[mtully67]

I'm not sure what to do. I have a 2.5 year old german shep/lab mix who is progressively getting more and more unpredictable in her behavior. We have another dog, a cat, 2 boys (9 and 10) and lots of friends who visit our house. The kids are gentle with Sally, and so are their friends. Since she's a puppy, we have used positive reinforcement in our training with her, but as time goes on she seems like she's becoming fearful/headstrong. Here are the problems noticed recently: my son's friend was here. Had been at the house for a couple of hours already. Polite, sweet kid, very gentle toward both dogs. Sally sees him walking thru the livingroom and she follows very closely, barking not with her playful bark, but with one that sounds fearful and she's so close to him it almost looks like she might bite him. This is probably the 2nd time I've seen her do this in the last couple of months. Once with an adult and once with this boy. She has this herding instinct with small children. Just a couple of days ago our neighbor's grandkids came over (they've been to our house countless times) One of the girls (4 years old) was skipping and Sally chased her down, growled a bit and tried to use her head to herd her back to the group, but actually ended up knocking her down. The growling and chasing is new tho. She's often tried to herd my kids by attempting to nip at a heel or a bottom, but there's never a full fledged chase and growling. I'm concerned about this behavior. She's going to bite someone if this doesn't stop. She can also be unpredictable on the leash. She can easily walk by another dog or she could just charge with fur up and growling/barking. I never know which. She's 60 pounds, so she can be tough to hold onto when she catches you off guard. I don't know what to do. I don't want her to bite anyone.

[Lunareclipse]

Ok, until you know for sure that your dog is safe around children or other dogs, I would suggest a muzzle. That would prevent bites until you figure out what is wrong with your dog. Second, take your dog to the vet. There may be a problem that you don't know about that is making your dog irritable. Third, take your dog to obedience class. It not only trains your dog but also socializes your dog with other dogs and people.

[mtully67]

Thanks... I hadn't thought about the muzzle. I'm just so frustrated right now. She's "too much". I thought she'd grow out of this with age and training and several miles of walking a day, but she's actually getting worse. We've had her to the vet and she's fine. Walking/jogging bores her to tears. Being out in the yard, even with our other dog and my boys bores her. She ends up digging and barking at every one or every car that goes by. She doesn't fetch. She wants to herd. As for socializing, she's always been around other dogs. She's fine on leash with dogs she's already familiar with (we have a whole pack in the neighborhood we walk and play with), and she's fine off leash at the dog park. It's the random dog that goes by that just sets her off.

[Lunareclipse]

I have a saint bernard like that. I carry an air horn and when he acts up, I use the airhorn. As soon as he looks at me, I give a treat. As soon as he looks at the other dog and behaves, I give a treat. If he looks back at the dog and misbehaves again, I use the airhorn again. TReat, treat, treat for behaviors you like. It also sounds like your german shepherd needs a job. I have a pyrenees that needs a job too so I can understand your position. Sometimes dog walking isn't enough. You can get on youtube and look up complicated pet tricks and such (getting you a pepsi out of the fridge or turning on the lights) and try working with your dog on those. Some dogs need more than just physical stimulation. They wear out easier if they are mentally stimulated. A 15 minute training session with my dog is about the same as a 1/2 hour walk. And your dog gets to be proud of itself for learning something new. You can also train your dog to play hide and seek and to "find" things.

[lange]

It sounds like she needs a job, something with structure that forces her to focus. Ever try rally or some other mentally challenging activites? I don't know where you live or what your options are but you'll have to figure out a way to both physically & mentally challenge her if her breed drives her to want to herd.

As for not listening to you, you need to stop treating her like a puppy and start making her earn her keep. Make her work for her food, play, walk, affection, whatever. Don't give her food from her bowl, start hand feeding her through out the day and making her earn it.

Challenge her. Work her. Make her earn her keep.