Do German Shepherd puppies become naturally aggressive as they age?

Someone told me that most German Shepherd puppies become domineering once they reach sexual maturity (1 year old-ish). Is this true? How do I prevent this? I would hate for my dog to grow up and be a terror.

not true

Get from a good breeder train as a puppy and you should not have problems .

if badly bred from aggressive parents, more than likelyall dogs need researched on parents health and trainingall dogs need training, exercise, socialization, grooming and vet caremost people should get their dogs fixed before 6 months, as it helps with their trainingneed to live in house with familyneeds fenced yard and supervision when out in it

I don't know who that someone is, but they are wrong! German Shepherd are loyal dogs. They don't become aggressive unless you do something to them, or you havnt trained them right. I have a female GSD, she is 1 year old and 2 months. She is the sweetest dog ever! Has never shown her teeth at me once, even when i take her food or bone away while she is eating. As long as you give this dog the proper training, enough exercise and socialization, they should be very well behaved dogs!

No whoever someone is doesn't know dogs....................BUT GSDs are dogs which need strong leadership, all breeds once they mature, especially males will become more assertive especially if they are in a pet home, not exercised correctly, not trained correctly and have little or no leadership..........so neutering helps but training, socialisation, daily walking are priority......they are a working breed so don't like to 'do nothing' their temperament is used ( or has been used) as they are naturally cautious so make good protection dogs ( in the righ hand with the right training) BUT this can cause issues with unexperience handlers who don't train and socialise correctly........................Lovely dog, lovely breed I grew up in a home with several working GSDs..............

being dominant and just being aggressive aren't the same thing. Any dog can become aggressive for a number of reasons. fear, poor socialisation etc. german shepherds are up there with rottweilers, pitbulls and staffies. They are headstrong breeds that will become the dominant member of the household given half a chance. These dogs need firm training. otherwise, yes, your dog can turn into a "terror". Make sure your dog knows basic training. When you walk him, don,t let him lead you wherever he wants to go, make him heel and walk where you decide to go. (the pack leader is always in front) make sure he knows his place in the house. i don't know if you let him up the your sofa's etc but i wouldn't advise it. And definately not the bed! Just remember, its your house, your rules, and the dog must live by those rules. Just use your common sense, you should know which behaviours are acceptable and which aren't, and don't put up with any nonsense. good luck!

Firstly GS will reach sexual maturity way before 1 year which is why you need to neuter him by 6 months. By nature Gs are protective and can become aggressive but you can also halt much of this by your training.Make sure your dog is socialized really well.In case you do not know exactly what that means I will explain.You must take you dog out to many different places and situations where he can see lots of people and hear noises and become accustom to a lot of people and places. Just go sit in a park with him on a leash and watch people walk by and see bicycles and be exposed to cars going by and a lot of action.This will help him a lot because it will become normal to him.Socializing a dog to people places and things is the best thing you can do for them especially breeds that tend to be aggressive.It a situation seems "normal" to them through early socialization it will calm any stress they may feel in different situations and keep them from reacting. They basically say to them selves, I have seen this before, no reason to be afraid. When I first get any dog that is a puppy or new to me I go to the park, the shopping center,walk around town and to any place that is crowded with people.You then have to remember to sooth them if any specific thing seems to scare them and be sure to keep going back to that same situation as often as possible until they no longer react. Praise Praise praise when someone pets them and they are good.Have them sit first if someone asks if they can pet him and if he is good tell him and cookie him.The way your dog turns out is really more up to you than to him.Neuter and train and you will be fine.

All dogs do. At least most non neutered male dogs may test their position in the pack at some point. German Shepherd are not aggressive to start with, so I don't see why they would get so with age. They are actually really loving and sweet dogs. They probably see a lot of cop dogs that are trained to be more aggressive. So your friends is dead wrong. You prevent this by getting your dog fixed and training them right from the start. One way to help keep them in line for life is to let them know you control the food. Let them sit in the other room while you eat and pick at your food, then when you are good and ready, and only when you are, you feed them. You let them know you control their access too food and they tend to stay in line real easy from the start. That's how mine all learned who was boss. Don't not feed them though, they need to eat every day. Just let them know you control when and what they eat.

In fact, it is true that a lot of people now days assume that the pitbull, German Sheperd, and Doberman dogs are truly aggressive. This can happen but for the most part it's a myth. Odds are with any dog. It depends if the parents of the puppy are trained to be aggressive, or not trained at all. Sometimes puppies in gerneral with turn out that way just from being in an aggressive enviroment. The most important thing to do is work with your puppy the full extent. Make sure he or she is healthy happy and knows whats wrong and right. Believe it or not training has the most impact. Puppies sometimes are not happy when they're growing up and it causes them to behave bad. Even golden retrievers. Americas most-loved breed! They were ranked #2 on the biting list because people will buy hem expecting them to be wonderful dogs and will not even fool with them. This means no training which results in an agressive dog. So make sure your puppy is loved, healthy, active, happy, and well trained and he or she shouldn't be a problem

They do not become "aggressive". GSDs and many other working breeds, especially males, reach maturity between 1-2 years old and will try to "challenge" their owners. This does not mean they go crazy and start attacking people, they just start pushing their limits and must be corrected. For example, they'll start ignoring commands, or doing things they know they are not supposed to. You must stay on top of the situation and correct them for any misbehavior. The phase will pass in a few months, and as long as you don't give in to their challenges, they will be fine. If you let them get away with things, they can start to become more dominating which can lead to behavior problems down the road.

Get one that is bred for temperament then train, socialize and exercise the dog.