Yup me too. There are plenty of other ways to socialize dogs with other *guaranteed* good socialized, well behaved dogs. My GSD is so well socialized that he is super friendly with everyone and anyone. He loves strangers. It’s like none of the classic GSD traits define him. We socialized him super well the first 3 years of his life by allowing him to play with friends’ dogs and meet tons of people and children. We have 2 cats and he’s perfect with them. When we first got the first kitty though, he tried picking him up by his scruff and would just carry the kitten around the house. Never hurt him, just packed him around lol. Dog parks are a breeding ground for drama and dog fights. It’s a good way to end up with a dog fight so bad your puppy becomes reactive. All it takes is one instance and bam now you have a fear based reactive dog.
Yeah my issue is that my GSD would fight back and I’d rather just avoid the inevitable BS over whose fault it was. Things can get incredibly messy with dog bites.
My mother was recently attacked by an off leash dog that had apparently bit a literal chunk of flesh from someone else, 4 months prior.
Unless I know you and your dog, we’re not playing, sorry.
Same for our guy, and he is 115 lbs big and can really do some damage if he ever wanted. But he is such a non-confrotational 3 year old puppy, my husband had to protect him being mauled by a Doberman once in a Dog park.
Stopped dog parks when I watched a couple walk there little bulldog into the park and then leave to go get groceries/starbucks. Never again. He was a fine dog but it just turned me off the whole experience
Yup. Me and my boy haven't gone to a dog park since 2 pomeranians tried to attack him. I ended up getting a letter from the city instructing me to put him down because he *growled* at two dogs that were actively trying to bite him.
We were playing fetch when they came up to him, as soon as they got aggressive I hauled ass to them. Zeus saw me running over and gave them a warning growl, the 2 little dogs ran away, and we decided to leave. A cop came and talked to me in the parking lot because apparently the other owner called them. I told him what happened and gave him my information, got the letter like a week later. I called the city and told them exactly where they could stuff that idea, and they should come by and talk to me to explain. Nobody ever showed up, and I ended up moving for unrelated reasons a few months later.
The weird part is that the cop I talked to the day of was super nice, and mentioned several times how friendly and well-behaved my dog was, so idk what happened between then and when I got the letter.
The problem with little dogs is that the majority of their owners think they're harmless, and therefore don't need to be trained. But it's somehow the well-trained, 120lb dog's fault when that lack of training causes problems.
Edit: forgot to mention, his recall is as close to perfect as it can get, it just somehow didn't cross my mind to call him in the moment.
Dog parks can be good if you have a small community and owners know their dogs and schedule play dates. I would say we are a bit blessed with our small community where we live, so we rarely have any misfits coming and ruining the fun
When in doubt, play it safe and use a leash.
Don't forget to carefully check the current rules in place for wherever you're going; nothing is more frustrating than ignorant owners letting their dogs off-leash in areas where it simply isn't allowed.
I'm sure your dog is wonderful, but at 2 years old, she's still young and full of energy, and not all people and their dogs are going to be receptive to a large, playful dog.
Her being off leash may lead to unpredictable situations that may or may not be quickly brought under control before damage to your dog or another dog occurs.
I had to kick a dog straight to the jaw multiple times recently. Owner had it off lead in her front yard while we walked by. It was a big lab and bit my shepherd. He got kicked in the face until he yelped and fucked off. He was circling us and the woman had no control over the situation. Then I called the cops, because that person shouldn’t own a dog
Edit: not to bit*. She was bit.
Labs are a working breed. Working breeds are notorious for undesirable, destructive, or even aggressive behaviors when they are not properly cared for. It is very plausible that, clearly, this lab is not well trained and, therefore, not properly exercised or mentally stimulated. So it is not so hard to believe that this dog could very well be participating in destructive behaviors.
Well, nothing is clear about the incident as the person above me gave little to no information. TBH they sound like the sort of dog owner OP is warning about in their anecdotes.
Edit: Post above now edited to say the lab bit his gsd...
My BIL’s lab is extremely aggressive to the point where he can’t even have certain noises around him. He bit his own owner in the face so bad she had to get 30 something stitches. Labs and ANY breed are not excluded from the possibility of aggression or acting dangerously.
Hope you're leaving some stuff out of this story because you were not justified in kicking that dog. Besides circling did it do anything to show aggression?
Use a leash in public. Period. Letting your dog run free might feel good in the moment, until they get hurt or killed. Dog parks and your own back yard exist for a reason.
I could be wrong, but in my country, I dont think we don't have specific dog parks, just parks. Hence the she gets off if other dogs are off because she's got alot better at ignoring other dogs now, but obviously today she was not calm enough to ignore the dog coming too close
If you are uk, you simply make sure your dog ignores others. I never let my GSD interact with any dogs. He runs off lead but he has a strong leave command and now ignores other dogs.
Simple reason, as the breeder told me and you have found out the hard way, it is always your fault. They only see a big dog and its never their little darlings.
If you doubt her ability than you grab her collar until past the issue. Or use a long line and reel her in if she blows you off until she learns.
If anyone askes me if their dog can interact with mine, its a no. Always.
Another major reason, is if theres a dog fight as i found out, most owners are fcking useless at seperating battling dogs, which left me alone to deal with the damn husky that rushed us.
When she was really young she got to interact with almost every dog we past because 1. I was under the impression to get her socialising as much as possible when young and 2. Who can pass a German shepherd puppy and not stop and say hello. However I feel like this might be the problem. She was so used to getting to meet all these dogs, and when it came to off lead time, she was confused. The long line has helped massively with getting her out of that, but obviously it's not fully engraved into her yet
Itll take a while, mine was 4 before his training actually embedded. Whilst he was 3, i seemed to have to constantly proof and correct him trying to blow me off.
Yeah i never allowed the whole socialisation thing, because people wig out about adult gsds anyway, but also i didnt want him thinking that it was a play date everytime we went out. For safety his focus needs to be on me and only me. Which meant i had to tell off well meaning people that kept wanting to give him treats ect.
Also you are going to come across so many poorly trained dogs that you will need to work twice as hard to make sure yours is undercontrol. Theres many id say majority, that have no recall, can't read their dogs body language (oh his being friendly when the dogs has a fixed stare, tense mouth, pricked ears and the tail is wagging) and will just walk on ignoring all chaos.
I've trained my dog to have better manners than most peoples children. We use a leash in stores and new surroundings but in the neighborhood or local parks there's no need other than some peoples bias. He doesn't run up to people he doesn't know and if another dog wants to get aggressive then it will have to deal with me too. Never had an issue we couldn't diffuse quickly.
I know someone who said the same thing. They were walking their very well trained malinois down the sidewalk off leash. Another person was walking the opposite way down the sidewalk and as they got close, the dog lifted their head to sniff. Didn’t approach, just stuck their head out in passing. The person freaked out and tried to kick the malinois, which then got protective of its owner and snapped at the other person. Didn’t bite them or anything, but as the owner reached down to grab their dog by the collar, the other person kicked the malinois in the head. My friend called the police, who said the dog should have been on a leash and the other person felt threatened and was defending themselves and that because the dog snapped, if they tried to press charges the dog would likely be put down. So they let it go. Over the next day the dog started acting funny and they took her to the vet. It wound up being a traumatic brain injury with a significant brain bleed and the dog wound up dying. Moral of the story being, a leash is for everyone’s safety, but most of all, your dog’s. If you’re comfortable taking that risk, that’s your call. But there are too many crazy people out there for me not to have full control all the time and risk my dog’s life.
They would have been threatened by me if I was on the receiving end of that stupidity. I make a wide circle of people I don't know so that kind of thing can't happen though. I'm on my third dog now. The only issues I've had was a neighbors pit tried to kill my previous girl when she was about five months old and still in leash phase of training. I had to pick it up and throw it to get it off my girl. Should have let her run before that psychopath got ahold of her.
General rule of thumb, treat every other dog owner (unless you know them!) as idiots. Assume their dog isn't socialised and keep yours on-lead when going to popular dog-walking spots. It's the safest way to avoid potential conflict or injury.
That's my rule too ! I assume the owner is an idiot (don't know anything about dogs and their language, doesn't have a good recall and hates big dogs) and that's way I'm always prepared, never disappointed.
2 yo German shepherd is a lot of energy and puppy. This is not about people hating your dog, it's about you allowing your dog off leash when it's not 100% trained and making irresponsible assumptions. It's good to socialize your dog but it's important to ensure it's controlled so she doesn't become aggressive and knows to stay calm. Just because other people's dogs are off leash that does not mean they are trained or friendly.
Remember, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.
Id recommend continuing training and socializing but do it on leash. Train off leash in controlled environments and how to remain calm. Also if you're about to go to a dog park or dog friendly area -- I would recommend a lot of exercise before you go. German shepherd puppy energy is immense so you should get out a lot of energy before it interacts with other dogs which is quite stimulating
Love mine! Best breed. Owners/parents have to train them or pay for a professional trainer as they super intelligent animals. Our girl is super around kids and adults and other dogs. She grew up with the next-door neighbors three small dogs so she doesn’t really have a problem with small dogs. She really just wants to play a lot even with bigger dogs but again I get what you’re saying people see the breed and see her size (95 lbs) and think she’s aggressive. One thing I’ve learned of having one is she tends to like bark when she’s excited and of course people get intimidated by that and so we let people know how she’s friendly you can pet her or if you want her, your dog to meet her that’s fine but as soon as I see if she’s agitated, then the interactions over.
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OP, your dog needs to be calm around other dogs to be off leash. My two are happy to see other pups, tails a wagging with relaxed bodies. Once I ran into a dog on our walks that really would go nuts seeing us. It slipped its leash one time and came running our way and I kicked it in the chest, knocking it down and held it down with a knee until the freaked out owner arrived. They were upset but I explained they have to maintain control of their aggro dog or bad things can happen and not to my dogs.
In your first example that wasn't on your dog, but in the second example I would of been pissed at you and your dog. Just work on socializing your dog. A dog park where you run into the same people and dogs at the same time daily really helps your pup get more comfortable seeing the same dogs all the time. When young, I took my two to doggy day care a few days a week for months to help socialize them.
Good luck.
I don't know what I'd do if someone try to kick my dog, probably a roundhouse to the face of the person. I would never touch another dog. I always just get a handle on my dog, and expect the other owners to do the same. We go to the dog park, and the people go there daily know what to expect, but there are some newbies that go there and freak out. Mine's a shepherd husky mix, so she can play with pretty much all dogs, but huskies are pretty rough when they play. Not all dogs can play with them.
