heres tha run down. his name is Bandit, iv had him since he was a puppy, hes a germen sheaperd. i love him to death and hes been a great dog...heres tha problem, hes VERY protective over me, mom, sister, step dad and my moms little poodle. our other 2 dogs, well, sometimes theyll play, other time theyll fight, and bandit bein twice there size...well you know. also, anyone he doesnt know, he will try to attack them.

whats the problem? in a few months im moving into a 2 bedroom trailor with my girlfriend, and id like to bring bandit with me....but scared hes gonna attack Megan(gf) when im not around. the ideal of bein able to leave bandit out with megan when im not home would be nice, im sure she would feel alot better havin bandit there incase someone tried to break in, or her crazy *** ex shows up whem im not home.

so how can you get a dog used to someone when all he wants to do is bite who ever he dont know? my thoughts were to lock him in a cage while shes there for awhile so he can see shes no 'threat' i guess you can say. any ideals?

 

Well you're moving in with her, so hopefully you've been seeing this girl for awhile. Doesn't she ever come over? I'd hope this dog has met her or at least seen her on multiple occasions. You need to get Bandit used to seeing her and having her around. You also need to start disciplining him when he starts acting up, for the safety of other people and yourself. You don't want him attacking someone else for no reason just because you haven't taken the time to teach him how to manage himself.

 

yea we have been dating awhile, but i live 2 hours away from my moms, which is were bandit is right now, shes only seen im once.

and iv tried dude, iv whipped him every time he tries to jump at someone, (we put him on a chain when we know someone is coming over)

also, my mom lives (and where im moving to, next door) in tha sticks, back in the woods, so he never really sees anyone else

 

try the dog whisperer...

 

lmfao, im to cheap for that

 

Plain & simple, if the dog has never been socialized with strangers and other dogs also, then it's not going to be easy. How old is this dog? If he feels that the youngsters are stealing his attention, he may be aggressive to them. Then again, sometimes the dogs take to defending children right away.

You need to start introducing everybody to the dog right away, no matter what. It's best to do this somewhere away from your home, so the dog doesn't feel the need to defend anything or anybody. Take everybody to a park and play. Start with that and see how it goes. German Shepherds are very smart.

 

yea ill try that. thanks man, and hes 5 years old

 

well you have a breed of dog that is very protective and naturally dominate a great gaurd dog and a great family dog, a horrible stranger type dog (ps i have a German Sheppard as well)

as of moving out into a place with your girlfriend with you dog just make sure she establishes her dominance over him as you walk in the door such as she walks in first and then turns around and invites him in after he if he tries to go into the home first you will have to correct him and tell him no and to have him sit (use a leash and a collar) a correction is a quick jerk to the collar then a release not to pull up on the collar and not release or let him pull. Also, when you feed him (free feed or not) don’t allow him to eat as soon as you throw the bowl down make him work for it make him sit and wait (both commands are easy) if he breaks a sit correct him (again with a jerk to the collar and a quick release) repeat this until he learns to sit and wait until YOU say it is OK…

there is a lot of things your girl is going to have to do to make him know she is above him and not below him this goes with you too… this breed is naturally protective dogs are an amazing creatures they sense our fear, sorrow, stress, excitement and your weakness even when you try your hardest to hid it. He will sense you and or you girlfriend freak if you ex or her ex stops by un announced. They know who is family, your dog feels your comfort around your girlfriend and accepters he will follow your lead as long as YOU ARE LEADING with this breed most people actually follow their dog… strange I know but make your dog know who is boss. By all means do not strike him or hit him that will just make things worse . if you need further help I would get a trainer there are a so many every were and they are really cheap so good luck and hope you and your girlfriend do well

 

Very simple little things establish dominance in a dog's mind. Like, if he's laying down in the hallway, and blocking the way......

If she steps over him without making him move, he is dominant.

If she makes him get up & move out of the way, she is dominant.

Also, Start with little things. A box of dog treats, and a session of teaching the dog to sit, do a lot for building a relationship with a dog. Also, you may consider stopping feeding him yourself, and have the kids feed the dog instead.

Does this help you out? Dogs are smart, but still simple minded. They want to eat, play, and work.

I have 2 shepherds, and 2 mutts. Have had several other dogs in the past, my fav being rotts. Just not ready to get another rott yet. The last one was too damn special.

 

very helpful info guys thanks alot. and i dont have any kids lol.
but i will do/try everything mentioned above.

and i dont 'hit' bandit bu no means, when i say whip, a light tap on his rear and he stops and listins.

he is very smart like said, he knows when i pull up (loud exhaust) and he wont stop barking till i go pet him lol.