I have a dog who is I believe a nervous aggressive dog. She is a 4 yr old German Shepard. I am at a loss of how to remedy the situation. She tries to attack anyone who sets foot in our yard. She has not ever been chained or abused. She absolutely loves our family and we love her. She attacks vehicle tires when they leave our yard, she has even had her face ran over. She barks continuously at any guests we may have. My childrens friends do not like to come over because she scares them. We also have a lab/shepard mix who is so mild you don't know he is around. She is sometime aggressive with him and he just ignores her. Please help, we love her, but need to put an end to her behavior. I'm afraid if I let this go any farther I will have to get rid of her before she truly hurts an innocent person. Please help!!!
Hi there, why do you think your dog is showng signs of nervous aggression?...sounds more like territorial/protective behaviour to me from what you have written. How long has she been acting this way?? I think you need to socialise your dog with a variety of people of all ages in a controlled on leash situation and also try to desensitise her from vehicles...possibly try an e-collar or spray collar..these will only work if used correctly, it may be worth your while to bring in a dog trainer or behaviouralist to help.
Hey I think jennh is right, I think this is a case of protective/territorial aggression. Firstly I think you should deal with one problem at a time. Start with retraining her to allow people into your yard. The best way to do this is to set her up. Arrange a time for people to come round, firstly those who she knows/may recognise, and anticipate the problem, so you can correct it straight away, and reward good behaviour. Do this gradually, first have some one approach the yard but not actually enter etc etc. You will need to be persistent and patient with her. Start with this problem frist, then we can work with the others. Just remember to reward her for being good around people.
Thanks for your thoughts. I guess I should clarify. My dog is ok with our family, my mom, hates my dad, loves my mechanic, is ok with my inlaws and my brother inlaw. Just last week we were in the front yard and the neighbor boys walked into our yard-I sat with the dog holding her collar telling her she was ok. She did great, didn't growl or bark once. Friday however, I had a service man here and even with me sitting by her side telling her she was ok she just shook and growled. Today I took her to work with me, and as a man walked by my car I thought she was going to break the window after him. How do I socialize her if I am unsure of how she is going to act. To answer your question she was about 8 months old when we moved to a new house and she has been like this since then. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I would say it is "resource guarding aggression". Resource can mean anything that she thinks important, you and your family members, your property, her food, her toys & balls, etc.
How does she act towards other dogs?
How is she when outside of your property, say in the parks, on her walks, etc?
If she is OK outside of your house and yard, you might want to see how far she is comfortable around your property and make it smaller as she gets used to have people around it.
She does not seem to like your dad but is it only on your property or even outside of your property? Does your dad generally like dogs? Did he ever try to coax him by offering a treat to her on his hand while he looks away from her? Once she takes the treat, your dad can repeat it until your dog gets used to him and learn that he is no harm or threat to her.
You might want to start thinking and sort out the situations so that you will see some kind of pattern on her aggressiveness.
