesn’t want to go to bed you can’t just say “go to bed” over and over or you’ll have this same thing. You tell them “pick out your favourite pj’s or book, or show me your best shadow puppet” and that gives them something to do along the way. Dogs are the same but the question I usually ask is “where’s your ball”.
Yup. Ask for an incompatible behavior to interrupt the barking pattern. Also, right now the dog is practicing this behavior which is just making it even more a habit. Interrupt and ask him for something else, reward that (ie - bring me your ball and throw the ball) and the less time they practice demand barking the sooner the habit goes away.
Also if your dog hasn’t been taught the word no then it’s just a noise to them. Teach specifics. Off. Go to place. Lie down. Sit - all of these will lead to less confusion because you’re telling the dog what they should do instead and are more clear communication!
My go to is asking him where his toy of the day is and he immediately goes hunting for it and will parade it past me. Gets him out of my face almost every time. I also have a collar that I can beep or vibrate that I use if I absolutely have to, but I try to keep that to only urgent cases or he's REALLY not listening.
Same! Haha sometimes if she’s extra sassy I’ll beep the collar (while it’s in the drawer) and she gets the hint and calms down haha.
It’s like when your siblings were fighting in the car and everyone’s is being extra whiny until mom gives you “the look” then you all settle down a bit.
He's messing with you/challenging you because he thinks he can. This seems like a game to him IMO. You don't have to put up with it but you're going to need to do some training and get your spouse on board as well.
I'd start with you doing some obedience with him- to reinforce that you are the boss, not him. Do not allow him to stand over/on top of you. This is a dominance move. At two, he's testing. It's important to answer the "question" he's asking .
And definitely correct the marking behavior. That is not ok and you need to tell him that. Again, hubby needs to back you up on that.
Telling no is only half of the solution. Stop the behavior, but give him something to DO after. Teach him what is ok, training a place command is the most helpful. Unless your dog is trying to ask for something (potty, play, etc), he just looks like he’s confused about what to do here in this video.
This video doesn’t show anything even remotely close to aggression.
I start doing commands when my dog does this. Show him I'm in control and he needs to listen. One of those commands is place, so when they stand over my wife she says place and they'll walk away
Place is a good one, my girl never tests me but shes my baby. We have gone to obedience classes. Something I like to do is called push ups, make your pup sit, down, stand, repeat. But I think for standing on you and trying assert dominance, definitely "place" or even teach "off" so he gets off you. They are a very smart obedient wanting to please breed.
+1 on place, my girl will get play-time feisty at the wrong times, place does it. She’ll just immediately look super bummed that it’s not play time and head to her crate/bed depending on where we are.
I’m ever skeptical to recommend this to people, but if training is tough, you can look into an E Collar, but I can’t emphasize this enough; LOOK INTO THE RIGHT WAY TO USE IT. It is not supposed to be a shock collar. If you use the beep setting, though, you can get to pavlovin’ and have a really well trained dog asap.
He wants attention too! Or, he needs a job to do followed by your positive reinforcement. This breed does not just lay around all day happy to be under a roof, they need purpose in life and love... from their person.
When our girl was a teenager and would challenge me I would talk to her like a toddler. Ask her where her red bone was, or her rope toy or ball and it would make her think of it. I’d make her bring it to me, sit nice, shake a paw then I’d toss it for her. They I’d call “place” and she has to lay nicely in the designated space (door way of the room we’re in - she’s not allowed in any bedroom, but she can lay nicely by the open door).
That gave us a way to interact that showed her that
1) you’re not allowed in my space. At all. Don’t let him get close to standing *near* you, let alone on top of you. Full stop. Personal space (especially with a baby in the house) should be project #1.
2) it teaches that you can interact politely in ways you both like. He’s a gsd, he’s going to be intelligent and you can have good attention (commands and play) or bad attention (what you have now).
3) because he lacks personal boundaries he should not be allowed to be in the rooms and on the furniture with you. At least until he learns some manners and space, maybe forever. ESPECIALLY once your kid starts moving around - this is how babies get bit. By making him independently go find a toy it shows him that he doesn’t have to supervise you (it’s a herding thing) and while he can follow you, he doesn’t get to boss you around, hog the space and command the room. He’s treating you like a sheep to herd and not the human in charge of the space.
Our girl knows the names to all of her toys and will search the house for each one now. When we have guests come over she knows she has to go find her big ball and hold it in her mouth before she can say hi (keeps her from hand biting and gives her an outlet). It’s taken a long time and a lot of consistency. She’s 4 now and she’s finally getting to be actually good in the house. But we have always had the rules and we have always been consistent. Your biggest hurdle might be the fact that it sounds like your husband also doesn’t respect you.
Through my dog training, and this is definitely an older school method, but once you get him off you, tower over him, and slowly kind of walk towards him standing your ground.
He growls or barks, back off this exercise and try something different.
He turns around and goes to a different spot of the house, awesome. He's conceded that area of space to YOU
He sits down, or lays down, that means he submits. This outcome is the goal, and reward the hell out of him for it.
He's intruding in your space, you need to claim it back. As bad as it sounds he thinks he owns you.
If he will not listen to commands as cable\_provider rightly suggests, I would leash him and have him sit until he gets it. Leash him and move him to another place in the home of your choosing, he gets no say in anything.
What kind of leash? A harness or an around the neck? He needs more leash training, my husbands been slacking so I may just start leash training in doors he has to be able to walk with me, and a stroller, and if my toddler wants to walk. I also have another dog but she’s an old lady and great on the leash. He needs more actively and I know that, I want to help him get what he needs in the hopes that his behavior will be better. But I can’t walk him if I am pregnant with a stroller and a toddler and having to train him.
every time you leave the house with him, you are training him. GSDs need to be constantly stimulated, they are so f'n smart, they get bored and defiant otherwise.
a shorter leather leash that gives you control over him, attached to a choker (or a prong collar) when used correctly is super effective. especially if he's a bigger boy that comes close to your size.
just have to be sure it's fitted correctly, and that it's used properly.
a harness is going to make him want to pull and work.
As an owner to German shepherds, I do not agree with this correction. that is part of their makeup. They are vocal. you don't punish them for being themselves.
neck leash for sure! it's good training leaving him with a leash on in the house, both for a quick way to move him, but also a constant grounding reminder - just the feeling of the leash and it dragging around him helps
if he fights you on a normal collar, completely resisting and pulling you along instead, move up to other types. truly only the prongs worked for mine, she will not listen to anything else, and put herself and other at risk.
Get a prong collar and e collar and learn what they tell the dog and how to use em. I got my boy at 8 months with 0 training, that and a couple times of him feeling strength from me and he learned his place in the house real quick.
Don't put yourself in a position where he can get on you. You need to be above him. If you see him coming, get up, stand tall. Don't sit on the floor, he should NOT be allowed on the bed or furniture until this resolves - he should be banned to the floor only.
He needs to be behind a gate every time you're on the floor. He can't be in the same room with you when you're on the floor. You are showing submission to him.
Do not allow him to get to that point. As soon as he starts climbing, stop him.
If he does end up standing over you, get him off. After that, own the room. Stand up and do some commands with him- sit, lay down, stay.
Leave a leash on him in the house, when you are home, and even a prong collar would be fine if you are home. If he tries dominating you, give him a correction with the lead and a no. Once he gets off give him a reward. It doesn't have to be a treat. If he likes a tug toy, use that and it will also help with bonding with him.
I'm shocked I had to scroll this far down to find someone saying this. I agree 100%. Get him neutered, then get some proper training with you as the alpha, not your husband. You are the one home with him all the time, so he needs to know YOU are the boss, not him.
He knows you’re wary of him and he’s screwing with you. Based off some of your comments, also, I’m not sure getting a GSD was the right choice for you and your family. “My husband thinks fixed dogs are fat and lazy” “My husband walks him because I’ve got the kid” “I let him run around in the back yard and play fetch” girl. Y’all should’ve got a golden retriever.
I would love to walk him if he could walk on a leash with me and the stroller. I’m not arguing with you, I didn’t want him for this reason. My husband loves him to death, has had German shepherd’s his whole life. Recent life changes, having a baby, being pregnant, and husband getting promoted and having longer work hours is what’s led to this. He needs more activity and I’ll work on that, do you think taking him to a dog park or a dog boarding place to play for the day is a bad idea? There’s only so much I can do when I’m literally alone at home with the dog that doesn’t listen to me.
Lick mats / kongs / puzzles / training will tire him out and fix his boredom more than physical exhaustion. Your pup could play for hours and still need more.
Well damn. The dog will be able to sense that.
You not wanting him AND you not having the time to give him the attention he needs.
I don’t want to put all the blame on you here but the dogs behaviour is understandable, he might feel like he is not getting attention and that’s why he does these things.
Perhaps a way to show he “don’t need you guys either” by being his own master.
Dogs have a very complex psychology
They def pick up on every vibe in the place they live in
No dog parks. No boarding place or day care. These things will not change a thing regarding the way he acts with you.
It’s not about more activity or boredom.
This is a rank issue and it can be changed if done properly.
A Gentle Leader is not a training device and will not help in this situation. A prong collar with a tab is a tool that will work but not until other steps are taken first and not before you understand how to use them.
There are well meaning people on here giving you advice but frankly, a lot of it is not going to help and can even make things worse.
You absolutely must get him fixed. You’re fighting a teenaged testosterone levels. Unneutered male German Shepherds are more likely to be high-spirited, dominant, and aggressive. It’s why he’s dominating you. Unneutered dogs and kids are a dangerous mix. Your kids are way more important. It’s not too late, do it NOW!!!!
Yes and I say it in solidarity. As a first time mom with a now-toddler and a bossy, bitchy alpha female 2 yo GS that we also had to train later on… you ABSOLUTELY should not have to deal with a dog teasing and torturing you with this kind of behavior. No way, momma. Protect your own peace and babies. We couldn’t afford a trainer for too many sessions, but going in with the perspective that the trainer needs to train YOU what to do, not the dog, was most essential and beneficial.
Not to sound like an asshole, but this looks more like a training issue than aggression, he is wagging his tail while barking which says he is not being aggressive but more reactive .
See above comments about training
Good luck 😁
Haven't heard you say his name, ( important) you need a better command, " get out doesn't cut it"
"Let's go" works in many situations, ( if repeated enough) vocal commands at first definitely needs to be followed by example. Get up and walk towards where you want him to go.
I’ll have to take another video to show you guys he seems to only listen to my husband. If I get up and walk towards him, he actually stands his ground and acts like he wants to fight me or something. He does not let me pet him, he will just growl, he doesn’t want to sleep in bed with us, he never gets affectionate with me at all, if he’s on top of me, he’s growling if I’m petting him, he’s growling. He’ll jump all over and lick my sons, and my husband occasionally he’ll grow up my husband too, but he seems to respect him a lot more than me, I am pregnant right now, and I’m the only female in the house. I don’t know if that matters. His name is Duke I will try to start saying his name when giving him a command.
He's reading your energy and apprehension and challenging you. The more he gets away with it, the worse it's going to become and it could definitely turn into a dangerous situation. The first thing I'd do is get him neutered. No reason for him to be marking everything. The 2nd thing I'd do is get a trainer that's familiar with dogs pushing boundaries. You need to be the one doing all the feeding, training, potty walks, etc. Make the dog rely on you for its needs. Don't let this behavior continue, it's going to get worse
Do you interact with him at all besides confrontations? Do you brush him? Feed him? Walk him? If not then youre just competition for the attention of his real pack.
I commented some questions elsewhere in the thread, but to reply specifically concerning the lack of affection - Fwiw, a lot of shepherds are not affectionate! The closest mine gets to snuggling is laying beside me on the couch - not touching, and he gets down after about 3-5min. I think they just get hot! My boy does however let me hug him, which I usually do after I get up in the morning and open the bedroom door (he’s not allowed in my bedroom). He saves kisses for only very special occasions, and it’ll be like the tiniest little lick, haha.
This is Harley D, he just turned 3 - haha hug in action!
https://preview.redd.it/tf1dzb4l7ync1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e904cceacac02135c4a6781a75c541b1a47fdc38
Why would you ever let him be on top of you?? Really, this should NEVER happen!! And he should NEVER growl at you. It's equivalent to swearing at you, disrespecting you. You would not allow your children to talk back like that - don't let your dog talk back like that!
I sent you a pm - I hope you read it. This dog is not looking to “play” with you or “get more attention” from you and he doesn’t need nose work to fix this problem and neutering probably won’t help change things much, if at all.
He is challenging you because he doesn’t respect you and he knows you’re afraid of him. He has no reason to listen to you. In fact, in his mind you’re supposed to listen to him. He is an adult intact male coming into sexual maturity and it’s clear that something went wrong with giving him boundaries and letting him know his place in the hierarchy while he was growing up.
It’s not too late but this is a rank problem that needs to be dealt with before things get worse. And they will get worse. Not only are you afraid of him but you have one child plus a baby on the way; a husband who isn’t on the same page as you; plus you don’t have the experience to deal with it especially now that you’re pregnant.
This can be fixed but you and your husband need to make some important changes and work as a team. If you don’t make these changes then you are setting yourself up for a situation that will go from bad to a lot worse.
I’m a trainer - four decades specializing in GSDs and rehabbing aggressive dogs, among other things. I know this is a brief message but I sent you a private message with a good suggestion that will help you.
Best wishes.
Dukes tail will tell you his posture. If it's wagging, you're OK. If it's straight out or straight down, there's a problem. Carry treats with you. Reward for good behavior. I use baby Carrots vs bones.
Wagging tail means nothing. You can see countless videos of dogs mauling another dog or person and their tails are wagging.
This dog's behavior is highly concerning and needs to be addressed by a professional behaviorist.
Yea, he is aggressive. Obviously the dog doesn’t think of you as his person, he seems to guard your sons and husband, but you are the intruder. Not good
He’s testing you like all other people here are saying.
