[GSD_Rex]

Hi, I just got a 4 month old GSD about 3 weeks ago. His name is Rex and he is a very chill pup. I am used to owning pariah dogs because I used to just pick them up from the streets and bring them home when I was younger but this is my first pure breed dog.

I got Koehler's book and started on the basics on how to make your dog attentive (doing a right turn and walking in the other direction when your dog isn't paying attention, etc) and it seems to be working. When we go on walks, he has started to walk behind me or at the most besides me, unlike when I first brought him home and he used to drag me all around.

Now my question is why does the dog seem so excited to see other people and not me? I live alone and am gone for about 5-6 hours every day and I leave him in my balcony with all his toys and water. I make sure to walk/play with him for at least 45 mins before I leave and after I come home. But when I come home, I get a mild welcome back from him but when he sees other people on the streets or in my apt. complex, he is all over them wagging his tail and licking them and wanting to play.

Am I doing anything wrong here for my dog to be more excited to see other people than the person who feeds him and takes care of him?

[PowerNubby]

Congrats on making yourself an educated dog owner!! Thats a great thing to be doing. GSD's are very difficult, but are great dogs.. especially if they are of a german lineage.

Now in regards to your issue.. You are putting human emotions onto your dog. Your dog is not disregarding you when you come home. Your dog is not MORE HAPPY to see strangers than to see you. Your dog may be more excited to see other people because that is just his personality.

One question you should ask yourself is this:
Have you ever yelled at your dog or punished him in some way after just having walked in the door?

Many dog owners make this mistake. They walk inside the door and they see that the dog had ripped apart their favorite couch. Then they go and yell at the dog.. or you walk in the door and you see that to dog had an accident and you yell and point at the accident and say NO BAD DOG.. the dog has no clue. He doesnt know why you are saying NO. For all he knows, you are yelling at him because you walked in the door, or because he was sleeping on the carpet.

Doing this just makes the dog fear your homecoming and is not going to train him to do anything except fear you walking in the door.

So.. if you did this, just say so and we can help you work on getting a more excited greeting

[MrAndrew]

In my experience I've found that when coming home to the 'pack' you shouldn't greet the dogs at all, be it positive or negative. I'm not saying to be unfriendly or hostile, but to be neutral. By enthusiastically greeting your dog you'll just encourage the possibility of anti-social behavior, such as jumping up on you, etc. This is what I do because I have multiple dogs, and don't want to play favorites. I simply walk in and past the dogs, let some time past and then socialize with them.... Just my 2 cents

[GSD_Rex]

Hmmm....for some reason my last message didn't post but a new development happened today. But before -

PowerNubby - I have never yelled him after coming in for making a mess before he got house broken.

MrAndrew - I agree with you and I don't socialize with them right away. I come in, put my book bag away, maybe drink water, etc and then after a few minutes pet him.

Now to today's incident. I was cleaning the house today and Rex was chewing on his chewy bone. I wanted him to go sit in the balcony so that I could clean where he was sitting. I picked up his bone and suddenly he snapped at me and now I have a nasty gash on my hand. I have moved his stuff before (drinking bowl, eating bowl, etc) while he was eating and he never did anything like this before.

He is not a rescue dog. I bought him from a well renowned breeder who sells dogs to police and fire departments, so I know he wasn't abused. I always act like a pack leader when I am dealing with him but obviously the hierarchy broke down some where for him to act this way. What do I do about this?

[Lunareclipse]

Normally, if you get a dog from a reputable breeder, you can always call them with any questions or concerns about your dog. I would call the breeder and discuss your problem. They will help you as much as they can.