STRANGER APPROACH

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Hi,Until today, I thought that I've been doing enough training and socializing with my 16 month old male german shepherd. We were walking along met up with a stranger, stopped and the stranger asked if she could pet him, i said sure, and at that same moment she reached down to pet him, he barked and lunged with all teeth shone and had his arm in his mouth. She said he didn't brake the skin, but he did bite down. Scared the heck out of me ( could have been alot worse) what should i have down? I did pull him back ( with his training colar on and said NO...NAUGHTY!!! Is this what I should have down, and how can I prevent this from happening again? PLEASE HELP ME!! I don't want a biting dog.
Answer -
Hi Chris

Boy, you have a problem here now. First of all, do not let people come up and ask to pet the dog immediately.  Mine will tolerate this for they are people friendly and children as well.  Yours in not, so stand and talk keeping the dog in a SIT command, then ask the stranger to stoop to the dogs level and scratch his back or chest, not touch his face nor anybody ever.

Have some people do this on the streets over and over until this dog accepts people, he is being too protective too young and this is bad without a command from you to do this if u feel threatened.  Your lucky you will not have a law suit against you.

Dogs are so unpredictable and u must have this dog in all kinds of situations, crossing bridges, go where a variety of people and kids are playing in a park, playground, streets of busy cars, horns, etc.  Work the dog around others all the time, not just you alone.  This dog is becoming dominant, bad bad.

It can be genetic which is harder to train if the parents were kinda off the wall, my dogs are highly rated over a ten in temperment or I would never breed a bad dog no matter the lines, color or pedigree.  It must have good temperment first and foremost.  I just imported a 13 month old male from Germany last Thurs, he is wonderful of course I cannot turn him our with Gino my breeding stud dog for now, but will soon.  I turn him with the young girls.  Xara and Oceana.

You must get a firm grip on this dog or loose him, for if he becomes a biter of people it cannot be changed once blood is drawn.  Get in charge with firm commands, practice with people walking friends, relatives, etc on a certain street and time and stop and talk, then have them pocket his favorite treat and stoop and scratch his chest or sides or back and hand a treat, then pet and praise if he did well if not then you must start all over from puppy up and hope he changes or your in trouble.

Pups must be raised properly, all my customers get a folder full of info on how I raised mine into wonderful adults, not food agresssive nor people.  They love people and I can sit down five food bowels and feed them all at once and people are in aaaahhhh..  It is because they were raised properly and also I picked good pups to raise with good parents with good genes with temperment first.

Let me know how things go, go to my site on playful page and see my dogs together, females, males and see othello new boy and gino my stud, litters, so much on my site to learn and read about.  if u need further help, click on my email and let me know.

Kind Regards
Patt
WWW.SCHREKNHAUS.COMPatt
WWW.SCHREKNHAUS.COM
         Hi Patt,
   Thank you soooo very much for getting back to me so quick. I've been going goofy here, not knowing what I can do. I bought my shepherd from a reliable breeder, infact she shows her dogs. Both of her dogs (THE PARENTS) are champions and the first and for most thing that I was interested in was the temperment.The dog was 4 months old when we got him, and meeting with him for the 1'st time was just fine, he didn't appear to be scared and i felt as though his temperment was just fine. Well we bought the dog, and of course fell in love with him. I've been doing everything in my power to socialize him. I work at a vet clinic, and i even bring him to work with me.I also belong to the G.Shepherd Training club. Granted..i could be working with him more than i am, but i feel as though he's had alot of socialization. (I GUESS NOT) I will continue to take your advise and try and get him around more situations, but now i'm leary about the stranger approach. How can i trust him not to do the same thing, even after a SIT STAY COMMAND? I don't believe in hitting a dog. How can i give him the commands where he will listen to me and realize that i'm the handler(pack leader)? Or have him realize that people are no threat? Since i've had him, i don't believe i've even yelled at him, the corrections that i've made were on leash. Could that be my problem? I love my dog dearly. I'm going to be truly lucky like you said, if there's not a law suit. Your advise thus far has made me feel much better, at least i know where to start with this. PLEASE GET BACK TO ME ON THIS OK? Thank you again so very much.   Chris
Answer -
Hi Chris