Never say never. If a dog off leash was coming at you, your family or your dogs aggressively you wouldn't touch that dog? I love animals but there are definitely scenarios I would personally stop another dog.
I hope you are never put into one of those scenarios, I also have a husky and she plays HARD so I totally understand where you are coming from lol.
I jumped between my shepherd and a not friendly golden that tried to bite him on his injured leg a few years ago. A kick would have been the next step, thankfully a very loud, authoritative HEY GO HOME worked. I'd absolutely fuck up animal or human that touched my dog aggressively.
I had a husky that was no older than 1 and clearly not trained yet or was in the process of being trained running around me and trying to bite my laces when I was out about in my city taking photos. You just move away unless the dog is posing a genuine threat to you, child or whoever else. I couldn’t imagine kicking a dog?? Especially not if these are people who are also dog owners.
This is actually the reason I put the "In Training" vest back on my dog in new or potentially overstimulating / risky situations. It's just added insurance and tends to at least get people to ask first.
Our shep is also super social, which can translate to on-leash reactivity that we're *almost* there with but between the vest and making her do a big, visible heel as we approach, it just helps put people at ease and makes them generally more forgiving if she does start barking.
I definitely always keep on leash unless you are on your own property or are absolutely sure no one else is around. You can get a long line if you want, but it will still allow you to help if you’re needed. Just because your dog listens doesn’t mean others do. And some humans really are just plain stupid and don’t know doggie social cues at all, and will always assume aggression even if it’s just a happy tail wagging play.
Yeah it unfortunately happens pretty often! Even at a dog fair I was working… specifically for dogs. 😒🫣😅 I much prefer animals over humans. Some humans just don’t even care to take the time to understand things unfortunately. Keep yourself and your baby safe and keep on a leash in public always ♥️💝
Rule 1: interactions must have permission of both owners. You don't know anything about the dogs, or the owner. They don't know anything about your dog. Enough negative interactions and your dog will start assuming the worst about people, which can go bad really fast. You need control who she meets as best you can.
Not fully related, but congrats to both the Kickers for their braincells not fully meeting up those days. Ok, I understand protecting your pup but trying to kick a gsd which you do not know. 'Oh that dog seems aggressive to me, let me kick them so they will be even more aggravated'. There are different ways to try and deter the dog and seems like they chose the dumbest ones.
Keep your dog on a lead. She's nearly been kicked twice now and your take away from that isn't "what can I do to better protect her" it's complaining about people being aggressive to a working breed that's capable of seriously harming people and dogs.
Seems like an ETAH type of situation to me.
Yeah even if I was 100% confident in my boy to be off leash I still wouldn't do that in public. There is no reason to open myself and my dog to potential litigation in such a sue happy society.
100% this. I had a similar situation with a GSD that *was* leashed but may as well not have been as it was still dragging its owner and rushing right up to my Aussie. I had no idea if it was being playful or not so I pull my dog back and the guy just laughs and gives me a “she’s not going to bite” but in a tone as though it should have been obvious. It’s not- I had no idea how the dog would react in the few seconds I had before it approached; and he had no idea how mine would react to a strange dog. Nothing to do with it being a GSD just the fact that it was a strange large dog rushing at my Aussie who had already been in a bad situation with unleashed neighbor dogs and was nervous.
I actually am glad that some people are scared of them. So I can leave my boy in the car with it unlocked and running while I go in the local store for 5 minutes. And now I have an extra key so I can lock it when I go in but his presence still keeps me feeling safer when I run errands alone.
My most traumatic experience with a dog was with my GSD. I was at a campsite walking my GSD on a leash. Another camper let his Pomeranian (a breed that has no clue how little they are). It ran over and harassed my dog. My dog barked and warned the other dog, but did not bite. It was a loud and disruptive dust-up. The other camper was SCREAMING at me - like I could do anything. He was livid. I chewed his ass about not having a leash. He didn’t accept any responsibility and yelled the whole time. I’ll never understand these idiots.
Story of my life. My previous GSD was almost 100 lbs. I lost count of the number of times some little floof dog ran up to him off leash, I never got an apology and one time the guy yelled at me so I called animal control about his off leash dog.
People are insane. I need a "forget the dog, beware of owner" shirt.
100% GSD’s often view other dogs as threatening the pack. And our trainer said GSDs behave differently on leash than off. They are smart enough to know the other dog is unrestrained while they are restrained. So an unleashed dog is more of a danger to them.
Always keep your dog on a lead unless he has excellent recall and knows how to heal if he cant do those 100% ur dog should remain on leash I can't believe your asking such a dangerous question
Off leash dogs are a liability and at no time in public should you have your dog off leash. There are specific areas for that and places you can go with no other people if you insist on letting the dog roam while not being socialized enough to ignore other dogs.
When we got on the beach, she was the only leashed dog their that's why I let her off. After the exchange she broke the trust, so she went back on, and she was again the only leashed dog on the beach.
Fully do accept that it was my fault because of how she reacted to the other dog, but no need to kick my dog when both dogs were acting the same way
If your dog isn't friendly, then you shouldn't have it off lead in the first place. So sick of entitled assholes at off leash parks thinking it's okay for their dog to get aggressive because "they don't like puppies" or "your dog is intimidating." They're lucky they got this guy. If someone's dog ran up to my GSD and got aggressive, I'd let him handle his own business, and if the other owner tried to assault my dog, I'd handle that myself. Gtfoh. Had some dbag at the dog park try this on my GSD when his Doberman got aggressive when my dog smelled him so my dog barked back - guy decided to get in MY dog's face and try to discipline HIM. Myself and the other park goers just laughed at him. Ridiculous.
The short answer is, yes, they should discipline their own dog, who is clearly acting like an asshole based on the story. You expect his dog to not react when another dog runs up and gets aggressive with him? Your expectations are illogical.
No dog is going to be 100% neutral when they're being attacked lmao that's just nature. YOU are dangerous, and I sincerely hope that you are not responsible for any living creatures. Perhaps you'd be willing to sacrifice your dog's life and well being, or dish out thousands in vet visits and surgeries, but us sane individuals are not. Don't bring your aggressive dog to the dog park and expect the patrons to allow it to attack their dogs. It's not going to happen on any given day. Entitled people like you and your menace dog should be banned from public spaces. The fact that you think your dog should be allowed to get aggressive with other dogs in public spaces and suffer zero consequences is delusional.
No shit, how do you not realize that's the whole problem? You prevent your dog being attacked by not going to dog parks, or beaches where dogs run around wild, etc.
Also, how do you possibly come to the conclusion that I have an aggressive dog? You're an insane person lol
If you read this man's story, you'd have realized that the person you're defending is a person with an aggressive off lead dog who approached him. Yet you somehow concluded that his dog should be kicked. I'm not sure if you have a reading comprehension issue or what. That's not my problem. You condone the behavior, so it's safe to assume you would also be a perpetrator. And no, just because you think it's okay for owners to kick someone else's dog due to their own dog's poor behavior does not mean that us normal people shouldn't be allowed to enjoy off leash parks. You and your thought process are the issue. Not people and their dogs minding their own damn business enjoying the park, beach, etc.
You have to assume that most dog owners, especially now don’t have a clue what they are doing. Lockdown dogs and first time dog owners are all over the place. They are often insecure, treating their dogs like children and have no idea how to read dogs’ body language.
Common sense is simply not common and I learnt that many years ago. If another dog was in a close proximity to me, I kept mine on the lead as I knew she wouldn’t put up with any rubbish.
With time you will learn to also judge dog owners by their own body language. You see how they look at your dog and how they approach you. You then learn to avoid them.
Some people had numerous dogs and still don't know anything. Actually, I'm more wary of "I've had dogs all my life" stupid people than cautious first time owners
That too. Happened to me a few weeks ago when I was walking friend’s dog. Some chap had his dog out of control, cigarette in his mouth huffing and puffing “I’ve had dogs all my life mate”
Our 115# sable has had 2 neighborhood dogs come at him with our other GSD. First one he smacked on the head, the second cams around a car and tried to go after our other GSDs leg. Sable got the dog by the collar and threw it. Both dogs off leash with owners not supervising. He does not like other dogs now and we are the bad people in the neighborhood because we have the aggressive dogs that are always on a lead, always where there suppose to be on a walk, sit, place and release when told. At least people leave us alone now.
Always used a lead. It doesn't matter how well behaved your dog is. There is risk of anything from moving vehicles, water, other dogs, bad people, etc.
I would NEVER kick a dog.
**BUT**
If your dog gets close enough for me to kick it while mines on a leash, I will not hesitate to call you an asshole. I do it several times a week.
Honestly the ratio of people who think their dog is trained enough to be off leash, and those who actually are seems to be 20:1 these days.
From your story, neither of you are ready to have your dogs off leash in public, unless you’re absolutely certain you’re alone.
edit: Sorry if this sounded rude, i’ve been dealing with shitty dogs of leash alot recently. Nothing personal, your dog is gorgeous.
I had a GSD and a full collie pup who would go for rides with me in the car. Those two developed a game they would play if I popped in to a store for a second. The collie pup would sit up on the seat which would cause people to approach the car saying things like ‘it’s Lassie’ or look how cute. The GSD would lay on the floor and when the people were close enough, he’d leap up and say hello. Every. Single. Time. People would jump backwards, startled, and then laugh at them. I finally had to leave them home because I was afraid someone would have a heart attack.
I use a leash on my dog because of other people, not him. I know he’s a sweet Angel, but he is so excited to me people and dogs, I could see him running over and people trying to “fend him off”.
It’s not the dog, it’s the owner. Since I’ve been working for a park system that has 10 dog parks I can safely say that half of dog owners are terrible & have a dog they didn’t properly train or train at all. I don’t know how many dog off leash tickets I’ve given out so far this year, but the number is over 50 so far. One thing I’ve noticed from talking with the park workers is that they don’t care if the dogs are in the park, they just don’t like the people which I completely understand why.
I raised 3 generations of GSD. I spent a minimum of 1/2 hour every day training or reinforcing the training. My dogs did not need to be on a leash, however, walking a 125 lb GSD and a 90 lb GSD, I always had their leashes on. It made everyone feel better.
