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Hey, /an/ I've got a dilemma here.
My parents got a 3 Caucasian ShepherdX (I'm thinking it's crossed with a Sarplaninac) a couple of months back. They were originally just going to pick up one of it's puppies (which is half St. Bernard) but the breeder was new to breeding and the Cacausian had a bad infection in her nipples. The breeder was lost on what to do with her. My parents took the bitch and her puppy. They rid her of her infection.
Most of the time, the dog is calm and well behaved. There are, however, some things that have me worried. My parents other dog got pissed off at her puppy and warned it off a few days ago. The bitch did not take this lightly, she grabbed the dog by the scruff of the neck and shook it violently, likely trying to kill it. My father calmed her down and the victim dog is ok.
She has also issued some random warning growls to my adult brother. He lives with my parents. She'll do it every so often around night-time when he happens upon her.
She will usually listen, but quite often when she's outside she will ignore people's calls.
As an experienced dog owner I see these signs as quite worrying of such a powerful dog.
>Protecting her pup
The fact that there was no warning from her, just immediately snapped and went for a kill.
>Warning growls
I believe this means that she sees herself as dominant over at least one house-hold member.
(My 8 year old nephew also lives with my parents, this especially has me worried of the possibility of her seeing herself as dominant over him)
>Not listening when called
Not quite as worrying, but I believe any dog that massive should be 100% obedient as this could lead to further issues.
I have told them a few times that they need to get rid of this dog or bring it in for further dominance training but they've shrugged off my suggestions as they are enamored with the dog. I think they are being quite stupid about this.
Any opinions on this?
(Pic is not her, by the way)
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>>2196549
Sounds like your typical untrained, unsocialized, prone to aggression dog.
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>>2196559
That's the thing. The dog is usually great with people it knows, and when properly greeted by new people she's good with them. She also listens to most orders, although she chooses not to listen sometimes (I always view this as a slippery slope, 100% obedience I believe is key to maintaining alpha status.
She is also calm most of the time, and will usually give dogs a warning if they over-step their bounds. It was only the one time so far that she did anything past growling.
With a dog this fucking large, though, I believe that even if very uncommon, these activities are absolutely problematic.
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>>2196549
yeah sounds like a caucasian shepherd. Soon somebody will be dead either a person or a animal.
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>experienced owner
>alpha, alpha, alpha, dominance, alpha
>100% obedient dog
Meme shit. By all means have them go to a real trainer. Get real help and advice, and keep UP with it. Correct shitty behavior, don't let it up. Exercise dogs. Reward them for good behavior, never for bad. Some dogs are just shit about some things and you have to work around THEM. This especially goes for issues that is just a 'breed' issue. They aren't robots, they have their likes, dislikes and thresholds(this can be a fine line if its already an adult dog). This should be one of the last options but if you haven't gotten them any real training then they have to work around the dog, even if it means muzzling and putting the dog away with strangers for their safety. They got the dog and have to deal with it whether or not it is inconvenient for them, and its up to them to properly train and restrain their dog if it's a danger.
Unfortunately this is why we have so many shitty dogs. People just shrug it off. I'm sure when she actually attacks someone they will play it off as something they would never imagine her to do. You can't do anything about this other than endlessly harass them or offer your time with the dog to try and help.
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>>2196570
One time shaking a dog trying to kill it is bad. Unless your dog was attacked and defending itself, this is what trainers call over-correction (assuming the other dog had done something your dog didn't like. If the other dog was simply around, then it is dog aggression). Over-correction causes full fledged dog fights.
The growling is under the same idea of over-correction. If someone was doing something out of line, like pushing or pulling the dog, trying to pick the dog up etc it's one thing (although still not acceptable, it's understandable). However, your dog is just growling at someone simply for being there. That is bad, that is a bite waiting to happen.
Don't get me wrong, you do NOT want to punish your dog for growling. Punishment for a warning can make a dog learn that it should skip the warning and go straight to a bite. In fact, you will want to avoid any kind of hitting. Dogs get aggressive when they are uncomfortable, whether they are scared, in pain, annoyed etc. Hitting really only extrapolates that feeling and reinforces it. Positive reinforcement training isn't just recommended for all dog training, but is really the only way to go for already aggressive or prone to aggression dogs. I'd suggest reading some positive reinforcement training.
Also about that 100% recall... There is a saying amoung trainers. You can only trust a dog 60%. You can't expect your dog to be perfect, self aware, or understand consequences. You have to be optimistic but realistic.
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>>2196852
About the muzzling, and this goes for any kind of crate training (leaving in a room or outside) too; don't make it a punishment. Make it appealing, try to make it a game or make it fun. It may be very difficult at this age with a dog that's already showing warning signs just for people being in the room, but it's worth a try. You may have to introduce it slowly after the dog has some basic behavior changes. For the muzzle, turn it into a game where the dog has the muzzle on and gets to lick peanut butter or gravy or some other treat. For kenneling, never use it as a punishment. Try to make it more like the dog's safe space, don't bother the dog when it's in there. Make it comfy, give it a Kong or chew toy or something to do while being crated.
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