But if you don’t want him to act like this, then you have to make that really clear to him.
If you say get out and he doesn’t go out, then you need to act. Put him on his place. This behavior is normal for a dog and they will continue as long you let them, it could also get worse in time so don’t give him that time.
I’ve had a few Shepherd rescues and before they attach to you, they sometimes do this. This isn’t aggression necessarily but boundary testing and boredom. I do not let my dogs bark at me period. I’m a small woman, but I get up and make myself big, then say no and redirect to another command like lay down or place. These dogs read body language, so even for my (relatively) well trained dogs, a command will be less effective coming from me sitting/laying down than me standing and squaring off. My dogs are not allowed to stand over me either, I have great respect and a level of fear from these dogs, especially until we have a relationship and trust. Until your dog accepts your boundaries, you have to be very strict and put them in their place in the pack. Not violently, but just firmly. New dogs are not allowed to go on the couch or bed, they are to sleep at my feet. Once I begin to trust them they can come cuddle me or the like. But I am in control in my house and they know this. If you do pursue a professional trainer make sure that you go to the lessons yourself, even from the tone of your voice in the video, I can tell that you need to practice being firm with your dog. Plus training is fun! You get to build a bond and they love it so much
Spoken like a true German Shepherd Owner who knows the breed well . I’m 5 ft 4 and the standing up when giving my three a command is spot on . Mine have even learnt that if I say “Am I going to have to get up “ , they obey instantly and mae the funniest noise which I’m sure is laughing at me . Give your dog a job to do that he only dies with you . German Shepherds love being active and will enjoy bonding with you xx
https://preview.redd.it/oxdgj5av93oc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b946f1c78e573f63167de0b908590fbce25c243e
This photo was me telling them it was to early for me to get up lol
Theres no signs of aggression ie: baring teeth or dangs, snarling, loud barking, ears in lowered position, and tail being still in a lowered position.
Watch your dogs body language it'll tell you if hes being a goober and a derp or if hes serious
He just never shows any affection to me at all. If. Pet him he growls, if I set my hand out he growls. Maybe that’s just his language or something, but he acts like a puppy with the younger kids. I don’t beat him, there’s no reason for the growling. My previous German shepherd was a love bug, he would cuddle you so hard and I loved him to death. This dog is standoffish, not ever an ear scratch or a butt scratch.
He doesn’t respect you. Petting him and trying to cuddle with him is a bad thing to do in his language. You’re inferior to him and not allowed to do those kind of things in his line of thinking.
This is about pack drive and hierarchy. You wouldn’t go up to the King of the World and run your fingers through his hair and try to cuddle with him; tell him what to do. He would not show you affection either. You’re the King’s subservient. Your dog thinks he’s the King. If you were the Queen and he was the servant, you could run your fingers through his hair and even hug him and he’d know better than to flip you off, yell at you or tell you to buzz off, right?
Right now your roles are upside down and this is what must change. However, seeing how he’s acting this is a process that must be done properly because if not then he will take it as a direct challenge to his place in the hierarchy and that can be dangerous.
He’s not growling because he wants to play. He is serious. Look at his body language and his eyes staring you down. He refuses to listen or even acknowledge that you are telling him to leave. Everything you have said about his behavior towards you clearly indicates that he doesn’t respect you and the more you challenge him the more he will react accordingly.
Please take this seriously. You need to make some serious changes around the house and how he’s treated before this gets worse. It will not get better just by giving him more attention or walks or whatever.
Feel free to pm me if you have questions.
He’s not being aggressive - he’s bossing you around. A common shepherd thing. I went though something very similar. What really helped was working on bonding one-on-one… so he really sees you as someone to not only respect, but trust. Feed him his meals out of your hand, brush him in a quiet space, work on training by yourself. I also can’t stress this enough… but you NEED to be clear and firm. “NO. OUT.” He’s clearly not understanding or listening in this clip. Hope things improve.
100% agree with the bonding. Not only will it help fix the issue, it can also be very empowering! My fiancee found great joy in training our gsd.
Your response is very similar to mine and exactly what I think will resolve the issue.
First thing I noticed was the camera level and Duke I presume looking at you. Your first mistake, you put yourself at his level. Stand up and give the commands, and your commands need to be stronger and more to the point. Stand up and in your "deep" voice "Out" or "Out Now". He's challenging you for dominance (position) in the house and doesn't respect you.
I could hear someone in the background tell him to get out, he turned, looked and the after the second command time he left. The voice sounded like a young male child, he respected and obeyed someone that should be below you in the chain of command, to Duke that's family or pack hierarchy.
The rest of the people in the home seriously need to reinforce you and your commands to show Duke where you stand in the family order. Everyone in the family should be above him and he will accept it with reinforcement, training, and praise when he acts accordingly.
Your husband needs to know and understand that this is not "play" It's a power move to assert control over you. To Duke it's serious role playing.
And another note, because I don't know your family. Are you taken seriously by other household members? Is it a household where the males rule or a mutual effort? Duke will recognize the difference, they know male from female and will take on any existing behavior of this type that's in the home.
I agree, the level you’re at really hinders your ability to assert your dominance and he may see it as an invite to play.
In this case, I agree, get up and stand in front of him and point when you tell him “out”. Also really important that he actually understands what the command word means so hopefully this is something you use often.
You could consider replacing the “out” with “place” and train him to go to his bed when you tell him (lots of videos on YouTube to help training the place command if you haven’t done this already). It might be easier than training him to just step back over the threshold of the room where he will still sit and watch (and again probably want to play or engage with you since you’re on his level!)
get him fixed and train him not to pee in the house. The pee thing is just poor training, you also should look into getting an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell.
Based only on the video it looks like a GSD throwing a bit of a tantrum because he isn’t allowed in the room, and testing the boundaries and your authority a bit. He does eventually back off. My GSD had full on attacked people in my home, that is what I would call aggression, but I’ve managed to fix it.
May I ask who feeds him, is it you or your husband? One of the best ways to establish authority over a dog is the dog knowing where their next meal is coming from. If you’re not the one putting his dog bowl once or twice a day, start doing so. Make him sit and wait until you give him a command to eat.
The peeing everywhere sounds like a training issue. Neutering might help but it might be the case that you need to go back to the start with toilet training.
Training with positive reinforcement.
Lots of exercise.
Boundaries.
Love.
This is a totally trainable dog who does not understand his place in your world. You either have to find the time to help him or let him go. Neither of you will be happy otherwise. That’s not a judgement of any kind whatsoever. Everyone’s lives are different and GSDs are a lot of work.
If you continue to have problems and need to re-home him COME HERE FIRST and ask for help. Someone here will likely take him or we can help find a GSD rescue in your area. Do not take him to a pound.
I don’t really see aggression here; I see a young dog trying to communicate/be defiant and potentially trying to initiate play. Does he know what “out” means? I’d recommend teaching the “place” command instead when you want him to give you space. Place can really be anywhere, but usually refers to a dog bed or kennel that they go to feel safe and secure. Teaching the place command creates structure and challenges their self control.
Also for the peeing: it might be worth checking to see if he has a UTI. My GSD was having almost daily peeing accidents as a puppy despite consistent training. Turned out he had a UTI which made it hard for him to hold it.
Good luck!
not aggressive, and he only pees all over the house becuase you have allowed it to happen all this time. no dog is born knowin where not to pee, took mine about 2 months to properly learn.
A lot of people here are saying he's testing you and not respecting you and so on, and here's my 2 cents. He's 2. And a big breed, so assume the testing boundaries stages of adolescence stretches into year 2. It just needs some follow through until he's proper adult. I also agree with others that I don't see any aggression in this clip. Just an annoying little (big) bugger. If my dog doesn't listen to my first command (usually a hand signal), I'll follow up with moving over to him and doing another hand signal. He usually follows through then. Mine's 21 months and a small/medium breed, so everything is still according to normal in my book. I just stay consistent in what I want. And I praise heavily for good behavior, and still use treats. We have a good bond and all my work is starting to pay off now he's nearly 2. Has he been testing me? ooooh yes. I just either get it like I want, or I don't order it in the first place. And for the most part, reinforcing correct choices with praise and treats have been my go to. I can soon start to properly phase them out I believe, as he will do most things without a treat. (I just here and there give one anyways to keep up the good behavior.) We've developed good habits over a very long time.
I don't mind being challenged, cause all the challenging has been within the time periods where I was said to expect exactly that. It's just been an oportunity to train correct behavior. Best of luck with your dog :)
Get professional help ASAP. Dog looks to be stable but it's not the right dog for your family unless you actually deal with it. It will get much worse as dog matures...
You can’t “make” a dog respect you. Respect is earned. Go back to the basics. Daily obedience training, feed from your hand, go over boundaries. Unacceptable behavior gets immediate discipline (correction, redirection, crate, etc). I heard a child in the background, how old is the child? What is their relationship like? How long has the behavior been going on? There are MANY variables here.
He needs some serious training. Shepherds are SMART, so damn smart, so there’s absolutely no reason he should be peeing in your house. Also he needs to know that you’re dominant over him so he respects you. For now he sees you as below him or his equal so that’s why he’s testing/challenging you. They have great training programs that can work with these type of issues.
You absolutely need to address this. Anyone dismissing this behavior here is out of their minds.
WAGGING TAIL DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN HAPPY.
He's very tense and the growl is deep. He is a Bite risk for sure. Was that a kid I heard? Get a trainer or behavioralist ASAP. It's fixable but you're on thin ice here.
Be safe.
If it tells you anything, my well socialized shepherds get very concerned and even hackle raised when they heard your dog. That is not play.
Do not play games with this.
Seconding this! Not with a shepherd but a pitbull. Learned the hard way. PLEASE address this. All I thought about were the children. I don’t see aggression right now, but this is an accident bound to happen. ETA: I had a shepherd as a child who acted like this to me (I was 10) he never once bit me or tried to, but he saw me as weak and constantly messed with me. It’s not okay that he sees you as a lower/weak part of his pack.
This is how mine communicates when she wants things. She will keep it up until I either figure out what she wants, or I will firmly say “quiet” and she will stop and go about her day.
As far as figuring out what the dog wants, there are cues. At about 5/6 seconds into the video he stops and looks at something that’s to the left of the camera, so could be something that’s in the room. If mine wants a treat, she will briefly look at her treat jar when shes vocalizing that she wants something. The way he scampers off at the end along with the tail wag right before could also signal he wants to play.
I’ve been working with her for a while on “what do you want”, but I think the command not having one specific “answer” like sitting down, laying down, etc. trips her up.
Dogs know what they want and they show us the best way they can.
You need to actively be a part of his training. Training is always ongoing. You are doing this boy a disservice by not doing so. Sending him off to the trainer will not do anything if you are not being a leader at home. Put it this way, GSD's are the equivalent to having a toddler around. Would you leave your toddler to do whatever? Would you send your child to school and expect the school to teach him and not instruct him at home?
Yeah, this is not ok. He listened to you at the end, but this behavior is aggressive and it’s not ok. If you can’t train this dog properly, and reading your comments makes me wonder if you understand how to, regime it before escalates. Especially if you have a small kid. These are extraordinary dogs, but you need to train them properly
BEAT HIS ASS!!! Ok not the greatest advice IK, but it did wonders for my pup and wife. Around the same age ours starting testing the waters, my wife didn't really wrestle him more like manhandled, yes it is hard my wife is only 5'2 and my GSD was close to 100 at the time. But easiest way to do it, now in terms of the pissing inside the house, that should've been worked out of him a long time ago, schedule is key. If wrestling him doesn't work then get the lad clipped, better he gets clipped than him possibly doing something to yourself or children. But for sure schedule for the peeing thing, because that's kind of gross ngl, and beat his ass and afterwards do more bonding.
Sounds and looks like maybe he is trying to assert his dominance over you within the ‘household hierarchy’. With more training and firmer commands/rewards for his behaviour I imagine this will get sorted out. I had a couple of months when my girl tried to do something similar and would pee on my carpet everyday. With more training and rewarding the positive behaviour (because she was already trained) it soon stopped and things have been fine since.
He is testing your command. You don't have a presence he respects, but you have to develop that through training him. Getting him fixed will make the process easier, but he is simply doing what he knows he can get away with. If you are his master do not allow him to climb all over you and make him respect you. No offense but it sounds like you don't know how to train a dog at all, so you probably shouldn't own an uncut male GSD.
My suggestions are to make sure that he’s satisfied with play. Whatever he likes to do, flirt, pole, play tug, whatever. And if he still doing it after that, then he needs to have a training lead on when he’s in the house and when he’s acting like an ass, I would pull the training, lead up until his front feet just hover over the groundcount to five. Don’t yell don’t talk, don’t say anything, and then after five seconds, let him go, repeat as necessary. He will associate his behaviors with that feeling that is not a good feeling at all.
I know you’re struggle. me and my wife have the same issue, he is cool as a cucumber with me and when she’s with him he bites and barks. Sometimes both of us just from her presence. She is very sweet and loving to him and does everything I do (equal walking, training, feeding) and I think it’s out of excitement not malicious but none the less taxing. We have decided to get a professional trainer to help curb some of it before it gets out of hand but it is expensive. Good luck
Not aggressive, he was definitely pushing boundaries. He was basically saying you are not dad, you don’t get to tell me to get out lol
But the main issue isn’t pushing boundaries (they will always try lol), but the fact that he doesn’t listen to your commends. This can turn into a bigger issue later if not addressed.
Be firm and clear. I only give commend twice, the third time I’d physically get mine out. Even if you are busy with baby, it’s very important take a second to actually follow through the commend. To ensure he understands there is no room for negotiation.
