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>I have a German Shepherd who just showed up at my door this past January.
>After two weeks of hanging around, I finally gave in and let her in to the
>house. She a great dog, and shows great potential as a great watchdog. She
>is totally untrained and has been taught to sit down so far. The problem
>is that she has two bad habits. 1. She seems to be good with children as I
>have three and she plays with them constantly. The problem is that she
>seems to get over-excited and becomes to rough with them. Any idea's on
>how I can correct this problem without having to beat her? 2. She has a
>car chasing problem. A few weeks ago she got loose and got hit by a car
>while chasing it. Luckily she just suffered some scrapes and bruises. I
>thought this would cure her since she was quite sore for a few days. Not
>so. As soon as she was able to hobble around she started in again. Even
>when being walked on a leash she drags me along with her when a car
>approaches. I would appreciate any advise on how to discourage her.
Have you considered teaching your CHILDREN restraint and responsibility when
playing with the dog versus asking your dog to exhibit 100% of the restraint.
DO NOT, as you suggested, beat your dog. You are likely to end up with more not less
aggression/behavioral problems and a child that is severely injured. If you do beat your
dog you are demonstrating a total lack of intelligence and compassion.
Did you take it to a vet to check for internal injuries after the car accident. Have you
taken precautions on how to preventing it from getting lose again?.
Do you have more than 30 minutes to spend training it to stop chasing cars?. This might
involve taking a long lead and setting up a situation with a neighbor's help that tempts
the dog to chase the neighbor's car and then having you apply a sharp, quick, safe leash
correction when she begins the chase. Since dog's are intelligent animals, this can only
be done a few times before it starts being treated as game. If the correction, LEASH
correction, that is, is done properly, the dog won't even know who did it.
In addition, obedience training would be a VERY good idea. You may wish to consider
purchase of the book "Good Owners, Great Dogs" by Brian Kilcommons/Sarah Wilson
(Warner Books) as an effective guide for behavior/training related issues.
Finally you ought to consider putting the dog up for adoption and give her/him a new
chance in life. There may be German Shepherd rescue in your area and they may be able to
place the dog in a loving home. Consult your local Humane Society for phone numbers. At
least you dog may have a better chance of receiving the love and proper medical care it
deserves.
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