Distinguishing between " too much dog " , and bad temparament - Page 5

I know you meant it as a joke, but its accurate for why dogs can and do bite.:-)

The dog I was speaking of was brought up with no rules for his first years so you were right in this Duke.  He came to his new handler who he bit after a few months.  Normally I would just attribute this to handling problems but one cannot ignore the bloodline.

Its a risk to pay the money and bring the dog to your home, if in the end he cannot be trusted then you have wasted time and resources.  However, he has excellent drive and grips so he may be worth the risk :).

 

Blitzen when you are looking for extremely strong adult dogs sometimes you take risks. You want a dog to fight a man, stand up to pressure, think he is king kong, then sometimes he doesnt want to listen to you or take your corrections.

 

Deal breaker for me is if the dog is unpredictable or tries to bite children.

 

this was my fourth bite from my dog, should i shoot him?

 

I would have absolutely no use for a dog like that Haz, but I completely understand that some do and why.

Why did he bite you 4 times, vk? That might be a clue to the answer to your question.

Blitzen are you an SL or  WL person? What current breed do you own?

I see that happening  a lot Haz, especially also in rotties, it is al fun and bragging material how strong and dominant this puppy is , look how he dares to confront me at this age already !!

till on moment he is maturing and already had victory over you so many imes that trying to put it right will get you a serious confrontation

now the dog is crap and needs to find a new home, go to te pond or be put down 

I think 90 plus percent are no trouble at all once in good hands, being someone who understands dogs and treats them as dogs

Haz, I don't think line of dog has anything to do with it(I refuse to entertain the line narrative), but I have seen indiscriminate biters in all types of GS and I have owned and trained all of them over the years. Now if you are focusing on owners/handlers of  different types I agree. I am training consultant for a major city animal hospital and as Duke and others have said, 90% of the time it's not the dog but the owner. Everyone should NOT own a GS, though you have people that want the breed to become a dog for everyone.....AGRH!

Real Dog, I own a showline GSD. Showline or workingline person? Neither, I have no preference.

I've had dogs that came to me with a history of handler aggression. In many cases, I observed that the previous owner(s) had not taken time to properly bond with the dog, earn it's trust. Simply trying to beat a dog into submission -- something I've unfortunately seen far too often in the Sch / IPO sport -- is not a good long term solution. The dog may not attack his handler out of fear of retribution, but that's not the same as a dog that has a good working rapport with it's handler. And often, I've seen dogs that have been handled with overly harsh techniques go back up the leash when corrected with a force far less than they're used to. -- A handler gives the dog a more mild correction: the dog is angered rather than cowed, and lashes out.

It's important to me to be able to touch any part of my dog, and important to be able to remove an item from him without conflict. If my dog somehow managed to get something like a chicken bone, or a bottle of pills, I want to be able to get the potentially hazardous substance away from my dog without harm. If my dog suddenly starts holding a foot up, I need to be able to inspect his paw. Now, honestly, I don't really care if other people can't do that with my dog; but that's ok. I don't need my dog to love the world, but I do need him to trust ME.

Trust isn't gained by hugs and love alone, of course. I'm not afraid to be forceful if needed. I'm just saying it's been my experience over the years that taking the time to establish a bond with a dog, work with him rather than meter force against him, yields much better results. 

 

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On the flip side, when it comes to handler aggression or getting bit by my own dog, my decision as to follow-up action would depend on the circumstance. Bob gives an excellent example: stepping on a dog's paw, and getting tagged in the leg for it. My dogs are living, breathing creatures, and I cannot reasonably expect them to be utterly passive and okay with anything that might happen to them. A hurt dog, a scared dog, a threatened dog, breaking up a fight, or an overly excited playful dog... these are all perfectly valid reasons a bite might happen. It's critically important to examine circumstances that might have caused the mishap.

I would not find it acceptable though, if I were simply sitting on my couch or walking through my house, and one of my dogs suddenly hurled itself at me, baring teeth and attempting to bite. Random aggression, unprompted by medical or environmental cause is not something I will acquiesce to. If I am bit by one of my pack, I better d*mn-well have deserved it, or the dog has to go.