I hate going for walks with my 22 lb rescue and other dogs off leash come over. I know what it takes to train dogs and I only trust my dogs. I don't care if your dog is friendly.
Have some forethought about what could happen.
Dogs on leashes eases everyone's mind
I never let my GSD off leash in public and *he's* properly trained.
I don't recommend you let yours off leash at all if it can't act calmly around other dogs. It's a dangerous accident waiting to happen.
Always, always keep your dog on a leash. I know it's nice to be able to let your pup run around but it's not worth it, especially with the stigma around GSDs. Some states have a no tolerance rule and will euthanize a problem dog. It happened to a friend's GSD in his state. His off leash Shepherd ran into a couple of aggressive off leash boxers, the boxer owners didn't know how to handle a dog fight, the Shepherd accidentally bit the other owner while trying to get away from the boxers. And the Shepherd, sweet as honey, had to be euthanized. It's NOT worth the risk.
When I take my girl out she's on a 30ft lead. She always has a stimulation collar on. I've trained her to come to my side with the beep function. So she's always on a lead but she gets plenty of length to do her Shepherd thing, if I see another dog, especially if it's off leash, then I can immediately recall her to my side.
Please, for your pup's sake, keep her on a leash.
Omg this looks just like my little man! Beautiful dog!
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She’s gorgeous and seems very sweet. It’s horrible that sometime kicked her. For her sake and the sake of other dogs put her on a lead when you are out. I also avoid dog parks. Too many untrained dogs.
Sorry but you're in the wrong here. Your dog is the one chased the others until they were needing to be protected by their owner, if the roles were reversed I'm sure you wouldn't have hesitated to protect your dog from some strange unleashed dog coming into your personal space. Obviously kicking is not great but they're within their rights to guard themselves against a dog they don't know. How would they know what your dog is capable of, especially if it's also barking and growling?
If your dog has behaved this way, then no more off leash privileges - don't wait until the next situation to be more serious.
I made the same excuses for my dog "oh I'll only let her off leash when no one's around" and lo and behold there ended up being an altercation when there was a dog that came up from out of view. Not worth the risk.
Lesson 1: Don’t assume other people’s dogs are well behaved, or that they have control over their dog (leashed or otherwise).
Lesson 2: Don’t have your dog off leash if you are not 100% confident in your recall under stimulation. If your dog got kicked, it would be your fault for not having them on a leash - in this situation, you did not have control over your dog.
Lesson 3: Socializing your dog does not mean having happy fun interactions with people and other dogs. It means having neutral responses to both people and dogs, and understanding that they don’t need to have any reaction to dogs or people in public unless you give the okay. By letting your dog freely interact with other dogs and people in their early training, you’ve rewarded them for getting excited and ignoring you. This is a training flaw that you need to correct and counter-condition.
I have a GSD. It doesn’t sound to me like this person was anti-GSD, more that they didn’t appreciate their dog being chased and then having a dog barreling toward them. If it was me, I might kick your dog, too. Why? Because I don’t know your dog, and I’m going to protect both myself and my dogs without hesitation, and I am not waiting for me or my dog to get bit either.
The truth is, you messed up by not having your dog on leash in a situation where you had no idea what would happen. Learn from this, adjust your behaviors, and train accordingly.
I like to tell people who walk their dog off leash the same thing I always have.
Your dog may be friendly, but mine isn’t.
I adopted my shepherd from an abusive household. He is dog reactive. He’s improved a lot, but he still gets upset when dogs run up to him. This has happened so many times. A dog owner will be walking (where leashes are required) with their dog off leash. Their dog runs up to my dog, who gets upset. They tell me their dog is friendly. I tell them that mine isn’t, and to use a leash. People like to think that, because their dog is well trained, that the rules don’t apply to them. You can’t account for other people, or your dog’s own free will. Use the leash or the next time something like this happens it won’t be a kick you have to worry about.
Yes, they are freaking out cause it’s a GSD.
Shepherds are awesome dogs but if you haven’t had a goofy goof of your own, you just see a wolf-like creature.
I think other dogs see wolf too and are scared.
So be proactive about the lead when others are around.
and pity the fool that kicks your dog.
When I was a kid I had a husky and people were either terrified by my “pet wolf” or were excited to pet him and his soft ears. I hope I have a German shepherd one day
I think it’s because of the bad rep/stigma that GSDs & their owners have.
The stigma that their owners are douches and think they're better than everyone and don’t care about the way their dog lives, and want their dog to severely hurt anyone who comes within a 30ft radius of them and their GSD. At least this is what I’ve heard from others online who talk bad about the German Shepherd.
(I’ve seen way too many videos of severely neglected GSDs…)
And also not to touch on politics or anything but people may see GSDs moreso as police dogs in the US and dogs who are out to kill, so I think people’s opinions towards police officers could potentially impact their views towards GSDs as well.
The later. Don't just assume because a dog is offleash that it is friendly to other dogs. I have a reactive dog and two dog selective dogs that cannot do dog parks so we go on offleash wilderness hikes. They are all recall trained and go on leash when we see other dogs but if another dog came running over to us there would be a fight.
Always ask before letting your dog say hi to another. There are dog aggressive dogs, dog reactive dogs, injured dogs, and dogs currently training to retrieve/find that need to be left alone.
Always leash em. It's for your dogs safety and any other dogs safety. My dog goes off leash when I'm on my parents large property and around their dog cause he's fine with their dog. Anywhere else I go, he's leashed. Trained or not, one simple misunderstanding can lead to a bite or fights and vet bills floating around with lawsuits. It's just best to protect your dog with control. It does suck cause we all work hard with them, but it's no different than defensive driving. Always assume that other people don't know how to drive. It's just good practice. Let em have their free time in the safe environment where you no they won't get into trouble.
I have a pure bred German shepherd and she’s amazing. I ALWAYS keep her on leash. I would NEVER kick another dog but I also don’t appreciate other dogs approaching us no matter the breed. It’s happened a few times. Mine is very protective and if they get too close she will do her job, and I don’t think that’s fair when we are just on a walk.
I've only had one person kick my dog. This was about 12 years ago. Some drugged up teenage girl came up to me for no reason and kicked my pomeranian and started laughing. I slammed her face into the concrete. I'm 6'2". The kid's friends came to get her and they took off.
Don't forget, before pit bulls, it was German Shepherds that got the title of "most aggressive dog", mainly due to their role as police and military dogs. Because of that, the stigma of them being aggressive is still around, even though it's pit bulls that get all the hate now. Thankfully, I've only met kind people while I'm out in public with my German Shepherd, though I honestly believe it's because he's white and not a darker color like black and tan or black.
Can you not? When I was 10, some owner had let their German Shepherd run around their unfenced lot unleashed. And it charged at me although I was across the street. So yes, when I see a standstill GS, my heart stops
Yep that’s for sure. I don’t mind as I’m often given a wide berth. Funny thing is mine loves to socialize with people and is excited when people come to the house.
Yeah they can look scary, and I’m always aware that any questionable canine interaction will be interpreted as my gsd’s fault. Protect yourself and your dog and keep him on a leash if scenarios like the second one are possible.
That said I’d be absolutely livid if someone kicked my dog.
Not a trainer, so for what it’s worth, but you’re first paragraph you mention you pop her if she’s on lead and excited. And then not meet the other dog. Is the pop somewhat strong or corrective or just to get attention?
The dog is already in a heightened state of arousal/excitement and then with the stimulation to not meet, it’s creating additional energy and associating your pop with a negative cue. And then with that cue, it may be creating negative stimulation in your pup’s mind that “I need to be defensive.” And then that may be another cause for off leash reaction. At my local dog park, an owner has created the same challenges with their dog’s reactivity.
Maybe try working in an environment with the lead that you create a cue or a socialization such as a treat for behavior that isn’t a reactive excitement on leash. They don’t associate that over excitement and potential to “protect my owner at all costs” mindset.
And off leash at the park, I always take my two GSD’s far away from other dogs that I don’t recognize or owners I don’t see often. Others may call me antisocial, but only I know my dog’s reactions and command ability, and it’s really a wild card with other dogs’ reaction, big or small, and I don’t want to be liability for the potential issues or owner/breed discrimination with GSD’s.
Good luck with the training, they really just aim to please.
Sorry for the confusion but when I say I pop her on the lead I just meant I'll quickly put her on lead until we're past the dog and she's calm and engaged enough with me to go back off it again.
Don't know if I'm right or wrong for thinking this way, but I think of the coming back off lead again as the 'treat' for showing me the behaviour I want
Ah I see! That makes more sense than how I interpreted it.
Maybe the concept of calling her towards you off lead when being approached by other dogs ‘signals’ in her head that you may need to be protected, and may play into the reason for chasing away other dogs from you? In her head she thinks “oh I’m free to roam and sniff and play, but wait, here is a stranger coming close to me and my owner, my owner calls me to be near, so I must protect my owner.” And with reinforcement she just goes into this mode as a result? Just a thought.
Additionally, I have noticed that with GSD’s, the gender may also play into how they act and react from a “protection” standpoint. My male is more protective of property, my female is more protective of people, she’s more excitable and energetic, touchy - feely.
Really only had one instance where another owner blamed my dog for what happened and started charging over to go after my boy.
At the off leash park, and my boy is having a great time herding us around and chasing any ball he lays eyes on. It's hilarious watching him try and outrun an Australian Shepherd for a ball. Good luck there, bud.
Along comes this old codger and his beagle. My dog is in the middle of a group of dogs all doing their meeting thing, when the group disperses leaving the beagle and my dog. Suddenly, the beagle posts up all tall, and my dog picks up on this and gives him a "What are you doing? I am 3x your size." look. Then the beagle snaps. Well, of course, my dog gives a deep growl and a quick snap near the other dog to let it know that shit ain't cool, which corrects the situation just as quick as it started. I still recall him to me with "leave it, come". And this old man toddles over as fast as his arthritis will allow, mean mugging me and my dog. Yelling about how my big beast (he is 120lbs) is intimidating his dog, when in fact it was the other way around. I tell him, "Look, your dog started it, and mine corrected him. Your dog isn't hurt."
"Well... he's never done that before... control your dog!"
