DesertRoseKennel
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Posts:1033
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| 04/26/2010 2:40 PM |
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The alpha dog/aggression issues are likely your dog personally. My experience has been much different. I've never known a breed as friendly as this one - at least where my dogs are concerned. They assume each new dog is a potential new best friend until the other dog proves otherwise. My two cents... |
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"Our dogs are bred to be champion hunters who sleep on the bed"
www.desertrosekennel.com |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7834
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| 04/26/2010 2:45 PM |
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boognish - They aren't all like that and in fact mine are fairly mellow unless hunting or doing something they love. They do need a job as they are very smart and if left undirectly, well....so direct the energy to training or exercise and they will calm down. I also have to disagree on the cold. I take mine to Colorado hiking and the weather is often below freezing. It never seems to bother them and they are just as apt to jump into the cold mountain lakes and creeks as a warm one with no problems. I also know quite a few folks they use their shorthairs for mushing and skijoring. As for the agression, nip it in bud, but also working obedience will help. I have three shorthairs and will be adding 4 in the fall and do not have problems in my pack. Nor do I have problems with my dogs interacting with other dogs. If my young male who is intact does well with other dogs.
As for the retrieving, well they do love to retrieve. I get that all the time when I am outside, but they no sometimes I tell them no and sometimes I play.
Good luck with your boy. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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boognish
Idaho
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Posts:105
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| 04/26/2010 2:50 PM |
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Posted By DesertRoseKennel on 04/26/2010 2:40 PM
The alpha dog/aggression issues are likely your dog personally. My experience has been much different. I've never known a breed as friendly as this one - at least where my dogs are concerned. They assume each new dog is a potential new best friend until the other dog proves otherwise. My two cents...
Yeah, quite possible. His mother belongs to an acquaintence of mine and she is very aggressive with other dogs too. Maybe a little genetic predisposition? Mine is great with our two cats, our other dog, and even our rabbit, but he doesn't think twice about picking fights with 150 pound dogs. Maybe I need to Dog Whisperer to figure out his wiring with me  .
If I had to do it again, I'd probably get a different breed. But I'm stuck with this guy for the next ten years, so I need to at least figure out a way to safely have him around other dogs. The extreme hyperactivity is just something I'll have to deal with, I'm afraid.
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Willowglen
Fort Collins, CO
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Posts:216
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| 04/26/2010 2:59 PM |
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I second what Bev says. I live in Colorado and my two have no issues with the cold - they absolutely love to play in the snow and I have a hard time keeping them inside when we have fresh powder on the ground. They have also gone to doggy daycare for several years. When I used to work at one, my male was one of the first dogs we would use for introductions - not because he was an employee dog, but because he is so easy going - the only dogs he wasn't allowed with were the other intact males and that was because it was shop policy.
As far as activity level, I think one must look at what the parents are like. Both of mine come from the same lines and are very mellow. They are currently asleep beside me on the couch. They do have their moments of high energy but know how to turn it off.
boognish - I hope you are able to figure out what triggered the aggression. Good luck with him!
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Christine
Willow Glen GSPs & Weimaraners
www.willowglengsp.com
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gharner
Middletown, PA
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Posts:565
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| 04/26/2010 3:16 PM |
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| Sounds like a perfect fit to me. Dax is very calm in the house. He loves to be with me all the time, and I take him biking on some of the trails around here, and try to walk him everyday. Unfortunately I havnt been able to go for a walk with him for about 3 days now because a mix of rain and loads of schoolwork before finals, but I can say that he has taken it really well. Usually I get him out for several miles a day, but he's been completely fine with it. Ocassionally he'll go through a zoomy stage in the house, but thats about it. As far as camping, I plan on taking Dax with me alot this year, and he too likes to sleep INSIDE the sleeping bag with me (Habit I started with him when he was a cuddly 10 pound puppy....now he's a cuddly big 7 month puppy haha), but I love when he snuggles with me. When he was younger he was kinda a pain to deal with at times and needed constant watching and corrections, and seemed to always try to get into things that he wasnt suppossed to. He learned though by the time he was about 12 weeks old what he could and couldnt have, and he's been really good since. He knows many tricks, and was easy to teach, but the favorites, and quickest learned are the "functional" tricks like fetching the paper, opening his crate, and carrying things for me. Theyre great, loving dogs, and from what Ive seen with the shorthairs that Ive come across is that they arent as crazy as some people say, although every now and then you will come across a wild dog that needs more excercise than others, but again thats with every breed. Good Luck! |
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DesertRoseKennel
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Posts:1033
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| 04/26/2010 4:27 PM |
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I think you've got it right. If his mother displayed aggressive behavior, then I personally wouldn't have bred her. The advice you're getting here is good though. You absolutely do need to nip it quickly. |
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"Our dogs are bred to be champion hunters who sleep on the bed"
www.desertrosekennel.com |
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pixie bee
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Posts:4448
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| 04/26/2010 4:33 PM |
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Has anyone noticed that the Dog Whisperer has not had a GSP case yet?
