German Shepard stray

Need advice before I give this dog away. German Shepard stray showed up 3 months ago, impregnated by the next door neighbor American Bulldog just before she got here. Had pups 6 weeks ago. She seems well mannered and nice, but don't know if aggression she has shown is protecting pups or true personality coming out. She is young.

Barks at strangers, but not threatening. Dominates our laid back family mutt who is 10 yo. Fought with him when he got close to pups. Protects pups, but allows strangers to pick them up, although I keep her close on a leash. I'm afraid that she will get more aggessive as she gets older, I have heard that they can turn and I am a little afraid of sheps, having been bitten as a kid. Not sure whether to give her to a lady who would prefer her over one of her pups, and keep 2 pups myself. Or keep her and one of her pups.
Any advice?

Thanks, Bev

First welcome to PT! Kudos to you for helping such a dog in need, and puppies too!

It's hard to say if it she starting to show aggression or just protecting the puppies.
No breed of dog actually "turns" on their owner, it all just boils down to individual genes & how they are raised. Even the dogs that supposably "turn" probably have an underlying reason as why they acted the way they did, it's just that the owner wasn't able to read the dog correctly or ignored previous warnings.

Either way since your dog is still young & her puppies are going to their new homes it seems like this should be fairly easy to resolve. Getting her enrolled into a reputable obedience class (this will help with socialization, training & bonding) should help tremendously. And also practice the NILIF. Here is a good site w/ more info. http://www.goletavet.com/nothingfree.html

No matter what your decision may be it is wise to practice the above suggestions. So if you plan on adopting her out please strongly reccomend the new owner does the same. You can even make up a contract stating that obedience classes are a must & part of the adoption deal.

She may just be hormonal and protecting her pups. I would contact a GSD rescue to see if they can take her so that a GSD knowledgable person can evaluate her and be able to place her into a home if she is adoptable. http://www.agsra.com/regional_contacts.htm Is your dog the only thing she is acting aggressively to? If so then I wouldn't worry about her "turning" on any people. Dog aggression is totally different from human aggression, especially since she is protecting her pups.

Talk to your neighbor about getting their bulldog neutered since you said in your other post that he is aggressive. The last thing that dog needs to be doing is reproducing again. Once the pups are old enough to place, you need to require that all potential new homes have the pups spayed/neutered once the pups are old enough and have them sign a contract http://www.pbrc.net/contract.html You can modify this contract to include the conditions of spaying/neutering so that the new owners are legally bound to have it done. Charge an adoption fee that is the same amount as the spay/neuter surgery so that when they are old enough, the new owner makes the appointment and you meet them at the vet the day of surgery to pay for it so that you know for sure that it gets done.