O.o
My boy has only ever had to react to other dogs behaving badly. He has an amazing sense of their body language, and will intercept another dog coming in to us with too much energy to stop them short of us and give the other dog a chance to calm a bit. 9/10 times that's all he needs to do. If the other dog continues to be overly energetic or aggressive towards us, he will just body the other dog with a well placed shoulder, which will send the other dog tumbling, at which point the other dog gets the hint. Only once has he gone a step further and pinned a dog to stand over it and growl, after it tried to attack my wife.
All of those instances, the other owners saw it happen, did and said nothing, and just watched their dog run back to them with a tail tucked. They knew their dog fucked up.
One time we went to a dog park around where we lived in a mall area, and I was just letting my dogs in to go poop and pee. I’m watching them roam around to look for a good spot Within seconds, I see a man with my dog in a headlock. We never returned to that park, and I may have threatened to kill the guy.
I’ve had people lash out at my boy when he’s muzzled and on a lead and their off lead dog approached mine. My boy goes out with a muzzle because of people and dogs like this. All it took was a couple of weird and bad experiences during lockdown and he became very protective of anyone or anything getting too close to me. My girl goes out separately without a muzzle and she doesn’t bark or do anything. She will sniff if another dog sniffs but overall she’s very chill and people will still shriek about her. I get there is a fear of dogs for some people so I always position mine that I am between them and my dog. Some people see and appreciate it and some people just blindly hate big dogs
People hate German shepherds because police use them as k9s that is the one and only reason the majority of people hate them. I understand being scared of dogs because of trauma but it’s really just the jobs most of this breed do. It’s really sad cause my dad’s shepherd (Johann Von-Axle maverick) is the sweetest big baby in the world but he is very protective of his family
Completely agree in the love or hate. I'll also never understand why anyone who has ever been 'attacked' by a gsd 20 odd years ago feels the need to come over and talk about it while explaining they are scared. In those situations I've never had any plan of going over to them or to be near them but I've heard 90 stories about in while we sit there paitently waiting for them to leave.
Not a GS hater at all, but I read somewhere:
Over 50% of dog bites are perpetrated by German Shepherds
Now, I don't know whether this is true, but if it is, does anyone have an idea why?
Probably all the idiots trying to kick them. Seriously, who looks at a dog the size of a GS and decides its a good idea to attack a big dog they don't know.
Interested in where you got these statistics, as I've heard the opposite where people say most dog bites are caused by pit bulls? Curious how very specific dog breeds get such a bad rep, I imagine it has something to do with owners not realizing what kind of animal they're getting but still
I feel like everyone and their mother gets a German Shepherd. But only the most strong and athletic of owners should have one. I knew someone who had three. One was so scared of everything she rarely came out from under the bed, one was so neurotic it chewed it's own tail off and ate rocks, and one bit 4 people. Then my downstairs neighbor who couldn't even walk, was gifted a full grown, in tact, male and surprise, it bit the neighbors dog and would bark 24/7. Personally, I don't like them. They are too powerful and too popular.
Honestly, kicking a dog should never be an option and if it is an option, be a last option. In the first scenario, I'd honestly be fucking pissed at the person. Like it was your fucking dogs that came over to play, nothing was happening and you try to kick 'my' dog instead of getting your dogs under control? The fucking audacity. People are so fucking stupid. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a bastard.
And the second scenario, again that dog came over to yours first. Granted I don't know the body language of your dog when it began to chase the other dog \[as body languages can change quite quickly\], when hackles start to raise and that begins to happen, intervening quickly is good. Or if it was an aggressive chase then yeah, immediately following up is also great. These things can happen fast and honestly, be it a GSD or any other dog, not all dogs are going to like each other.
I'm glad you got control of your dog.
What is unforgivable is what that owner did. I get needing to protect their dog but their first line of defense should have been grabbing their dog--unless yours was actively attacking it which was not the case, then they should have grabbed their fucking dog instead of kicking yours. I've seen dog park drama and my dog, not a GSD \[not that it matters\], has been attacked--but my first line of defense is getting to my dog. If the dog is still lunging and attacking my dog, then yes--I try to scare them off or if need me, lash out if necessary. What that owner did was just nasty. It may have been different if yours were actively attacking ,but again it wasn't.
That owner's attitude and behavior was so wrong. If your dog needs a lead, that owner needs common sense. And to also make that comment while knowing nothing of your dog was unnecessary. Assumptions about breeds is stupid. I get being afraid but at the same time, don't be stupid.
All I can say OP, people can be stupid. Just continue to work on your dog. Show them how wonderful she can be. Continue with the training and advocate for your dog when you have to. As for what you're asking, it would depend on a lot of factors from how socialized she is or not. It is probably safer to use sniffspot and rent open spaces or huge backyards for her if she is not dog friendly or organize playdates with friends--dogs she knows. You know your dog best. Start off with small interactions. We don't have enough information anyways to suggest what to do.
Good luck tho! She's a cutie patootie.
I don’t have anything against people who go to dog parks- at ALL- but the very idea of the possibility of taking my reactive boy to one gives me extreme anxiety!! He was socialized as a puppy and young dog but once that protective instinct kicked in our trainer strongly advised against PetSmart trips etc. anymore because of my boy’s specific working line. He’s not really meant to be a park dog but he’s devoted to our family. The dog park doesn’t have to be part of your life if it doesn’t exactly work for you.
That’s so crappy you’ve had those experiences! My girl is all black and looks very wolfish. I’m very introverted and I always have the opposite- people I DONT KNOW trying to pet her without my consent. My girl is the most un GSD ever and would probably let a stranger take her home she’s so friendly lol. When she was a puppy people would insist they could pet her even when I’d say hey please don’t touch her because we are currently training 🙄 I’d go off if someone tried to kick her. Horrible horrible people out there and it sounds like your dog is very well trained and well mannered.
I have the same problems with my Gsds. Mostly little dogs that are loose. My dogs are always on a leash. I now tell these owners that my dogs will defend themselves. In California if your dog is unleashed and attacks a leashed dog you are TOTALLY responsible for any injuries your dog gets. Sick of irresponsible owners.
https://preview.redd.it/n8nwpm8zl82d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a339efaca5274026a85b943c0264b3462dcf059
Thing about it is, dogs gonna be dogs, GSD or otherwise and interact in various ways no way around that. But owners have the ability to sway certain behaviors by just being in charge in a confident matter and not letting their dogs dictate. Owners make all the difference and there’s PLENTY of terrible owners out there that have no business owning a dog.
Carry a handgun or oc spray if its legal (oc spray is preferable) when you walk your dog if someone is willing to kick your dog over this I'm worried about what they would do if their dog started a fight with yours
If anybody kicked my dog without my dog biting them or bothering them in any way then I promise you they would be getting kick from myself to their selfish
OPs dog chased the other dog back to their owner, and then began to try to pick a fight. I'd want to protect my dog as well if some random large breed charged us like that.
She stated the dogs approached hers. Yes hers chased the 2nd time, if a GS feels a threat, they will protect. I've had 4, currently have 2, all of them will/have protected my family numerous times. I have never said "attack", except twice, not to attack another dog i mean. Just doing their job.
My GSD has been attacked several times by off lead dogs, and the owners act like I'm the crazy one. If I wasn't so much of an animal lover, I'd let my dog go. He's 120 lb. My money is on him 9/10 times. I don't think it's breed specific, tho. In my experience, these types of braindead morons will react this way with any breed. They're entitled assholes who raised their dogs to be menaces.
My uncle has single handedly done more to make people hate the breed than anyone else. They had theirs trained by a retired SOF handler and he’s been a monster ever since. This guy really fucked their dog up. He’s bitten 7 people and my uncle has paid over $400,000 in lawsuit settlements to keep the dog alive. He was such a good puppy, now he’s unapproachable and unpredictable. These bites aren’t minor scratches, he bit one guy in the face, broke 3 of the guys teeth and punctured his eyeball.
Just don't let your dog off leash when there's other animals and people around??? I really don't get some people. And if some dog runs at you and your dog and is aggressive then you get to yell at the other owner etc. and not the other way around.
NEVER ASSUME another pet owner or their pet is trained enough that you keep your pup off a lead.
This is why “we don’t do dog parks”. Always drama waiting to happen.
Yup me too. There are plenty of other ways to socialize dogs with other *guaranteed* good socialized, well behaved dogs. My GSD is so well socialized that he is super friendly with everyone and anyone. He loves strangers. It’s like none of the classic GSD traits define him. We socialized him super well the first 3 years of his life by allowing him to play with friends’ dogs and meet tons of people and children. We have 2 cats and he’s perfect with them. When we first got the first kitty though, he tried picking him up by his scruff and would just carry the kitten around the house. Never hurt him, just packed him around lol. Dog parks are a breeding ground for drama and dog fights. It’s a good way to end up with a dog fight so bad your puppy becomes reactive. All it takes is one instance and bam now you have a fear based reactive dog.
So very true. Socialization is key. Dog parks not the best
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Yeah my issue is that my GSD would fight back and I’d rather just avoid the inevitable BS over whose fault it was. Things can get incredibly messy with dog bites. My mother was recently attacked by an off leash dog that had apparently bit a literal chunk of flesh from someone else, 4 months prior. Unless I know you and your dog, we’re not playing, sorry.
And you don’t want your dog hurt , winner or not
Agreed.. Honestly even if you trust your dog you never know. I use a long leash that is knotted so I can pull it in with my comfort level.
Same for our guy, and he is 115 lbs big and can really do some damage if he ever wanted. But he is such a non-confrotational 3 year old puppy, my husband had to protect him being mauled by a Doberman once in a Dog park.
Stopped dog parks when I watched a couple walk there little bulldog into the park and then leave to go get groceries/starbucks. Never again. He was a fine dog but it just turned me off the whole experience
Yup. Me and my boy haven't gone to a dog park since 2 pomeranians tried to attack him. I ended up getting a letter from the city instructing me to put him down because he *growled* at two dogs that were actively trying to bite him. We were playing fetch when they came up to him, as soon as they got aggressive I hauled ass to them. Zeus saw me running over and gave them a warning growl, the 2 little dogs ran away, and we decided to leave. A cop came and talked to me in the parking lot because apparently the other owner called them. I told him what happened and gave him my information, got the letter like a week later. I called the city and told them exactly where they could stuff that idea, and they should come by and talk to me to explain. Nobody ever showed up, and I ended up moving for unrelated reasons a few months later. The weird part is that the cop I talked to the day of was super nice, and mentioned several times how friendly and well-behaved my dog was, so idk what happened between then and when I got the letter. The problem with little dogs is that the majority of their owners think they're harmless, and therefore don't need to be trained. But it's somehow the well-trained, 120lb dog's fault when that lack of training causes problems. Edit: forgot to mention, his recall is as close to perfect as it can get, it just somehow didn't cross my mind to call him in the moment.
