I have 2 dogs, both are giving me problems. My pit bull is very sweet and affectionate to me and usually friendly to my boyfriend and our roommate, and some people she is pretty familiar with like a few family members and friends. Anyone else she is very skittish and doesn't trust, she shakes very badly, growls and snaps if people come near her when we go out for walks. If they stand still and let her sniff them she may or may not calm down and let them pet her but this is the only way a stranger could touch her. She acts this way around women & children but especially men. She is the most aggressive towards teenage and adult men.
A couple days ago she was sitting with me in the living room and suddenly freaked out, barking and growling at the hallway. She never barks, just growls so this was really unusual. My boyfriend was in our room and our roommate was at work, there was no one in the hallway and the light was off so it was dark. I kind of got scared so I started yelling for my boyfriend to see what she was barking at and when he came out and walked through the hall towards us she kept freaking out but now she was barking at HIM and even when he came into the room and she could see it was him she still barked and started growling louder and snapping at him. I told her to stop and she ran behind me and balled up, shaking. Since then she has been even more aggressive to strangers who approach us, barking now but still frozen to the spot and her whole body shakes.
My german shepherd attacks other animals (cats, dogs, whatever) on sight, the only animals he tolerates are my pit bull, my cat, and my rats. Even then he occasionally tries to attack my cat and snaps at the rats in the cage. He doesn't attack my pit and treats her like he treats us, very affectionate and protective. He has to be locked in our bedroom when people other than me, my bf, or my roommate come over because he jumps, barks, and snaps in people's faces. I can't walk him except in the evening when there's no one around because he is much stronger than me and drags me to go attack other people, animals, or cars. When he's in the house all he does is attack shadows and lights, once he sees one he'll stare at the floor or the wall for hours, I try to snap him out of it but all that happens is he looks up, wags at me, sees the shadow from his wagging tail and freaks out again, pouncing and biting at it, or scratching at it so much it starts to damage the carpet.
I'm worried about the behavior but I love my dogs no matter how much they misbehave, however my boyfriend is at a breaking point and I also plan to move in the next month or so which will probably be impossible with 2 dogs that are not only restricted breeds but also aggressive and destructive. Not only has he damaged the carpet but my shepherd has broken windows trying to attack things he sees outside. There's so much going on that I feel a bit overwhelmed and this goes way beyond teaching them to sit, shake, etc. which is about all I know.
A couple days ago she was sitting with me in the living room and suddenly freaked out, barking and growling at the hallway. She never barks, just growls so this was really unusual. My boyfriend was in our room and our roommate was at work, there was no one in the hallway and the light was off so it was dark. I kind of got scared so I started yelling for my boyfriend to see what she was barking at and when he came out and walked through the hall towards us she kept freaking out but now she was barking at HIM and even when he came into the room and she could see it was him she still barked and started growling louder and snapping at him. I told her to stop and she ran behind me and balled up, shaking. Since then she has been even more aggressive to strangers who approach us, barking now but still frozen to the spot and her whole body shakes.
My german shepherd attacks other animals (cats, dogs, whatever) on sight, the only animals he tolerates are my pit bull, my cat, and my rats. Even then he occasionally tries to attack my cat and snaps at the rats in the cage. He doesn't attack my pit and treats her like he treats us, very affectionate and protective. He has to be locked in our bedroom when people other than me, my bf, or my roommate come over because he jumps, barks, and snaps in people's faces. I can't walk him except in the evening when there's no one around because he is much stronger than me and drags me to go attack other people, animals, or cars. When he's in the house all he does is attack shadows and lights, once he sees one he'll stare at the floor or the wall for hours, I try to snap him out of it but all that happens is he looks up, wags at me, sees the shadow from his wagging tail and freaks out again, pouncing and biting at it, or scratching at it so much it starts to damage the carpet.
I'm worried about the behavior but I love my dogs no matter how much they misbehave, however my boyfriend is at a breaking point and I also plan to move in the next month or so which will probably be impossible with 2 dogs that are not only restricted breeds but also aggressive and destructive. Not only has he damaged the carpet but my shepherd has broken windows trying to attack things he sees outside. There's so much going on that I feel a bit overwhelmed and this goes way beyond teaching them to sit, shake, etc. which is about all I know.