grrrr...help

[Moondust]

Well, I ahvent posted here in the dog section but I have two dogs. Skylar and Sheeta [I'll have pics later.] But I need some help with sheeta. She is a 4 year old german shepard/red wolf mix. She is a good dog and everything, she listens, shes extremly smart and I can teach her things in a matter of hours. [Like I 'clicker trained' her and taught her lay and sit ina matter of three hours]. Anyway, thats off the point lol. Im having trouble with her being over bearing about my smaller pets. [my rats, my hedgie]. Well, while their in the cage she'll sit by it and REFUSE to let any of my other animals near the cage, she'll growl, bite, attack, ect. At first I thought she was mothering them, like not letting anyone near them for that reason. But then, when their not tired and they come out of their sleeping places [but not out of the cage] she'll attack the cage and try to get in. So Im confused on whether shes trying to mother them or trying to keep them away so she can try and eat them [since she is part wolf...]. But this wasnt a problem before but now it is and its getting out of hand. Like I said shes a very good dog Ive had her since she was a puppy but Its just this one area that shes being extremly bad in. And one time when I got fed up with her I pushed her away from the cage and she bit me....I think it was an accedent cause she let up right away and cowered to the corner and it wasnt a hard bit just a little one it didnt even dent the skin....but still...shes NEVER bitten me before. Does anyone know any ways to go about this? Like making her not obssess over the rats cages? Any training methods..? Im tired of yelling at her.

[Ambieruns10]

Is there anyway you can just keep her away from you small animals? Its really not a good idea to let her be close to them, especially if you think she might want to attack. Dogs are very quick and it would only take a second for you to glance away and her get one.

[Leo]

IMO it sounds like she is having pack order issues and is also viewing your smaller animals as prey. She is defending her prey by growling at your other animals and also by biting you.

Most Wolf hybrids need to be trained in pack order and socialized with small animals from birth in order to not have issues as adults. The thing with this breed is that any sign of weakness in command from you or other members of your family (or people in general) can spell for disaster and make her think she is in charge... this is a breed that needs constant training and reminding that her place is lower than yours in the pack order.

Here are some GREAT links that you should check out:
Nothing in life is free:
Nothing in Life is Free Gaining control of your dog humanely
Wolf hybrid information:
Wolf Hybrid, Wolf Hybred, Wolf Hybreds, Wolf Hybrids
Top Dog training:
Alpha Dog, Pack Leader, Dog Growling, Dog Bitting, Dog Snapping, Snappy Dog
Keeping the alpha position:
Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position

Hopefully these help. Taking control of the situation and placing yourself at the top of the pack will help to solve this problem.

[weasie20]

I don't have any advice other than keeping the rats in an area not accessible to your shepherd. I have birds, as well as a dog, and I'm always careful to not have a bird out if the dog is around or that their cages are high enough that the dog can't get to them or knock them over. I agree that accidents happen in an instance.

On the other hand...thanks for those websites Leo....we have a new puppy in the house and the training is just beginning. I'll be doing a lot of reading because it's been years since we had a baby in the house.

[Moondust]

Well she doesnt attack the cage extremly hard she just kinda bonks her nose against the bars of the cage. And shes been doing this for over a year so Im not overly worried about her getting in the cage. And I have two of the three cages put up higher, its just that I have this gigantic cage that I cant put anywhere else and she does it to that one cage. and she doesnt do this constantly she does it when other people/animals come in the room but thanks everyone!and thanks for the sites leo! Im sure they'll help. :]

[angel_baby]

Sounds to me like a dominancy issue or perhaps a high prey drive.

[Wolfie305]

Well, German Shepherds are normally very protecttive dogs, and red wolves are really....weird lol. Although it has been suggested that the red wolf originated as a fertile cross between gray wolves and coyotes, the red wolf may have existed in North America before both the gray wolf and the coyote. Fossils up to 750,000 years old indicate that the red wolf may be a close relative to a primitive ancestor of the North American canids. The red wolf is similar to but smaller than the gray wolf and is intermediate in many characteristics between gray wolves and coyotes.

She is a wolf hybrid, which means she is going to act like a wolf and like the others said; be territorial. Its best to train her at a younger age, then again, nothing will ever take the wolf blood out of her. Just try your best to keep your smaller animals away from her, or raise your voice when she tries to go near. You said she goes near it sometimes and bonks her nose against the cage right? Don't let her, train her to keep away from it and then reward her everytime she listens. Might or might not work, guess you'll just have to see

Do you have any pictures of her? I would love to see what she looks like >w<

[Carissa]

well i'd be very carefull if she get's mad at you she might do somthing bad. My wolf hybrid(Artic wolf and husky) Got mad at me because I dont remeber why but he was mad. I went to work, came home to 2 dead pets! He destroyed my rabbit cage to get to my bunny, and Shattered my hamsters tank. and killed him. Wolf's are wolf's..as stated..there always going to have some wolf in them, and small animals are there prey. I know if I were to yell at my wolf, even slightly raise my voice, he will stare at you and look like hes going to attack, so if he does somthing bad, we punish him by putting him outside..(he rather be inside then outside) hes weird. lol

[Moondust]

lol Sheeta isnt that bad, In the four years I've had her shes never even looked like she was gonna attack me. Sometimes she'll try and stare me down but I always wina nd she looks away first lol. The only reason i didnt think she has a dominance issue is because shes very submissive to me, whenever I walk over to her she immediatly goes onto her back and stays their until I pass by.

But a article wolves are way more aggresive though than red wolves so thats why I dont have big issues with her lol. But I bet your dogs pretty, artic wolves are beautiful

Well thanks everyone, I always raise my voice when she goes near the cage and she looks at me and puts her ears bacvk and goes to lay in the corner. the bad thing is is she goes back up to the cage when she thinks im not looking ]=. lol I'll try some training methods and look at the websites I was given and try some different training methods.

Oh and Wolfie I have some pics on a different thread here of her