This is a problem you must be loud in commands hollered followed with a hand signal and body posture that your totaly angery.
You might want to consider a shock collar on this dog when training with a stranger approach again, for the dog will do it again.  Why?  I do not know, I never had a dog ever do this.
It sounds like American blood lines if they show, I have heard they are most tempermental?   I only breed The West German Lines, no American blood in mine for that reason among others as well.
If the dogs temperment is bad, socialization is not going to cure this problem, u can never fully trust this dog.  It is worth going to www.drsfostersmith.com and investing in a shock collar for training, one good jap and bet he will not try it again, but can u trust him...I would not!  This dog meant business and this is highly unusual for him to do this after working with him, so now we lean on his temperment.
You cannot go alone on the parents, for one gene can slip through from behind from a bad dog.  U may of gotten that one and why was he so old when u got him?  Did nobody want to buy him till u came along?  Just curious for I have my pups sold before they are born.
Champions do not impress me nor titles in dogs, I know what my dogs will do, Gino works the sleeve highly so in the Shutzhund sport, but I do not want him titled to bite.
Get a shock collar, take the dog out, make sure the prongs are tight against the neck through the hair.  When he dares to step out of line like this layit on him and hold it down, do not call him, he does not know where it is coming from.
After shocking, then pity him so he looks to you to keep the pain from coming again.  Do not over use nor wear for long periods, it only takes one or two times to stop a bad habit, but then u cannot wear it all the time, he must learn this is a NO NO.  Loudly and firmly disapline this dog.

Kind Regards
Patt
WWW.SCHREKNHAUS.COM
   Hi again Patt,
Thanks again for getting pack to me and giving me more advice. It was kind of a fluke the way i ended up with my dog. There was a woman that i was calling about her litter of pups that would have been born just months away.(by the way.....this woman came highly recommended)After calling her i found out that her litter was going to be all black, which i didn't want. She told me about her neighbor (the two ladies both breed and show dogs)This woman had said that her neighbor had a litter of pups and she kept the male for showing (my dog)but decided early that day to sell him as she really didn't have the time to show him, she had her hands full with her other dogs. Actually i felt lucky to have stumbled onto this dog. Patt.........honestly he truly is a great dog, and by no means aggressive, until this incident. I'm training(probably not as much as i should) and when he was younger, i always walked up to people and had them pet him. It was GREAT!!!I thought man i have a sweet boy here.Truthfully though, i never really yelled at him. Infact i'm not even sure if he knows when i'm mad or not, thinks everything is a game. (could be my fault as i always did things on a very positive note. I hope it's not too late for him to learn.I will invest in a shock colar, i hate to do it, butif thats what it'll take. I TRULY DON'T WANT TO LOOSE HIM. Help me make the right choice.I want so badly to go out tonight for our routine walk and socialize him, but i'm worried whether or not i'd be giving the right correction. Hope to hear from you again soon. Thanks so much.
sincerely
    Chris
Answer -
Hi Chris

If you see an approaching person, walk around, step onto the street or grass, hold the dog close at SIT.  Put your hand on his muzzel and say, Easy, SIT HERE.  Then pet and praise him.

Keep walking and do not let anybody pet your dog, just walk on by and do your thing.  He may get over this by not letting strangers stop and pet him.   I personally do not let people pet my dogs off my property, unless I know the person.  If somebody asks: Will it bite, I reply, I am not so sure.  I keep walking if I am out to get this done I do not want stopped.

At home they are highly friendly, but proctective by barking and looking very intimadating, but they will not bite.  Stop and give the dog a hug for walking along like a good dog should.

Kind Regards
Patt
WWW.SCHREKNHAUS.COM
 Hi Patt,
       You have no idea how extremely helpful you have been. Infact, i feel 100% better, knowing that theres a chance of over coming this. I'm going to do everything and more in my power to make things right.I appreciate all your advise and thank-you so very much for listening and responding to my troubles. I'd like to keep you up dated and maybe even ask more advise as we try this out.I hope thats ok with you? I think i'll try the sit stay muzzle approach 1st. Unless you think it's still wise to  invest in  a shock colar? Take care and you've been a blessing!!! :)
 Chris

Answer
hI cHris
This i will not use even at my vets if he advises cause a dog barks, i say it is no need for a muzzle, let me handle my dog out of control for a dog it does not like in wait room.  I correct my dog, put it in the SIT command and take my hand over its nose and continually say, NO, stop this now. I mean it, NOW.
It does.  I never use a muzzel, I have them I have been given to or found in cars as we clean cars for dealers.
If u feel safer using one good but I would go for a walk and avoid any people, walk around them, this will pass I am certainf or the German Shepherd has the largest brain space of any breed on earth so they learn with Positive training, never negative.
Click on an emails on my site and send me questions and updates better than on here.
Emails is on front page at bottom, contact and litters page.
Keep walking and avoiding and pet and praise and work and work and if I can take Gino in a years work from a shy timid fearful dog of people from Germany, I am old, you can do this also.

If the muzzzel does not work and makes him worse invest in the shock collar I have three of them from years of problems I corrected in moments, but only one has batteries that work, so u see how often I need them for I am a powerful person in giving commands along with body posture and hand signals after.  Every time u give a voice command follow with hand signal and use your body posture if angry or pleased, they know and learn, trust me.

VIsit my playful page.  Males, I have two just imported one last thursday of 13 mos old.  I am slowly introducing him, look at video I made today he jumped at me to kiss me into the camera, he is bonding to me fast.

Let me know always.

Kind Regards and never give up
Patt
WWW.SCHREKNHAUS.COM