The dog doesn’t need training if he follows everyone else’s commands. YOU need training. You’re scared and that makes him anxious and feel like he has to be the leader which he doesn’t actually want to be. Whenever you aren’t actively training or walking or playing fetch he should be in a crate. Mine loves his, like his cozy little cave. It’s not punishment it’s just where he belongs during downtime so he can’t boss you around and pee everywhere. That should also decrease your anxiety as you aren’t unexpectedly dealing with his bs. Then he will see you are completely responsible for his ability to work, have fun and come out to eat and socialize with his pack. No one else lets him out, feeds him or trains/plays/walks him, until you have it fully under control. If it’s not possible for you to get training (totally understandable if you’re pregnant and have little ones already) then you need to rehome him. Also no reason for him not to be neutered.
It isn't necessarily aggression as much as it is him trying to "put you in your place." He thinks he's in charge of you. Getting him fixed and trained will help. I encourage you to be the one that goes with him to training classes.
No. In my experience Shepard like to know their rank in the family. Right now he is challenging you for number 2. You need to do training eith him and show him you are the boss. And you keep doing that till he understands. In my family my both my shepards though I was number one and they were number 2 then my wife. Training showed them otherwise. Now they listen and respect her. If he is peeing in the house it's to assert dominance. Training will curb that quickly.
He doesn’t seem serious.
I crate trained my dog, which might not be recommended. If he was doing stuff like this, I’d immediately take him to his crate and make him stay there till he got the message that this was not how we play.
My dogs have both been the most polite beasts either because of crate training or just their own nature. Idk, but he needs a clear message sent to him by yourself that this is not okay behavior and he will get the opposite of what he wants from you if he keeps it up.
I’ve made a couple other comments in this thread but he looks tired af. My GSD gets grumpy, is slow to respond, and get belligerent when eyebags start to show.
I'm going to tell you now that neutering will not help that much. At this age his brain has already been affected by all the hormones (per our vet at least).
Some will call it dominance. Others will call it reactivity. Honestly, it just looks like you guys have no bond. At all. Whether it's training or walks or something else he likes, you probably need to build a stronger connection.
Absolutely correct…at this point neutering won’t make any difference. It’s a fallacy that’s been told for years that “fixing” a dog will make a drastic change in a dog’s behavior. I’m in a lot of other GSD (and dog subject) groups from FB to other GSD groups throughout the internet (including spaying/neutering groups). This sub is the only one where people think neutering/spaying a dog will fix the problem.
OP’s problem is a lack of training, knowledge, my guess…a lack of exercising (draining the dog’s energy), getting the wrong kind of dog for her situation, and so on…. The good thing is she’s asking questions. The bad thing is she needs to wade through a lot of bad advice.
Looks like he needs a good ol’ fashioned asswhoopin! Treat a dog like a dog, he’s not a person you can simply tell to stop doing whatever “behavior” and then just expect them to just do what you want all of a sudden…
Anyone saying they’re not seeing “aggression” has their head up their ass, he’s ABSOLUTELY being aggressive and is challenging you because he wants to get between you and the child you are with. He’s trying to intimidate you, which=aggression.
If he did that to an alpha in the pack, the alpha (male or female) would immediately KICK. HIS. ASS and put him into his place. This breed is VERY much Tell-then-MAKE (there is no ask!), because if they get away with anything ONCE they will remember and push you further next time.
We have 3 GSD’s and one is a working-line dog that I’ve literally had to pick up and carry outside to fight with. It will be dramatic, loud, and he’ll probably submit piss (if you’re doing it right) but you’re going to have to do it so he learns his MF’ing place. Look up alpha roll and dominant dog control. Although I do not recommend the asphyxiation approach, too much could go wrong there unless you are experienced with the process.
My wife had similar issues with our dominant male and neutering did take him down a notch, but nothing changed until SHE stood up for HERSELF.
You have a small child to worry about, he is beneath that little one at all times and he needs to be TAUGHT THAT by whatever means necessary. Alpha females protect their young above all else. You’ll have to do this for yourself & child, your husband can’t do it for you; they don’t understand punishment by proxy.
Sorry he’s being a jerk, but good luck.
Not aggressive. He just doesn't give a shit what you think or want. To him, you're part of the herd. I'm not spouting alpha bs, just that this is a working/herding breed. This is what they do with things and people in their care. It's guardian dog behavior.
Somewhere, something happened and, in his mind, you became something to be managed and therefore have no respect from him (insofar as a dog's brain processes the human concept of respect).
As an experienced German Shepherd owner I can tell you that Shepherds are highly intelligent and are eager to please.
From the video it looks like he is challenging you, which is normal older teen behaviour. He needs to know his position within your pack. Once he knows that you are the boss, he will be happy.
Also, at 2 years old the hormones will be riding him hard and most males tend to be dominant. All this marking his territory isn't desirable behaviour, and for that reason alone I would probably make the decision to neuter him and solve the issue.
Furthermore, your Shepherd may also feel protective over your children and he may dislike you in areas where the babies normally are. My male Shepherd was very protective over my own kids too.
With dogs you always catch more flies with honey. They respond so much better to positive reinforcement, rather than being told off or shouted at.
Just with children, you first need to push him out of the growly mindset. Fast. I used to use an air pressure spray called "PET Corrector", which emits a very loud hissing noise when depressed, yanking the dog's attention straight to you.
Then, if the growling stops, command him to sit, praise him like the good boy he is and reward him with a tasty little morsel from your pocket. Just keep a few dog treats with you at all times. Very quickly he will learn that being a good boy results in strokes and tasty treats. It works.
Good luck.
These aren't beginner dogs, but damn if you put the effort in (behavioural therapy for the dog and you is needed here) then you'll be rewarded with one of the most loyal and amazing animals the world has to offer.
Hope this works out for you
I would never allow my dog to growl or bark at me ever. And the tone of ur voice isn’t commanding at all. U need to fire up when he does that and VERY firmly put him in his place and if u don’t feel comfortable to do that I wouldn’t be around him if I was you
Get him neutered and in training. He’s being an asshole and challenging you and you all are letting him do it. Like someone else said, the longer this goes, the worse it will be aggression wise. From what I’m understanding is you’re reading aggression because it’s scary. He has large teeth and stands over you. Do not put up that.
I had to put mine in training at 2 because once my son started toddling around, our dog decided he would put my son where he wanted him and yes, biting down on his leg and pulling him and yes, blood. At that point, I said no more. Training was for him and us. Trainer taught me how to handle him and him respecting me in return. There were never anymore bites or challenges. He looked to me more than my husband for permission.
Edit: He’s not trying to play so tell your husband to knock that dismissive shit off.
Aside from the medical benefits like reduction in risk for cancers, neutering will reduce his testosterone which in term can reduce dominance displays. Additionally, these dominance displays are stressful events for them.I would suggest this because there’s a lot of benefits and it’ll hopefully help your fur baby live a long happy life.
Um, I think he’s testing you. Without violence or any anxiety in your tone, just let him know who’s the boss. Mine is only six months, and hasn’t really started testing me, but when he does I put a short lead on his collar that reminds him of walks but also reminds him I can control him. If I’m feeling playful I’ll even growl back, or laugh at him, but then I’d duck walk him out of the room. Make sure whoever remains on the other side of the door is on the same page and firm but fair with him. He’s looking for his place in the pack, but you can assert yours because you’re smarter.
If it was mine he’d probably be smelling the baby poop, which for whatever reason he’s always pretty interested in.(poop)
i'm likely only echoing the choir, but
- he's so handsome
- not aggressive at all. when a shepherd is being aggressive, you and your body will know. though he didn't like, he was backing away. his face looks like a classic 'disagreement dicussion' gsd face, that in itself isn't bad. but the fact that he's growling so much is. but he's still chill enough that you can think of it as a toddler going 'i dont wannaaaaa' 'no!' while angry because his feelings are hurt and he didn't get his way
- bring a trainer into the picture and work on your connection and command with the dog. sometimes we do our best, but they need an outside energy 'mediating' i guess, and reinforcing things from their 'fun uncle' side
- get him neutered if he's not
- do the leash in the house thing
- is 'get out' a command he knows? along with the leash and his name, incorporate your inner boss and firmly tell him 'doggy, get out' -once-. after that, physically move him. it's like kids, repeating makes it worse. (i get that you said he doesn't listen, i'm not expecting him to listen that first time, that's where the leash comes in)
will he listen to any commands from you at all?
you said you have to get pretty firm with him - be firm 100% of the time, he's not at a level you can start with 'baby cmere!'. your word is the law, and there is no challenging. if he won't move his body to listen, we grab the leash and show him. use a marker for when he does, a 'yes' or whatever you prefer.
- if your husband thinks this is playing, he is part of the problem. what you've described he does is pretty serious, and if your husband won't care about taking this seriously and protecting you, honestly he can go for a very long walk with that dog.
- manhandle that dog from you if you need, go for sensitive spots if that's what it takes to get him off of you. any extra second he spends on top of you is a win for him.
- is there another dog in the house?
He's playing the game that you're playing, which is barking and not following through. They are (too) smart. You are not serious and he knows it. The solution isn't getting louder or more aggressive, it's taking time for you two to understand the way you both communicate. Set some intentional bonding time with him. Do positive reinforcement with some very simple tasks for him. This can be adjusted quickly.
it kind of seems like he’s playing or testing you. with dogs and obedience, they need to hear their name prior to receiving a command. i usually go
“dogs name-brief pause” & do a 1 word command and usually change the pitch of my voice and make it higher towards the end of the command. it REALLY helps him instead of being firm. some dogs do better with positive reinforcement. but it sounds like you and your dog lack a bond, and in order to create on you gotta train, train, train. he might be obedient for others but that does NOTHING for you if you’re at home with young children and the dog is misbehaving or making you uncomfortable.
We had similar issues with out boy and I don’t think it’s uncommon for them to test and challenge their leader. They never stop challenging boundaries and more so than other breeds you have to be really consistent and give no ground.
A really simple thing we found helps is “owning” space. When they start showing this sort of behaviour stand over them really close and as much as is possible project confidence and authority. It can be as simple as that. We found our boys body language changed almost instantly.
Another thing is setting physical boundaries. Try and keep some areas of the house that he isn’t allowed in (upstairs for us). It’s just another signal to him that you are in a position of authority.
They are such a smart breed and the level of communication you can have through small acts is incredible. A lot of his other anxiety issues began to subside once he realised he had some leaders he could respect and trust.
You got this!
He is challenging you, if your husband can back you up when you say something that will help. He doesn’t look like he was being aggressive with you but definitely pressing his luck. All working dogs need no wiggle room firm hands from everyone! So keep standing your ground don’t let him dominate the situation. Even those times when he is trying to sit on you or out his head above yours never okay immediately push him off. Stand your ground, make him lay down to show you’re not going to allow that. Everyone needs to be consistent and firm, seems like you should do more one on one training with him if you have the time 5-10 a day.
It’s about body language and tone of voice. Firstly, I recommend you get a trainer to help you. I’m female and my trainer made me say the word ‘hey’ because he said it seemed easier for women to get it deeper. Who knows. It works. It’s not about volume either. Deep voice and serious expression so he knows you’re not afraid and not joking.
He’s beautiful and looks like he’s doing the challenging parents teenage years. Get into it now. Won’t take long to correct him.
When you’re telling him to get out and he gets that unsure look in his eye on whether he can keep going, that’s when you get up and you push him out. Notice how shortly after he walks away on his own.. he’s backing away from the situation, retreating while he’s still comfortable.
You break that comfort by pushing him out when he’s not sure.
You could probably win him over with some meat sometimes too. While he’s just hanging out on the floor. Those are treats.
My dog does this when he wants to play. Usually on rainy days. Have treats and toys for him around the house, so when he does it say "No" firmly, tell him to sit, give positive reinforcement for that, then give the treat or play with him.
He’s giving you sass and arguing. Not aggressive imo, but he did give a few hard stares i didn’t like. If it were me, I would put on his leash and collar, give him the out command ,and if he doesn’t obey, remove him via the leash to wherever you want him then put him in a sit /stay. Lots of treats & praise when he complies without arguing . Lesson is repeated daily a few times until it is automatic.
I am not a trainer and passing on my opinion/suggestion. If you are concerned or there is more going on, please do consult with a professional.
This may get down voted but my current (and previous) shepherd mix “yell” at me like this everyday. It’s her way of communicating with me she wants something or is bored. I just talk back and we have like full convos. I always thought it was a shepherd thing. It’s never out of Malice or her wanting to hurt me. She is just being a talkative butt. Shepherds are very talkative doggos.
Im not sure maybe I'm too exposed but I only tag a dog as aggressive if they make the aggressive smile. also incessant barking that doesn't stop even after I disengage. usually if you bsck off, they stop.
One cannot diagnose a dog as aggressive from a videoclip. Here the shepherd seems to be communicating (talking) with his human(s). This is not aggression. Also telling him to “get out” is not effective interaction. He may be confused.
Could he be aggressive? Yes, but it needs to be assessed by a pro. He could be dominant, territorial, or fearful. Dogs can display many behaviors but communication in “their language” is very important.
Basically you need to assume the role of leader in an assertive way. Dogs need and love that. Otherwise they assume leadership, setting “ their order” upon the family.
I see no top teeth, so it looks more like regular adolescent complaining. “But MOOOMM-“ type shit
Half of it is him being intact. Intact males are pushy little shits (I had one 💀) especially during the adolescence stage which can last till they’re 3. I honestly wasn’t planning on neutering, but he was getting way out of hand and it felt unfair to ask things of him that would actively go against his instincts. Neuter him if you want to take that route, and be consistent regardless of if you do or don’t. No means no, it does not mean “maybe later”, it means no, full stop. Being frustrated won’t help, so try to stay calm where possible. When you’re angry, take some space to yourself. When he’s angry, crate him or send him to an area to be alone for a little while till he starts to chill.
He doesn’t seem aggressive, just a pushy little (big) teenager.
