My dog is nipping at people

[Oregonhunter5]

Maybe we can put a shock collar on my sister-in-law. If I could arrange for her to receive a shock every time she began to overeat, my BIL may finally have the ability to shoehorn her through the front door.

Oh that's just mean. Is she that large? Or so you just not like the gal?

 

[Captain O]

The sad fact is that on her wedding day she stood 4' 11.5" and weighed 385 lbs. (This is not a joke but the Gospel truth).

My standard joke is that her husband carried her over the threshold on their wedding night... he made two trips.
They live in Florida and wanted to buy side-by-side burial plots. They couldn't find either a sinkhole or a piano case big enough to meet her needs.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

That's literally a boulder

 

[Captain O]

Sadly her fat (not flesh) hung from her arms. I wonder if she's still alive.

 

[Oohrah]

My wife is a "country girl" and a total dog lover (Labradors in particular) but she loathes GSD's and Doberman's for those very reasons.... they CAN go cra-cra as they age. She's seen to many attacks by those two breeds (Pitbulls not withstanding) while growing up and living in Australia.

I'm thinking instead of selective breeding they do the puppy mill for the bucks and bad side eventually bleeds out. It happens with so many of the popular breeds and yes working breeds also!
So many adoptions from pounds are there for more than behavior problems that can be modified for a while, only to return as they age, or conditions change. One reason why during WW2 some of those tightly wound breeds were not put back into civilian life when their tours were over. Always the exception, but not many in this day and age will stick their necks out if the odds are going to be not positive.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

My dog is selective breeding. Straight from Europe. Half Czech half German.
Patchwork shepherds in Middleton Idaho. Quality dogs. After closer investigation and advice I believe my dog is trying to herd us with the slight nips.

 

[OldTengu]

One time a dog bit me, so I bit him back. Problem solved.

 

[Rottbot]

A few things. First, I concur with the input that the dog is displaying youthful dominance assertion behavior and that it should be fairly easy to correct if you step up and assert your alpha status consistently. Second, do not ask people to offer their hand to your dog to sniff, your dog can smell them from across the street. An insecure/unpredictable dog may interpret a hand coming toward their face as an aggressive act and react in kind, at which point they have a convenient body part upon which to demonstrate their displeasure. Third, do not use food/treats as a corrective action plan. This is only giving the dog the message that people with food are ok, people without food are not. The dog should be taking its cues from you and your behavior, and nothing else. Take a look into the books by the Monks of New Skeet: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, and The Art of Raising a Puppy. They are a sect of monks who breed GSD's and decided to get into training to help the owners who purchase their dogs. Their books focus more on teaching people to think like dogs instead of expecting dogs to think like people.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

A few things. First, I concur with the input that the dog is displaying youthful dominance assertion behavior and that it should be fairly easy to correct if you step up and assert your alpha status consistently. Second, do not ask people to offer their hand to your dog to sniff, your dog can smell them from across the street. An insecure/unpredictable dog may interpret a hand coming toward their face as an aggressive act and react in kind, at which point they have a convenient body part upon which to demonstrate their displeasure. Third, do not use food/treats as a corrective action plan. This is only giving the dog the message that people with food are ok, people without food are not. The dog should be taking its cues from you and your behavior, and nothing else. Take a look into the books by the Monks of New Skeet: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend, and The Art of Raising a Puppy. They are a sect of monks who breed GSD's and decided to get into training to help the owners who purchase their dogs. Their books focus more on teaching people to think like dogs instead of expecting dogs to think like people.

Serious? Actual real monks that train these dogs?

 

[Rottbot]

Serious? Actual real monks that train these dogs?

Yep. They started working with the dogs as a sort of meditation/peaceful growth type of thing. The monks take on a single dog and the two coexist entirely. The dogs follow their monk throughout their day, to the point of sitting at their feet during meal time. The monk's requirement for a quiet, serene environment led them to develop a pretty focused training regimen and breeding program. When they started selling their puppies, some owners had difficulties handling the dogs, so the monks began teaching others their training methods, which ended in them writing a handful of books. Well worth checking out.

 

[P7M13]

They are a sect of monks who breed GSD's and decided to get into training to help the owners who purchase their dogs. Their books focus more on teaching people to think like dogs instead of expecting dogs to think like people.

Understanding the Tao of the dog is pretty important. I currently work with a lab/dachsund mix rescue. Whoever abused him would bring him forward with food then beat. Talk about forking up a dog's psyche. I still manage around or sequester him from people, because his insecurity is a wild-card and we are still working on those triggers that were beat into him.

 

[WWShooter]

Your dog is BITING people. I've had 4 GSDs over the past 16 years, all European bred. Not one of them has ever "nipped" at or bitten anyone, unless in actual protection training (when all bets are off). You've gotten a lot of advice - some (IMHO) good, some not so good. I'd contact your local (city, county) LEO canine units and ask them who they buy from/train with for solid advice.