German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[Butterfly]

I have a 10 month old GWP. When friends come up to pet him he is aloof. When he does let them pet him he's OK for a while then he snaps at them. He has not made contact with their hand but I'm concerned about this. I have had other dogs but none did this and I don't know what to do to solve this problem. I scold him and tell him no. Is there something else I should do or should I give up on him and get another dog. I don't want a dog that bites.
THANK YOU

[cheerio]

It is a fear reaction, and can be solved with a little work. I give classes specifically to dogs suffering from that very problem. Perhaps someone in your area does too. Your Vet may be able to point you in the right direction. In the mean time, DO NOT punish your dog for being afraid; DO NOT pet him or console him either as this would be perceived as a reward for an anwanted behavior; and DO NOT force your dog into situations that you know will attract this type of reactions, which could lead to fear biting should your dog feel cornered. The best thing is to ignore him and put him to as much training as possible, in a class setting, starting with at least 2 level of obedience. Very simple specific exercises are also necessary. Again, I recommand the book "Help for your Shy Dog, Turning your terrified dog into a terrific pet", by Deborah Wood. If you cannot find any help localy, feel free to give me your e-mail address and I will be happy to help you. This behavior takes a little time to bring under control, but it is always possible to succeed.

[Butterfly]

Thanks Cheerio.. I called a trainer today. She is coming to our house next week to evaluate him. He is such a sweet dog and loving to the immediate family, I hate to see him turn into a biter. We always had English Pointers who can also be a handful but he is more strong headed than they ever were. I'll keep you informed on our progress.
:)

[Butterfly]

Cheerio,

I sent you a private message but didn't know if you got it. We had the trainer out but it didn't go as well as we hoped. Basically she said his personality is instilled because he wasn't socialized as a pup. We didn't get him till he was 4 months old. If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

Thanks

[dorisval]

What kind of trainer was that? She sounds very ignorant to me. I hope by now you have found a more competent trainer for your pup and you have solved your problem.

[Butterfly]

She was a animal behavorist from Denmark. I pulled him out of class. My husband and I have trained English Pointers and beagles in the past and we've had some dominate dogs. Especially one of our pointers. Anyway we didn't agree with alot she was doing so I think for now we'll handle it ourselves.

Butterfly

[Anne]

Hi Butterfly,
I'm so sorry you are dealing with that kind of stress. If you look on this board under companioning training there is a posting similar to yours and both Cheerio and I have posted replies. The same information would hold here. I would go back and read that.

I'm sorry the behavior consultant was unwilling to try because the critical socialization period (3 to 12 weeks) was missed. Its true it was and that does put your pup at a disadvantage, but it does not mean all is lost. It sounds like he's biting but not making contact with the skin. This is a really positive sign because it means he has good bite inhibition, which means there's hope. (I'm guessing he got to play with a lot of dogs, but not many people during his first 3 months?)

A few authors I would look at are Dr. Ian Dunbar. He is an animal behaviorist, vet; his credentials go on and on. He has a video "Dog Aggression - Biting Dogs" I would definitely check out. You can get it on this site. http://www.barkingjones.com/products/index.html

I would also look at Patricia McConnall. She is also brilliant. She wrote "The Other End of the Leash". You should be able to get her books on Amazon.

Lastly, you want go the Association of Pet Dog Trainers at www.apdt.com. They can refer you to a behavior consultant in your area. Like anything else, some are better than others so make sure to screen them on the phone before paying them to come out. (Needless to say, I suppose

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Butterfly]

Didn't know where to post this so I thought I'd put it on my old post. Just had to say what characters these GWP are. I was watching my 7 yr. old grandaughter for a few days. She learned in school how to make "rock dust". She found two small rocks and she would sit rubbing them together to make dust. Well Jake found this very interesting. So much that whenever she'd leave the room he'd go get her rocks and head for his crate. Of course laying inside with an innocent look on his face. Then the games began. She'd hide them and leave the room and of course he'd go find them and put them in his crate. It was really funny. Just needed to share this. I really LOVE this breed.

Butterfly

[abbygwp]

We went snorkeling off our beach this weekend and our Abby was with us. When ever we were in the water she was right beside us. She kept sticking her head under water and blowing bubbles at my two girls (8 & 4) trying to figure out what they were doing!

Everytime they caught a crab or something she got as excited as they did and ran around in circles on the beach looking in their buckets.

She was EXHAUSTED by the end of the weekend!