Had my German Shepherd for 2 years....starting to act aggressive.

I think you need to work more on loose leash walking and lose the prong.  When he sees another dog, his neck hurts, so it follows that he might think that the other dogs are causing his pain and thus he is trying to chase them away before they hurt him.

I suspect that this started AFTER you moved and he was feeling less secure in the new environment.  In my opinion, and that of the trainer who taught me how to use a prong, it shouldn't be used to issue leash corrections.  The prong should really be a self correcting tool.

I would start by working to desensitize him to the other dogs.  But before you make a lot of progress on that, you really need to work on the loose leash walking so that you are able to stop using the prong.  It's a decent tool, but it's just a tool.  It doesn't replace your active training.  When you are out for a walk YOU need to be the most fascinating thing on the plantet.  Talk to you gsd non stop.  And keep your eyes WIDE open so that YOU are the one that sees the other dog first and can do a quick about face, cross the street, or whatever.

I'm sure that some of our trainers will be along soon to give you some solid suggestions.  Good luck with your dog!  And welcome to idog.

glenmar

When he sees another dog, his neck hurts, so it follows that he might think that the other dogs are causing his pain and thus he is trying to chase them away before they hurt him.

I dont think thats the case, if a dog thinks like that then the dog would get afraid of seeing any dog because he would know pain is coming, he would be afraid even of going out because he would know he will be in pain, it does not matter which collar the dog uses, his reaction to the dogs would be the same every single time, i have give leash corrections to multiple dogs and the result is actually the opposite, they actually stop being aggressive to other dogs, if the dogs were acting as you suggest then i would be increasing the aggression and that never happened

The professional who could help the original poster would be a behaviorist, a regular dog trainer is not as capable in my opinion

First of all, that must have been a terrible experience for you today! How scary. I'm glad nothing happened!  

I have a few questions.

When you lived in your other place with the Jack Russell, did the JR go on walks with you? Did you ever walk just the Shepherd alone?

Was he aggressive at all to other dogs when he was with the Jack Russell?

How is your relationship with your dog? Do you feel you have a good leadership position with him? Does he have clear rules that he obeys at home? Do you do NILIF with him?

Is there a new person living with you? If so, how do they get along with the dog?

I just feel I need more of a clear picture of the overall situation before I can tell anything.  

Welcome to the board.  

 I would lose the prong, for the reasons Glenda stated, and I suspect that any behaviorist you hire to assist you with a leash reactive dog would say the same.  One of them, Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., has written a book called "Feisty Fido" which addresses similar situations where dogs get aggressive on leash, which you can buy for not too much money.  If you do not use the prong, and still need some control, you can opt to put the dog in an Easy Walk Harness (www.premierpet.com).  They are inexpensive, easy to fit, and available at most big box pet stores.  They also have the added benefit of not choking the dog or causing any pain.  You can also use a Halti or a Gentle Leader headcollar, but they require you to acclimate the dog to them properly. 

One thing to be aware of with German Shepherds, or any of the herding breeds, is that they sometimes get very stimulated by movement, and some will cross that line between just chasing something and actually grabbing it (predatory drift).  So, despite having the dog in a harness, and learning how to  manage a reactive dog, you must still be careful when the other dogs around yours are very much smaller, especially if they are running.

It's a good idea to teach any dog to "watch" you on command, and to "leave it" and "come", so that you can direct his movements. but understand that if your dog is lunging on leash at other dogs, it is either because he is frustrated and simply wants to get to them (to play or sniff), or he feels "trapped" by the leash and knows he can't escape (he fears the other dog), or he is frustrated and wants to attack the other dog (in this case, it sounds like he likes other dogs normally when off leash, so doubtful he is aggressive, except if affected by predatory drift).  Glenda's point about the prong being bad for a reactive dog is spot on.  And she has 6 GSD's, one of whom has worn a prong - so she isn't opposed to using them on some dogs.  I would not use one on your dog - so long as you have another way to control him adequately, since the other bad thing that can happen, aside from him feeling pain and associating it with the sight of another dog, is that he can associate the tightening (when you tense up or pull on the leash) and pain with insecurity on your part - and if you are afraid, he's afraid, but might think he has to take matters into his own paws.