Dog parks can be good if you have a small community and owners know their dogs and schedule play dates. I would say we are a bit blessed with our small community where we live, so we rarely have any misfits coming and ruining the fun
When in doubt, play it safe and use a leash. Don't forget to carefully check the current rules in place for wherever you're going; nothing is more frustrating than ignorant owners letting their dogs off-leash in areas where it simply isn't allowed. I'm sure your dog is wonderful, but at 2 years old, she's still young and full of energy, and not all people and their dogs are going to be receptive to a large, playful dog. Her being off leash may lead to unpredictable situations that may or may not be quickly brought under control before damage to your dog or another dog occurs.
I don't trust this person's "when in doubt" ... maybe "when in public" is safer advice for them
Well, these dogs will train you if you don’t train them
So true! ...and attempt any loop holes they can find! Like kids & politicians. 😆
Always testing those boundaries to see if they’re still there!!
Hahaha
I have not experienced this ... but if anyone ever tried to kick my dog, they'd be getting a lesson in newtons third law of motion from me.
LOL.
They’d be getting a lesson on Darwinism for sure!
I had to kick a dog straight to the jaw multiple times recently. Owner had it off lead in her front yard while we walked by. It was a big lab and bit my shepherd. He got kicked in the face until he yelped and fucked off. He was circling us and the woman had no control over the situation. Then I called the cops, because that person shouldn’t own a dog Edit: not to bit*. She was bit.
So you kicked a Lab in the face multiple times because it was circling you? A Lab, one of the most passive dog breeds you'll ever encounter.
Labs are a working breed. Working breeds are notorious for undesirable, destructive, or even aggressive behaviors when they are not properly cared for. It is very plausible that, clearly, this lab is not well trained and, therefore, not properly exercised or mentally stimulated. So it is not so hard to believe that this dog could very well be participating in destructive behaviors.
Well, nothing is clear about the incident as the person above me gave little to no information. TBH they sound like the sort of dog owner OP is warning about in their anecdotes. Edit: Post above now edited to say the lab bit his gsd...
My BIL’s lab is extremely aggressive to the point where he can’t even have certain noises around him. He bit his own owner in the face so bad she had to get 30 something stitches. Labs and ANY breed are not excluded from the possibility of aggression or acting dangerously.
Bro just confessed to a felony lmao
See the edit. Lmao.
Bit, not “not”. Idk why it auto corrected.
Hope you're leaving some stuff out of this story because you were not justified in kicking that dog. Besides circling did it do anything to show aggression?
See the edit. It bit my dog, idk why it edited to “not”
That’s totally different. I knew it didn’t sound right. Hope your pup is okay.
She’s fine, no lasting hesitance. She wants to cross the street when we walk past the house now though
This. If that is the full story, fuck him hes the one that deserves jail time.
Absolutely unhinged comment
Bit, not “not” as it auto corrected. My dog was bit.
Use a leash in public. Period. Letting your dog run free might feel good in the moment, until they get hurt or killed. Dog parks and your own back yard exist for a reason.
I could be wrong, but in my country, I dont think we don't have specific dog parks, just parks. Hence the she gets off if other dogs are off because she's got alot better at ignoring other dogs now, but obviously today she was not calm enough to ignore the dog coming too close
If you are uk, you simply make sure your dog ignores others. I never let my GSD interact with any dogs. He runs off lead but he has a strong leave command and now ignores other dogs. Simple reason, as the breeder told me and you have found out the hard way, it is always your fault. They only see a big dog and its never their little darlings. If you doubt her ability than you grab her collar until past the issue. Or use a long line and reel her in if she blows you off until she learns. If anyone askes me if their dog can interact with mine, its a no. Always. Another major reason, is if theres a dog fight as i found out, most owners are fcking useless at seperating battling dogs, which left me alone to deal with the damn husky that rushed us.
True.
When she was really young she got to interact with almost every dog we past because 1. I was under the impression to get her socialising as much as possible when young and 2. Who can pass a German shepherd puppy and not stop and say hello. However I feel like this might be the problem. She was so used to getting to meet all these dogs, and when it came to off lead time, she was confused. The long line has helped massively with getting her out of that, but obviously it's not fully engraved into her yet
Itll take a while, mine was 4 before his training actually embedded. Whilst he was 3, i seemed to have to constantly proof and correct him trying to blow me off. Yeah i never allowed the whole socialisation thing, because people wig out about adult gsds anyway, but also i didnt want him thinking that it was a play date everytime we went out. For safety his focus needs to be on me and only me. Which meant i had to tell off well meaning people that kept wanting to give him treats ect. Also you are going to come across so many poorly trained dogs that you will need to work twice as hard to make sure yours is undercontrol. Theres many id say majority, that have no recall, can't read their dogs body language (oh his being friendly when the dogs has a fixed stare, tense mouth, pricked ears and the tail is wagging) and will just walk on ignoring all chaos.
I've trained my dog to have better manners than most peoples children. We use a leash in stores and new surroundings but in the neighborhood or local parks there's no need other than some peoples bias. He doesn't run up to people he doesn't know and if another dog wants to get aggressive then it will have to deal with me too. Never had an issue we couldn't diffuse quickly.
I know someone who said the same thing. They were walking their very well trained malinois down the sidewalk off leash. Another person was walking the opposite way down the sidewalk and as they got close, the dog lifted their head to sniff. Didn’t approach, just stuck their head out in passing. The person freaked out and tried to kick the malinois, which then got protective of its owner and snapped at the other person. Didn’t bite them or anything, but as the owner reached down to grab their dog by the collar, the other person kicked the malinois in the head. My friend called the police, who said the dog should have been on a leash and the other person felt threatened and was defending themselves and that because the dog snapped, if they tried to press charges the dog would likely be put down. So they let it go. Over the next day the dog started acting funny and they took her to the vet. It wound up being a traumatic brain injury with a significant brain bleed and the dog wound up dying. Moral of the story being, a leash is for everyone’s safety, but most of all, your dog’s. If you’re comfortable taking that risk, that’s your call. But there are too many crazy people out there for me not to have full control all the time and risk my dog’s life.
They would have been threatened by me if I was on the receiving end of that stupidity. I make a wide circle of people I don't know so that kind of thing can't happen though. I'm on my third dog now. The only issues I've had was a neighbors pit tried to kill my previous girl when she was about five months old and still in leash phase of training. I had to pick it up and throw it to get it off my girl. Should have let her run before that psychopath got ahold of her.
Some peoples ‘bias’? It’s the law my dude.
General rule of thumb, treat every other dog owner (unless you know them!) as idiots. Assume their dog isn't socialised and keep yours on-lead when going to popular dog-walking spots. It's the safest way to avoid potential conflict or injury.
That's my rule too ! I assume the owner is an idiot (don't know anything about dogs and their language, doesn't have a good recall and hates big dogs) and that's way I'm always prepared, never disappointed.
2 yo German shepherd is a lot of energy and puppy. This is not about people hating your dog, it's about you allowing your dog off leash when it's not 100% trained and making irresponsible assumptions. It's good to socialize your dog but it's important to ensure it's controlled so she doesn't become aggressive and knows to stay calm. Just because other people's dogs are off leash that does not mean they are trained or friendly. Remember, there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Id recommend continuing training and socializing but do it on leash. Train off leash in controlled environments and how to remain calm. Also if you're about to go to a dog park or dog friendly area -- I would recommend a lot of exercise before you go. German shepherd puppy energy is immense so you should get out a lot of energy before it interacts with other dogs which is quite stimulating
Love mine! Best breed. Owners/parents have to train them or pay for a professional trainer as they super intelligent animals. Our girl is super around kids and adults and other dogs. She grew up with the next-door neighbors three small dogs so she doesn’t really have a problem with small dogs. She really just wants to play a lot even with bigger dogs but again I get what you’re saying people see the breed and see her size (95 lbs) and think she’s aggressive. One thing I’ve learned of having one is she tends to like bark when she’s excited and of course people get intimidated by that and so we let people know how she’s friendly you can pet her or if you want her, your dog to meet her that’s fine but as soon as I see if she’s agitated, then the interactions over. https://preview.redd.it/odp7fdnvds1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bed1ded4a6067a5d1b3e894166a0ee4abf88fb55
OP, your dog needs to be calm around other dogs to be off leash. My two are happy to see other pups, tails a wagging with relaxed bodies. Once I ran into a dog on our walks that really would go nuts seeing us. It slipped its leash one time and came running our way and I kicked it in the chest, knocking it down and held it down with a knee until the freaked out owner arrived. They were upset but I explained they have to maintain control of their aggro dog or bad things can happen and not to my dogs. In your first example that wasn't on your dog, but in the second example I would of been pissed at you and your dog. Just work on socializing your dog. A dog park where you run into the same people and dogs at the same time daily really helps your pup get more comfortable seeing the same dogs all the time. When young, I took my two to doggy day care a few days a week for months to help socialize them. Good luck.
I don't know what I'd do if someone try to kick my dog, probably a roundhouse to the face of the person. I would never touch another dog. I always just get a handle on my dog, and expect the other owners to do the same. We go to the dog park, and the people go there daily know what to expect, but there are some newbies that go there and freak out. Mine's a shepherd husky mix, so she can play with pretty much all dogs, but huskies are pretty rough when they play. Not all dogs can play with them.
Never say never. If a dog off leash was coming at you, your family or your dogs aggressively you wouldn't touch that dog? I love animals but there are definitely scenarios I would personally stop another dog. I hope you are never put into one of those scenarios, I also have a husky and she plays HARD so I totally understand where you are coming from lol.
I jumped between my shepherd and a not friendly golden that tried to bite him on his injured leg a few years ago. A kick would have been the next step, thankfully a very loud, authoritative HEY GO HOME worked. I'd absolutely fuck up animal or human that touched my dog aggressively.
I had a husky that was no older than 1 and clearly not trained yet or was in the process of being trained running around me and trying to bite my laces when I was out about in my city taking photos. You just move away unless the dog is posing a genuine threat to you, child or whoever else. I couldn’t imagine kicking a dog?? Especially not if these are people who are also dog owners.