Research is very important when puppy shopping. |
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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zodiakgsps
NW PA
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Posts:1059
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| 04/26/2010 4:38 PM |
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I take my 5 field trial dogs to my grooming shop daily, they have the run of the place all day & are very well behaved, calm, quiet & do not bother client dogs at all.
No doubt there are dogs, GSPS that display unwanted behaviours, these should not be bred, good reason to "meet the parents" and get references from other puppy buyers prior to buying. Sometimes human error raising a pup causes behavioural issues as well.
Right now, both my females are in season & my 3 males (all intact) are still together & getting along just fine. (now the whining is another issue....) |
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boognish
Idaho
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Posts:105
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| 04/26/2010 4:39 PM |
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Posted By DesertRoseKennel on 04/26/2010 4:27 PM
I think you've got it right. If his mother displayed aggressive behavior, then I personally wouldn't have bred her. The advice you're getting here is good though. You absolutely do need to nip it quickly.
Yeah, I may have jumped into it a little too quickly. His mom was gentle with the pups and nice around us, and was a great hunter, so I was pretty much sold. I didn't have a chance to see how she interacted with dogs outside of her immediate pack though.
What I find strange is that I worked hard to socialize him, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy being around other dogs. It's just in the last year or so that his aggressive tendencies have manifested. I haven't had him around as many dogs recently as I did when he was a pup, but I figured that once he had been socialized he would be okay forever. Guess I'll just have to get a muzzle and try my little experiment. |
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zodiakgsps
NW PA
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Posts:1059
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| 04/26/2010 4:50 PM |
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I personally wouldn't use a muzzle & allow him around other dogs. This doesn;'t teach him to get along, just that he cannot bite. Also, if another dog "takes him on" he cannot defend himself & it will get worse, not better.
W/O seeing his issue, to hard to say how to treat it via internet. One thing would be to distract him immediately when he shows dominance -posturing, hight stiff tail, etc, turn him away from other dog quickly & make him sit calmly. Or do a dominance down & stiff correction for the behaviour. Really depends on him, his temperment etc. You may want ot find a GOOD obedience instructor in your area to assess him & help you deal with his issues, that would be my best advice. Good luck & hope oyu figure out why he has become aggressive & can deal with it!! |
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erikacarrillo
La Honda, CA
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Posts:229
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| 04/26/2010 5:12 PM |
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| The Dog Whisperer had one episode with a GSP named Sara. I can't find the video, but I remember they had 3 GSPs and one was an escape artist, so he showed them how to get her to be calm in her crate. That's all I remember. http://ngccommunity.nationalgeographic.com/ngcblogs/dog-whisperer/2009/11/destructive-sara.html |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7834
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| 04/26/2010 5:20 PM |
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I posted a response on the other thread, but I think obedience would help in two ways 1) gets him into a controlled situation around other dogs, and 2) engages his shorthair brain. Plus if you find a good instructor they are likely to have other suggestions for you. Just be sure you let them know up front that you dog is dog aggressive.
I also do not think the muzzle and a dog park will help you and it will likely escalate the problem. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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dieterthegsp
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
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Posts:559
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| 04/26/2010 6:28 PM |
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Posted By boognish on 04/26/2010 2:22 PM
Guess I was too late to respond. Some things I've found out about my GSP since I got him (he's three now).
- He gets cold very easily, so he's definitely not as suited to winter activities like cross country skiing, or extended time in cold rivers as my other dogs have been.
- He never settles down. This breed is VERY active...almost spastic. I run him every night and take him biking with me, but he still never slows down at all and gets so excited when people try to pet him that it is pretty much impossible for anyone but me to actually pet him (he calms down with me for some reason).
- Although he has a good heart, he has started to become very aggressive towards other dogs and ripped up a labrador retreiver pretty good the other day. Definitely an Alpha type dog/breed. I feel like I'm going to have to do some extensive work with him now to make it safe to bring him around other dogs.
- Really good with my son and other little kids, although he is completely obsessed with retrieving things and has a tendency to annoy guests pretty quickly by constantly trying to drop slimy things in their laps.
