Seek Advice on the temperament of 3 month GSD puppy - Page 1

Hi,
I genuinely seek advice from the experts of this forum. I bought a male GSD pup (showline) last month from a reputed breeder, he is now three months old. He is sound in health and has good food and play drive, and he show no sign of any temperamental problems at my home. However, recently I have started taking him out for small walks (10-15min), I see he is afraid of moving vehicles, he runs away as any vehicle approaches. He is also afraid of cows, for me, that is something worrisome since my last GSD Troy was always excited with cows, goats, horses and likes to chase them. At home he is not afraid of strangers, he approaches them confidently but seems to be suspicious of them. However, outside he appears to be very suspicious of any stranger passing by, he just stops walking and stare at them till they leave. Although, I am not completely novice, as I am having experience of raising one GSD male, but don't consider myself an expert. The temperament of my previous GSD was very sound; he was courageous right from his puppy hood. I spoke to his breeder; he assured me that he will grow out of it. However, I am worried about my puppy's temperament. I seek your advice, do you see a defect in his temperament? Whether his behaviour is temporary and will grow out of it? I am planning to show him in local shows.
Thanks for your advice/suggestions in advance. I sincerely look forward to comments from the experts of this forum.
Best regards,
SS

Hi. I'm no expert. Personal experience, though:

He might grow out of it. My dog was afraid of cars when she was a pup, but she's fine with them now. If the pup sees it's no big deal to you, he should learn.

Perhaps take him on walks with another dog who is very assured in these situations and he will learn from the behavior of the older dog not to be afraid.

Classic training exercise for dogs worried about traffic:
find somewhere you can sit with your pup, where the traffic
is easily seen and heard but not too 'in yer face'. Spend an
increasing number of minutes each day sitting there, pay no
mind to loud trucks &c yourself, reward pup if they are calm.
Move to somewhere a little closer, after say 3 days, and repeat.
3 or so days on, move closer still ...
Its worth putting the time in. You can teach other things while
hanging around at these various vantage points also, as these
exercises in themselves serve to distract from traffic movement.

Thanks Hunmutter, yhecht and Reliya for your suggestions, I am willing to spend time with him since I am committed to him. I was worried since his behavior is completely different from my previous dog, who was more outgoing and courageous. I hope that he will grow out of this as he grows.

Yeah, dogs are individuals ! Depending on the bloodlines,
you may well find other differences between this pup and
your last dog as he gets older. A difference is not necessarily
a problem.
The thing with watching strangers ? Well, that is more like a
GSD is supposed to be, rather than immediately wanting to
be friends with everyone ! As long as your pup does not
decide for himself that he needs to do more (to scare them
away by barking or trying to bite) - it's different if you TELL
him to do so, after later training ! - then it is perfectly acceptable.
Thing to remember is: it should always be YOU calling the shots.

Good luck with your puppy; and welcome to PDB, you can always
come here with anything you want to ask (or brag about !).

PS I think he is very sensible to be cautious around
cows ! LOL

"... he runs away as any vehicle approaches."

I´d walk him on leash only, you behaving as naturally as possible, not forcing the little guy into anything, but on the other hand not giving him any opportunity to "run away".

"... he appears to be very suspicious of any stranger passing by, he just stops walking and stare at them till they leave."

In case you are looking for a companion dog, able to roam free in your house while their are guests later on, you should ask as many people as possible to interact with him now, otherwise you may get problems later on.

There is no chance for us to see if his behavior is based on lack of socialisation, or if it based on genetics ( I guess both ) but you need to work on it.

I am in complete agreement with "Hundmutter's'' advice. The one big mistake i see people make during these problems is praising the dog during the avoidance behavior. Most people use a very soothing voice and tell the dog '' it is ok, don't be afraid the car won't hurt you'' and similar things. but the dog hears '' be afraid and the behavior of fear is good''

Good point Student, I should have thought to include
that. (It is difficult, trying to be concise, & not to 'write
a book' on here; so many things to remember in training
advice ! - Completely agree with what Susie posted, also).