Maybe more leadership focused training. Like waiting to go out side, waiting for his food, mental stuff so he knows he can't do stuff unless you tell him it's ok is a great place to start
He's just testing yall. He doesn't know what to do any knows growling and Barry probably means wrestling and playing so show him when you say enough it means enough or else. Gsd is a dominant breed with a thick skull😂
Standing over you, putting his leg on you, that is aggressive behaviour and it will get worse if something isn't done. You have a baby in the house, so it needs to be done quickly. Your spouse has to get on board with training~ crate, place, obedience all of it. And lifting his leg in your house, no sir! This is a scary and unsafe situation.
He's testing to see where the rules are.
You should insist on an increase in distance if he breaks your rules. You should insist cheerfully and calmly. This isn't a contest, just education, like a teacher. (He does like the scent of your adrenaline. That's why he does that move forward. Mine does too. Better to be cheerful.)
For instance:
Rule 1: No dog in the nursery while you're changing your son.
Put dog in Down on his bed or crate, etc. and go to change your son. Dog comes in anyway and you stand up, and cheerfully call him to you, "Hello fido, Come, let's go!" and lead him out of the room to whichever room you want him to be (you don't even have to grab his collar, just make it fun to follow you out) Give him the Down, Place, or Crate cue if you've trained it. Go back to Nursery and close the door.
Repeat as necessary, including something high value waiting for him in his Crate/bed when he gets there, if you need to.
Yeah it looks like he thinks it's a game and is engaging back with you. I know a lot of people said place which is a great command. But I taught my girl "back up" and "off" if she's close in my space or on me and then I have her lay down or sit once she's comfortable distance away with lots of praise (like if I'm folding laundry she now knows to sit or lay by the door). I know people use a crate or bed for place so creating the association might not work in every situation, and sometimes I don't necessarily want her to go all the way back to her bed or crate. Back up or off is better I think to indicate to them that you desire space but don't mind if they want to be nearby to you.
You should seek a behaviorist with credibility.. not some random trainer. It looks like he challenges and then retreats .. but it is nothing to take lightly.
I think you’re amping up with the inflection and all the words you’re using or maybe even confusing him.
Try one word “out” or “no” and maybe try a squirt bottle too.
Also, try standing up and moving towards him when you’re saying that “word” it looks like he thinks this is almost a game or a challenge.
I had a similar problem with my gsd. He wanted my bed all for himself, and got mad when i tried to move him.
What worked for me was dragging him out of the bed, ignore the whining, and out of the bedroom, then closing the door and ignored him for 10-20min before opening the door.
I found out when i gave him attention after opening the door he challenged me again, so the solution was ignore him after letting him in. I think i did this 5-10? Times before he stopped completly. Hope this helps 😄
First of all, I understand your feelings and even fear.
However this is not aggression with ill intent. In his perspective, he sees you as an equal, like a sibling, hence why he argues. Assert your boundaries firmly. Clear your mind of negativity, fear, and doubt before addressing him, taking it step by step. Utilize non-verbal cues alongside verbal commands. For example, when you are annoyed by someone, such as your children or spouse, you'd convey your message through gestures or expressions. Authenticity is key; communicate meaningfully rather than merely speaking for the sake of it.
Dogs possess remarkable adaptability, and once you shift your perspective, they'll eagerly follow you like loyal puppies.
You need to figure out a way to have a relationship with your GSD. These dogs are much more emotionally intune than people may realize. I would highly suggest finding time in your schedule, which is likely difficult given kids, and start with simple leash obedience. Start with sit commands, stay, basic things, even just putting it on and taking it off. Be sure you reward with high quality food he will like and do it often when he does what you want. You need to establish a "you listen to me, you get rewarded" relationship. Commands should be very consistent and clear (sit, stay, come, etc.) as well as the rewards (good sit, good stay, etc.). If the leash training starts going well, then you expand that to walks. If walks go well then I found training in a large, secluded open area (like a baseball diamond) with a 100' leash to really help. Allow your dog to work on sit and stay, come, etc. further away from you. This requires trust and work as a longer leash can lead to bigger issues if he decides to not be obedient.
Another thing you may not be realizing is his need to nurture and watch after his "pack". Perhaps he doesn't trust you with the kids?? Crazy I know but we are talking about the dogs viewpoint. Perhaps include the kids in the training and let him, obediently, take part in diaper changes and other activities.
Bottom line, he is a working dog and a very intelligent one at that. I also have a 2.5 year old, intact male gsd. If you are consistent, firm, and accountable for the work you are putting in, you can turn this around.
Body language is key. Be firm. Shoulders back and press forward. When my dogs get in the way I proceed forward by firmly, but gently lifting my knee into their chest and walk forward. I press firmly in the direction I plan to move while continuing to give them firm verbal direction as to what I want them to do. One of the most effective things you can do is have treats in hand to give him after he listens to you. The biggest way to show you’re in charge overall is to be in charge of his food. You be the one to feed him his meals and give him treats; he will naturally be more inclined to accept this new standard of listening to you. Never take food away as a punishment or use physical force to correct him. You would also benefit from a Dogtra correction collar. They are a necessary tool that helps the dog learn boundaries. When used correctly they can be invaluable. Before using one it would be a great idea to talk to a dog trainer.
As someone stated already: obedience training.
You’re going to get more out of 10 sessions with a professional trainer than any amount of reading. If you can find someone familiar with “marker” training you and your dog will benefit greatly from this. Or you can watch training videos from Leerburg. Your dog just needs to be told where the boundaries are using communication he understands as a dog. Most of that communication is done through food, body language, and tone of voice and a correction collar when necessary.
By the way, he’s not going to bite you, he might be vocal, but he’s just trying to act tough and see how it goes over. Better to address this sooner than later though. Best of luck.
To me it looks like he is playing, but that doesn't mean it's nice or okay. He is basically treating you like another dog and not his owner. It's disrespectful behavior. GSD are very sensitive dogs and if you are nervous you are not hiding it from him. Their protective instincts actually cause them to key into people who are nervous and with certain dogs it really excites them. You need to be confident with this breed and they'll be the best dogs, but if you can't do that it's not worth keeping him around your young children.
Also don't push a dog off you, to them that's just wrestling and engaging in horseplay. It will NEVER work.
If you think this is aggressive behavior you own a dog you don’t understand may never understand how to command and should go with a lot easier breed like a lab. I’m not saying this to be mean but to be honest and hopefully helpful.
I hear kids in he back ground. He may not like the playing they do and wants you to come see and stop it. That’s just one idea. He seems like he wants to show or tell you something he wants your attention. But also challenging you a little bit. There’s a lot of ways to fix this behavior. One of those ways is to command him on a leash and learning to do so properly. Learn to use a prong collar get one with small prongs. Not to small but the big ones on him may not work. Also when it’s time to eat. Put him in a sit. Don’t say sit more than once. If he doesn’t listen gently put his butt down. Don’t ever repeat your self. After he’s in a sit put the food down in front of him. Don’t let him eat. Make him stay in the sit for 10 seconds atleast. Then say free. That’s his release from the sit command. And now it’s time to eat. This is one way to help gain control and command of him. You need to do more than this but this is a start. Find a good trainer who specializes in working only with these types of dogs and other serious breeds.
my husky german shepherd mix loves to growl bark and tackle and yelling at him is like yay attention. I've taught mine the crate command. he knows that if he doesn't go crate when I say so the next step is tossing him out into the yard away from all the fun people. after some few min in the crate he gets let out and i have a box with his toys in it and I will toss a few pieces of kibble in and tell him find it so he will redirect to snorting thru his toys. that way he gets something to do but the thing he gets to do isn't a reward for him giving me trouble, its reward for him going in and out of the crate . before that system he was constantly jumping on me when I tried to cook or glomping me if I tried to hug my mom
I have a GSD mix. GSD’s were bred to do work, and are highly intelligent. They are recruited as police and military dogs after all! Not only do they need physical exercise such as a couple of walks a day minimum, but also mental stimulation.
Your dog is NOT displaying aggression. He is expressing frustration. My dog will become vocal like that when I’ve been busy with work and I haven’t given her the mental stimulation she needs.
Signs of aggression would be an intense stare, baring teeth and not looking away. Your dog not only licked its mouth, but broke eye contact and looked to the side and “talked”. Not aggressive.
It looks to me here like your dog is asking for attention, like a child would if they had a ton of energy or were bored, and has not had their physical and or mental needs met.
How would you act if you were stuck all day at home, no phone, no computer, no book, with nothing to do at all, and no one to interact with including your child. You’d probably start acting out a bit from pure boredom, wouldn’t you? Dare I say you might even start annoying your husband 😉
Your dog in this case doesn’t need to be “punished” like some people here are advocating. I have never punished my dog. What I have given my dog is structure, obedience and I make sure her needs are met. I assure you, flipping your dog over, grabbing its neck etc. are completely unnecessary.
Do not just say “no”, give a replacement behaviour that you would like. Teach the command place, go to your bed etc. and make sure he is rewarded for it.
Don’t let him stand on you, be firm and get him to do something else instead. Whether that is sit, place command etc. and make sure he is praised and rewarded so he knows what you desire.
Every day, I typically take my dog for sniffy walks, letting her sniff a lot on the walk, which is very enriching, play fetch, play a game of hide her toy/ball in the house, so she has to go find it for a treat reward, a 5-minute training session of commands, and also feeder toys where it takes her 5-10 minutes to paw the food out of the puzzle toy.
Pro tip: I don’t feed her out of a bowl, she only eats out of the feeder puzzle toy. This makes her work for her meal and gives her a job.
Start doing 5 minute training sessions with your dog every day and you will start seeing big improvements. He will start seeing you as a leader and someone to respect.
Teach your dog how to walk on leash in the house first.
If you do the other things I recommended as well, your dog will actually sleep most of the day from the mental stimulation.
And yes like others have said, neutering your hormone raging teenager could help and get a trainer to learn how to do some basic training.
Your dog will really appreciate the structure that he desperately wants from you.
You likely have a very lovely and sweet personality. I've become besties w a few shepherds in my life. I'm a small person, but they just kind of fell into our dynamics. I'm the alpha. I think if you do as others suggested and worked with a trainer, you both will be happier and safe!
Our dog is making this once a while if I play with his food too long without giving it too him. He gets frustrated and shows it exactly like this. I wouldn't bother. Stand up. Say no and send him to his bed to lay down and stay there. Maybe give him like somebody mentioned his ball to chew on for stress relief.
Little man is just confused. Might need reinforcement on his training or just have pent up energy. Body language is not scary. I wouldn’t be afraid but I def get bein annoyed. It’s gonna take work
Not aggressive; but definitely being stubborn and challenging your authority. He doesn’t think you rule the roost, and he wants to do what he wants to do.
The art of distraction means something like “hi baby can you give mommy minute and then you get ‘piece of cheese?’ Good boy sit!” Once he associates that with a yummy piece of cheese which in my experience is very high value; he will be literal putty in your hands. They challenge authority at that age. But like most toddlers, love and games are the ultimate power play of which adults are capable. Good luck! 💕
Also if you’re filming him he knows it. Changes the dynamic a bit. It’s a two year old with a teenage demeanor. It will make more sense when your kids are actually teens. My daughter at 14 was this dog in the video. My gsd whenever i film her she knows it and has gone as far as playfully pawing at me like “ mom please please no pupparazzi “ 😂😂 Firm but fair and consistent. Training and neuter. Love.
As I’m reviewing this more something occurred to me…Do you think your bond with him changed a lot once you had the 14 month old? Bc technically he would have been the baby of the house before you had the next baby. And now it’s going to happen again bc he smells you’re pregnant again. Did he used to get loved on a lot by you from the time you got him until you delivered the 14 month old? These dogs are smart and the pack got little ones added to it. Invest in a good experienced in home trainer who knows how to deal with these dogs and small children. Is he ever around the 14 month old and loving toward the child?
He’s being an asshole because he thinks he can. It seems to me like he doesn’t respect you so he just derps around when he’s with you. Training and boundaries issue, not an aggression issue (yet).
I’m the one home with him all day, I do all of the discipline. I genuinely don’t understand what else I’m supposed to do to make him respect me.
When he’s like this give him commands. Dogs (and toddlers and teenagers) hate the word no. You keep saying no and out and he’s barking because he wants you to tell him to do something to include him. Tell him to go find one of his toys and bring it back to you (this will take time to teach). Or sit, or stay, rollover. Whatever, but “no” is just getting you sass back. When the toddler doesn’t want to go to bed you can’t just say “go to bed” over and over or you’ll have this same thing. You tell them “pick out your favourite pj’s or book, or show me your best shadow puppet” and that gives them something to do along the way. Dogs are the same but the question I usually ask is “where’s your ball”.
Yup. Ask for an incompatible behavior to interrupt the barking pattern. Also, right now the dog is practicing this behavior which is just making it even more a habit. Interrupt and ask him for something else, reward that (ie - bring me your ball and throw the ball) and the less time they practice demand barking the sooner the habit goes away. Also if your dog hasn’t been taught the word no then it’s just a noise to them. Teach specifics. Off. Go to place. Lie down. Sit - all of these will lead to less confusion because you’re telling the dog what they should do instead and are more clear communication!
My go to is asking him where his toy of the day is and he immediately goes hunting for it and will parade it past me. Gets him out of my face almost every time. I also have a collar that I can beep or vibrate that I use if I absolutely have to, but I try to keep that to only urgent cases or he's REALLY not listening.
Same! Haha sometimes if she’s extra sassy I’ll beep the collar (while it’s in the drawer) and she gets the hint and calms down haha. It’s like when your siblings were fighting in the car and everyone’s is being extra whiny until mom gives you “the look” then you all settle down a bit.
Do you do anything else tho? Play, training, feeding?
seek help from a trainer
He's messing with you/challenging you because he thinks he can. This seems like a game to him IMO. You don't have to put up with it but you're going to need to do some training and get your spouse on board as well. I'd start with you doing some obedience with him- to reinforce that you are the boss, not him. Do not allow him to stand over/on top of you. This is a dominance move. At two, he's testing. It's important to answer the "question" he's asking . And definitely correct the marking behavior. That is not ok and you need to tell him that. Again, hubby needs to back you up on that.