If he was fine with an unfamiliar rescue dog while they were off leash, then my guess is that it's just reactivity, but the fact that he seemed to want to harm a small dog makes me want to tell you that you should limit his off leash activities to larger playmates, since he could also be predatory.  You should still work on reducing the reactive behavior.  Good book for that - "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons.  The protocols are for dog aggressive dogs, but work for anyone who wants their dog to pay attention to them, rather than focusing on an approaching dog.

When I first read your post, I got the feeling it was more about the JR than anything. I just wonder if your dog sees the JR as "the boss" and never felt a need to protect you or stand up to other dogs because he felt like the JR was the leader. Now, that the JR isn't around anymore and he's living alone with you, maybe he is stepping up into the leadership role and feels he has to protect you when you're out on walks.

I don't think Tango just got aggressive for no reason and I don't think it's because of the collar, especially if you've used it all along. I think he "feels" he needs to protect you now in the absence of the JR. And the way to fix that is to let him know that YOU are the protector and you will in fact, protect him. Have you used NILIF? That's where I would start. And I would definitely bump up the obedience. Letting him know that you're the "big dog" now should help him to relax around other dogs. Get him to do a really good heel and "look here" or "watch me" and work on sit and down, too. Make them solid so that you can use them on walks. When another dog approaches, have him sit and watch you. That way, he cannot eat other little dogs.

Once you have good control on walks and he's not protecting you anymore, then I agree, you could move to a halter or different collar.

Tango should be looking to you for everything, including signals whether he should be scared or protective or not. If, when you see another dog, you get nervous, he's going to feel that and think he SHOULD be nervous. So try to stay as calm and in control as possible. Tell him to watch you and remain calm.

A behaviorist is a good idea. The above is just what I would do with my GSDs if they behaved in an over-protective manner. Good luck to you and I'll be watching for the improvement!  Let us know!

FourIsCompany

I don't think it's because of the collar, especially if you've used it all along.

Exactly, if the collar was the problem then the aggression would start from day one of using it

FourIsCompany

I think he "feels" he needs to protect you now in the absence of the JR. And the way to fix that is to let him know that YOU are the protector and you will in fact, protect him.

Tango should be looking to you for everything, including signals whether he should be scared or protective or not. If, when you see another dog, you get nervous, he's going to feel that and think he SHOULD be nervous. So try to stay as calm and in control as possible. 

Thats what i call dog psychology  

Since 80-90% of aggression is rooted in fear, it's far likelier that he feels he needs to be protected in the absence of the other dog, rather than protecting the owner.   Tensing up on a prong collar, and being frightened that your dog might grab a small dog and hurt it, plus incurring the anger of the small dog's owner, don't add up to "calm, assertive" leadership that the dog might now expect of his owner.  

(That's what I call dog psychology. ).

Situations might not be caused by a prong collar, but reactive/aggressive dogs are seldom made better when that type collar is employed, and quite a few of them, once they become reactive, are made worse.  The single most important skill for any of these dogs to learn is "watch" the handler (and, therefore, not the environment).  As soon as that's a fluent behavior, the handler can then go about teaching the dog to look at the environment on command, but refocus attention on the handler, also on command.  It's a handy skillset even for the non-reactive dog.

Yes I did use a prong on one of my boys and I used it as a tool to help me teach him to walk nicely on lead.  This is before I learned other ways to do it, and I had a trainer teach me placement as well as how to use it and that did not include leash corrections.  With Thor, there was no agression or reactivity.....he's just a very big boy, he is VERY strong, and a bit bullheaded.

Sheba developed leash reactivity and I worked and worked and worked with her and she didn't get better about it.  I finally found a behavorialist who taught me how to help her.  Sheba is a soft girl.  I never even considered using a prong on her because she is too sensitive.  There were a number of things that he suggested, including being the most fascinating creature on earth, always chatting with her, and being proactive and seeing another dog BEFORE she could so I could take very quick evasive action.  It isn't a quick fix.  It takes time and patience.  Sheba was reactive to people as well as dogs so our walks were a series of u turns, zig zags, street crossing, etc.  In time we would get closer to the "scarey thing" and I'd talk about the nice man or the pretty dog, and say something along the lines of "lets go this way so we don't scare the nice lady".  Sheba learned that she could completely trust me to take her out of any situation that she found scarey and now we don't retreat, we don't evade, we simply stop and she sits while the other person or animal passes.  If another dog lunges at HER she looks to me to see how she is supposed to react instead of taking things into her own paws......and teeth.  She hasn't "shut down" and become afraid to act, she's simply learned that I am always going to protect her.  That's MY job, after all.  To be the protector.

