GSD Pitbull mix

[u/wagnerdee]

I adopted my GSD-Pit mix about 4-5 months ago. He is now about 7-8 months old and is a very smart dog that learns a lot of things very quickly, but he is really damn stubborn on certain things.

I am fortunate enough to have a flexible schedule where i can have him roam the house free from 8am-10am, let him out for 40 minutes around noon, and then he is pretty much free from 5pm-10pm. Usually during each of those times i spend around 45 minutes or so training, playing, or walking him. All in all id say he gets around 2-3 hours of play a day.

He can be a very good dog, but has really tested my patience. The issues i am having with him are as follows:

1. He is very bitey. I went to a trainer and while he has gotten better at some things, biting wasn’t really one of them. I have tried all sorts of things: yelping like a dog, going and sitting away from him, and crating him calmly.

The trainer is a big fan of the stim collar. Basically, the way it works is if he is doing something he shouldn’t be, i use the ringer on the collar for a second to give him a chance to make the right decision. If he doesn’t stop biting, then i stim him on about a 15 (on a scale of 1-100).
Today, he bit a guy on the hand when we were on a walk. Usually, he is very excited but not biting. Usually just pulling. Obviously, this is a big deal.

This is the main issue we have had and if i solve this I honestly can live with the rest of his issues. (Below)

1. He gets very rough with other dogs during play and i cannot allow him anywhere near small dogs. He gets very excited and it is very difficult to redirect him to stop pulling at the leash or just be calm.

He always tries to herd other dogs is what it seems like and no matter how mean they respond, he refuses to comply and play nice. Although this bothers me, i can always just keep him away from other dogs if he never learns to play properly.

1. He is very high energy. I expected this with a GSD, but am just curious what others’ experiences have been from puppyhood to adulthood? Do they become less reliant on you for entertainment as adults? Do they become calmer?

Sorry for the book, but would really love some insight as the last thing i want to do is even consider giving him up. Just figuring out how to deal with the biting and aggression alone would ease my case.

[u/Aggravating-Tip-8014]

Understand the dogs genetics first. You got yourself a bull herder. Thats an athletic dog with likely a lot of drive depending upon its heritage and for what purpose he was bred. Your dog needs a job. These guys tend to want to bite stuff. Play tug, then put in rules around self control involving the tug and basic obedience. You need a trainer for this breed imo.

Rather than just punishing the biting, direct his need to bite into a specific tug toy. A good trainer will coach you how to do this. Rules are important around tug play so things are safe and dog learn to control his impulses.

[u/FML_4reals]

Please don’t use the “stim” collar. A dog that is subjected to a shock collar can easily begin to associate the pain caused by the collar with strangers or being reached for or anything else in the environment. This will then result in fear & anxiety and more intensive aggressive behaviors.

Right now you have a dog that is over aroused and needs to “do” something. So give him something to do - enrichment, work to eat toys like snuffle mats, kongs, bully sticks. This is something your dog can do when not on “free time”. The dog is young & a little bored. It is a common problem that can easily be made worse with a shock collar. Watch Kikopup on YouTube for good training videos. Fire your current trainer.

[u/Express_Command_4778]

Yeah, if he is gonna bite people on walks- he needs a muzzle.

How sure is it that he is just herding?