Training a 4 year old dog ?

pudzey101

hi quick question but is it possible to train a 4 year old german shepard ?

She was grand upto a few months ago when she had to undergo surgery but recently shes getting very aggressive towards other dogs and people that come too close to her .

Bells21

pudzey101 wrote:

She was grand upto a few months ago when she had to undergo surgery but recently shes getting very aggressive towards other dogs and people that come too close to her .

If it's a new behaviour and she's undergone surgery in the last while perhaps checking to see if there's a medical reason for this change in behaviour might be the first stop? She could be feeling some pain and may no want anyone too close.

pudzey101

Bells21 wrote: »

If it's a new behaviour and she's undergone surgery in the last while perhaps checking to see if there's a medical reason for this change in behaviour might be the first stop? She could be feeling some pain and may no want anyone too close.

jeez thanks never taught of that , il bring her for a trip to the vet in the morning before things gets out of hand. she had a large lump removed from her side but this was 3-4 months ago

AMKC

pudzey101 wrote: »

hi quick question but is it possible to train a 4 year old german shepard ?

She was grand upto a few months ago when she had to undergo surgery but recently shes getting very aggressive towards other dogs and people that come too close to her .

Its always possible to train a dog the same as you can always learn something new. Its just the older the are the harder it will be and more determined you will have to be. I agree with what the other poster said as well do no harm getting your dog checked make sure she is not in pain.

Bells21

pudzey101 wrote:

jeez thanks never taught of that , il bring her for a trip to the vet in the morning before things gets out of hand. she had a large lump removed from her side but this was 3-4 months ago

Hopefully it isn't anything medical but a good idea to have her checked out just to be on the safe side. Has anything else changed or happened in the past few months that may have caused the sudden change I.e. moving house, change in family dynamic or a bad experience with humans/dogs?

pudzey101

thanks guys will do was thinking she was too old to train but seems not her behavior is totally out of character for her for example if walking and a person passes she goes to nip them when they have passed by

EDIT : no changes in the past at all that what has me dumb founded

Allyall

My Dog started randomly snapping at people a few years ago. We didn't know what was wrong. It turned out that she had an ear infection, or something wrong in her ears. We got drops and tablets, and gave them to her. IIRC it was two drops in the morning and two in the evening for a month.

After that she was fine again

VonVix

pudzey101 wrote: »

thanks guys will do was thinking she was too old to train but seems not her behavior is totally out of character for her for example if walking and a person passes she goes to nip them when they have passed by

EDIT : no changes in the past at all that what has me dumb founded

Definitely get her checked for pain, dogs can be more guarded about themselves against others if they feel physically uncomfortable. Secondly, you need to take steps towards management with regards these circumstances. Muzzle training (slowly, briefly and positively are the way forward) would be a good start, muzzles can help relax the owner in situations like these, you probably feel yourself tightening the leash if you're bracing yourself for a "reactive moment" from her, which in turn can cause the dog to react even more intensely, especially when it's a GSD! Don't put her in the position where she feels the need to react, keep distance between yourself and other people or dogs, cross the road, give a wide berth to other people/animals, if this is what your dog needs right now, you need to accommodate it.

pudzey101

thanks for all the tips guys , iv purchased a muzzle but it makes her more nervous/aggressive for some reason ? i even bought them "calm ease" tablets in maxi zoo to calm her but no good so binned them im at the stage now where im thinking she might turn on me at some point so need this sorted asap . ill take your advice and bring her to a vet to get her a check up ..

thanks Allyall and VonVix

VonVix

pudzey101 wrote: »

iv purchased a muzzle but it makes her more nervous/aggressive for some reason ?

She will be distressed wearing it if you don't condition her to it correctly. You don't just whack it on and hope for the best, like a lot of people do.

Here is an excellent muzzle training video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo

DBB

Just to add... You do need to condition your dog to happily wear a muzzle, but it must be a basket-style muzzle as illustrated in Vonvix's video. Do not use a fabric, tubular muzzle, they're entirely unsuitable for anything other than brief visits to the vet or groomer.
If you were to be absolutely objective op, you say she was always grand around dogs and people... But was she? Did she actively welcome them and/approach them happily? Or was she more likely to kinda ignore them and keep to herself?