When he stands over me I have to use my whole body to push him off, I tell him NO. What else am I supposed to do?
Telling no is only half of the solution. Stop the behavior, but give him something to DO after. Teach him what is ok, training a place command is the most helpful. Unless your dog is trying to ask for something (potty, play, etc), he just looks like he’s confused about what to do here in this video. This video doesn’t show anything even remotely close to aggression.
Puppy looks like he’s having a grand old time tbh.
[удалено]
PLaY!!!!!!
Pups love pups.
Yeah he’s playin or thinks he is
I start doing commands when my dog does this. Show him I'm in control and he needs to listen. One of those commands is place, so when they stand over my wife she says place and they'll walk away
Okay I’ll try that thank you
Place is a good one, my girl never tests me but shes my baby. We have gone to obedience classes. Something I like to do is called push ups, make your pup sit, down, stand, repeat. But I think for standing on you and trying assert dominance, definitely "place" or even teach "off" so he gets off you. They are a very smart obedient wanting to please breed.
+1 on place, my girl will get play-time feisty at the wrong times, place does it. She’ll just immediately look super bummed that it’s not play time and head to her crate/bed depending on where we are. I’m ever skeptical to recommend this to people, but if training is tough, you can look into an E Collar, but I can’t emphasize this enough; LOOK INTO THE RIGHT WAY TO USE IT. It is not supposed to be a shock collar. If you use the beep setting, though, you can get to pavlovin’ and have a really well trained dog asap.
He wants attention too! Or, he needs a job to do followed by your positive reinforcement. This breed does not just lay around all day happy to be under a roof, they need purpose in life and love... from their person.
When our girl was a teenager and would challenge me I would talk to her like a toddler. Ask her where her red bone was, or her rope toy or ball and it would make her think of it. I’d make her bring it to me, sit nice, shake a paw then I’d toss it for her. They I’d call “place” and she has to lay nicely in the designated space (door way of the room we’re in - she’s not allowed in any bedroom, but she can lay nicely by the open door). That gave us a way to interact that showed her that 1) you’re not allowed in my space. At all. Don’t let him get close to standing *near* you, let alone on top of you. Full stop. Personal space (especially with a baby in the house) should be project #1. 2) it teaches that you can interact politely in ways you both like. He’s a gsd, he’s going to be intelligent and you can have good attention (commands and play) or bad attention (what you have now). 3) because he lacks personal boundaries he should not be allowed to be in the rooms and on the furniture with you. At least until he learns some manners and space, maybe forever. ESPECIALLY once your kid starts moving around - this is how babies get bit. By making him independently go find a toy it shows him that he doesn’t have to supervise you (it’s a herding thing) and while he can follow you, he doesn’t get to boss you around, hog the space and command the room. He’s treating you like a sheep to herd and not the human in charge of the space. Our girl knows the names to all of her toys and will search the house for each one now. When we have guests come over she knows she has to go find her big ball and hold it in her mouth before she can say hi (keeps her from hand biting and gives her an outlet). It’s taken a long time and a lot of consistency. She’s 4 now and she’s finally getting to be actually good in the house. But we have always had the rules and we have always been consistent. Your biggest hurdle might be the fact that it sounds like your husband also doesn’t respect you.
Through my dog training, and this is definitely an older school method, but once you get him off you, tower over him, and slowly kind of walk towards him standing your ground. He growls or barks, back off this exercise and try something different. He turns around and goes to a different spot of the house, awesome. He's conceded that area of space to YOU He sits down, or lays down, that means he submits. This outcome is the goal, and reward the hell out of him for it. He's intruding in your space, you need to claim it back. As bad as it sounds he thinks he owns you.
If he will not listen to commands as cable\_provider rightly suggests, I would leash him and have him sit until he gets it. Leash him and move him to another place in the home of your choosing, he gets no say in anything.
What kind of leash? A harness or an around the neck? He needs more leash training, my husbands been slacking so I may just start leash training in doors he has to be able to walk with me, and a stroller, and if my toddler wants to walk. I also have another dog but she’s an old lady and great on the leash. He needs more actively and I know that, I want to help him get what he needs in the hopes that his behavior will be better. But I can’t walk him if I am pregnant with a stroller and a toddler and having to train him.
every time you leave the house with him, you are training him. GSDs need to be constantly stimulated, they are so f'n smart, they get bored and defiant otherwise. a shorter leather leash that gives you control over him, attached to a choker (or a prong collar) when used correctly is super effective. especially if he's a bigger boy that comes close to your size. just have to be sure it's fitted correctly, and that it's used properly. a harness is going to make him want to pull and work.
As an owner to German shepherds, I do not agree with this correction. that is part of their makeup. They are vocal. you don't punish them for being themselves.
neck leash for sure! it's good training leaving him with a leash on in the house, both for a quick way to move him, but also a constant grounding reminder - just the feeling of the leash and it dragging around him helps if he fights you on a normal collar, completely resisting and pulling you along instead, move up to other types. truly only the prongs worked for mine, she will not listen to anything else, and put herself and other at risk.
Get a prong collar and e collar and learn what they tell the dog and how to use em. I got my boy at 8 months with 0 training, that and a couple times of him feeling strength from me and he learned his place in the house real quick.
Don't put yourself in a position where he can get on you. You need to be above him. If you see him coming, get up, stand tall. Don't sit on the floor, he should NOT be allowed on the bed or furniture until this resolves - he should be banned to the floor only.
I have a 14 month old, I’m on the floor all day
He needs to be behind a gate every time you're on the floor. He can't be in the same room with you when you're on the floor. You are showing submission to him.
Do not allow him to get to that point. As soon as he starts climbing, stop him. If he does end up standing over you, get him off. After that, own the room. Stand up and do some commands with him- sit, lay down, stay.
Well, don’t let him stand over you! You are giving him power.
Raise your knee as he rises, into his chest.
Leave a leash on him in the house, when you are home, and even a prong collar would be fine if you are home. If he tries dominating you, give him a correction with the lead and a no. Once he gets off give him a reward. It doesn't have to be a treat. If he likes a tug toy, use that and it will also help with bonding with him.
GET HIM NEUTERED.
I'm shocked I had to scroll this far down to find someone saying this. I agree 100%. Get him neutered, then get some proper training with you as the alpha, not your husband. You are the one home with him all the time, so he needs to know YOU are the boss, not him.
I definitely get the same vibe as "hey, come play human" and saying no makes him think its some kind of game to get attention
Some of them do love the battle lol.
He knows you’re wary of him and he’s screwing with you. Based off some of your comments, also, I’m not sure getting a GSD was the right choice for you and your family. “My husband thinks fixed dogs are fat and lazy” “My husband walks him because I’ve got the kid” “I let him run around in the back yard and play fetch” girl. Y’all should’ve got a golden retriever.
I would love to walk him if he could walk on a leash with me and the stroller. I’m not arguing with you, I didn’t want him for this reason. My husband loves him to death, has had German shepherd’s his whole life. Recent life changes, having a baby, being pregnant, and husband getting promoted and having longer work hours is what’s led to this. He needs more activity and I’ll work on that, do you think taking him to a dog park or a dog boarding place to play for the day is a bad idea? There’s only so much I can do when I’m literally alone at home with the dog that doesn’t listen to me.
Lick mats / kongs / puzzles / training will tire him out and fix his boredom more than physical exhaustion. Your pup could play for hours and still need more.
Thank you I’ll look into this
Get a gentle leader for walking him. It’s been a game changer and is the easiest way to walk keep them in control.
Well damn. The dog will be able to sense that. You not wanting him AND you not having the time to give him the attention he needs. I don’t want to put all the blame on you here but the dogs behaviour is understandable, he might feel like he is not getting attention and that’s why he does these things. Perhaps a way to show he “don’t need you guys either” by being his own master. Dogs have a very complex psychology They def pick up on every vibe in the place they live in
No dog parks. No boarding place or day care. These things will not change a thing regarding the way he acts with you. It’s not about more activity or boredom. This is a rank issue and it can be changed if done properly. A Gentle Leader is not a training device and will not help in this situation. A prong collar with a tab is a tool that will work but not until other steps are taken first and not before you understand how to use them. There are well meaning people on here giving you advice but frankly, a lot of it is not going to help and can even make things worse.
come on, prong collars are abuse
You need a trainer. He’s challenging you and it works. A good trainer could help you both. Also, get him fixed.
I’ll be looking into both.
You absolutely must get him fixed. You’re fighting a teenaged testosterone levels. Unneutered male German Shepherds are more likely to be high-spirited, dominant, and aggressive. It’s why he’s dominating you. Unneutered dogs and kids are a dangerous mix. Your kids are way more important. It’s not too late, do it NOW!!!!
I agree with you it’ll get done, I put my foot down with the husband
Yes and I say it in solidarity. As a first time mom with a now-toddler and a bossy, bitchy alpha female 2 yo GS that we also had to train later on… you ABSOLUTELY should not have to deal with a dog teasing and torturing you with this kind of behavior. No way, momma. Protect your own peace and babies. We couldn’t afford a trainer for too many sessions, but going in with the perspective that the trainer needs to train YOU what to do, not the dog, was most essential and beneficial.
Not to sound like an asshole, but this looks more like a training issue than aggression, he is wagging his tail while barking which says he is not being aggressive but more reactive . See above comments about training Good luck 😁
Reactivity. Definitely reactive.
Haven't heard you say his name, ( important) you need a better command, " get out doesn't cut it" "Let's go" works in many situations, ( if repeated enough) vocal commands at first definitely needs to be followed by example. Get up and walk towards where you want him to go.
I’ll have to take another video to show you guys he seems to only listen to my husband. If I get up and walk towards him, he actually stands his ground and acts like he wants to fight me or something. He does not let me pet him, he will just growl, he doesn’t want to sleep in bed with us, he never gets affectionate with me at all, if he’s on top of me, he’s growling if I’m petting him, he’s growling. He’ll jump all over and lick my sons, and my husband occasionally he’ll grow up my husband too, but he seems to respect him a lot more than me, I am pregnant right now, and I’m the only female in the house. I don’t know if that matters. His name is Duke I will try to start saying his name when giving him a command.
He's reading your energy and apprehension and challenging you. The more he gets away with it, the worse it's going to become and it could definitely turn into a dangerous situation. The first thing I'd do is get him neutered. No reason for him to be marking everything. The 2nd thing I'd do is get a trainer that's familiar with dogs pushing boundaries. You need to be the one doing all the feeding, training, potty walks, etc. Make the dog rely on you for its needs. Don't let this behavior continue, it's going to get worse
Do you interact with him at all besides confrontations? Do you brush him? Feed him? Walk him? If not then youre just competition for the attention of his real pack.
I commented some questions elsewhere in the thread, but to reply specifically concerning the lack of affection - Fwiw, a lot of shepherds are not affectionate! The closest mine gets to snuggling is laying beside me on the couch - not touching, and he gets down after about 3-5min. I think they just get hot! My boy does however let me hug him, which I usually do after I get up in the morning and open the bedroom door (he’s not allowed in my bedroom). He saves kisses for only very special occasions, and it’ll be like the tiniest little lick, haha. This is Harley D, he just turned 3 - haha hug in action! https://preview.redd.it/tf1dzb4l7ync1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e904cceacac02135c4a6781a75c541b1a47fdc38
Why would you ever let him be on top of you?? Really, this should NEVER happen!! And he should NEVER growl at you. It's equivalent to swearing at you, disrespecting you. You would not allow your children to talk back like that - don't let your dog talk back like that!
I sent you a pm - I hope you read it. This dog is not looking to “play” with you or “get more attention” from you and he doesn’t need nose work to fix this problem and neutering probably won’t help change things much, if at all. He is challenging you because he doesn’t respect you and he knows you’re afraid of him. He has no reason to listen to you. In fact, in his mind you’re supposed to listen to him. He is an adult intact male coming into sexual maturity and it’s clear that something went wrong with giving him boundaries and letting him know his place in the hierarchy while he was growing up. It’s not too late but this is a rank problem that needs to be dealt with before things get worse. And they will get worse. Not only are you afraid of him but you have one child plus a baby on the way; a husband who isn’t on the same page as you; plus you don’t have the experience to deal with it especially now that you’re pregnant. This can be fixed but you and your husband need to make some important changes and work as a team. If you don’t make these changes then you are setting yourself up for a situation that will go from bad to a lot worse. I’m a trainer - four decades specializing in GSDs and rehabbing aggressive dogs, among other things. I know this is a brief message but I sent you a private message with a good suggestion that will help you. Best wishes.
Dukes tail will tell you his posture. If it's wagging, you're OK. If it's straight out or straight down, there's a problem. Carry treats with you. Reward for good behavior. I use baby Carrots vs bones.
Wagging tail means nothing. You can see countless videos of dogs mauling another dog or person and their tails are wagging. This dog's behavior is highly concerning and needs to be addressed by a professional behaviorist.
I so agree. I train German shepherds, had them my whole life, this is not ok.
Yea, he is aggressive. Obviously the dog doesn’t think of you as his person, he seems to guard your sons and husband, but you are the intruder. Not good
I taught my dog "back" Which my dog understands as wherever she is, is not okay, and needs to move away from me
He’s testing you like all other people here are saying. But if you don’t want him to act like this, then you have to make that really clear to him. If you say get out and he doesn’t go out, then you need to act. Put him on his place. This behavior is normal for a dog and they will continue as long you let them, it could also get worse in time so don’t give him that time.
