German Shepherd Aggression

Question
A co-worker just gave me an 8-9 month old German Shepherd male dog.  He has been passed on three times already for different reasons.  One, he chewed up patio furniture at one of the houses, the next one he just looked "too scary" and his wife didn't want him and the original owner said he was chewing on the cap on those 5 gallon water bottles when his wife tried to take it out and he "nipped" her.  He told me he is good guard dog but not to trust him too much until he gets to know us.  This is what scares me. I think it might just be that he has been passed on one too many times and there is no trust but with his one moment of biting somebody's hand, do you think his aggression will continue?  I have an 8 year old son that loves to be rough with our dog Cocao and she is very sweet with him but I am afraid that he won't.  We have only had him one day and he won't approach us yet.  He got along with my dog Cocoa but he set her straight really fast.  He has had some training but I don't know how far that went.  I am guessing just basic stuff like sitting and being house broken.  He has been labeled "psychotic" by the other guys but his original owner said he was a good dog.  I would like to know your opinion on this.  Thank you.  

Answer
Hi Elvia,  You have what is termed in the industry as a displaced dog.  Compare him to a kid who has gone through the foster care system in this country and you can imagine what his mentality is and why he doesn't trust people.  It takes a normal dog 4 weeks to acclamate to a new home, and a dog who has been displaced 3 time in less than 8 months it can take even longer for him to adjust to  new home.  He needs time, and patience.  Also, putting him in obedience training would help build a bond with him, and establish a heirarchy in the home for him.  He would understand where his place is in the home.  Basically no one has given him the time to get established in a home before shipping him off to someone else.  He is only a puppy, basically a child mentally so he can't understand a lot of things right now. Training will help a lot of that.  Hope this helps,

Dawn