Aggressive dog towards strangers?

Question

I have a german shepherd dog (spayed female) that is 6 months old. She is very attached to ME. She has been socialized with other dogs,cats,kids,people etc.. since she was 9 weeks old (when i got her).but since the last couple weeks When i take her for a walk when she sees other dogs her ears go up,her tail stops wagging and she starts barking and growling. When she sees people on her walk her tail stops wagging and her ears go up (she looks very wary of them) and most of the time she barks at them. This scares the c**p out of people. I have no idea if she will bite or not. When people come in our house she will growl, bark and her ears go up and i have to hold her collar. Also when people run/jog by our house and she is outside she will jump at the fence and try to chase them. She has NEVER bitten anyone. I do not have the money for a trainer so please don't mention that and i wont get rid of her. Is there any way i can train her to be nicer on my own?

Answer 1

Watch the Dog Whisperer, you will learn what to do, and it works like a charm.

Answer 2

I would say get a spray bottle of water.  As soon as she seems to be distracted while you are walking her have her sit.  If she does not listen spray her with the bottle.  If she does sit, praise her like crazy, and pet her and give her a piece of a treat.  Also while you are walking her, even when there is no one about to pass by, still make her walk right beside you.  Occationally have her sit and stay, and give her treats and praise.  Hopefully she is just going through some teenage issues and will grow out of it with a little training.  

Answer 3

Your dog has assumed the leader role.  She thinks that she needs to protect you.

You need to reverse these roles.  Make her know that when you are around, you are the leader/boss.

If she is pulling you on leash then she is not healing.  The point of making your dog heal is to make her a follower, not a leader.  She should follow you and you will be protecting her, instead of the other way around.

When I am at home, and my dog growls at something outside, I will actually growl at him.  This reminds him. . . this is MY house. . . *I* am the leader/boss/protector, and that he doesn't need to be that role.

Running after joggers is an instinct bred into herding dogs.

#1 Keep your dog on a leash so she can't jump the fence.  Even hold the leash as people walk/run by and correct her when she wants to go after/towards them.

#2 Give your dog a job to do, instead of herding anything she sees move, which is the job she was bred to do.  Try fetching/catching a ball or frisbee.

Answer 4

I have raised wonderful, friendly Pit Bulls for most of my life. I know this question and it's answer VERY well. Dogs are protective/aggressive in situations that make them nervous or unsure. Going for walks and meeting friends in the house isn't always enough. You have to approach this problem like a chore or homework and follow a routine RELIGIOUSLY even when it's inconvenient. You have to take your dog EVERYWHERE with you that you possibly can. Like it's your job. Since your Shepard is 6 months already I (unfortunately) would recommend using a muzzle. Part 2 is to not react to this behavior any more than necessary. If you scold or yell at the dog, then you are adding aggression to an already aggressive situation. Stay calm and remember that your dog is already unsure of the situation, it needs to see that you are OK with what's going on (new people, dogs, etc..) The point of this is that eventually (and it WILL take awhile to see results) your dog will get used to people, and other dogs. She needs to at least see if not meet lots of people every day. Socializing can very much be a job and not just something that happens. Do it while you are still stronger than she is and it will be a lot easier. One more thing. Pulling back on your dog's leash tells it that you think something is wrong. Don't do it, that's why we need the muzzle for awhile. Hold the leash firmly and "snap" it when your dog gets to the end but don't reel your dog in close to you like most people instinctively do. I'm sorry that I'm not a better writer than I am a dog trainer. Hopefully I didn't s***w this explanation up too bad. Remember that no matter what you are teaching your dog you must ALWAYS be consistent. Dogs learn from routines and habituation.  

Answer 5

She is trying to protect you. You need to show her that you are in charge and you are the one who is protecting everyone. It will also help to desensitize her to strangers.

1. For now I would try using a Gentle Leader head halti on her. This is great for controlling large dogs because it controls their head, in the same way that horses are controlled. By using this, you can turn her head away from other dogs and people and get her to focus on you instead.

2. Let her know that her protection behavior is not desired by you. When she starts doing it, non-mark her (no/ack ack), turn her away with the head halti, then get her to do obedience commands with you. Initially, she may be too amped up, so she may not be able to focus on obedience. That is ok. For a while, it will be good just to non-mark her and get her focus away from dogs and people. After a bit, try the obedience again.

3. At home, follow the NILIF program. This basically just means your dog has to do something for you first before she gets anything from you (including food, toys, freedom, and affection). This will help you establish leadership.

4. Practice obedience commands with her at home. Just a 10-15 minute session everyday will also help you establish leadership.

5. Desensitize her towards other people and dogs. Have a friend approach her from a far enough distance (so she does not react) and throw her a treat. Keep repeating until she starts to associate people with yummy treats. Then you can start to reduce the distance. If you are unsure whether she will bite, use a basket muzzle during training.

6. Desensitize her towards other dogs by creating as many neutral experiences as possible. There are more tips on this site:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Deal-With...

The most important thing that helped me with my own dog's reactivity is in controlling my own energy. You must make sure you are calm at all times, especially when your dog is getting reactive. If you get stressed or fearful, she will pick that up, and get even more reactive. My dog used to be that way. Once I started to control my energy, things improved significantly.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Pulling her in the other direction is a good way to train. You should keep doing it, but get a head collar. A head collar goes around the dog's head around the mouth like a muzzle and behind the ears. That way when the dog pulls, her head will come around.

Answer 7

An instinctive canine behavior, a bark now and then reminds you that your dog is still very much a dog. However, constant barking can be disruptive, if not downright nerve-racking. This behavior may root from either: fear, frustration or boredom.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent or curb problem barking. Check out this link to help you deal with it:

http://dogtime.com/barking.html

Answer 8

well is kinda hard if you dont know if she will bite or not but if its aggressive  i wouldnt take it for walks where there is alot of people

Answer 9

just remember you're the boss. if there's a behavior that your dog is doing best thing to do while on leash is to pull her towards you or the opposite direction and even pull way up so that her front legs are in the air.