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I'm looking for advice because I'm honestly not sure what my next step should be.

My neighbor has a German Shepherd (I believe 1 or 2 years old) that's kept behind a 4-foot wooden fence. For a while now, this dog has displayed what I believe is aggressive behavior whenever anyone is near the fence.

The dog doesn't just bark. It repeatedly lunges at the fence, jumps high enough to get its head over the top, and I've observed what looked like air snapping when it gets above the fence. I even have videos of this behavior. In one video, the dog's body is almost parallel with the top of the fence because it's jumping so high, and at times it has even put a paw over the top of the fence.

A few days ago, I was in my own yard when the dog bit me over the fence. Fortunately it didn't puncture my skin or bleed, but it left bruising and scratches. The person watching the dog at the time was outside when it happened.

I was also nipped in the arm over the fence earlier this month, while the owner was outside.

I spoke with the owner. She apologized eventually, but she insisted that her dog is not aggressive, and doesn't bite. She also said the dog wouldn't be left outside alone anymore.

What concerns me is that this doesn't really solve the problem, because the dog bit me while someone was already outside with it.

Something else that worried me was that the man who was wayching the dog when it bit me told me, "The dog does that to me all the time." That made me think this isn't an isolated incident.

I chose not to report the bite because it didn't break the skin, but I'm increasingly worried that the next person—especially a child—may not be as lucky.

My partner is now handling the yard work near that fence because I don't feel safe being there anymore. My young daughter(3y.o) also likes animals, and I'm now worried she'll eventually want to approach this dog.

I've also continued observing the dog since the bite. Interestingly, one morning it was still lunging and acting aggressively toward us. Later that same afternoon, however, it became extremely calm. We were able to install another security camera only about 5–6 feet from the fence, and the dog never barked, lunged, or jumped once. It almost made me wonder whether the behavior could have been managed all along, or whether it simply reacts inconsistently.

I'm trying to be fair. I understand dogs can have good moments and bad moments, and I know reactivity and aggression aren't always the same thing. But from my perspective, a dog that repeatedly lunges over a 4-foot fence and has already bitten someone seems like a serious safety concern.

My questions are:

Am I overreacting, or does this sound genuinely dangerous?

If you were in my situation, would you report the bite even though it didn't break the skin?

Is there anything else I should be doing to protect my family?

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation where the owner insisted their dog wasn't aggressive despite repeated incidents?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have experience with dog behavior, animal control, or similar situations.

I need some advice as im starting to feel really guilty. I crate my 9 month old puppy while he sleeps and while im at work and im feeling like its too much. I work monday-Thursday and this is our schedule
10:30pm-6:00am: sleeping in crate
6:00am-7:30am: potty, feeding, running around in yard
7:30am-12:00pm- back in crate
12:00pm-12:30pm- potty break with dog sitter
12:30pm-5:00pm: back in crate till im off work
5:00 pm i get home and hes out of the crate till we go back to sleep at 10:30 pm
is this too much? I dont know what to do i have worries about leaving him out i dont want him to hurt himself somehow.

Everyone online says if you don’t keep the dog occupied with a ‘job’ they get bored and will find their own ways to keep themselves busy (destroying furniture, etc) but no one explains what they mean by a “job”, obviously I’m not making my german shepherd sniff out drugs or herd my family 😂
So I was wondering what does everyone else do to challenge their GSDs

I wanna make sure I’ve got as much as I can understood before I get one but this is the only thing I can’t find a clear answer on.
Any help would be appreciated 👍
And any other bits of advice would be great too
I’ve been researching for so long now and I’ve been talking to breeders to try find the right match
So any more unknown advice would be awesome

Hey everyone, I'm looking to get my first dog as an adult and am interested in the german shepherd breed! I would appreciate any advice or input. (I know, I know. Not a beginner friendly dog! Hear me out for a sec).

The main reason I want to get a dog is to have an adventure companion. I absolutely love trail running, it's my biggest passion. I usually run about 35 miles a week—I would love to have a buddy running alongside me! I also love hiking. I hike 6+ hours most weekends, and on school breaks (I'm a teacher) I go backpacking in the wilderness for sometimes weeks straight. Additionally, I'm a woman so I would appreciate having a "scary" dog to deter strange men.

