Hello to all,

I have never posted to this newsgroup before. I just rescued a 2 year old
German Shorthair Pointer. He is male and neutered. He appears to be
purebread. He is a very beutiful dog, and we like him alot. We have two
major problems however. The first is he is very protective of the family
and home. We cannot bring friends over without putting the dog outside,
otherwise he attacks them. The second is that he is chewing up all of our 3
year old sons toys. He responds decently to "No", and appears to be pretty
well behaved (he is a little rough around the edges). In our home we have 2
cats and a 3 year old child. It took about a week for him and the cats to
play nicely together (the cats are still standoffish). He has responded
well to the little training we have provided. What sugestions could I get
from this newgroup to these problems.

Thanks in advance,
John

On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 07:54:49 GMT, "John Huthmaker" wrote:

...I just rescued a 2 year old
German Shorthair Pointer... What sugestions could I get
from this newgroup to these problems.

Thank you for rescuing this dog. I am confident things will work out well. Never leave
this dog unattended near your child period.

Let's address the easy one first: chewing the toys. Dogs like/need to chew. Usually, just
substituted appropriate things for inappropriate things will do the trick. Your dog would
probably like one or more squeaky toys. Squeaky balls are nice because they roll and make
noise. I've had great success with compressed rawhide (not the chipped, then compressed
type) and rawhide chips.

Considering the breed and the circumstances, I believe your dog is eager to please you;
so, take advantage of that. Let him know that he is not supposed to chew anyone else's
toys. When you catch him breaking that rule, immediately substitute one of his toys. He'll
get the picture! I figure he is pretty intelligent. :-)

Now, the more challenging problem: aggressive behavior. If that is the correct word, it is
a serious problem. Maybe we can discover that it is merely assertiveness. First, if I were
to make you go outside every time guests arrived, I'd probably learn to despise those
guests. I'd realize that I was less important than they are; and that because of them, I
get ignored--just like I used to get ignored! So, you have to help him realize that guests
are good.

Even "The Dog Whisperer", Cesar Millan, sometimes uses a helper; and I think you should
use a helper, too. Recruit one or more friends who are not afraid of your dog, and who are
willing to help you condition your dog to accept guests. Just have your assistants come to
visit and ignore your dog's aggressive behavior. Sit near your guests and touch them.
Perhaps sit in the floor and play a few hands of cards or something. Hand some treats to
your guests and allow them to offer the treats to your dog. The object is for your dog to
see that interaction with a guest is a good thing, and something that you like.

When it looks like you're making progress, introduce some "high fives". This looks and
sounds like an aggressive act. Your dog needs to see that this is not a bad thing, but
something you like. Remember, for now, your dog doesn't have a very clear concept of what
is okay [safe] and what isn't. Seeing, coupled with verbal admonitions/encouragement, is a
great enlightening formula, IMHO.

You stated that your dog "attacks" your guests. Does he go for their throat? Or does he
block their path and bark at them? Or something in between? You are the only source of
significant kindness and security this dog has experienced in its young life. Therefore,
it is only reasonable that he wants to preserve that. He probably equates guests with
suffering, because that is all he has ever known. In other words, you have some serious
re-conditioning to do.

Exposure to guests and new situations is the key.

I'm not a canine behavior expert, but I play one, at the shelter. LOL! Seriously, every
week,as a volunteer, I meet at least one dog that flees, growls, snarls, barks or snaps at
me. Dogs that do that to me might do it to a potential adopter--and miss a second chance
at life. So, I invest time in them and help them work through some of their fears.
Depending on time, and how much needs to be accomplished, I sometimes push dogs (and push
my luck). I corner them; I invade their space; I give them treats [which frightened dogs
usually ignore], or whatever it takes to earn their acceptance and then trust. Sometimes,
all I have to do is sit there and talk with them.

Many of the dogs I work with also have badly messed up coats. Fortunately, I've learned to
use a few grooming tools. Sometimes, as grooming progresses, dogs realize that I'm just
there to help them.

Even if you have to keep your dog by your side on a leash, do expose him to your guests.
Let him realize that guests are good and that assertive posturing is not good, during
their visits.


Whatever it takes.

hi
well done for taking on a rescue. i think you need to get your self a
good trainer and a toy box ~

when my kids were that young i had dog space and kid space (use a stair
gate ifneed be) that way kids toys are not eaten and kids are not
knocked over and dogs not pulled about.
when they # thekids# are older then consider letting them together.
have you invested in dog toys? i like the entire kong range.
you will not get to the root of the problem by using the internet,get
yourself and your dog trained.

"John Huthmaker" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hello to all,

I have never posted to this newsgroup before. I just rescued a 2 year old
German Shorthair Pointer. He is male and neutered. He appears to be
purebread. He is a very beutiful dog, and we like him alot. We have two
major problems however. The first is he is very protective of the family
and home. We cannot bring friends over without putting the dog outside,
otherwise he attacks them. The second is that he is chewing up all of our
3
year old sons toys. He responds decently to "No", and appears to be
pretty
well behaved (he is a little rough around the edges). In our home we have
2
cats and a 3 year old child. It took about a week for him and the cats to
play nicely together (the cats are still standoffish). He has responded
well to the little training we have provided. What sugestions could I get
from this newgroup to these problems.

