File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
hey /an/ need some help with an old german shepherd!

my bf and his parents moved into his old aunts house...his aunt moved so they moved into the house and left behind a german shepherd. the dog has been good and obeyed commands until recently. we are forced to put the dog in its cage at night because the dog barks all night and gets on everyones nerves including the neighbors. it was trained by his uncle to go in its cage in the evening and it will retire for the night and there would be no barking. however, 2 nights ago it just stopped listening to my bfs (or anyone else's) commands for it to go inside its cage at night. she just runs away from whoever is commanding, ignores or rolls around. how can we get her to obey us again?? we've been giving her lots of play and attention..more then his aunt did. so why is the dog being a bitch?

note: this started after one night when she was in her cage and she went crazy. we think there was a possum in the yard and she wanted to kill the crap out of it. she has a history of killing anything...ANYTHING in the yard except humans. the only human she wants to kill is my bf aunts son....but thats going a little off topic. other then that shes a good dog.

pic not our german shepherd.
>> Anonymous
Firstly - dogs don't like change... They need routine. She is "on strike."
Your dog's "pack" basically left it behind, her world turned upside-down and replaced by people who expect her to behave as if nothing had happened. What do you expect?
The problem began when the his aunt moved out - the "possum incident" just pushed her over the edge. She sees no reason to do what a bunch of newcomers tell her to, since her master has abandoned her - especially when it means being locked up in a stupid cage at night. This was bearable when her master did it, since it was her master. It is not bearable and acceptable for people who she does not truly (in her mind) belong to.
She is clearly an intelligent dog with her own mind. I won't do your homework for you and tell you how to fix the problem. It's encouraging to see you ask questions, instead of having her put down, or shot. She is not being a bitch - you are just not part of *her* life and "family" and need to make it easier for her to adjust to her new life. Locking her in a cage at night is one of the worst things you can do and you should probably throw the thing away altogether. Make her part of everyday life at day (take her with you in the car, etc.) and night as well by keeping her in the house and not locked away.
Buy a couple of books about keeping dogs and families safely together (such as keeping dogs with kids) and look for information about bringing kennel dogs into the home to make them house dogs - this info is more relevant than you think. It's good you're trying to do the right thing - you just need to make put some more targeted and educated effort into it and you will be rewarded with a protective and loyal family/guard dog.
>> Anonymous
Sounds like the dog is testing your authority.

As you probably know dogs have a pack hierarchy hot-wired into them.

There is an alpha dog (the leader) alpha bitch (the leaders bitch), beta dog, beta bitch and then the other members of the pack.

With the departure of the aunt and arrival of your bf and family there is a whole new pack, and as the member of that pack that has been there the longest she wants to establish herself as high ranking, if not the alpha bitch of the new pack.

The only way to stop her doing this is to just really lay down the law thick and fast. When she does wrong punish her (just shouting admonishments at her will work in most instances) and when she does right then you can praise her and make a fuss of her and maybe give her a little treat.
>> Niggerhusky Guy !!2YW0PJZXbhy
>>214409

Or....

Just have everyone practice "Nothing In Life Is Free". No yelling or punishment neccessary.
>> le/x/bian
>>214404
QFT

>>214409
Speaking as someone who has 3 german shepards, I say from experience that yelling will do little good.

German shepards do best with firm leadership - if you're going to correct her from doing something, do it EVERY TIME. You should think about taking her to a training class (even though she might be an already well-trained dog) to help strengthen her understanding of how you work and help her bond with you through work instead of only play.

If you can, give her a job. I know that sounds silly but German Shepards can especially gain a lot from it. Try teaching her to fetch the paper for you or something along those lines (I know someone who taught their dog to help them load the washing machine).
>> Anonymous
>>214404

Is right.

>>214409

Is wrong. Some of it is a hierarchy thing, but she is not testing her boundaries on purpose - she's trying to get back to a comfortable way of life. Yelling and punishing is the worst thing to do.

The dog is feeling anxious because her routine has been changed. Obviously, someone tried using the kennel as punishment, or tried forcing her into it before establishing any sort of trust bond - don't EVER make a dog go into her cage because she's been bad. This will make her feel trapped and anxious and make the cage feel like it is not a place she wants to be.

Spend a lot of time with this dog, offer her a lot of treats (if she's not too nervous to take them), and let her know you are not trying to pull any tricks. She can't understand why you are there and her master is not, but eventually she will begin to trust you. There is no hurrying it - she is convinced her master is coming back for her, and the pacing and whining and annoyance will continue until she decides that this is the way it's going to be.

You should explain to your neighbors the situation right away, and that the problem won't go away overnight, and offer them dinner or something to make up for it.
>> Anonymous
OP here:

thanks guys for your input...we don't agree with putting her in the cage in the first place but the neighbors were complaining so we were trying to get that stress off the neighbors. since we cant get her in the cage to shut up how do we help get rid of the barking? she barks for no reason day and night. sometimes she will bark because she hears another dog barking but alot of the times shes barking for unknown reasons. we were wondering if it was because she feels restless and has too much energy. however, we would walk her but we dont think she knows how to be walked...and she will try to kill anything like someone else's small dog being walked...and probably try to attack other people...she was trained as an attack/guard dog so shes not a social dog around strangers.

we try to play with her as much as we can to help get rid of her energy but it hasn't been working...and we dont agree with bark collars.

so barking...how do we stop it?
>> Niggerhusky Guy !!2YW0PJZXbhy
>>214842

Obvious case of excess energy. You don't walk a high energy breed.

Walk her at 4am and 9PM when nobody else is around. You may need to leash train her. Your best bet at this point is a professional behaviorist that can evaluate your dog. At the very least, get one lesson, so that you can figure out a starting point.

Punishing her or trying to train her, at this point, is redudant. You need to get rid of her energy first or it will be a lesson in fustration.
>> Anonymous
how to stop the barking???
>> MiMi
>>215068
see
>>214845
Get help and advice from a trainer or behaviorist - someone who works with dogs on a regular basis, and has for preferably a long time. /an/ can be helpful at times, but given the information you've told us, I really recommend getting a professional's help.