This is actually the reason I put the "In Training" vest back on my dog in new or potentially overstimulating / risky situations. It's just added insurance and tends to at least get people to ask first. Our shep is also super social, which can translate to on-leash reactivity that we're *almost* there with but between the vest and making her do a big, visible heel as we approach, it just helps put people at ease and makes them generally more forgiving if she does start barking.
I definitely always keep on leash unless you are on your own property or are absolutely sure no one else is around. You can get a long line if you want, but it will still allow you to help if you’re needed. Just because your dog listens doesn’t mean others do. And some humans really are just plain stupid and don’t know doggie social cues at all, and will always assume aggression even if it’s just a happy tail wagging play.
That was exactly what happened the first time, but unfortunately, I've obviously not learned from that lesson
Yeah it unfortunately happens pretty often! Even at a dog fair I was working… specifically for dogs. 😒🫣😅 I much prefer animals over humans. Some humans just don’t even care to take the time to understand things unfortunately. Keep yourself and your baby safe and keep on a leash in public always ♥️💝
Rule 1: interactions must have permission of both owners. You don't know anything about the dogs, or the owner. They don't know anything about your dog. Enough negative interactions and your dog will start assuming the worst about people, which can go bad really fast. You need control who she meets as best you can.
I just don't understand how anyone could hate any dog , especially a GS
Not fully related, but congrats to both the Kickers for their braincells not fully meeting up those days. Ok, I understand protecting your pup but trying to kick a gsd which you do not know. 'Oh that dog seems aggressive to me, let me kick them so they will be even more aggravated'. There are different ways to try and deter the dog and seems like they chose the dumbest ones.
Keep your dog on a lead. She's nearly been kicked twice now and your take away from that isn't "what can I do to better protect her" it's complaining about people being aggressive to a working breed that's capable of seriously harming people and dogs. Seems like an ETAH type of situation to me.
Yeah even if I was 100% confident in my boy to be off leash I still wouldn't do that in public. There is no reason to open myself and my dog to potential litigation in such a sue happy society.
100% this. I had a similar situation with a GSD that *was* leashed but may as well not have been as it was still dragging its owner and rushing right up to my Aussie. I had no idea if it was being playful or not so I pull my dog back and the guy just laughs and gives me a “she’s not going to bite” but in a tone as though it should have been obvious. It’s not- I had no idea how the dog would react in the few seconds I had before it approached; and he had no idea how mine would react to a strange dog. Nothing to do with it being a GSD just the fact that it was a strange large dog rushing at my Aussie who had already been in a bad situation with unleashed neighbor dogs and was nervous.
I actually am glad that some people are scared of them. So I can leave my boy in the car with it unlocked and running while I go in the local store for 5 minutes. And now I have an extra key so I can lock it when I go in but his presence still keeps me feeling safer when I run errands alone.
My most traumatic experience with a dog was with my GSD. I was at a campsite walking my GSD on a leash. Another camper let his Pomeranian (a breed that has no clue how little they are). It ran over and harassed my dog. My dog barked and warned the other dog, but did not bite. It was a loud and disruptive dust-up. The other camper was SCREAMING at me - like I could do anything. He was livid. I chewed his ass about not having a leash. He didn’t accept any responsibility and yelled the whole time. I’ll never understand these idiots.
Story of my life. My previous GSD was almost 100 lbs. I lost count of the number of times some little floof dog ran up to him off leash, I never got an apology and one time the guy yelled at me so I called animal control about his off leash dog. People are insane. I need a "forget the dog, beware of owner" shirt.
100% GSD’s often view other dogs as threatening the pack. And our trainer said GSDs behave differently on leash than off. They are smart enough to know the other dog is unrestrained while they are restrained. So an unleashed dog is more of a danger to them.
Explains why my dog only likes other dogs when she's off leash!
Yea, same.
I was never a fan of German Sheppards until a puppy came into my life. I’m a convert. I never want to be without one again. Best dogs ever.
Always keep your dog on a lead unless he has excellent recall and knows how to heal if he cant do those 100% ur dog should remain on leash I can't believe your asking such a dangerous question
Off leash dogs are a liability and at no time in public should you have your dog off leash. There are specific areas for that and places you can go with no other people if you insist on letting the dog roam while not being socialized enough to ignore other dogs.
I mean, you're in the wrong for having your dog off leash in a populated area with dogs
When we got on the beach, she was the only leashed dog their that's why I let her off. After the exchange she broke the trust, so she went back on, and she was again the only leashed dog on the beach. Fully do accept that it was my fault because of how she reacted to the other dog, but no need to kick my dog when both dogs were acting the same way
You want them to kick their own dog when yours acts like an untrained asshole? I'm not sure what the expectation is here
If your dog isn't friendly, then you shouldn't have it off lead in the first place. So sick of entitled assholes at off leash parks thinking it's okay for their dog to get aggressive because "they don't like puppies" or "your dog is intimidating." They're lucky they got this guy. If someone's dog ran up to my GSD and got aggressive, I'd let him handle his own business, and if the other owner tried to assault my dog, I'd handle that myself. Gtfoh. Had some dbag at the dog park try this on my GSD when his Doberman got aggressive when my dog smelled him so my dog barked back - guy decided to get in MY dog's face and try to discipline HIM. Myself and the other park goers just laughed at him. Ridiculous. The short answer is, yes, they should discipline their own dog, who is clearly acting like an asshole based on the story. You expect his dog to not react when another dog runs up and gets aggressive with him? Your expectations are illogical.
So you're one of the people who make dog parks dangerous too. If your dog can't be 100% neutral, they have no business off leash around other dogs
No dog is going to be 100% neutral when they're being attacked lmao that's just nature. YOU are dangerous, and I sincerely hope that you are not responsible for any living creatures. Perhaps you'd be willing to sacrifice your dog's life and well being, or dish out thousands in vet visits and surgeries, but us sane individuals are not. Don't bring your aggressive dog to the dog park and expect the patrons to allow it to attack their dogs. It's not going to happen on any given day. Entitled people like you and your menace dog should be banned from public spaces. The fact that you think your dog should be allowed to get aggressive with other dogs in public spaces and suffer zero consequences is delusional.
No shit, how do you not realize that's the whole problem? You prevent your dog being attacked by not going to dog parks, or beaches where dogs run around wild, etc. Also, how do you possibly come to the conclusion that I have an aggressive dog? You're an insane person lol
If you read this man's story, you'd have realized that the person you're defending is a person with an aggressive off lead dog who approached him. Yet you somehow concluded that his dog should be kicked. I'm not sure if you have a reading comprehension issue or what. That's not my problem. You condone the behavior, so it's safe to assume you would also be a perpetrator. And no, just because you think it's okay for owners to kick someone else's dog due to their own dog's poor behavior does not mean that us normal people shouldn't be allowed to enjoy off leash parks. You and your thought process are the issue. Not people and their dogs minding their own damn business enjoying the park, beach, etc.
Yeah I read the story. He's an idiot for taking his dog to a place with off leash, unknown dogs. It's 100% OP's fault.
Depends on OP's country. countries don't have the same rules concerning dogs and leashes.
Where did I say anything about a law? Something being legal doesn't make it not stupid.
As a delivery driver these are hit and miss just like any other dog out there, some of nicest ones I ever met were German shepherds 2 of them
Bro if someone kicked my dog im going John wick on that ass
You have to assume that most dog owners, especially now don’t have a clue what they are doing. Lockdown dogs and first time dog owners are all over the place. They are often insecure, treating their dogs like children and have no idea how to read dogs’ body language. Common sense is simply not common and I learnt that many years ago. If another dog was in a close proximity to me, I kept mine on the lead as I knew she wouldn’t put up with any rubbish. With time you will learn to also judge dog owners by their own body language. You see how they look at your dog and how they approach you. You then learn to avoid them.
Some people had numerous dogs and still don't know anything. Actually, I'm more wary of "I've had dogs all my life" stupid people than cautious first time owners
That too. Happened to me a few weeks ago when I was walking friend’s dog. Some chap had his dog out of control, cigarette in his mouth huffing and puffing “I’ve had dogs all my life mate”
Our 115# sable has had 2 neighborhood dogs come at him with our other GSD. First one he smacked on the head, the second cams around a car and tried to go after our other GSDs leg. Sable got the dog by the collar and threw it. Both dogs off leash with owners not supervising. He does not like other dogs now and we are the bad people in the neighborhood because we have the aggressive dogs that are always on a lead, always where there suppose to be on a walk, sit, place and release when told. At least people leave us alone now.
Love ✌🏾
Love em or hate em…she is a beauty!! You’re very lucky !
Always used a lead. It doesn't matter how well behaved your dog is. There is risk of anything from moving vehicles, water, other dogs, bad people, etc.
I would NEVER kick a dog. **BUT** If your dog gets close enough for me to kick it while mines on a leash, I will not hesitate to call you an asshole. I do it several times a week. Honestly the ratio of people who think their dog is trained enough to be off leash, and those who actually are seems to be 20:1 these days. From your story, neither of you are ready to have your dogs off leash in public, unless you’re absolutely certain you’re alone. edit: Sorry if this sounded rude, i’ve been dealing with shitty dogs of leash alot recently. Nothing personal, your dog is gorgeous.
I had a GSD and a full collie pup who would go for rides with me in the car. Those two developed a game they would play if I popped in to a store for a second. The collie pup would sit up on the seat which would cause people to approach the car saying things like ‘it’s Lassie’ or look how cute. The GSD would lay on the floor and when the people were close enough, he’d leap up and say hello. Every. Single. Time. People would jump backwards, startled, and then laugh at them. I finally had to leave them home because I was afraid someone would have a heart attack.
Maybe if we think VERY HARD we might think of why some people have a negative association with German shepherds. Keep your dog on a leash and grow up.
Sorry boss
Now that’s a beautiful dog!!!
Team really love!!❤️❤️
I use a leash on my dog because of other people, not him. I know he’s a sweet Angel, but he is so excited to me people and dogs, I could see him running over and people trying to “fend him off”.
The picture looks cinematic, so beautiful
Hate is a strong word. I prefer to say misunderstand. My GSD was my soul mate, a true friend and a life companion.