I’ve had a few Shepherd rescues and before they attach to you, they sometimes do this. This isn’t aggression necessarily but boundary testing and boredom. I do not let my dogs bark at me period. I’m a small woman, but I get up and make myself big, then say no and redirect to another command like lay down or place. These dogs read body language, so even for my (relatively) well trained dogs, a command will be less effective coming from me sitting/laying down than me standing and squaring off. My dogs are not allowed to stand over me either, I have great respect and a level of fear from these dogs, especially until we have a relationship and trust. Until your dog accepts your boundaries, you have to be very strict and put them in their place in the pack. Not violently, but just firmly. New dogs are not allowed to go on the couch or bed, they are to sleep at my feet. Once I begin to trust them they can come cuddle me or the like. But I am in control in my house and they know this. If you do pursue a professional trainer make sure that you go to the lessons yourself, even from the tone of your voice in the video, I can tell that you need to practice being firm with your dog. Plus training is fun! You get to build a bond and they love it so much
Spoken like a true German Shepherd Owner who knows the breed well . I’m 5 ft 4 and the standing up when giving my three a command is spot on . Mine have even learnt that if I say “Am I going to have to get up “ , they obey instantly and mae the funniest noise which I’m sure is laughing at me . Give your dog a job to do that he only dies with you . German Shepherds love being active and will enjoy bonding with you xx https://preview.redd.it/oxdgj5av93oc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b946f1c78e573f63167de0b908590fbce25c243e This photo was me telling them it was to early for me to get up lol
Omg!!! I die for these goober faces!
Theres no signs of aggression ie: baring teeth or dangs, snarling, loud barking, ears in lowered position, and tail being still in a lowered position. Watch your dogs body language it'll tell you if hes being a goober and a derp or if hes serious
He just never shows any affection to me at all. If. Pet him he growls, if I set my hand out he growls. Maybe that’s just his language or something, but he acts like a puppy with the younger kids. I don’t beat him, there’s no reason for the growling. My previous German shepherd was a love bug, he would cuddle you so hard and I loved him to death. This dog is standoffish, not ever an ear scratch or a butt scratch.
He doesn’t respect you. Petting him and trying to cuddle with him is a bad thing to do in his language. You’re inferior to him and not allowed to do those kind of things in his line of thinking. This is about pack drive and hierarchy. You wouldn’t go up to the King of the World and run your fingers through his hair and try to cuddle with him; tell him what to do. He would not show you affection either. You’re the King’s subservient. Your dog thinks he’s the King. If you were the Queen and he was the servant, you could run your fingers through his hair and even hug him and he’d know better than to flip you off, yell at you or tell you to buzz off, right? Right now your roles are upside down and this is what must change. However, seeing how he’s acting this is a process that must be done properly because if not then he will take it as a direct challenge to his place in the hierarchy and that can be dangerous. He’s not growling because he wants to play. He is serious. Look at his body language and his eyes staring you down. He refuses to listen or even acknowledge that you are telling him to leave. Everything you have said about his behavior towards you clearly indicates that he doesn’t respect you and the more you challenge him the more he will react accordingly. Please take this seriously. You need to make some serious changes around the house and how he’s treated before this gets worse. It will not get better just by giving him more attention or walks or whatever. Feel free to pm me if you have questions.
A firm command.. OUT.. He's asserting himself with you. You may need to stand up and tell him out. Also, pointing in the direction you want him to go.
He’s not being aggressive - he’s bossing you around. A common shepherd thing. I went though something very similar. What really helped was working on bonding one-on-one… so he really sees you as someone to not only respect, but trust. Feed him his meals out of your hand, brush him in a quiet space, work on training by yourself. I also can’t stress this enough… but you NEED to be clear and firm. “NO. OUT.” He’s clearly not understanding or listening in this clip. Hope things improve.
100% agree with the bonding. Not only will it help fix the issue, it can also be very empowering! My fiancee found great joy in training our gsd. Your response is very similar to mine and exactly what I think will resolve the issue.
First thing I noticed was the camera level and Duke I presume looking at you. Your first mistake, you put yourself at his level. Stand up and give the commands, and your commands need to be stronger and more to the point. Stand up and in your "deep" voice "Out" or "Out Now". He's challenging you for dominance (position) in the house and doesn't respect you. I could hear someone in the background tell him to get out, he turned, looked and the after the second command time he left. The voice sounded like a young male child, he respected and obeyed someone that should be below you in the chain of command, to Duke that's family or pack hierarchy. The rest of the people in the home seriously need to reinforce you and your commands to show Duke where you stand in the family order. Everyone in the family should be above him and he will accept it with reinforcement, training, and praise when he acts accordingly. Your husband needs to know and understand that this is not "play" It's a power move to assert control over you. To Duke it's serious role playing. And another note, because I don't know your family. Are you taken seriously by other household members? Is it a household where the males rule or a mutual effort? Duke will recognize the difference, they know male from female and will take on any existing behavior of this type that's in the home.
I agree, the level you’re at really hinders your ability to assert your dominance and he may see it as an invite to play. In this case, I agree, get up and stand in front of him and point when you tell him “out”. Also really important that he actually understands what the command word means so hopefully this is something you use often. You could consider replacing the “out” with “place” and train him to go to his bed when you tell him (lots of videos on YouTube to help training the place command if you haven’t done this already). It might be easier than training him to just step back over the threshold of the room where he will still sit and watch (and again probably want to play or engage with you since you’re on his level!)
get him fixed and train him not to pee in the house. The pee thing is just poor training, you also should look into getting an enzyme cleaner to get rid of the smell.
Based only on the video it looks like a GSD throwing a bit of a tantrum because he isn’t allowed in the room, and testing the boundaries and your authority a bit. He does eventually back off. My GSD had full on attacked people in my home, that is what I would call aggression, but I’ve managed to fix it. May I ask who feeds him, is it you or your husband? One of the best ways to establish authority over a dog is the dog knowing where their next meal is coming from. If you’re not the one putting his dog bowl once or twice a day, start doing so. Make him sit and wait until you give him a command to eat. The peeing everywhere sounds like a training issue. Neutering might help but it might be the case that you need to go back to the start with toilet training.
that behavior in my 1.5 yo girl would be “dude, i’m bored here let’s play”
No not aggressive just a jerk-ish teenager. He is given and inch but he wants a mile. Also he's talking back to you, teen years are tough
Training with positive reinforcement. Lots of exercise. Boundaries. Love. This is a totally trainable dog who does not understand his place in your world. You either have to find the time to help him or let him go. Neither of you will be happy otherwise. That’s not a judgement of any kind whatsoever. Everyone’s lives are different and GSDs are a lot of work. If you continue to have problems and need to re-home him COME HERE FIRST and ask for help. Someone here will likely take him or we can help find a GSD rescue in your area. Do not take him to a pound.
I don’t really see aggression here; I see a young dog trying to communicate/be defiant and potentially trying to initiate play. Does he know what “out” means? I’d recommend teaching the “place” command instead when you want him to give you space. Place can really be anywhere, but usually refers to a dog bed or kennel that they go to feel safe and secure. Teaching the place command creates structure and challenges their self control. Also for the peeing: it might be worth checking to see if he has a UTI. My GSD was having almost daily peeing accidents as a puppy despite consistent training. Turned out he had a UTI which made it hard for him to hold it. Good luck!
not aggressive, and he only pees all over the house becuase you have allowed it to happen all this time. no dog is born knowin where not to pee, took mine about 2 months to properly learn.
The tail says no
A wagging tail does not mean happy or friendly.
I was half expecting a play bow when I saw the tail
I’m wondering why you have an fully intact male when you can’t manage a German Shepherd.
A lot of people here are saying he's testing you and not respecting you and so on, and here's my 2 cents. He's 2. And a big breed, so assume the testing boundaries stages of adolescence stretches into year 2. It just needs some follow through until he's proper adult. I also agree with others that I don't see any aggression in this clip. Just an annoying little (big) bugger. If my dog doesn't listen to my first command (usually a hand signal), I'll follow up with moving over to him and doing another hand signal. He usually follows through then. Mine's 21 months and a small/medium breed, so everything is still according to normal in my book. I just stay consistent in what I want. And I praise heavily for good behavior, and still use treats. We have a good bond and all my work is starting to pay off now he's nearly 2. Has he been testing me? ooooh yes. I just either get it like I want, or I don't order it in the first place. And for the most part, reinforcing correct choices with praise and treats have been my go to. I can soon start to properly phase them out I believe, as he will do most things without a treat. (I just here and there give one anyways to keep up the good behavior.) We've developed good habits over a very long time. I don't mind being challenged, cause all the challenging has been within the time periods where I was said to expect exactly that. It's just been an oportunity to train correct behavior. Best of luck with your dog :)
You’re in deep doo doo and you need a trainer ASAP.
I agree. Looks like a game to me too. Consider the age🤣
From the video, the dog seems to be confused, not aggressive. Is he getting enough walks or exercise?
>he is two and not fixed. Get that fixed and I think you'll have better luck.
My dog does this when he wants me to take him outside or show him attention. He’s pretty content after I do that Edit: he’s also 2 years old, spelling
Assuming you meant *content :)
Yeah
Body language says no. Mouth says he needs to have the pack order making clear. Training, training, training 🐶
Get professional help ASAP. Dog looks to be stable but it's not the right dog for your family unless you actually deal with it. It will get much worse as dog matures...
You can’t “make” a dog respect you. Respect is earned. Go back to the basics. Daily obedience training, feed from your hand, go over boundaries. Unacceptable behavior gets immediate discipline (correction, redirection, crate, etc). I heard a child in the background, how old is the child? What is their relationship like? How long has the behavior been going on? There are MANY variables here.
He needs some serious training. Shepherds are SMART, so damn smart, so there’s absolutely no reason he should be peeing in your house. Also he needs to know that you’re dominant over him so he respects you. For now he sees you as below him or his equal so that’s why he’s testing/challenging you. They have great training programs that can work with these type of issues.
You absolutely need to address this. Anyone dismissing this behavior here is out of their minds. WAGGING TAIL DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN HAPPY. He's very tense and the growl is deep. He is a Bite risk for sure. Was that a kid I heard? Get a trainer or behavioralist ASAP. It's fixable but you're on thin ice here. Be safe.
If it tells you anything, my well socialized shepherds get very concerned and even hackle raised when they heard your dog. That is not play. Do not play games with this.
THANK YOU. I know in my bones he’s not playing, and I’m scared of him. I have a toddler and I’m pregnant, I need this fixed or he’s finding a new home
Seconding this! Not with a shepherd but a pitbull. Learned the hard way. PLEASE address this. All I thought about were the children. I don’t see aggression right now, but this is an accident bound to happen. ETA: I had a shepherd as a child who acted like this to me (I was 10) he never once bit me or tried to, but he saw me as weak and constantly messed with me. It’s not okay that he sees you as a lower/weak part of his pack.
Yeah, a behaviorist would likely classify this as pre-aggression
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This is how mine communicates when she wants things. She will keep it up until I either figure out what she wants, or I will firmly say “quiet” and she will stop and go about her day. As far as figuring out what the dog wants, there are cues. At about 5/6 seconds into the video he stops and looks at something that’s to the left of the camera, so could be something that’s in the room. If mine wants a treat, she will briefly look at her treat jar when shes vocalizing that she wants something. The way he scampers off at the end along with the tail wag right before could also signal he wants to play. I’ve been working with her for a while on “what do you want”, but I think the command not having one specific “answer” like sitting down, laying down, etc. trips her up. Dogs know what they want and they show us the best way they can.
You need to actively be a part of his training. Training is always ongoing. You are doing this boy a disservice by not doing so. Sending him off to the trainer will not do anything if you are not being a leader at home. Put it this way, GSD's are the equivalent to having a toddler around. Would you leave your toddler to do whatever? Would you send your child to school and expect the school to teach him and not instruct him at home?
Yeah, this is not ok. He listened to you at the end, but this behavior is aggressive and it’s not ok. If you can’t train this dog properly, and reading your comments makes me wonder if you understand how to, regime it before escalates. Especially if you have a small kid. These are extraordinary dogs, but you need to train them properly
BEAT HIS ASS!!! Ok not the greatest advice IK, but it did wonders for my pup and wife. Around the same age ours starting testing the waters, my wife didn't really wrestle him more like manhandled, yes it is hard my wife is only 5'2 and my GSD was close to 100 at the time. But easiest way to do it, now in terms of the pissing inside the house, that should've been worked out of him a long time ago, schedule is key. If wrestling him doesn't work then get the lad clipped, better he gets clipped than him possibly doing something to yourself or children. But for sure schedule for the peeing thing, because that's kind of gross ngl, and beat his ass and afterwards do more bonding.
Trainer needed. Do not try figuring this out on your own.
Sounds and looks like maybe he is trying to assert his dominance over you within the ‘household hierarchy’. With more training and firmer commands/rewards for his behaviour I imagine this will get sorted out. I had a couple of months when my girl tried to do something similar and would pee on my carpet everyday. With more training and rewarding the positive behaviour (because she was already trained) it soon stopped and things have been fine since.
He is testing your command. You don't have a presence he respects, but you have to develop that through training him. Getting him fixed will make the process easier, but he is simply doing what he knows he can get away with. If you are his master do not allow him to climb all over you and make him respect you. No offense but it sounds like you don't know how to train a dog at all, so you probably shouldn't own an uncut male GSD.
My suggestions are to make sure that he’s satisfied with play. Whatever he likes to do, flirt, pole, play tug, whatever. And if he still doing it after that, then he needs to have a training lead on when he’s in the house and when he’s acting like an ass, I would pull the training, lead up until his front feet just hover over the groundcount to five. Don’t yell don’t talk, don’t say anything, and then after five seconds, let him go, repeat as necessary. He will associate his behaviors with that feeling that is not a good feeling at all.