Hi Tango,

Yes, I think you're right, that the JR was a big influence on your dog.

FourIsCompany

When I first read your post, I got the feeling it was more about the JR than anything. I just wonder if your dog sees the JR as "the boss" and never felt a need to protect you or stand up to other dogs because he felt like the JR was the leader. Now, that the JR isn't around anymore and he's living alone with you, maybe he is stepping up into the leadership role and feels he has to protect you when you're out on walks.

I don't think Tango just got aggressive for no reason and I don't think it's because of the collar, especially if you've used it all along. I think he "feels" he needs to protect you now in the absence of the JR. And the way to fix that is to let him know that YOU are the protector and you will in fact, protect him. 

I agree!

Here's something that I did, that might help you, too. I took my reactive dog to a dog daycare, and worked a with the trainer there for a couple of sessions, on teaching my dog how to socialize. It worked like a charm, and now she goes to daycare weekly, and has play buddies there. It was good to have a professional work with the snarling and lunging, teaching my dog proper behavior, and teaching me to respond to it (sometimes with "eh-eh", sometimes with body blocking).

I also practice non-reactivity with my dog by walking past aggressive, fenced-in dogs. When close to the fenced-in, barking dog, I ask my dog to sit, laydown and/or watch-me, keeping her there till she's calm (not tense, not lick lipping, ears relaxed). Then next time we get closer to the fence and do the same thing. Ixa's gotten so good at this, that sometimes those dogs don't even bother barking at her anymore ... lol.

And I've experienced something similar with my dog. When she has less exposure to other dogs, she becomes more reactive. Last summer we were in sheepherding and agility classes, so she was around other dogs a lot. Now that my school year is in swing, and my heavy teaching load keeps me too busy for classes, her reactivity is up. Also, this semester, I've been under a lot of stress, suffered the loss of my grandmother, and had some health problems - my diminished state is making Ixa more on guard. Perhaps you've had stress from your move, and your dog senses that you are not quite "on your game", too?

I think the prong is a smart way to keep a handle on that powerful dog of yours.

I wish you the best!  

this might give you some insight into what is going on: 

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/casehis.html

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/onldagg.html

and I have to disagree about "if it was the collar, it would have started before". Leash reactivity may be initiated at any time-- a single incident can start the behavior, and once initiated the owner and dog are locked into a positive feedback cycle that gradually escalates the behavior. I once watched a very nice woman turn her three year old aussie into a raging leash-reactive lunatic over the course of six months- the whole cycle was initiated by a single unpleasant reaction between her dog and someone else's dog.  Anyway, practically everyone agrees that punishments are NOT going to help with leash-reactivity and will probably make it worse. Click to calm protocols usually succeed nicely if the owner works at it.

lostcoyote

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And every well known and respected trainer and behaviorist I've ever heard of. Counter Conditioning & Desensitization (CC&D) is widely believed to be the best way to deal with leash reactivity and other forms of barrier frustration. I'm sure there are trainers who disagree, but I've never personally read about any. There are much more experienced trainers than me on this board, but having had an extremely leash reactive dog (Cassidy), this is an issue I'm pretty familiar with.

Cassidys Mom

Counter Conditioning & Desensitization (CC&D) is widely believed to be the best way to deal with leash reactivity and other forms of barrier frustration.

Yes, that's mostly what I did. 

I got stuck at a certain point with CC&D that kept my dog from ever meeting other dogs, since some of the popular CC&D methods only teach how to avoid confrontations, and don't describe how to successfully move through confrontations. I find it true, for us, that avoiding the hot situation altogether, means we can't work it's solutions, and it just remains an outstanding problem. I didn't know enough to handle the trigger situations on my own, which is why I hired a pro.

Oh, and here's a resource to find behaviorists: http://www.dogpro.org/ 

Cassidy's Mom, have you posted about your work with Cassidy's reactivity elsewhere on the board? I'd love to hear more about what you did.