German Shepherd attacks the trainer during first class- fear aggression

Duration: 9:12 1001 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

The video documents a critical first session involving a German Shepherd exhibiting severe fear aggression toward strangers, specifically biting anyone it does not know upon initial contact. During this test, the dog displays classic signs of fearful behavior by circling and scurrying away from an instructor named Gary rather than displaying confidence or dominance. The trainer explicitly identifies the animal as a coward driven by terror rather than a tough fighter, highlighting that its aggressive snapping is a defensive mechanism born out of insecurity when approached by unknown people. This initial assessment sets the stage for understanding that forceful methods often used in traditional obedience training would only exacerbate these deep-seated fears and prevent genuine healing. A central argument presented throughout the session is the deliberate avoidance of any physical dominance or jerking techniques, which are frequently seen on other YouTube channels but deemed harmful here. Instead of fighting with the dog to submit it through pain or force, the trainer holds the leash firmly enough to prevent escape while allowing the dog to express its fear and bite out without retaliation. This approach creates a safe environment where the animal can work through its issues voluntarily rather than being beaten down into silence; if forced training were used, the dog might stop biting simply because it is too scared or suppressed, but it would never learn to trust humans again. The goal is clearly defined as fostering an outcome where the dog genuinely enjoys being petted and trusts people completely, a result that cannot be achieved through negative correction or conflict. The session demonstrates significant progress as the dog begins to voluntarily approach Gary instead of fleeing, showing signs of relaxation such as rolling over and exposing its belly while lying down next to the trainer. This behavior represents a major breakthrough in therapy, indicating that the dog has lowered all its defenses and is now offering high respect rather than fear-based aggression. The animal willingly allows two strangers to pet it simultaneously without any equipment or restraint, proving that the insecurity regarding human touch has been successfully addressed within just one session. By allowing the dog to reset whenever it becomes nervous—where Gary backs away if the dog gets too close—the trainer reinforces positive associations and helps the animal understand that people are safe sources of affection rather than threats. Ultimately, the video concludes with a heartwarming display of trust where the German Shepherd cuddles up to its handler and rolls over repeatedly for attention, showcasing complete emotional relief and submission born from confidence rather than coercion. The trainer emphasizes that this voluntary behavior is far superior to any forced compliance, as it signifies that the dog now loves being touched by everyone instead of fearing them. Even when treated with simple gestures like offering food or gentle pets, the dog responds with enthusiasm, marking a successful transformation from a fearful aggressor into a relaxed companion who feels secure in human presence. This first class proves that patience and non-forceful methods can effectively heal deep-seated trauma, restoring the bond between dogs and people without breaking their spirit.

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This dog will bite anybody that he does not know. So this is our first time meeting this dog and we're doing a test. We're trying to find out what kind of aggression this dog really has and you can see here by running away from Gary in circles, scurrying that he's a fearful aggressive dog. He's not a tough dog. He's an actual coward. >> [snorts] >> Don't move, okay? Touch and don't move. There you go. There you go. Hold it. Almost. Now, one very important critical aspect of this here that we're doing. There is no jerking the dog, fighting with the dog, trying to dominate the dog, submit the dog through jerking him all over the place like you'll see on YouTube with certain trainers, obedience, any of that. We are trying to get in on this dog without force, right? We are holding him in that he can't escape Gary and the touching, which is very different than jerking him around and trying to dominate him. Completely opposite concept. So we want a complete healing in the end that the dog trust people and likes to be pet by people not that he's forced >> Okay. All right. >> to accept people touching him, but he still doesn't like it. That is generally what happens through force training through negativity. Correcting them for trying to bite you and jerking them all over the place and so it's a totally different outcome that you'll get when you just let the dog work it out. >> Walk to him. >> So by holding this dog in on the leash and not letting him escape, Gary he can bite it out, he can do whatever he wants, get it out of his system. He's not going to get rid of Gary by biting at him, snapping at him, and he's gotten him hard a few times. Just to relax. Gary's not a bad guy, he's not going to hurt him. People are fine. You're okay. And this is what we're teaching this dog here. Right? To relax. Everything's good. People are good. Enjoy the touching and petting. So you are breaking through an insecurity that the dog has of people and being touched by people or being approached by people that he generally goes into terror. But here you see Gary backing up, coming to him, touching him again, backing out resetting that if he goes close to the dog, he walks away from him, comes back to him is the dog going to get nervous again and flight and become bitey and snappy again out of nervousness. And you see none of that is happening here. We allowed the dog to work out his issues without correcting and having conflict with him. >> Good boy. >> Now, do it for again. Turn from him. Face the fence. Walk with him. Move him a little bit. There you go. All right. There you go. Now, try see if we get a reset. Right. You just walk yourself into him. Sideways. There you go. Right there. Right there. Stay still. Pet. Yeah. Good boy. >> Good boy. >> Mhm. >> Good boy. That's a good boy. >> Good. Now, walk away again. You see, he he's voluntarily going with him, but there was no pull. He's doing it. Right? Right. Uh-huh. Now, you going to go uh-huh. Yeah. Mhm. >> Good boy. Good boy. >> He was almost going to roll over. >> That's a good boy. >> Right. There you go. He's going to sit with you. Uh-huh. >> That's a good >> Exactly what I was just saying about having the dog >> Good boy. >> on his own want to be touched without force. The dog now is going to Gary, sitting next to him, laying with him. >> Poke him. >> Wanting >> Cut the crap. Right? >> touch from Gary. >> Look, we're not doing >> He's volunteering it. He likes it now. If we do force training, he's just going to not bite us cuz we beat him down. >> act like that. But he's not going to cure him and he's not going to want to be pet by everybody because of that technique. He's loving you now. Now. And down. Yep. Yep. Pet. Good. Good. Very good. He's going to lay down and let me Mhm. All right. Yeah. Good. There we go. No, don't don't move. He's He's going over. He's rolling over. There he goes. Get under there, get Get under there. Watch your fingers. So here we get the ultimate breakthrough. Get under that tummy. A complete giving up, lowering the defenses, a dog laying down, already shows relaxation and then he gives the roll and the belly, exposing himself completely to Gary. A total giving up, letting go, and allowing Gary to do something to him that he only does to people that are close to him. So now he's showing Gary high respect, but lowered all of his defenses and fear towards Gary. And then here again, he goes to Gary, cuddles in there, lays down next to him, completely relaxed, allowing Gary to pet him now with no equipment on. We're perfectly good now. And then here, before we end the session, we're going to make sure that we can touch the dog wild with the owner, that there's no possessiveness and no aggression towards us with this either. And then here, I'm going to also pet the dog. And this is the first time I'm touching him, so that we have two strangers now petting him after just this first session. And then here, he's going to roll over for Gary again, showing complete relaxation and submission. >> Make him happy. >> Steak and cheese. >> Yeah. Oh, yeah. >> Green beans. >> Green beans. Yeah. You were calling him the colonello, which is my blessing in Italian. And associated with being cute. >> [laughter]