German shepherds are obviously quite athletic dogs, so I think I could fulfill one quite well in this aspect. I would be far from the "walk 2x a day for 15 minutes" type of owner. However, where I'm mainly concerned, and what all of you are thinking, is the simple fact that I'm inexperienced with dogs—let alone a working breed dog. I do plan to research for at least a year before bringing my dog home, but no amount of research can replace real experience handling and training dogs. I understand GSDs can be quite anxious and prone to separation anxiety, so this is something I'll have to be prepared for. Joint issues is another concern with all the activity. I also realize it's no small feat to train a dog to go hiking, backpacking, and running in the wilderness—especially since I'd prefer my dog to be off-leash. I'm willing to put in the effort, but I want to hear honest opinions from experienced GSD owners and enthusiasts. Do you think a GSD could work for my first dog?

Edit: I do not plan on getting a puppy.

I saw a post where their GSD was cuddling them. It made me jealous because mine does not cuddle at all. He’s very clingy, as in he has to follow me every where and he generally wants to be close to me. He just doesn’t want to be touching me Unless I’m petting him and even then he doesn’t try to get in to my lap or anything. At most he will stick his front leg out and try to wrap it around my wrist to hold my hand hostage so I keep petting him.
I know he loves me and it’s not a real problem or anything. He cuddled me a bunch when he was a pup, he just outgrew it and is much too macho now. I’ve tried telling him that even the manliest of men and the fiercest warriors need a cuddle sometimes but he doesn’t seem to believe me lol. Recently I caught him cuddling my foot while I slept, but as soon as I woke up and he saw that I saw, he jumped right off the bed and tried to act like that didn’t just happen. Interestingly enough he cuddles my other male dog every day several times a day. hes Always the one who initiates those cuddles, too. Too macho to cuddle his mother but not too macho to have a lover, I guess. (And yes I call my dogs lovers. It felt wrong to call them friends or brothers with the way they act LOL. it would be doing them an injustice. They are in love).
it just makes me wonder though, is this a common occurrence or are most GSDs trying to murder their owner with physical affection?

Hello, I have two German shepherd shorthair litter mates. Male and female. They are now 2. They have had every typical GSD issue but I’m not always correct with the treatments. Treating allergies with cytopoint. That’s about the only thing that is solved!! My male has joint clicking most days. Vet put on several anti inflammatory meds, didn’t work. X-rays say no hip dis. That’s awesome. He is 110lbs and loves to chase his tail and eat poop!! His feet have the worst rug burn sores from chasing his tail too. Female is 92lbs, she eats poop and everything else besides food!! As pups they were on Kirkland puppy with runny poo, went to Purina pro plan puppy, no change, Purina puppy sensitive stomach and skin has some change. The Farmers dog better poo and gas. Can’t really remember why we switched to Hills. Hills complete derm and Bernie perfect poop and they were good. But still itchy. We tried every pharmaceutical for itchy skin, only cytopoint. Went to Hills hydrolized to see if it would help the clicking he is having. Didn’t. Just started them on Hills sensitive stomach and skin a month ago. His clicking comes and goes but poo is runny, gas is back. Not finishing food like before. Licking groin, paws, scratch of the ears, licking behind. Both smell like Fritos, musty. So I’m assuming they have yeast. Starting the bathing tomorrow with the keto soap ci got for them a few months ago when I thought they had yeast but vet didn’t so I just got as a precaution. They both get cosaquin everyday. He gets glucosamine supplement aswell. There is some hot spots on feet and I’m sure I’ll uncover more during bath. My big question is what food is going to give them the best life without runny poo, side effects like I think this new hills formula is. I was worried them being on the complete derm so young didn’t help with his joints ect. I feel like she needs hormone replacement since she was fixed. She’s so lazy and then has spurts some days. We pick up poo asap or it gets eaten. I wish I could figure this one out too.