Thanks in advance,
John




something else you might want to try is socializing him in a neutral
setting.. take him to a park (on a secure leash, of course) with some of
your friendly volunteers to see how he reacts. does he still see them as a
threat or as invaders. if so, he has some serious issues, but if he accepts
them, then it's just a matter of time and working with him patiently...

good luck, rescues are always hard as you don't know what their
circumstances are. we've got 3 rescued dogs, each with their own problems
we had to overcome, but they've each been a joy to us.

Davina

On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:26:09 GMT, "John Huthmaker" ,
clicked their heels and said:

ince we
got the dog (just 2 weeks ago) we have had 2 people visit our house. As
soon as the dog sees this stranger he rushes them, and nipped one of thems
knee's. This behaviour has in both cases caused us to imediatly put the dog
out. I have a feeling that if given 5 minutes to warm up to them, the
behaviour would desist. Unfortunatly I dont think anybody is going to be
willing to try to warm up to the dog because of his instant agression
towards them off the bat.

Put a LEASH on him, Sit down. Have your spouse answer the door and
invite the guests in. Stay sitting, For 10, 15 minutes. When the
dog has chilled, walk him up to your guests and correct any horrid
behavior. if he doesn't chill, keep him on leash, crated in the same
room, and teach him that he has to accept guests in his presence.

And run, don't walk, to obedience classes.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

"John Huthmaker" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hello to all,

I have never posted to this newsgroup before. I just rescued a 2 year old
German Shorthair Pointer. He is male and neutered. He appears to be
purebread. He is a very beutiful dog, and we like him alot. We have two
major problems however. The first is he is very protective of the family
and home. We cannot bring friends over without putting the dog outside,
otherwise he attacks them. The second is that he is chewing up all of our
3 year old sons toys. He responds decently to "No", and appears to be
pretty well behaved (he is a little rough around the edges). In our home
we have 2 cats and a 3 year old child. It took about a week for him and
the cats to play nicely together (the cats are still standoffish). He has
responded well to the little training we have provided. What sugestions
could I get from this newgroup to these problems.

I'll echo the other poster and take it one further. Never, ever leave a dog
alone unsupervised with a small child. Never. Any dog.

I'm not a prof. trainer or behaviorist, but I'm curious about how your dog
was kept previous to your adopting him, before he ended up at the shelter or
rescue. This is something we may never know.

I wonder, if he was often unsupervised in a yard, and most of the
interaction he had with people outside of his family had been the mailman
and delivery people. Most dogs will bark at them, and they leave (of
course, bec. they don't live there). The dogs thinks, "I ran them off!
Yippee!" And the behavior continues and sometimes gets worse, i.e. more
enthusiastic and "aggressive." It was reinforced, in the dog's mind,
because he acted aggressive and accomplished what he set out to do, driving
away the "intruder." Maybe this behavior has extended to your guests, now.
He's territorial - as many dogs are - and thinks if he runs at them and
barks, the "intruder" will leave. Plus, if he was out in a yard when the
former owner's guests came, they might appear to "leave" (leave his field of
vision) when they entered the house. Same thing when they left.

If he were my dog, this is how I would manage him. I don't have access to a
behaviorist or good prof. trainer. I would purchase a comfortable, secure
crate for him, get him used to being confined to the crate for an hour or so
at a time, and crate him (indoors) when guests arrive, before I let them in.
I would not put him out of the house when company comes, ever. Hopefully,
you'll be visiting with company in the same room as the dog. Get a couple
noise-tolerant friends to come over every day, even if for just five or ten
minutes. If he barks in his crate, get your guests to stay until he stops;
then they can leave. If that's possible. IME some dogs will quit expending
energy,that doesn't get them the result they desire.

If he's gotten used to that - doesn't freak out with barking and acting
"aggressive" in his crate towards guests - then leash him to you when guests
come. Repeat with the guests, every day, even if for a short period of
time. He doesn't need to physically contact the guests. It would be even
better if he were obedience trained at this point and behaved well on the
leash.

If he appears to be calming down but you don't think he's trustworthy loose
with company (and I would be very, very careful on this score), you may find
that you can manage him by crating at those times, esp. if he comes to view
his crate as his safe haven, where he can be "off duty." Some dogs do. If
he has to go outside to potty when guests are present, leash him and take
him out.

I have an aggressive-acting dog that I manage similarly. He is often out in
the yard by his choice (doggie door). When company comes, I leash him to
let them in the gate. If I come out the door with the leash in my hand, he
leaves off his barking at the gate and trots over to me to be leashed, and
he isn't particularly obedient wry grin. It's a routine now. If company
is going to be here for a long period of time, I crate him and if nec. take
him out on the leash, and then re-crate him. At the gate, he's Killer
Beast. Crated, he snoozes.

Obedience training will be a big, big help in this endeavor. And if you DO
have access to a good behaviorist, by all means go that route.

flick 100785


Thanks in advance,
John

wrote:
HOWEDY john,

You had ENOUGH YET?

Why are you posing as Marshall Dermer, you stupid ****?

Be yourself or be gone, AssHowe.Are you EMBARRASSED to be you, AssHowe?
I wouldn't blame you there - who WOULD WOULD *NOT* BE embarressed
being YOU.