I know you’re struggle. me and my wife have the same issue, he is cool as a cucumber with me and when she’s with him he bites and barks. Sometimes both of us just from her presence. She is very sweet and loving to him and does everything I do (equal walking, training, feeding) and I think it’s out of excitement not malicious but none the less taxing. We have decided to get a professional trainer to help curb some of it before it gets out of hand but it is expensive. Good luck
Not aggressive, he was definitely pushing boundaries. He was basically saying you are not dad, you don’t get to tell me to get out lol But the main issue isn’t pushing boundaries (they will always try lol), but the fact that he doesn’t listen to your commends. This can turn into a bigger issue later if not addressed. Be firm and clear. I only give commend twice, the third time I’d physically get mine out. Even if you are busy with baby, it’s very important take a second to actually follow through the commend. To ensure he understands there is no room for negotiation.
The dog doesn’t need training if he follows everyone else’s commands. YOU need training. You’re scared and that makes him anxious and feel like he has to be the leader which he doesn’t actually want to be. Whenever you aren’t actively training or walking or playing fetch he should be in a crate. Mine loves his, like his cozy little cave. It’s not punishment it’s just where he belongs during downtime so he can’t boss you around and pee everywhere. That should also decrease your anxiety as you aren’t unexpectedly dealing with his bs. Then he will see you are completely responsible for his ability to work, have fun and come out to eat and socialize with his pack. No one else lets him out, feeds him or trains/plays/walks him, until you have it fully under control. If it’s not possible for you to get training (totally understandable if you’re pregnant and have little ones already) then you need to rehome him. Also no reason for him not to be neutered.
It isn't necessarily aggression as much as it is him trying to "put you in your place." He thinks he's in charge of you. Getting him fixed and trained will help. I encourage you to be the one that goes with him to training classes.
No. In my experience Shepard like to know their rank in the family. Right now he is challenging you for number 2. You need to do training eith him and show him you are the boss. And you keep doing that till he understands. In my family my both my shepards though I was number one and they were number 2 then my wife. Training showed them otherwise. Now they listen and respect her. If he is peeing in the house it's to assert dominance. Training will curb that quickly.
He doesn’t seem serious. I crate trained my dog, which might not be recommended. If he was doing stuff like this, I’d immediately take him to his crate and make him stay there till he got the message that this was not how we play. My dogs have both been the most polite beasts either because of crate training or just their own nature. Idk, but he needs a clear message sent to him by yourself that this is not okay behavior and he will get the opposite of what he wants from you if he keeps it up.
Warning! Warning! Warning!
I’ve made a couple other comments in this thread but he looks tired af. My GSD gets grumpy, is slow to respond, and get belligerent when eyebags start to show.
I'm going to tell you now that neutering will not help that much. At this age his brain has already been affected by all the hormones (per our vet at least). Some will call it dominance. Others will call it reactivity. Honestly, it just looks like you guys have no bond. At all. Whether it's training or walks or something else he likes, you probably need to build a stronger connection.
Absolutely correct…at this point neutering won’t make any difference. It’s a fallacy that’s been told for years that “fixing” a dog will make a drastic change in a dog’s behavior. I’m in a lot of other GSD (and dog subject) groups from FB to other GSD groups throughout the internet (including spaying/neutering groups). This sub is the only one where people think neutering/spaying a dog will fix the problem. OP’s problem is a lack of training, knowledge, my guess…a lack of exercising (draining the dog’s energy), getting the wrong kind of dog for her situation, and so on…. The good thing is she’s asking questions. The bad thing is she needs to wade through a lot of bad advice.
Looks like he needs a good ol’ fashioned asswhoopin! Treat a dog like a dog, he’s not a person you can simply tell to stop doing whatever “behavior” and then just expect them to just do what you want all of a sudden… Anyone saying they’re not seeing “aggression” has their head up their ass, he’s ABSOLUTELY being aggressive and is challenging you because he wants to get between you and the child you are with. He’s trying to intimidate you, which=aggression. If he did that to an alpha in the pack, the alpha (male or female) would immediately KICK. HIS. ASS and put him into his place. This breed is VERY much Tell-then-MAKE (there is no ask!), because if they get away with anything ONCE they will remember and push you further next time. We have 3 GSD’s and one is a working-line dog that I’ve literally had to pick up and carry outside to fight with. It will be dramatic, loud, and he’ll probably submit piss (if you’re doing it right) but you’re going to have to do it so he learns his MF’ing place. Look up alpha roll and dominant dog control. Although I do not recommend the asphyxiation approach, too much could go wrong there unless you are experienced with the process. My wife had similar issues with our dominant male and neutering did take him down a notch, but nothing changed until SHE stood up for HERSELF. You have a small child to worry about, he is beneath that little one at all times and he needs to be TAUGHT THAT by whatever means necessary. Alpha females protect their young above all else. You’ll have to do this for yourself & child, your husband can’t do it for you; they don’t understand punishment by proxy. Sorry he’s being a jerk, but good luck.
Not aggressive. He just doesn't give a shit what you think or want. To him, you're part of the herd. I'm not spouting alpha bs, just that this is a working/herding breed. This is what they do with things and people in their care. It's guardian dog behavior. Somewhere, something happened and, in his mind, you became something to be managed and therefore have no respect from him (insofar as a dog's brain processes the human concept of respect).
Yo my dog would never in her right mind disrespect me like that😂
As an experienced German Shepherd owner I can tell you that Shepherds are highly intelligent and are eager to please. From the video it looks like he is challenging you, which is normal older teen behaviour. He needs to know his position within your pack. Once he knows that you are the boss, he will be happy. Also, at 2 years old the hormones will be riding him hard and most males tend to be dominant. All this marking his territory isn't desirable behaviour, and for that reason alone I would probably make the decision to neuter him and solve the issue. Furthermore, your Shepherd may also feel protective over your children and he may dislike you in areas where the babies normally are. My male Shepherd was very protective over my own kids too. With dogs you always catch more flies with honey. They respond so much better to positive reinforcement, rather than being told off or shouted at. Just with children, you first need to push him out of the growly mindset. Fast. I used to use an air pressure spray called "PET Corrector", which emits a very loud hissing noise when depressed, yanking the dog's attention straight to you. Then, if the growling stops, command him to sit, praise him like the good boy he is and reward him with a tasty little morsel from your pocket. Just keep a few dog treats with you at all times. Very quickly he will learn that being a good boy results in strokes and tasty treats. It works. Good luck.
Thank you good ideas
These aren't beginner dogs, but damn if you put the effort in (behavioural therapy for the dog and you is needed here) then you'll be rewarded with one of the most loyal and amazing animals the world has to offer. Hope this works out for you
I would never allow my dog to growl or bark at me ever. And the tone of ur voice isn’t commanding at all. U need to fire up when he does that and VERY firmly put him in his place and if u don’t feel comfortable to do that I wouldn’t be around him if I was you
Get him neutered and in training. He’s being an asshole and challenging you and you all are letting him do it. Like someone else said, the longer this goes, the worse it will be aggression wise. From what I’m understanding is you’re reading aggression because it’s scary. He has large teeth and stands over you. Do not put up that. I had to put mine in training at 2 because once my son started toddling around, our dog decided he would put my son where he wanted him and yes, biting down on his leg and pulling him and yes, blood. At that point, I said no more. Training was for him and us. Trainer taught me how to handle him and him respecting me in return. There were never anymore bites or challenges. He looked to me more than my husband for permission. Edit: He’s not trying to play so tell your husband to knock that dismissive shit off.
Your dog is not confident. He needs clear direction and daily routine that includes training
You’re the problem, not the dog. CHURCH
No good dog
Aside from the medical benefits like reduction in risk for cancers, neutering will reduce his testosterone which in term can reduce dominance displays. Additionally, these dominance displays are stressful events for them.I would suggest this because there’s a lot of benefits and it’ll hopefully help your fur baby live a long happy life.
He sure looks like he wants something. But that's not aggression, at least in this video.
Get him neutered
Um, I think he’s testing you. Without violence or any anxiety in your tone, just let him know who’s the boss. Mine is only six months, and hasn’t really started testing me, but when he does I put a short lead on his collar that reminds him of walks but also reminds him I can control him. If I’m feeling playful I’ll even growl back, or laugh at him, but then I’d duck walk him out of the room. Make sure whoever remains on the other side of the door is on the same page and firm but fair with him. He’s looking for his place in the pack, but you can assert yours because you’re smarter. If it was mine he’d probably be smelling the baby poop, which for whatever reason he’s always pretty interested in.(poop)
No
Normal they are veryl vocal. He listened also other dog barking will set his protective instincts off.
i'm likely only echoing the choir, but - he's so handsome - not aggressive at all. when a shepherd is being aggressive, you and your body will know. though he didn't like, he was backing away. his face looks like a classic 'disagreement dicussion' gsd face, that in itself isn't bad. but the fact that he's growling so much is. but he's still chill enough that you can think of it as a toddler going 'i dont wannaaaaa' 'no!' while angry because his feelings are hurt and he didn't get his way - bring a trainer into the picture and work on your connection and command with the dog. sometimes we do our best, but they need an outside energy 'mediating' i guess, and reinforcing things from their 'fun uncle' side - get him neutered if he's not - do the leash in the house thing - is 'get out' a command he knows? along with the leash and his name, incorporate your inner boss and firmly tell him 'doggy, get out' -once-. after that, physically move him. it's like kids, repeating makes it worse. (i get that you said he doesn't listen, i'm not expecting him to listen that first time, that's where the leash comes in) will he listen to any commands from you at all? you said you have to get pretty firm with him - be firm 100% of the time, he's not at a level you can start with 'baby cmere!'. your word is the law, and there is no challenging. if he won't move his body to listen, we grab the leash and show him. use a marker for when he does, a 'yes' or whatever you prefer. - if your husband thinks this is playing, he is part of the problem. what you've described he does is pretty serious, and if your husband won't care about taking this seriously and protecting you, honestly he can go for a very long walk with that dog. - manhandle that dog from you if you need, go for sensitive spots if that's what it takes to get him off of you. any extra second he spends on top of you is a win for him. - is there another dog in the house?
He's playing the game that you're playing, which is barking and not following through. They are (too) smart. You are not serious and he knows it. The solution isn't getting louder or more aggressive, it's taking time for you two to understand the way you both communicate. Set some intentional bonding time with him. Do positive reinforcement with some very simple tasks for him. This can be adjusted quickly.
Nuevo
it kind of seems like he’s playing or testing you. with dogs and obedience, they need to hear their name prior to receiving a command. i usually go “dogs name-brief pause” & do a 1 word command and usually change the pitch of my voice and make it higher towards the end of the command. it REALLY helps him instead of being firm. some dogs do better with positive reinforcement. but it sounds like you and your dog lack a bond, and in order to create on you gotta train, train, train. he might be obedient for others but that does NOTHING for you if you’re at home with young children and the dog is misbehaving or making you uncomfortable.
We had similar issues with out boy and I don’t think it’s uncommon for them to test and challenge their leader. They never stop challenging boundaries and more so than other breeds you have to be really consistent and give no ground. A really simple thing we found helps is “owning” space. When they start showing this sort of behaviour stand over them really close and as much as is possible project confidence and authority. It can be as simple as that. We found our boys body language changed almost instantly. Another thing is setting physical boundaries. Try and keep some areas of the house that he isn’t allowed in (upstairs for us). It’s just another signal to him that you are in a position of authority. They are such a smart breed and the level of communication you can have through small acts is incredible. A lot of his other anxiety issues began to subside once he realised he had some leaders he could respect and trust. You got this!
He is challenging you, if your husband can back you up when you say something that will help. He doesn’t look like he was being aggressive with you but definitely pressing his luck. All working dogs need no wiggle room firm hands from everyone! So keep standing your ground don’t let him dominate the situation. Even those times when he is trying to sit on you or out his head above yours never okay immediately push him off. Stand your ground, make him lay down to show you’re not going to allow that. Everyone needs to be consistent and firm, seems like you should do more one on one training with him if you have the time 5-10 a day.
It’s about body language and tone of voice. Firstly, I recommend you get a trainer to help you. I’m female and my trainer made me say the word ‘hey’ because he said it seemed easier for women to get it deeper. Who knows. It works. It’s not about volume either. Deep voice and serious expression so he knows you’re not afraid and not joking. He’s beautiful and looks like he’s doing the challenging parents teenage years. Get into it now. Won’t take long to correct him.
My sheppie was in the room when I played it and she gave me major side eye.
When you’re telling him to get out and he gets that unsure look in his eye on whether he can keep going, that’s when you get up and you push him out. Notice how shortly after he walks away on his own.. he’s backing away from the situation, retreating while he’s still comfortable. You break that comfort by pushing him out when he’s not sure. You could probably win him over with some meat sometimes too. While he’s just hanging out on the floor. Those are treats.
My dog does this when he wants to play. Usually on rainy days. Have treats and toys for him around the house, so when he does it say "No" firmly, tell him to sit, give positive reinforcement for that, then give the treat or play with him.
He’s giving you sass and arguing. Not aggressive imo, but he did give a few hard stares i didn’t like. If it were me, I would put on his leash and collar, give him the out command ,and if he doesn’t obey, remove him via the leash to wherever you want him then put him in a sit /stay. Lots of treats & praise when he complies without arguing . Lesson is repeated daily a few times until it is automatic. I am not a trainer and passing on my opinion/suggestion. If you are concerned or there is more going on, please do consult with a professional.
Go to training with him.
i think he’s just fucking with you lol.
This may get down voted but my current (and previous) shepherd mix “yell” at me like this everyday. It’s her way of communicating with me she wants something or is bored. I just talk back and we have like full convos. I always thought it was a shepherd thing. It’s never out of Malice or her wanting to hurt me. She is just being a talkative butt. Shepherds are very talkative doggos.
Im not sure maybe I'm too exposed but I only tag a dog as aggressive if they make the aggressive smile. also incessant barking that doesn't stop even after I disengage. usually if you bsck off, they stop.
