German Shepherds may be aggressive for many reasons. There’s no one-size fits all answer, it truly depends on the dog, their upbringing, age, and training history. Being in a German Shepherd owner community we have heard our fair share of scary stories about this breed, And we have learned that there’s often a lifestyle factor that triggers aggressive behavior in German Shepherds. But, when properly addressed, these aggressive actions can be reduced and even eliminated entirely. But most owners don’t want to put the work and effort into fixing the behavior and will either re-home their dog or take it to a shelter. And because of this it does scare some people from wanting to own a German Shepherd, and it gives these dogs a bad rep.
We started Writing Articles to bring knowledge and awareness into this dog breed, and help you make the decision on owning a German Shepherd and making sure its a great fit for you and your family. And There’s a lot of great articles out there Filled with a ton of information but not all want to talk about the cons of this dog breed, and we are here to share everything we have learned since owning German Shepherds. so lets go head and take a look at why your German Shepherd may be aggressive and what you could do to fix it.
Exercise- As we mentioned many many times in our previous articles German Shepherds need a lot of exercise more than 2 hours per daily. If your dog isn’t getting an adequate amount of exercise he or she may use other behaviors to expand their energy. German Shepherds are one of the most active breeds- they need more exercise than other dogs because of their natural physical condition. If they don’t get enough exercise it can impact their their attention span, cause mood swings and make them restless.
A restless German Shepherd is far more likely to be aggressive than one that regularly enjoys plenty of exercise and playtime. This is one of the most common causes of aggression and its easy to address, Get your leash and take your dog for a walk A walk doesn’t just benefit the both of you getting exercise but its helps strengthen your relationship. A lot of people who have never owned a German Shepherd’s think they make great family dogs which don’t get us wrong they do, but they aren’t just house dogs that can be in the house all hours of the day, these dogs need lots of exercise and it’s one thing most owners don’t realize.
Boredom- if your dog is bored it may act out line, they may be destructive and may also develop aggression behavior. German Shepherds are remarkably loving loyal dogs that attach themselves closely to their owners. They love their owner’s company and need a certain amount of social stimulation and affection to feel satisfied.
if your dog doesn’t get the engagement and interaction it needs, they may act aggressively out of boredom. this could include:
Biting/ chewing the furniture and your belongings
Nipping at your hands and feet for attention
Chasing other animals
Barking at noises outside
There are dozens of reasons your dog could be bored. You may leave him alone too much, he may not have enough toys, or may be lacking proper social skills in the presence of other dogs. By fixing the cause of your dogs boredom you can mitigate these aggressive behaviors. It may take some time to find out what triggers their boredom, once you do it will be easy to correct and promote healthier, calmer behaviors.
Socialize- This is so important ,and we tell everyone who is interested in our pups that they need to socialize their dogs from any early age to encourage healthy behaviors. If you don’t do this, they may become aggressive towards you, other animals and other people, making your dog a potential danger. If you adopt an older dog who’s previous owners didn’t socialize properly, it will be a lot harder to correct it’s aggressive behavior. This may even require professional help, since poorly socialized dogs are more likely to at belligerent around other animals and pose a threat. Our pups have adequate time around other dogs, and get a lot of social interaction with other people. Which means for you that they have already learned healthy interactions, its up to the owner to keep those healthy interactions consistent so it helps reduce the chances of it developing territorial behavior. As your pup grows up, territorial aggression will get worse if you do not address it! by stopping it before it starts, you can positively influence your dog’s emotional development.
Overprotective- most times your dog won’t be aggression towards you, but will antagonize other people. In these cases, he may feel overprotective and act out of line, assuming it’s the right thing to do. If this is the case, your dog needs more training. He needs to learn what’s a threat and what isn’t- after all, you can’t have your dog barking at your family members or chasing other peoples pet’s all day. The idea is to change your dog’s perception of a threat. They need to learn when protective behaviors are necessary, and when it’s okay to relax. Professional trainers can help you teach your dog these basic things.
Once he learns to differentiate between threats, family members, and guests, your dog should be able to change it’s aggressive and behaviors over time. Remember Aggressive behaviors in German Shepherds vary Amon each individual dog. One may exhibit mood swings and other could be intolerant of other animals.