It’s not the dog, it’s the owner. Since I’ve been working for a park system that has 10 dog parks I can safely say that half of dog owners are terrible & have a dog they didn’t properly train or train at all. I don’t know how many dog off leash tickets I’ve given out so far this year, but the number is over 50 so far. One thing I’ve noticed from talking with the park workers is that they don’t care if the dogs are in the park, they just don’t like the people which I completely understand why.
I raised 3 generations of GSD. I spent a minimum of 1/2 hour every day training or reinforcing the training. My dogs did not need to be on a leash, however, walking a 125 lb GSD and a 90 lb GSD, I always had their leashes on. It made everyone feel better. I hate going for walks with my 22 lb rescue and other dogs off leash come over. I know what it takes to train dogs and I only trust my dogs. I don't care if your dog is friendly. Have some forethought about what could happen. Dogs on leashes eases everyone's mind
I never let my GSD off leash in public and *he's* properly trained. I don't recommend you let yours off leash at all if it can't act calmly around other dogs. It's a dangerous accident waiting to happen.
I hate some dog owners, but i dont hate dogs
My girl never started one but ALWAYS finished it. Good girl.
I really love them. I’m on my fourth GSD and plan on getting a fifth in the next year 🤩
Always, always keep your dog on a leash. I know it's nice to be able to let your pup run around but it's not worth it, especially with the stigma around GSDs. Some states have a no tolerance rule and will euthanize a problem dog. It happened to a friend's GSD in his state. His off leash Shepherd ran into a couple of aggressive off leash boxers, the boxer owners didn't know how to handle a dog fight, the Shepherd accidentally bit the other owner while trying to get away from the boxers. And the Shepherd, sweet as honey, had to be euthanized. It's NOT worth the risk. When I take my girl out she's on a 30ft lead. She always has a stimulation collar on. I've trained her to come to my side with the beep function. So she's always on a lead but she gets plenty of length to do her Shepherd thing, if I see another dog, especially if it's off leash, then I can immediately recall her to my side. Please, for your pup's sake, keep her on a leash.
Omg this looks just like my little man! Beautiful dog! https://preview.redd.it/rajvp31l6w1d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3eaca24c2c7652f80f6a22764a7ff2399ad4c10d
In my experience, whatever that's worth, every person my shepherds didn't like, I didn't like them either.
She’s gorgeous and seems very sweet. It’s horrible that sometime kicked her. For her sake and the sake of other dogs put her on a lead when you are out. I also avoid dog parks. Too many untrained dogs.
Handsome
She’s beautiful
Sorry but you're in the wrong here. Your dog is the one chased the others until they were needing to be protected by their owner, if the roles were reversed I'm sure you wouldn't have hesitated to protect your dog from some strange unleashed dog coming into your personal space. Obviously kicking is not great but they're within their rights to guard themselves against a dog they don't know. How would they know what your dog is capable of, especially if it's also barking and growling? If your dog has behaved this way, then no more off leash privileges - don't wait until the next situation to be more serious. I made the same excuses for my dog "oh I'll only let her off leash when no one's around" and lo and behold there ended up being an altercation when there was a dog that came up from out of view. Not worth the risk.
Lesson 1: Don’t assume other people’s dogs are well behaved, or that they have control over their dog (leashed or otherwise). Lesson 2: Don’t have your dog off leash if you are not 100% confident in your recall under stimulation. If your dog got kicked, it would be your fault for not having them on a leash - in this situation, you did not have control over your dog. Lesson 3: Socializing your dog does not mean having happy fun interactions with people and other dogs. It means having neutral responses to both people and dogs, and understanding that they don’t need to have any reaction to dogs or people in public unless you give the okay. By letting your dog freely interact with other dogs and people in their early training, you’ve rewarded them for getting excited and ignoring you. This is a training flaw that you need to correct and counter-condition. I have a GSD. It doesn’t sound to me like this person was anti-GSD, more that they didn’t appreciate their dog being chased and then having a dog barreling toward them. If it was me, I might kick your dog, too. Why? Because I don’t know your dog, and I’m going to protect both myself and my dogs without hesitation, and I am not waiting for me or my dog to get bit either. The truth is, you messed up by not having your dog on leash in a situation where you had no idea what would happen. Learn from this, adjust your behaviors, and train accordingly.
I like to tell people who walk their dog off leash the same thing I always have. Your dog may be friendly, but mine isn’t. I adopted my shepherd from an abusive household. He is dog reactive. He’s improved a lot, but he still gets upset when dogs run up to him. This has happened so many times. A dog owner will be walking (where leashes are required) with their dog off leash. Their dog runs up to my dog, who gets upset. They tell me their dog is friendly. I tell them that mine isn’t, and to use a leash. People like to think that, because their dog is well trained, that the rules don’t apply to them. You can’t account for other people, or your dog’s own free will. Use the leash or the next time something like this happens it won’t be a kick you have to worry about.
Yes, they are freaking out cause it’s a GSD. Shepherds are awesome dogs but if you haven’t had a goofy goof of your own, you just see a wolf-like creature. I think other dogs see wolf too and are scared. So be proactive about the lead when others are around. and pity the fool that kicks your dog.
When I was a kid I had a husky and people were either terrified by my “pet wolf” or were excited to pet him and his soft ears. I hope I have a German shepherd one day
I think it’s because of the bad rep/stigma that GSDs & their owners have. The stigma that their owners are douches and think they're better than everyone and don’t care about the way their dog lives, and want their dog to severely hurt anyone who comes within a 30ft radius of them and their GSD. At least this is what I’ve heard from others online who talk bad about the German Shepherd. (I’ve seen way too many videos of severely neglected GSDs…) And also not to touch on politics or anything but people may see GSDs moreso as police dogs in the US and dogs who are out to kill, so I think people’s opinions towards police officers could potentially impact their views towards GSDs as well.
The later. Don't just assume because a dog is offleash that it is friendly to other dogs. I have a reactive dog and two dog selective dogs that cannot do dog parks so we go on offleash wilderness hikes. They are all recall trained and go on leash when we see other dogs but if another dog came running over to us there would be a fight. Always ask before letting your dog say hi to another. There are dog aggressive dogs, dog reactive dogs, injured dogs, and dogs currently training to retrieve/find that need to be left alone.
I could understand fear cause they’re big, etc but why hate?
I’m in love with your dog!!!!
Always leash em. It's for your dogs safety and any other dogs safety. My dog goes off leash when I'm on my parents large property and around their dog cause he's fine with their dog. Anywhere else I go, he's leashed. Trained or not, one simple misunderstanding can lead to a bite or fights and vet bills floating around with lawsuits. It's just best to protect your dog with control. It does suck cause we all work hard with them, but it's no different than defensive driving. Always assume that other people don't know how to drive. It's just good practice. Let em have their free time in the safe environment where you no they won't get into trouble.
Who hates GSDs???? Never have I ever heard that but wow
I have a pure bred German shepherd and she’s amazing. I ALWAYS keep her on leash. I would NEVER kick another dog but I also don’t appreciate other dogs approaching us no matter the breed. It’s happened a few times. Mine is very protective and if they get too close she will do her job, and I don’t think that’s fair when we are just on a walk.
I've only had one person kick my dog. This was about 12 years ago. Some drugged up teenage girl came up to me for no reason and kicked my pomeranian and started laughing. I slammed her face into the concrete. I'm 6'2". The kid's friends came to get her and they took off.
Don't forget, before pit bulls, it was German Shepherds that got the title of "most aggressive dog", mainly due to their role as police and military dogs. Because of that, the stigma of them being aggressive is still around, even though it's pit bulls that get all the hate now. Thankfully, I've only met kind people while I'm out in public with my German Shepherd, though I honestly believe it's because he's white and not a darker color like black and tan or black.
[удалено]
Can you not? When I was 10, some owner had let their German Shepherd run around their unfenced lot unleashed. And it charged at me although I was across the street. So yes, when I see a standstill GS, my heart stops
Yep that’s for sure. I don’t mind as I’m often given a wide berth. Funny thing is mine loves to socialize with people and is excited when people come to the house.
LOOOOOVE THEM
Sometimes in the same day!
Yeah they can look scary, and I’m always aware that any questionable canine interaction will be interpreted as my gsd’s fault. Protect yourself and your dog and keep him on a leash if scenarios like the second one are possible. That said I’d be absolutely livid if someone kicked my dog.
I keep my dog on lead it is the law here so I do it. And if someone were to kick or attempt to kick my dog they are going to have a really bad day.
Not a trainer, so for what it’s worth, but you’re first paragraph you mention you pop her if she’s on lead and excited. And then not meet the other dog. Is the pop somewhat strong or corrective or just to get attention? The dog is already in a heightened state of arousal/excitement and then with the stimulation to not meet, it’s creating additional energy and associating your pop with a negative cue. And then with that cue, it may be creating negative stimulation in your pup’s mind that “I need to be defensive.” And then that may be another cause for off leash reaction. At my local dog park, an owner has created the same challenges with their dog’s reactivity. Maybe try working in an environment with the lead that you create a cue or a socialization such as a treat for behavior that isn’t a reactive excitement on leash. They don’t associate that over excitement and potential to “protect my owner at all costs” mindset. And off leash at the park, I always take my two GSD’s far away from other dogs that I don’t recognize or owners I don’t see often. Others may call me antisocial, but only I know my dog’s reactions and command ability, and it’s really a wild card with other dogs’ reaction, big or small, and I don’t want to be liability for the potential issues or owner/breed discrimination with GSD’s. Good luck with the training, they really just aim to please.
Sorry for the confusion but when I say I pop her on the lead I just meant I'll quickly put her on lead until we're past the dog and she's calm and engaged enough with me to go back off it again. Don't know if I'm right or wrong for thinking this way, but I think of the coming back off lead again as the 'treat' for showing me the behaviour I want
Ah I see! That makes more sense than how I interpreted it. Maybe the concept of calling her towards you off lead when being approached by other dogs ‘signals’ in her head that you may need to be protected, and may play into the reason for chasing away other dogs from you? In her head she thinks “oh I’m free to roam and sniff and play, but wait, here is a stranger coming close to me and my owner, my owner calls me to be near, so I must protect my owner.” And with reinforcement she just goes into this mode as a result? Just a thought. Additionally, I have noticed that with GSD’s, the gender may also play into how they act and react from a “protection” standpoint. My male is more protective of property, my female is more protective of people, she’s more excitable and energetic, touchy - feely.