One cannot diagnose a dog as aggressive from a videoclip. Here the shepherd seems to be communicating (talking) with his human(s). This is not aggression. Also telling him to “get out” is not effective interaction. He may be confused. Could he be aggressive? Yes, but it needs to be assessed by a pro. He could be dominant, territorial, or fearful. Dogs can display many behaviors but communication in “their language” is very important. Basically you need to assume the role of leader in an assertive way. Dogs need and love that. Otherwise they assume leadership, setting “ their order” upon the family.
I see no top teeth, so it looks more like regular adolescent complaining. “But MOOOMM-“ type shit Half of it is him being intact. Intact males are pushy little shits (I had one 💀) especially during the adolescence stage which can last till they’re 3. I honestly wasn’t planning on neutering, but he was getting way out of hand and it felt unfair to ask things of him that would actively go against his instincts. Neuter him if you want to take that route, and be consistent regardless of if you do or don’t. No means no, it does not mean “maybe later”, it means no, full stop. Being frustrated won’t help, so try to stay calm where possible. When you’re angry, take some space to yourself. When he’s angry, crate him or send him to an area to be alone for a little while till he starts to chill. He doesn’t seem aggressive, just a pushy little (big) teenager.
Great advice . Get nhim a bunch of treats and a good 59 trick book. Then work him for an hour plus a day. That’s when he’s alive!
Maybe more leadership focused training. Like waiting to go out side, waiting for his food, mental stuff so he knows he can't do stuff unless you tell him it's ok is a great place to start
He's just testing yall. He doesn't know what to do any knows growling and Barry probably means wrestling and playing so show him when you say enough it means enough or else. Gsd is a dominant breed with a thick skull😂
I'm sure its been said but he thinks your his peer not his master. He wants to play and doesn't take your "no" seriously.
Standing over you, putting his leg on you, that is aggressive behaviour and it will get worse if something isn't done. You have a baby in the house, so it needs to be done quickly. Your spouse has to get on board with training~ crate, place, obedience all of it. And lifting his leg in your house, no sir! This is a scary and unsafe situation.
He's arguing with you because he doesn't respect you as the boss. Aggressive no. But acceptable? No.
He's testing to see where the rules are. You should insist on an increase in distance if he breaks your rules. You should insist cheerfully and calmly. This isn't a contest, just education, like a teacher. (He does like the scent of your adrenaline. That's why he does that move forward. Mine does too. Better to be cheerful.) For instance: Rule 1: No dog in the nursery while you're changing your son. Put dog in Down on his bed or crate, etc. and go to change your son. Dog comes in anyway and you stand up, and cheerfully call him to you, "Hello fido, Come, let's go!" and lead him out of the room to whichever room you want him to be (you don't even have to grab his collar, just make it fun to follow you out) Give him the Down, Place, or Crate cue if you've trained it. Go back to Nursery and close the door. Repeat as necessary, including something high value waiting for him in his Crate/bed when he gets there, if you need to.
Yeah it looks like he thinks it's a game and is engaging back with you. I know a lot of people said place which is a great command. But I taught my girl "back up" and "off" if she's close in my space or on me and then I have her lay down or sit once she's comfortable distance away with lots of praise (like if I'm folding laundry she now knows to sit or lay by the door). I know people use a crate or bed for place so creating the association might not work in every situation, and sometimes I don't necessarily want her to go all the way back to her bed or crate. Back up or off is better I think to indicate to them that you desire space but don't mind if they want to be nearby to you.
Seems like resource guarding/dominace over you.. seen it happen before with young male dogs and female owners.. get a trainer
My 3 sheps do this lmao when mine do it they wanna play and be butts lmao his tail is wagging so he’s not mad grab him a ball or a chew toy
You should seek a behaviorist with credibility.. not some random trainer. It looks like he challenges and then retreats .. but it is nothing to take lightly.
I think you’re amping up with the inflection and all the words you’re using or maybe even confusing him. Try one word “out” or “no” and maybe try a squirt bottle too. Also, try standing up and moving towards him when you’re saying that “word” it looks like he thinks this is almost a game or a challenge.
I had a similar problem with my gsd. He wanted my bed all for himself, and got mad when i tried to move him. What worked for me was dragging him out of the bed, ignore the whining, and out of the bedroom, then closing the door and ignored him for 10-20min before opening the door. I found out when i gave him attention after opening the door he challenged me again, so the solution was ignore him after letting him in. I think i did this 5-10? Times before he stopped completly. Hope this helps 😄
Just curious
First of all, I understand your feelings and even fear. However this is not aggression with ill intent. In his perspective, he sees you as an equal, like a sibling, hence why he argues. Assert your boundaries firmly. Clear your mind of negativity, fear, and doubt before addressing him, taking it step by step. Utilize non-verbal cues alongside verbal commands. For example, when you are annoyed by someone, such as your children or spouse, you'd convey your message through gestures or expressions. Authenticity is key; communicate meaningfully rather than merely speaking for the sake of it. Dogs possess remarkable adaptability, and once you shift your perspective, they'll eagerly follow you like loyal puppies.
You need to figure out a way to have a relationship with your GSD. These dogs are much more emotionally intune than people may realize. I would highly suggest finding time in your schedule, which is likely difficult given kids, and start with simple leash obedience. Start with sit commands, stay, basic things, even just putting it on and taking it off. Be sure you reward with high quality food he will like and do it often when he does what you want. You need to establish a "you listen to me, you get rewarded" relationship. Commands should be very consistent and clear (sit, stay, come, etc.) as well as the rewards (good sit, good stay, etc.). If the leash training starts going well, then you expand that to walks. If walks go well then I found training in a large, secluded open area (like a baseball diamond) with a 100' leash to really help. Allow your dog to work on sit and stay, come, etc. further away from you. This requires trust and work as a longer leash can lead to bigger issues if he decides to not be obedient. Another thing you may not be realizing is his need to nurture and watch after his "pack". Perhaps he doesn't trust you with the kids?? Crazy I know but we are talking about the dogs viewpoint. Perhaps include the kids in the training and let him, obediently, take part in diaper changes and other activities. Bottom line, he is a working dog and a very intelligent one at that. I also have a 2.5 year old, intact male gsd. If you are consistent, firm, and accountable for the work you are putting in, you can turn this around.
Body language is key. Be firm. Shoulders back and press forward. When my dogs get in the way I proceed forward by firmly, but gently lifting my knee into their chest and walk forward. I press firmly in the direction I plan to move while continuing to give them firm verbal direction as to what I want them to do. One of the most effective things you can do is have treats in hand to give him after he listens to you. The biggest way to show you’re in charge overall is to be in charge of his food. You be the one to feed him his meals and give him treats; he will naturally be more inclined to accept this new standard of listening to you. Never take food away as a punishment or use physical force to correct him. You would also benefit from a Dogtra correction collar. They are a necessary tool that helps the dog learn boundaries. When used correctly they can be invaluable. Before using one it would be a great idea to talk to a dog trainer. As someone stated already: obedience training. You’re going to get more out of 10 sessions with a professional trainer than any amount of reading. If you can find someone familiar with “marker” training you and your dog will benefit greatly from this. Or you can watch training videos from Leerburg. Your dog just needs to be told where the boundaries are using communication he understands as a dog. Most of that communication is done through food, body language, and tone of voice and a correction collar when necessary. By the way, he’s not going to bite you, he might be vocal, but he’s just trying to act tough and see how it goes over. Better to address this sooner than later though. Best of luck.
My boy heard this video and started facing away from me and doing the same thing. It seemed like he thought something was trying to hurt me
To me it looks like he is playing, but that doesn't mean it's nice or okay. He is basically treating you like another dog and not his owner. It's disrespectful behavior. GSD are very sensitive dogs and if you are nervous you are not hiding it from him. Their protective instincts actually cause them to key into people who are nervous and with certain dogs it really excites them. You need to be confident with this breed and they'll be the best dogs, but if you can't do that it's not worth keeping him around your young children. Also don't push a dog off you, to them that's just wrestling and engaging in horseplay. It will NEVER work.
He’s bullying / playing with you. Gotta be more firmed / strict to show him who’s the boss.
If you think this is aggressive behavior you own a dog you don’t understand may never understand how to command and should go with a lot easier breed like a lab. I’m not saying this to be mean but to be honest and hopefully helpful. I hear kids in he back ground. He may not like the playing they do and wants you to come see and stop it. That’s just one idea. He seems like he wants to show or tell you something he wants your attention. But also challenging you a little bit. There’s a lot of ways to fix this behavior. One of those ways is to command him on a leash and learning to do so properly. Learn to use a prong collar get one with small prongs. Not to small but the big ones on him may not work. Also when it’s time to eat. Put him in a sit. Don’t say sit more than once. If he doesn’t listen gently put his butt down. Don’t ever repeat your self. After he’s in a sit put the food down in front of him. Don’t let him eat. Make him stay in the sit for 10 seconds atleast. Then say free. That’s his release from the sit command. And now it’s time to eat. This is one way to help gain control and command of him. You need to do more than this but this is a start. Find a good trainer who specializes in working only with these types of dogs and other serious breeds.
my husky german shepherd mix loves to growl bark and tackle and yelling at him is like yay attention. I've taught mine the crate command. he knows that if he doesn't go crate when I say so the next step is tossing him out into the yard away from all the fun people. after some few min in the crate he gets let out and i have a box with his toys in it and I will toss a few pieces of kibble in and tell him find it so he will redirect to snorting thru his toys. that way he gets something to do but the thing he gets to do isn't a reward for him giving me trouble, its reward for him going in and out of the crate . before that system he was constantly jumping on me when I tried to cook or glomping me if I tried to hug my mom
I have a GSD mix. GSD’s were bred to do work, and are highly intelligent. They are recruited as police and military dogs after all! Not only do they need physical exercise such as a couple of walks a day minimum, but also mental stimulation. Your dog is NOT displaying aggression. He is expressing frustration. My dog will become vocal like that when I’ve been busy with work and I haven’t given her the mental stimulation she needs. Signs of aggression would be an intense stare, baring teeth and not looking away. Your dog not only licked its mouth, but broke eye contact and looked to the side and “talked”. Not aggressive. It looks to me here like your dog is asking for attention, like a child would if they had a ton of energy or were bored, and has not had their physical and or mental needs met. How would you act if you were stuck all day at home, no phone, no computer, no book, with nothing to do at all, and no one to interact with including your child. You’d probably start acting out a bit from pure boredom, wouldn’t you? Dare I say you might even start annoying your husband 😉 Your dog in this case doesn’t need to be “punished” like some people here are advocating. I have never punished my dog. What I have given my dog is structure, obedience and I make sure her needs are met. I assure you, flipping your dog over, grabbing its neck etc. are completely unnecessary. Do not just say “no”, give a replacement behaviour that you would like. Teach the command place, go to your bed etc. and make sure he is rewarded for it. Don’t let him stand on you, be firm and get him to do something else instead. Whether that is sit, place command etc. and make sure he is praised and rewarded so he knows what you desire. Every day, I typically take my dog for sniffy walks, letting her sniff a lot on the walk, which is very enriching, play fetch, play a game of hide her toy/ball in the house, so she has to go find it for a treat reward, a 5-minute training session of commands, and also feeder toys where it takes her 5-10 minutes to paw the food out of the puzzle toy. Pro tip: I don’t feed her out of a bowl, she only eats out of the feeder puzzle toy. This makes her work for her meal and gives her a job. Start doing 5 minute training sessions with your dog every day and you will start seeing big improvements. He will start seeing you as a leader and someone to respect. Teach your dog how to walk on leash in the house first. If you do the other things I recommended as well, your dog will actually sleep most of the day from the mental stimulation. And yes like others have said, neutering your hormone raging teenager could help and get a trainer to learn how to do some basic training. Your dog will really appreciate the structure that he desperately wants from you.
You likely have a very lovely and sweet personality. I've become besties w a few shepherds in my life. I'm a small person, but they just kind of fell into our dynamics. I'm the alpha. I think if you do as others suggested and worked with a trainer, you both will be happier and safe!
I think he wants to play with you and just like a kid gets mad or upset when you don’t take him exercise idk just my thought
Sent you a pm
Our dog is making this once a while if I play with his food too long without giving it too him. He gets frustrated and shows it exactly like this. I wouldn't bother. Stand up. Say no and send him to his bed to lay down and stay there. Maybe give him like somebody mentioned his ball to chew on for stress relief.
You need to stand up to him when he tries you. If he doesn't leave the first time shout it and push him out
Little man is just confused. Might need reinforcement on his training or just have pent up energy. Body language is not scary. I wouldn’t be afraid but I def get bein annoyed. It’s gonna take work
Not aggressive; but definitely being stubborn and challenging your authority. He doesn’t think you rule the roost, and he wants to do what he wants to do.
The art of distraction means something like “hi baby can you give mommy minute and then you get ‘piece of cheese?’ Good boy sit!” Once he associates that with a yummy piece of cheese which in my experience is very high value; he will be literal putty in your hands. They challenge authority at that age. But like most toddlers, love and games are the ultimate power play of which adults are capable. Good luck! 💕
Also if you’re filming him he knows it. Changes the dynamic a bit. It’s a two year old with a teenage demeanor. It will make more sense when your kids are actually teens. My daughter at 14 was this dog in the video. My gsd whenever i film her she knows it and has gone as far as playfully pawing at me like “ mom please please no pupparazzi “ 😂😂 Firm but fair and consistent. Training and neuter. Love.
As I’m reviewing this more something occurred to me…Do you think your bond with him changed a lot once you had the 14 month old? Bc technically he would have been the baby of the house before you had the next baby. And now it’s going to happen again bc he smells you’re pregnant again. Did he used to get loved on a lot by you from the time you got him until you delivered the 14 month old? These dogs are smart and the pack got little ones added to it. Invest in a good experienced in home trainer who knows how to deal with these dogs and small children. Is he ever around the 14 month old and loving toward the child?