4.5 month old GSD barking at people/dogs? - Page 1

My female puppy, for about a month or so, has been barking at random people/dogs while out in the community. There doesn't seem to be anything specific about the things she chooses to bark at. Yesterday we took a walk in the park and she totally ignored a family with their dog that we passed by. Today, a man with a greyhound walked by and she barked and barked, and when I allowed her to meet the other dog, she became very submissive and stopped barking. Is this something I need to worry about? I have done my very best to socialize her, and am surprised that she has these reactions because she has been exposed to so much. Possibly a fear period? Also, when she had this reaction today, I stood infront of her, told her to sit, and tried to get her to focus on a treat, and she couldn't have been less focused on me, which is rare, especially when food is involved. Was this a good way to handle it? Any suggestions?

Mine does that as well, and I also have socialized the hell out of her since day one. She isn't submissive to anyone or any other dogs though. But she does like to bark at random people/dogs. Wish I could tell you why.

Trying to get your pup to focus when in an excited state is almost impossible.  You need to get her attention while she is thinking about how to react not after she has reacted.

I also would not worry about her being submissive with other dogs at this age.  It is appropriate for a young pup to be submissive to an adult dog.  I would however be very careful about allowing her to interact with strange dogs.  Not all dogs will be friendly and it only takes one negative experience to teach a puppy to be reactive around other dogs.

Socializing is good but you also need to teach her how you expect her to behave.

I've been socialized for a number of years,but i'm still leary of some people and dogs that I meet.Why would my dog be any different. You might curb the vocalizaton, but the suspicion might not be a bad thing.