UNPREDICTABLE BITING Dominance / Protection behavior with guests in HOME

Question
QUESTION: 22 month old German Shepherd Dog, (not neutered...show dog) has bitten two guests when I am not in the same room at home.  What I would consider "warning pinch bites" .... not aggressive deep bites (did not break skin).

I have background in leadership, and obedience training.  First male in tact GSD I have owned.  I think I am a strong pack leader; obviously I am missing something.

How can I correct behavior and prevent it from getting worse?  I feel it is dominant/protection behavior, NOT aggression.  Does not happen when I am in the room.

Thanx in advance,
JudyLyn


ANSWER: Neuter the dog.  You can't take this dog into conformation and you certainly can't breed him.

The GSD has had (for many years both here in the US and in Europe) a genetic tendency toward fear.  The imported working dogs (from Europe) I've seen in my practice have aggressive fear response, even worse.  I don't know where you obtained this dog, but if you purchased him at full price for a show dog you need to talk to the breeder.  No matter what the cause, active aggression is an indicator that something is amiss in his/her lines and breeding programs need to be adjusted.  If this is a quality breeder, s/he will want to know.

What you describe as "warning pinch bites" is a bit confusing to me.  Some herding and herd guarding breeds will use teeth (a sort of nibbling) to "control" movement.  I can't see anything from here.  If the dog is coming up from behind and then backing off or running off, he is fear biting.  If he is growling, has hackles raised, ears back or any physical indication (communication), he may be fearful AND assertive (bad combination).  True dominance aggression in the domestic dog is extremely rare but the intact male GSD is a candidate.  I'm uncertain what you mean by "background in leadership" but ANY use of coercion, so-called "dominance training" or physical correction is going to exacerbate ANY aggressive tendences (whether fear related or rank opportunistic) in ANY dog and should be immediately discarded from your repertory.  These are outdated methods proven to be contradictory to the culture of the dog; they are confusing, erode trust and can seriously worsen the dog's underlying motivation, fight/flight mechanism and temperament.

If your dog is demonstrating actual aggression, the first bites are normally minimal, leaving bruising; this escalates to skin abrasion, then to puncture, as the dog learns more about using aggression to control the environment.  Any active aggression toward humans needs the in person evaluation of a certified applied animal behaviorist.  It is unethical and unprofessional to attempt to diagnose, and then put into place a behavior modification program, for an actively aggressive dog without hands on examination of behavior, tendency, body language, temperament, etc.  You will most likely be able to find such a professional from the following site:
http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory

Dominance aggression does not demonstrate toward non-family members unless the dog perceives imminent threat or is inadvertently forced into a situation he perceives as requiring a rank statement, hardly likely from visitors.  Fear aggression does demonstrate toward 'strangers', especially if that person is fearful of the dog (and many people are fearful of large breed dogs, especially GSD and other such types.)  This fear, although perhaps not obvious, communicates to the dog via body language and scent (adrenaline).  It's likely the dog is demonstrating fear aggression.  I have no idea if you've actually taken this dog into the conformation ring but he should have received at least serious training in preparation for it; hands on (as any training venue would introduce, just as a judge would examine a dog) can provoke a fear response from a genetically fearful dog if not done correctly.  It's possible your dog has obtained a conditioned response to certain actions from "strangers" that trigger this behavior.  If you have such a training venue, STOP going.  Do not bring any dog trainer into this situation, it will get worse.  You absolutely need the expertise of a behaviorist who can diagnose cause and advise you in the correction of this behavior.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dog has International Title, 10 pts toward AKC title, and Temperment Certification.  VERY reputable breeder... and is aware of situation.  I have had dog five months.  No prior problems before I got him.  ??? Breeder reports no issues with him (or his line) before he came to me.  I must be doing something wrong???

Answer
If the breeder's word can be counted as true, yes you are doing something wrong.  I tend to doubt it.  If the breeder IS AWARE of this developing problem, WHY is s/he not removing this dog from your home?  I WOULD.  I would be doing everything to A: get the dog back, or B: connect you with a behaviorist.  Sounds fishy to me but then I've been in dogs a LONG TIME and I've seen some pretty aberrant behavior from so called "reputable" breeders.

There is absolutely no way a dog's temperament can go from calm, accepting, friendly to fearful, aggressive, guarding in five months unless you're subjecting this dog to all sorts of abuse and neglect and I very much DOUBT that's happening.

Again, I can't SEE ANYTHING from here.  Find a certified applied animal behaviorist and do it ASAP.