We have talked about a German Shepherd’s dominant behavior several times and by now we know that GSDs are born to be leaders. In the wild, they live in a pack, and there is always one pack leader that dominates others.
Similarly, when a GS comes into a family of humans, it sees them as a single pack and its instincts tell it to take the position of the alpha. However, your dog will need your approval to do so. If you will get under your dog and let it do what it wants, you are actually encouraging it to dominate.
Dominating GSDs become a huge problem for many owners that completely lose control over them. They begin to charge at family members, bark aggressively, or bite in some cases. The only way to keep your GSD in control is to train it to follow your rules and commands.
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Firstly, a GSD is born with the qualities of dominance and they are extremely territorial as a breed. Secondly, there are a variety of reasons for a GS to become aggressive and take hold of the people in the house. Some of the most common reasons for dominant behavior in a GS are:
If your GS is dominant, you will notice it is behaving differently. Below are the common signs a GSD exhibits that point out dominant behavior in this dog breed.
Dominant German Shepherds need to be handled with extra care and attention.
You will need to adopt the best training practices to make your dog learn some manners. For the most part, the dog is exhibiting a dominant behavior because you mishandled it. If your GS is being dominant and showing signs of aggression, make sure you tell your dog that you are the boss and there is no way that you are going to get scared.
Do not get aggressive when your dog shows signs of dominance, as it is the worst way of handling the situation.
If your GS is being dominant and showing aggression, you should start its obedience training. To make your dog learn to behave, you will need to be consistent and calm. If your dog is barking or crying, walk away from it. You will need to set a schedule for training your dog and the sessions should last for up to 15 minutes. Prolonged training sessions bore the dog and it might become aggressive or destructive.
Make sure you put the leash on your dog before starting the training session. Leash is the only way you can control your dog’s behavior and is also an important part of GSD training. Another important thing to keep in mind when dealing with a dominant dog is to adopt a preventative approach. Always keep your dog under supervision so that it can be controlled when it shows its dominant side.
There are some basic house rules that you need to set so that your GS becomes obedient.
If your GS is too dominating, know that you adopted the wrong training approach. If you want to know the right technique to train a GS or want to get control over its dominant behavior, sign-up for our newsletter or contact us via e-mail. We help owners raise their German Shepherds to become loyal, affectionate, and friendly.
Last Updated on November 16, 2022 by Shepped Team
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