Any one knows of a Vet in NYC ( five boroughs and a bit beyond ) that sees WL dogs? - Page 4

She gets let off leash to play ball a couple of times a week.
And she sleeps on your own bed.

You really think, Mithuna, that the sort of exercise she gets
walking on leash with you (daily, hopefully) in the Forest or
wherever, plus a 'couple' of off-lead ball games per week,
constitutes sufficient exercise for an adult Shepherd ? No
wonder she is (whatever your vet says) too heavy.

Lawks, she is under-worked and overly spoilt. No wonder
she throws her weight about and tries to bite people if they
do things to her not to her liking. IOI in basic dog keeping
lessons, how not to bring up your dog of any breed.
Laying odds on your next problem being her having a go at
you/your partner trying to get into 'her' bed. Classic.

Agree Hexe ^^^ 100%.

Sorry, I left out recognition of her bitework/sports exercise:
she gets what ? Half an hour at Club, once a week ? Once
a fortnight ? Jeeez !

Dam being a patrol dog has no meaning with these issues.
Your dog has reactivity issues that you play off as being a tough, hard, DDR dog when in fact she sounds very stressed and nervy when meeting new people. From your descriptions, she is biting out of fear.
I hope you can help her before she ends up euthanized. You can't be there 110% to make sure she doesn't get herself in a bad situation.

she does not ''do'' bite work. She does not engage or remain in the work without stimulation from helper. translation; she does not like bite work, you do. She has had her view of the world shaped by protection stim [ really not training] She believes she can control what she does not like [ vet's exam] with aggression. You allowed her to learn this behavior and then repeat it. I hope you love her and like people. I hope you are able to remain in control of an out-of-control GSD.

Mithuna, I think you missed the fear period in your dog. Almost every dog will have some fear period and uncertainty while growing up. If left unnoticed or doing just the wrong thing during that stage of development the dog will find her own way to deal with it. Often changing form a reasonably social dog into an aggressive/reactive one canalizing her drive and genetics in a way you would not expect nor desire.

After reading the thread it is plausible explanation for her demeanor. Instead of another Vet, you need to find a knowledgeable trainer who can give you the right tools to desensitize her.

 

hntr

All defensive responses ( in any dog ) are rooted in fear. What the dog does with that fear is meaningful to me. A dog that simply run away is not desirable. My dog is the opposite , but I have never placed pressure on her to determine the point at which she would run away. I personally believe that she is a genetic ( natural ) highly defensive dog and Im trying to learn how to manage this . while preserving what she is naturally. She does have some very good working qualities that are instinctive, and we like that; Even up to an hour after a stranger leaves she would intensely search the whole house for that person ( even though she was confined to the basement when the stranger arrived ) running from floor to floor , room to room.

"All defensive responses ( in any dog ) are rooted in fear." Mithuna, I have been preaching this to you since day one  IMO your dog is too defensive, which goes back to having a lot of fear issues. My guess as reactive she is as you have described, she would not take a lot of pressure to run. Regardless, I would back off of bitework. I would not say this is a dog with the right temperament to do it with, but if you do resume, I would suggest only prey with a competent helper. I do think genetics play a part, but majority is nerves. She gets defensive for seemingly simple things, which IMO is because she is scared. She has low thresholds, and I feel if it were mostly genetics behind her issues, her thresholds would be higher. I hope you really realize the type of issues she has, and manage them properly. I would really hate to find out one day that she hurt somebody and paid for it with her life.

Ha it's nearly funny if it wasn't so serious. Bit work with a dog who obviously has a nerve problem and by the sounds of it no control . And you are here daily given advice to others when you can't even control or put a decent standard of residential environmental social behaviour in your own dog and then u do bite work some people are just plane stupid. It goes to show u never know who you are taking advice from

Here's the first post  I recall seeing from you about this girl, back when she was just 6 months old, wherein she was already showing the behaviors that are now keeping her from getting proper physical exam.

As for my viewpoint of her breeder, my mistake--I was thinking she came from the operation that owns her sire, as her litter was advertised on that kennel's website...though I'm not so sure about a breeder who does such a tight breeding [2-3 on Uncas Popitz] and then places pups from that pairing in homes that are not experienced with and what to expect from those lines.

And yes, I DO think she is cute...though we'd all still LOVE to see some photos of her doing something other than lounging! Standing, walking, playing--something other than lying on the bed or the couch!

 

 

hntr ..." She gets defensive for seemingly simple things, which IMO is because she is scared. " I am not so sure the explanation is correct that she gets defensive for simple things because she is scared. If this were true her being scared would show up in other areas such as walking in the busy streets of NYC with all the attendant noises and unending distractions. Climbing the subway steps the rumbling noise of the train, power saws, the noisy and pushing double pressure air blower at the Petco grooming facility; she is completely stable with all of these things. Why would a thin 115 lbs non threatening blonde lady cause a dog to be afraid but a wrackling and rumbling nearby power saw cannot have the same effect. 

 

And maybe Yogidog needs to clarify what he means by a nerve problem.