Possessiveness with toys - GSD

Question
-Thank you very much for your advice. Your thorough response is much appreciated. The trouble is that Nero will not sit when he has stolen a ball - he circles around us, and will not drop the ball when we command, or if he is ignored, either. If he hasn't got a stolen ball, he will sit or come when we command him, but when he has a prized possession he is a different dog. We cannot prise the ball out of his mouth. We could even lift him up in the air by the ball! We don't agree with hitting dogs, any more than you. We show them extreme displeasure or ignore them if their behaviour is undesirable, but Nero doesn't respond to this. Our Border Collie is just the opposite - she is a totally obedient and responsive dog. So you can see that it is a difficult problem. We know Nero wants to be chased, so we don't chase him, but still he persists with this behaviour. We are in England, so some of the facilities you mention are not available, but your suggestion about asking the vet for training classes is a very good one and we will try this, as he is due for his vaccinations this week anyhow. I would still like to be able to get inside Nero's head and work out how he thinks!
With thanks and kindest regards: It is great to be able to talk to people like you. Especially when they are our dear friends from across the Atlantic - it gives you a warm feeling. The Internet is a great thing, and I hope that it will help us all to grow closer and understand each others' cultures better. Elena Mera-Long.------------------------
Followup To
Question -
We have a five year old German Shepherd and a Border Collie. When we go for walks the GSD steals other dogs' balls and will not drop them under any circumstances. We have tried bribing him with food, offering him other things to play with, etc. We have to take him back to the car before he will drop the ball. Other dog owners sometimes get irate! Even if he has his own ball, he can cram two or even three in his mouth at once! We try to not chase him, as he wants this. Any advice gratefully received! Thank you for your kindness.
Answer -
Sounds like someone wants attention.
Don't bribe him, correct him.
If he knows "Sit" Tell hum "NO!" and then sit him, and take the ball out of his mouth. Say, "Bad dog!. shame on you" etc.
He has heard you talk long enough to understand the language, so chew his litle behind out good, and tell him "You don't steal other dogs' ball"
It will take a few times longer than if you had done it from the beginning, but if you scold him in  a harsh enough voice, take the ball away, and make it plain this will not be tollerated , he will get the message.
I don't hit my dogs, but I chew their behinds out harshly enough, that they seldom do an unwanted behavior more that twice.
They don't like to be nagged.
When animals live with you for several years, and hear you talk,they learn to understand the language, just as if you went to a country, where you did not know the language, you would pick it up after a while.
Dogs can understand the language, they just can't talk.
He is not too old for obedience school, and I would advise you get into one.
I prefer to teach a class with the owner handling the dog. I teach them how to do the commands, handle the leash etc, and they learn along with their dog.
It is much easier for the owner to handle the dog, if they learn the moves and commands, and the proper way to give them in these hands-on classes.
Petsmart and Petco stores have this type of class on weekends. The Humane Society in most areas have them too. You could ask your vet for classes he/she knows of.
I spoil my dogs rotten with cooking for them, sometimes, and other things, but I teach them the obedience, and when mom speaks, they know I mean business.
I am the Alpha dog in this house!
You don't have to hit or be mean to train a dog, just firm.
Good luck with this little dictator, LOL, and let me know how things go.
Feel free to write anytime you have a question you think I might be able to help with.
Charlotte


Answer
When the little Nazi steals a toy, and you CAN get hold of him, put his little butt in time-out.
I have taught my dogs more with time out, than I can list. It works as well with animals as it does with children.
I put them in a small bathroom, where they will be bored to tears, and leave then for about 30 minutes the first time. Every time they commit that same offense, the time-out time gets a little longer.
After awhile, when one of my dogs act up, I say "Do you want to go to time-out?"and they shape up real fast.LOL

Try this, go to this site and read up on this method of animal massage. I have a video for dogs and one for cats. It is a method of massage, for relieving pain from Arthritis etc, and you can also train out a lot of undesirable traits, sush as aggressiveness, excessive barking etc.
I completely cured my English Setter of fear of thunder storms with just one massage of about 5 minutes.
She is old now, 14 years, and she has Arthritis and Hip Dysplasia really bad. When che can hardly move, she hobbles to me, and I give her a whole body massage.She gets moving quite well, with fewer medications.I can even give her relief from hor allergies with massage. They are not like massages for humans, as their bone and muscle structure is different,but with the video, you can see the hands-on massages, and learn how to do them exactly right.
I wouldn't take anything for having learned this method of massage.
I think the video costs about 435.00 now. I got mine some years ago.

www.lindatellington-jones.com

Go to that site and check it out. you can order the video there.
  I agree, the internet brings people from all over the world together.
Years ago, I went to a chatroom, www.womenchat.com. I met so many nice women there. Our ages ranged from 18 years to 72 years, and we used to have what we called PJ parties in there. We would chat late into the night, like teenagers at a pajama party. We told jokes, and when one had troubles of some sort, we gave sympathy and a friendly ear. I got really close with several of them.
I still email with 28 of them.I first went to that chatroom in the latter part of 97, and really enjoyed it.
They closed out chatroom site last year, and we are all searching for another one. It is hard to find a chat room where you can have good clean fun and interesting conversations.None of us were interested in finding romance of someone to talk dirty with. We just wanted to talk about things that interested us. We solved a lot of world problems in that chatroom.LOL
Sure made some good friends,from all over.
Maybe more people will learn tollerance of other people because of the internet. I sure hope so. All the wars and killing, and violence is just too much to bear sometimes.
Let me know what you think of that site, for massage.
Good luck with the little kraut, hope you can civilize him soon.LOL
My husband is of German heritage, and I call him a little kraut. He calls me his Cherokee.LOL
My heritage is Irish, English and Cherokee. Some combination for our children. When there is conflict, my temper flares, and as soon as I have told the offender how many generations of their ancestors were not married, I am ready to put it behind me and go on. The German does a slow boil, and he holds a grudge. My poor children, when they get angry, they don't know whether to blow up, or do a slow boil.LOL
Do write again. Would love hearing from you.
Charlotte