2 y.o. GSD Biting

[Akita&Dal]

I have just moved into my fiancee's house, along with my beloved 4-legged friends. My guys, Flag & Kuro, are reasonably well trained. I'll be the first to admit they're not Companion Dog quality relative to training, but they do heed me & have NEVER shown any signs of aggression.

Greg's 2 y.o.unspayed GSD, KT, on the other hand, has. She was very shy & barky as a puppy, which has improved with socialization. 8 months ago she bit the face of a woman wearing goggles. Fortunately the goggles prevented injury. Last weekend she nipped a friend in the butt as he walked past her. Later that day she nipped me as I took her by the collar to lead her out of one room into another.

KT has also shown bullying characteristics to other dogs -- my Dal Flag is a non-dominant dog, and KT will pester him & has fought w/ him 2x. She also beat up on a rescue akita (spayed female) earlier this week.

She takes a long time to drop her gaze when I stare at her to assert my dominance, and she frequently puts her paw on me in a manner I feel is dominant.

This behavior is a major concern to me. My fiancee says she's trained because she 'listens to him' and because he's taken her to obedience school. He also says many people have complimented him on 'what a nice dog she is.' I disagree -- any dog who bites ('nips') is a potential land mine & I feel as if drastic action needs to be taken.

Greg points out that since I moved in, KT's entire world has changed -- new feeding regime, new dogs around, new person around, everything in upheaval. I say that the 2 y.o. Akita bitch I fostered through my move into his place showed NO bad behavior despite the fact I pulled her from her home the weekend before I moved, had her in my chaotic house for two days before she was kenneled for 6 days. Then I brought her to Greg's house for two days -- during this entire upheaval she was calm, sweet tempered & gentle.

My take on it is that KT listens when she wants to, and that she's a nice dog around people to whom she has nothing to prove since she considers herself alpha. In my view, Greg & his 2 kids have adapted themselves to her way of acting, not vice versa.

After the last nipping incident, I insisted that Greg take action. He called her breeder, who agrees with me that KT needs to be spayed immediately (should have already been spayed, in fact), and needs to be put into class pronto.

The breeder says I should take KT to class because it's me she's attempting to be dominant to --I'm more than a bit resentful of doing this because since Greg got KT I've been telling him that she needs to be spayed & trained.

I need help!

1) feedback, please about KT's behavior. I have tried to be objective here about the events to date. I believe Greg needs to read objective input about how she is behaving and whether or not this is a potentially serious problem.

2) suggestions/comments/input about what to do about her behavior. I have no problem being the alpha in the pack (which is why I have a male akita living in harmony with a male dal)

Thanks much!

[Judi W]

How great a guy is this? Are you planning on having children? Personally, I would not be willing to share a home a dog that bites people no matter how much the little darling's life has been changed. My dogs consider any company or house guests (people or dogs) a great treat. This girl does not sound like an asset to a forming family, but rather an issue. You'd better make sure you have darn good insurance because if she connects with someone's face, your assets are at risk as well as Greg's. An unstable, weak-nerved dog that has repeatedly broken the bite inhibition needs a highly restricted environment for life. Trainig does not alter character it only allows someone to inhibit character WHEN that person is present and alert.

[SelkeysCompanion]

GSD,2 yo female,not spayed.She bites,is unsafe near strangers,tries to dominate(insecurity)people and bullies other dogs.BUT,she listens to her Master,or at least he thinks she does.She's got him fooled .It is very hard to admit it when your beloved dog has a problem .Most of us would like to brag about our perfect dogs,seeing a problem and admitting it is the first step to correcting it.Dogs that bite are put down, It's that simple.
You are right,a DOG THAT BITES is a "potential land mine",a ticking time bomb, a keg of dynamite at the end of a leash.Call it what you willdangerous !This dog is NOT trained,obedience is on going,aspecially with an intelligent working breed.Yes,you should get profetional help,this dog needs to put in her place.
Your post is very sad,I answered it because what you described is Selkey's Mother: 2 y o GSD bitch,not spayed,that nips,bullies other dogs and is unapprochable/unpredictable around people.I have seen these behaviors start to creep into Selkey since she came into maturity,starting at about 14 months.Her attitude has changed,aspecially towards other strange dogs .Your storey makes me GRATEFULL that I have put soooooo much work into socializing&obedience.I could just sit back and say"oh well,I guess Selkey is just going to be like this" NO ,she is NOT going to be like this,behavior can be changed,as for her attitude towards other dogs,she is NOT allowed to bark at them and MUST listen to me.Last week while walking past the park,the young female dog Trixie(Shiba Inu?) saw us and ran right out of the park after us,even though the woman and girl were calling her like crazy! This could have been a dissaster,potential DOG FIGHT,nope,I kept Selkey in a "SIT, staaaaaay",Trixie came up,took a sniff and her 'hackles' went up all the way down her back,then she ran away back to her owners.Selkey just sat there,as she was told (then got PRAISED like crazy:D ).Three months ago Selkey would have attacked this dog.OBEDIENCE training!BTW Selkey is 21 months ½ now.
Get to a trainer/training director with KT,she needs an attitude ajustment!
Good luck,and don't give up on her;) .

[Barbara Surplus]

Originally posted by Judi W
How great a guy is this? Are you planning on having children? Personally, I would not be willing to share a home a dog that bites people no matter how much the little darling's life has been changed. My dogs consider any company or house guests (people or dogs) a great treat. This girl does not sound like an asset to a forming family, but rather an issue. You'd better make sure you have darn good insurance because if she connects with someone's face, your assets are at risk as well as Greg's. An unstable, weak-nerved dog that has repeatedly broken the bite inhibition needs a highly restricted environment for life. Trainig does not alter character it only allows someone to inhibit character WHEN that person is present and alert.

Wise words, Judi. I wouldn't place any children around this dog - I'd be very leary about her interaction with your fiance's kids. Sounds like a big accident waiting to happen. Gives me shivers just thinking about it.
Barbara

[AngelBunny]

Akita&Dal:

The legal & moral implications aside of owning a dog that's bitten, not once but TWICE, this man is the type of person who makes it hard for those of us who take ownership of large animals with sharp teeth set in very powerful jaws to get homeowner's insurance when they buy a house. This person and his dog provide the impetus for efforts to ban certain breeds of dogs.

[Akita&Dal]

Thanks for your input, all. For some reason Greg seems to be completely obtuse about his dog -- I feel like I'm banging my head up against the wall. She begins another obedience class next Tuesday; both Greg & I will be working her. Keep your fingers crossed.