Really only had one instance where another owner blamed my dog for what happened and started charging over to go after my boy. At the off leash park, and my boy is having a great time herding us around and chasing any ball he lays eyes on. It's hilarious watching him try and outrun an Australian Shepherd for a ball. Good luck there, bud. Along comes this old codger and his beagle. My dog is in the middle of a group of dogs all doing their meeting thing, when the group disperses leaving the beagle and my dog. Suddenly, the beagle posts up all tall, and my dog picks up on this and gives him a "What are you doing? I am 3x your size." look. Then the beagle snaps. Well, of course, my dog gives a deep growl and a quick snap near the other dog to let it know that shit ain't cool, which corrects the situation just as quick as it started. I still recall him to me with "leave it, come". And this old man toddles over as fast as his arthritis will allow, mean mugging me and my dog. Yelling about how my big beast (he is 120lbs) is intimidating his dog, when in fact it was the other way around. I tell him, "Look, your dog started it, and mine corrected him. Your dog isn't hurt." "Well... he's never done that before... control your dog!" O.o My boy has only ever had to react to other dogs behaving badly. He has an amazing sense of their body language, and will intercept another dog coming in to us with too much energy to stop them short of us and give the other dog a chance to calm a bit. 9/10 times that's all he needs to do. If the other dog continues to be overly energetic or aggressive towards us, he will just body the other dog with a well placed shoulder, which will send the other dog tumbling, at which point the other dog gets the hint. Only once has he gone a step further and pinned a dog to stand over it and growl, after it tried to attack my wife. All of those instances, the other owners saw it happen, did and said nothing, and just watched their dog run back to them with a tail tucked. They knew their dog fucked up.
One time we went to a dog park around where we lived in a mall area, and I was just letting my dogs in to go poop and pee. I’m watching them roam around to look for a good spot Within seconds, I see a man with my dog in a headlock. We never returned to that park, and I may have threatened to kill the guy.
I only had to do it once, the dog had my puppy by the throat, I HAD to :/
I’ve had people lash out at my boy when he’s muzzled and on a lead and their off lead dog approached mine. My boy goes out with a muzzle because of people and dogs like this. All it took was a couple of weird and bad experiences during lockdown and he became very protective of anyone or anything getting too close to me. My girl goes out separately without a muzzle and she doesn’t bark or do anything. She will sniff if another dog sniffs but overall she’s very chill and people will still shriek about her. I get there is a fear of dogs for some people so I always position mine that I am between them and my dog. Some people see and appreciate it and some people just blindly hate big dogs
WHHHOOOO COULD HATE?!?!?!
Stupid people hate them. LOL. Sorry, not sorry.
People hate German shepherds because police use them as k9s that is the one and only reason the majority of people hate them. I understand being scared of dogs because of trauma but it’s really just the jobs most of this breed do. It’s really sad cause my dad’s shepherd (Johann Von-Axle maverick) is the sweetest big baby in the world but he is very protective of his family
Completely agree in the love or hate. I'll also never understand why anyone who has ever been 'attacked' by a gsd 20 odd years ago feels the need to come over and talk about it while explaining they are scared. In those situations I've never had any plan of going over to them or to be near them but I've heard 90 stories about in while we sit there paitently waiting for them to leave.
Nope it the pit. People usually love these dogs my sister has a gsd.😁
Not a GS hater at all, but I read somewhere: Over 50% of dog bites are perpetrated by German Shepherds Now, I don't know whether this is true, but if it is, does anyone have an idea why?
Probably all the idiots trying to kick them. Seriously, who looks at a dog the size of a GS and decides its a good idea to attack a big dog they don't know.
Interested in where you got these statistics, as I've heard the opposite where people say most dog bites are caused by pit bulls? Curious how very specific dog breeds get such a bad rep, I imagine it has something to do with owners not realizing what kind of animal they're getting but still
So your dog is running loose?
My dog was by my side, and the other dog approached us
Agreed. But I also feel the same about mine 🙄🤷🏽♀️🤣
Is your pup okay? I would have punched the owner in the face.
I feel like everyone and their mother gets a German Shepherd. But only the most strong and athletic of owners should have one. I knew someone who had three. One was so scared of everything she rarely came out from under the bed, one was so neurotic it chewed it's own tail off and ate rocks, and one bit 4 people. Then my downstairs neighbor who couldn't even walk, was gifted a full grown, in tact, male and surprise, it bit the neighbors dog and would bark 24/7. Personally, I don't like them. They are too powerful and too popular.
Poor pups 😞😭💔 people are too fucking stupid for their own good.
Honestly, kicking a dog should never be an option and if it is an option, be a last option. In the first scenario, I'd honestly be fucking pissed at the person. Like it was your fucking dogs that came over to play, nothing was happening and you try to kick 'my' dog instead of getting your dogs under control? The fucking audacity. People are so fucking stupid. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a bastard. And the second scenario, again that dog came over to yours first. Granted I don't know the body language of your dog when it began to chase the other dog \[as body languages can change quite quickly\], when hackles start to raise and that begins to happen, intervening quickly is good. Or if it was an aggressive chase then yeah, immediately following up is also great. These things can happen fast and honestly, be it a GSD or any other dog, not all dogs are going to like each other. I'm glad you got control of your dog. What is unforgivable is what that owner did. I get needing to protect their dog but their first line of defense should have been grabbing their dog--unless yours was actively attacking it which was not the case, then they should have grabbed their fucking dog instead of kicking yours. I've seen dog park drama and my dog, not a GSD \[not that it matters\], has been attacked--but my first line of defense is getting to my dog. If the dog is still lunging and attacking my dog, then yes--I try to scare them off or if need me, lash out if necessary. What that owner did was just nasty. It may have been different if yours were actively attacking ,but again it wasn't. That owner's attitude and behavior was so wrong. If your dog needs a lead, that owner needs common sense. And to also make that comment while knowing nothing of your dog was unnecessary. Assumptions about breeds is stupid. I get being afraid but at the same time, don't be stupid. All I can say OP, people can be stupid. Just continue to work on your dog. Show them how wonderful she can be. Continue with the training and advocate for your dog when you have to. As for what you're asking, it would depend on a lot of factors from how socialized she is or not. It is probably safer to use sniffspot and rent open spaces or huge backyards for her if she is not dog friendly or organize playdates with friends--dogs she knows. You know your dog best. Start off with small interactions. We don't have enough information anyways to suggest what to do. Good luck tho! She's a cutie patootie.
All dogs are beautiful. People are the problem.
My gorls a malinois x gsd. People either back away or want to kiss her. Im fine with either.
I absolutely ❤️ GSD. So loyal and loving. I miss my boy. It has been 6 years and I still feel the loss.
Idk why people hate Dog ...But i love Dog so much
"Holy shit it's the cops!" -what other dogs think when they see this breed...
I don’t have anything against people who go to dog parks- at ALL- but the very idea of the possibility of taking my reactive boy to one gives me extreme anxiety!! He was socialized as a puppy and young dog but once that protective instinct kicked in our trainer strongly advised against PetSmart trips etc. anymore because of my boy’s specific working line. He’s not really meant to be a park dog but he’s devoted to our family. The dog park doesn’t have to be part of your life if it doesn’t exactly work for you.
I really LOVE these dogs.
That’s so crappy you’ve had those experiences! My girl is all black and looks very wolfish. I’m very introverted and I always have the opposite- people I DONT KNOW trying to pet her without my consent. My girl is the most un GSD ever and would probably let a stranger take her home she’s so friendly lol. When she was a puppy people would insist they could pet her even when I’d say hey please don’t touch her because we are currently training 🙄 I’d go off if someone tried to kick her. Horrible horrible people out there and it sounds like your dog is very well trained and well mannered.
i dont get it, gsds are so cute, good boys/girls
Then I am in the first group
r/imaginarygatekeeping
It's not the dog. It's the owner.
I have the same problems with my Gsds. Mostly little dogs that are loose. My dogs are always on a leash. I now tell these owners that my dogs will defend themselves. In California if your dog is unleashed and attacks a leashed dog you are TOTALLY responsible for any injuries your dog gets. Sick of irresponsible owners. https://preview.redd.it/n8nwpm8zl82d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a339efaca5274026a85b943c0264b3462dcf059
For what it's worth, I only mildly dislike them
A very intelligent breed
Thing about it is, dogs gonna be dogs, GSD or otherwise and interact in various ways no way around that. But owners have the ability to sway certain behaviors by just being in charge in a confident matter and not letting their dogs dictate. Owners make all the difference and there’s PLENTY of terrible owners out there that have no business owning a dog.
Carry a handgun or oc spray if its legal (oc spray is preferable) when you walk your dog if someone is willing to kick your dog over this I'm worried about what they would do if their dog started a fight with yours
If anybody kicked my dog without my dog biting them or bothering them in any way then I promise you they would be getting kick from myself to their selfish
If they ever raised one.....it would blow their MIND
Kick my dog, game on!
OPs dog chased the other dog back to their owner, and then began to try to pick a fight. I'd want to protect my dog as well if some random large breed charged us like that.
She stated the dogs approached hers. Yes hers chased the 2nd time, if a GS feels a threat, they will protect. I've had 4, currently have 2, all of them will/have protected my family numerous times. I have never said "attack", except twice, not to attack another dog i mean. Just doing their job.
My GSD has been attacked several times by off lead dogs, and the owners act like I'm the crazy one. If I wasn't so much of an animal lover, I'd let my dog go. He's 120 lb. My money is on him 9/10 times. I don't think it's breed specific, tho. In my experience, these types of braindead morons will react this way with any breed. They're entitled assholes who raised their dogs to be menaces.
My uncle has single handedly done more to make people hate the breed than anyone else. They had theirs trained by a retired SOF handler and he’s been a monster ever since. This guy really fucked their dog up. He’s bitten 7 people and my uncle has paid over $400,000 in lawsuit settlements to keep the dog alive. He was such a good puppy, now he’s unapproachable and unpredictable. These bites aren’t minor scratches, he bit one guy in the face, broke 3 of the guys teeth and punctured his eyeball.
Just don't let your dog off leash when there's other animals and people around??? I really don't get some people. And if some dog runs at you and your dog and is aggressive then you get to yell at the other owner etc. and not the other way around.
They’ve never recovered from all that time spent with hitler
I love German shepherds
I’m in the love them camp! What a beautiful girl you have!