) he took his chance and jumped up and bit my hand 
and the vets bills we have had lately it's just not happening. We can't continue like this anymore as we are worried that he may hurt Damien ( our 3 year old son) if he happens to get in the way.
Yeah he was done a while ago, that seems to have made him worse aswell
poppydog83 - Tue May 06, 2008 4:53 pm
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We are having a similar ish problem with sparky and ignoring him doesnt help things it makes it alot worse. I think that having sparky neutered made his behaviour slightly worse.
I tried to get advice from lynne davies (is it her on dog borstal) anyway she sent an email back saying that she would prefer to meet the dog first before giving out advice and if i remember correctly her first in your home consultation fee was nearly £150!!!
We dont want to rehome sparky because like you said it will be passing his problems on to someone else. But the rehoming centre we have gone to have a positive outlook on it. And have said they will try their best to rehome him with people who have the time to spend with him and train him,if not we dont want to have to make the worst decision possible
clareabella - Tue May 06, 2008 7:49 pm
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It seems we have the same situation then hun
He has been like it for a while and i guess i just keep crossing my fingers hoping it would go away with a bit of encouragement but i saw reality when he bit me.
He started again tonight but didn't do it for long. What i dont get though is that it starts out of nowhere. We would just be sitting down and diesel will be settled on the floor then he just suddenly gets up and starts behaving badly. He bent my finger back yesterday and my OH said he will just let him off his lead next time and let him run off ( he wouldn't do that, he was just realy angry.) He can be fine some days and then turns into a monster again.
poppydog83 - Tue May 06, 2008 9:29 pm
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its the same here,he can be fine one day then the next he will be bad. Although i must admit the bad days r becoming more and more frequent
Twig - Wed May 07, 2008 6:55 pm
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What food is he on and how much does he get out? They are highly intelligent and energetic dogs as you know and I know of several people who've had problems with collies who were feed to much high energy food and not getting out enough leading to behavioral problems.
clareabella - Wed May 07, 2008 7:34 pm
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We are feeding him Bakers with tinned food at the moment ( that's what he was used to so i guess we just never changed it).
As for exercise he gets plenty, well an hour a day as thats all he is allowed due to having problems with his pads. He will play up even when he is all puffed out from his walks. Like i mentioned before it just seems to come out of nowhere, nothing triggers him off as far as we can see. Today he has been as good as gold, yet tommorow he could play up again.
Fizz - Mon May 12, 2008 9:47 am
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What a worry for you. It sounds like Diesel thinks he is your pack leader. You need to re-establish yourself as leader. I am curently trying to do this with my dog. It is hard work but I am getting some results. Good luck!
hev_gsd - Mon May 12, 2008 11:03 am
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with out totaly know the situation,it sounds like tyipacal gsd play!
id change his food over as soon as,bakers is like giving your child mcdonalds everyday,yes you can get the basic nutritional needs from it but it also has loads crap in it.
why cant he be walked for longer? kia suffers from soft pad where her pads will go red raw and blister if she is walked to long on hard ground but we work around it and she always gets at the least a two hour walk a day about an hour of that is free running,she doesnt have one two hour walk i walk her in the morning and early evening because if she just has one walk a day her behaviour changed dramaticaly
i wouldnt get one to one training,id find a good local dog trainer and go to normal classes every week,like collies gsd also need a job, why dont you try teaching him a new things get your son envoled to.
its really does sound like tyipical gsd play where he runs round and nips, like a mad half hour sort of thing.
if you work off all that pent up energy by working his body and his mind then im sure he will stop doing it.if kia isnt walked for long enough then she does this just the same.
i remember you saying ages ago that you found it difficult to walk him because he pulls loads.is he still hard to walk? how old is he?
Twig - Tue May 13, 2008 9:13 am
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I agree with the above, Bakers is a real crappy food, packed full of colours, bound to contribue to hyperactivity! Also, one hour isn't really sufficient for a dog of his size, it sounds like hes so full of energy he is becoming nippy, frustrated and aggressive. The same happened to my friend with a border collie and its kept in the garage most of its life as a result!
Maybe get involved in a local obience/agility training group? Although I know ith big dogs you have to be careful with agility by making sure their hips are in good order. With dogs like GSDs its important to remember they need mental and physical stimulation, so really you need to work out a way to fulfil both. Good luck, really hope he settles down!
coliel - Tue May 13, 2008 11:18 am
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Hi
I agree with every thing said and also think that it probably is due to a lack of exercise - how ever Im sure you said that he was a rescue and so perhaps you could speak to who ever you got him from especialy if this behavior has been the same since you got him?