I've owned many dogs over the years, and have never experienced a breed as "wound up" as GSP's are. I should have known I was in trouble when a co-worker said that his brother raises GSP's, and not to worry about their hyper-activity, because they calm down when they reach about 10 YEARS OLD!
I now see this breed as more of a specialty breed that is great for hunting, which I do, but for strictly a family dog, I'd recommend a mellower breed than this one. Get a Labrador Retriever or a Setter if you want a dog who loves to be outside and active, but still knows how to be calm when it is appropriate.
Im not sure if your GSP really represents the breed. My boy is the opposite of the 4 things you listed
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Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4448
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| 04/26/2010 6:49 PM |
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Oh no,
you mean I missed an episode.
It must not be a good one if they're not showing repeats. 
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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dieterthegsp
Cape Breton, NS, Canada
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Posts:559
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| 04/26/2010 7:28 PM |
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| I watch the show religiously as well and have always been proud of the fact that I have never seen a gsp on it. Guess I missed that one too. |
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Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
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gharner
Middletown, PA
MH
Posts:565
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| 04/27/2010 4:52 AM |
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| Yeah I know, I have to try and watch the show every day almost haha. I did see that one though! She had some separation issues too. But Cesar fixed em, haha. |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
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Posts:3162
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| 04/27/2010 5:18 AM |
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| I remember he did a Vizsla on one show (you can see her pulling him in the opening credits) but I gotta admit, I missed the GSP as well. |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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Splat
Illinois (Northern)
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Posts:3130
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| 04/27/2010 6:04 AM |
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boognish,
I have to say I am sorry to hear you must of gotten a rotten egg and that happens with every breed. I have young children 10 and 6 and I have 2 young GSP's 10 months and 4 months. My kids have friends over all the time and no one has had any problems with the dogs being too wiggly, bouncy or jumpy and mine are doing really good about not jumping up on people too. My grandma stayed with my boys and the dogs for 3 days and she had no problem handling the dogs either.
My oldest the cold doesn't bother him, but my younger one does get cold. I'm waiting to see if next winter when he is bigger if her still gets cold, if he does they make doggie jackets.
Mine are not aggressive so far. I get them out on doggie play dates alot with friends dogs. Usually the little one hangs back cuz the big dogs get wild! Though at home my little one is more dominant I my opinion. Just last weekend we went camping and there was an off leash area and one of the time we were out there a 1 year old rott was out playing and mine joined him just fine. The rott did tire out so my big dog ran circles around him barking.
Mine are not pushy about having people play with them when we have company over. They do like the rubber squeaky balls to get thrown but nothing plush that gets slobbery. They actually tend to come to me with their toys.
I have to agree though that they are high energy dogs, but mine have figured out the rights and wrongs of being in the house and they know when to be calm and when to play like a mad crazy dog. I have had to use the time out in the kennel a couple times, but all in all I love my GSP and I am so sold on them as these 2 are my first. |
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pixie bee
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Posts:4448
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| 04/27/2010 6:28 AM |
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I re-read points 2-4 and it does appear as tho the dog is lacking leadership.
I don't mean lacking in a dominant or forceful leader. Just leadership. The dog does sound pushy with other dogs and if this was controlled by a respected leader it would stop. the dominance being displayed over other dogs is your dog's need to control, because no one else is doing the job. He is a bit lost in his own mind. Settle his mind and he will calm down and accept his place.
As far as #1 - they are a short haired breed,spending long periods in cold rivers is not what the breed was bred for.Cross country skiing should be OK, they need to keep moving and they will be fine. Have you tried putting a harness on and having him pull. They are used as sled dogs.
Best of luck. |
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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JoeyBean
Albany, NY
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Posts:315
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| 04/27/2010 8:29 AM |
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I've seen the GSP dog whisperer episode. It was one of the worst ones I've seen. He didn't do a good job explaining to the family (on camera) the exercise needs of a breed like the GSP. They did show him rollerblading with one of the dogs for like 5 seconds, but thats it. Basically all he did was get them new crates and put treats in the crate to train them to go in. So the dogs were crated when the family was out of the house instead of loose in the house while they were gone and tearing off their front doorknob. Wasn't very good or explanatory IMO
As for the original post. I don't experience any of those issues either. The only thing Joey is bad with is jumping up on small children. She just isn't around them enough to train her to correct it. The other day we were in the pet store and a little girl wanted to pet her. We said sure but warmed them she might jump up... and she did......... |
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