As for the exercise if it realy isnt possablefor you to give him more waks -remember you could give him 5, 15 min walks a day with a good run off lead too, then how about teaching him tricks at home and make him work for every thing he gets so he has to role over before getting a stroke etc .You could also stimulate him using kongs , stuffed marrow bones , bottles filled with dried food infact never feed him with a simple bowl, but give him lots of diffrent things to do to get his food.
It must be terrably frustrating and worrying especialy with a small child so what ever you do never leave your son with your dog on thir own even for even a minute!! If you are going to the loo or making a phone call iether bring your son or put your dog in a seperate room and dont forget to have a bolt put on the door that your child cant reach !!
- this was somthing i didnt have with my last dog and as she had a brain tumer i had to be ever so care full as by the end some times she forgot who even i was !! - i would put the dog in the utillity room if i needed to go to the loo or somthing and once my 5 year old son opened the door to let her out !!! - he was only being kind and nothing happened but its not worth the risk in theese situations !!
love coliel
cmd - Tue May 13, 2008 7:42 pm
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Poor you, and at the same time he seems like such a sweet dog. Well done for persevering, rehoming is lazy and I'm sure if you look up some good dog training techniques and get some advice from a friend he'll soon calm down. Getting a personal trainer is quite a good idea but they don't always do a good job and they charge a lot. I only have a Yorkie who has small temper tantrums but if I were you I'd maybe walk him for longer/give him more exercise so that he's more tired out during the day. You better act fast though if you have a younger son, this could be very dangerous for him in future.
Good Luck
clareabella - Tue May 13, 2008 8:13 pm
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Hi all! we have had a very good week with Diesel this week. We have found a technique that works and to be honest it's so stupid that we didn't reallise sooner. By accident i got frustrated last week and just clapped my hands together as loud as possible and suddenly he just stopped and lay down
I thought it was just a fluke but everytime i clap he does what i tell him to 
I ask him to get in his bed, if he doesnt i clap and then he just gets in it! He has not bothered to jump on me or my OH half at all for a nearly a week now, and gets in his bed without as soon as i say so.
As for exercise we were told by the vet that an hour a day is more than enough as his pads are very large ( thick) which causes him to walk slanted and become sore. To much exercise and he starts limping. He gets plenty of outdoor time in the garden aswell and i plays games with him in the house, i hide his ball in differnt rooms and let him sniff it out so his mind is always focused on something.
After speaking to my moms friend who trains dogs he seems to think Diesel was just trying to over dominate us. It's funny that a simple clap seems to sort him out though, unless he is just trying to fool us but i guess only time will tell
I forgot to mention that over the past few months walking him has been a pleasure, i actually hold the lead now and although he pulls slightly it's nothing that i can't handle.
coliel - Wed May 14, 2008 4:33 pm
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Hi,
That is good news!!!
I would still ask him to do things in exchange for rewards as this keeps him under your controle, Also I would still increase his exercise but for less time more often, even just 2, 30 min walks is better than 1, 1 hour walk.
Well done for sorting the pulling out as you will enjoy him so much more now !!
Could you stil ask about his history in the rescue as that may help too.
I know he is doing well but keep going and please still keep your boy away from the dog when an adult isnt pressent.
keep us informed
love coliel
clareabella - Wed May 14, 2008 7:49 pm
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Hi Coliel, diesel gets 1 walk a day 4 times a week and then Friday, sat, sun and Monday he gets 3 20 minute ones. This is because the OH works nights so in the week he can only take him in the evening before he goes to work. My son goes to nursery in september so i will be taking him in the morning then and the OH will take him when he wakes up.
I never leave Damien in the same room as him, i would never leave him in the room with any dog on his own at all
I have been practicing getting him to sit, lie down and get in his bed without even making a sound today. It took him a long time to figure out what i meant lol but he got it in the end ( still gets slightly confused on some occasions 
).
There are some basic training courses starting in a couple of months near me so im thinking about doing that with him, send him back to basics and see how he goes.
He has been such hard work and just getting him to walk on the lead ok has taken ages but im reaping the rewards now
As for the Rescue centre, when we got him they had no background info on him, they thought he may have been mistreated as he hates being pointed at and is very funny with men.
He played up abit tonight but he didn't nip us he just ran round the room a few times, jumped on the sofa and refused to budge. Soon moved when i hid his ball though
coliel - Wed May 14, 2008 8:40 pm
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HI,
You realy are working ever so hard and sound like your doing every thing you can so I hope your proud of your self ??
I have never used one my self but perhaps you could buy one of these long leads you can get and leav it on him all the time in the house and out side so if he dose refuse to get off the couch or starts running about you can keep controle and just simply pull him off.
love coliel
clareabella - Wed May 14, 2008 8:53 pm
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Thats a good idea i might just give it a go. I do try with him but over the last week i would say i have put all my spare time into trying to work with him, it's alot easier now my son is a bit older and doesnt demand me 24/7.
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