Please help - Page 1

so i have a 7month gsd. and my situation is getting worse and worse.

when he was a little puppy i tried for him to meet new people. greet them nicely and what-not.
well now he sees someone new he barks alot and his hair goes up.
i don't know if it is a sign of aggression or fear.
we were in the pet store today. i was just buying some dental bones for the dogs.
and when ever someone would say hi. he would move back alittle bark and hair goes up.

i know dogs like kids go threw a phase.
will he grow out of it?
or should i just maybe take training in the pet store just for socialization?
he trains with a club. so i got the training.

any suggestions would be really helpful

depends on what you are wanting to use him for but just as a companion i would take his favorite treat and hand it to people and ask them to give it to your dog and then make it a big deal that he was a good boy by you. the person just hands the toy and a pat if the dog allows it. make it so people arnt a bad thing. it seems like fear if he is hackleing. have him just sit at the grocery store exit and just watch the people going in and out tell him he is good when he dosent react. my male was the same way till i oversaturated him with people and he calmed down but he was abused in his past. but you have to be careful that the dog does not stress too much.

yeh the thing is..
he had this reaction when i first picked him up from the breeder..
and now since hes 75lbs. i have to take more serious of this matter.

well he does schz. and i want him as a gaurd dog for the family.
but when we go on walks at the beach he barks and same issue even in a huge open area.
and i want to bring him camping and not have to worry abuot him too much.

his recall is really good and so is this ob.

maybe ill try to store thing. just becuase he has to be nuetral to this situation.


could it be something with his pedigree tho?

Be the leader kaoboy so he feels you got a handle on all that is right in his world. Of course it is in his pedigree, you have a kickass German Shepherd.  Ruger1 might have a suggestion, other than mine, which is, yes, you need to address this. Properly is preferred. 

hi beetree.

could u give me more info on how to handle this correctly..

No, because I'm not a trainer. And because I think you need a professional trainer who is very familiar with GSD's and even more so, your particular lines. If you find that combination you will be rewarded with what you want to achieve with your dog.

My girl was like this. She is now 11 months and still a little skittish but not nearly like she was. I did puppy classes with her at petsmart but never took her to any intermediate classes or advanced classes. I was told that it could interfere with her Schutzhund training. The socialization she got there was awesome. I still get her out and around people as often as possible. I found that anything I could do to help build her confidence helped too!!!! Having people give him treats is a great idea as long as you trust him not to bite anyone!!!! My girl still doesn't like to meet new people but she is ALOT better than she was!!!! Good luck to you!!!!

Hi Kaoboy,

You may need to consult a trainer. The earlier you intervene, the better your chances are.
dont let people force themselves on your puppy. This process needs to be taken slowly, in tiny baby steps.You have to consistently introduce your puppy to all kinds of people, friendly dogs and new environment.

For starters,you could have a friend over.Do not let him make eye contact with your dog, stay some distance away, have a very high value treat(liver) and  have your friend sit sideways. let your dog approach him on his own. When he takes the treat from your friend, praise him like it is the most wonderful thing(you get the pic)

Never use forceful training methods and instead of giving a leash correction when your dog engages in barking, ignore the barking.get the dog to focus his attention on you.YOu could teach the watch command.

You are his pack leader and it is your job to protect him and gain his trust.
correct me if i am wrong.

     kaoboy...
      
IMO I would first seek an experienced trainer to evaluate your male. An experienced trainer will be able to evaluate what is motivating the behavior so you can deal with the behavior appropriately.

 I had a similar situation with my male and gained a tremendous amount of understanding about my male from working with a experienced trainer....I  now have the tools and understanding I need to deal with my males temperament......: )  ...but it is a work in progress....

    Good luck ...: )

    Deanna...: )
  

     

     

I hate the stranger with treats method! You set it up so everyone has treats and he thinks, wow this is great. Everyone has treats. Then you walk up to Joe Shmoe and he sees a dog that looks friendly because he thinks Joe has treats, so Joe goes to pet him and he loses a couple fingers. If you are doing SchH, his confidence is going to be built. On the side, you are going to expose him to numerous people. Don't even ask people to greet him. Have them ignore him. Go to Petstupid on a slow day like Friday at 8 pm, at first. Take treats and work on focus. When he is focused and not worried about people, you treat him. If people ask, "hey can I pet your dog?", say no. Have a short conversation with them and explain what you are doing. Tell them to ignore the dog. They will understand. If they don't, let them pet the dog. When he's doing well, go on a weekend. Exposure, exposure exposure. You should have done it when he was younger, but hey, whatta ya gonna do? In SchH, he is going to gain confidence, so hopefully some of it will fall off. Ask your club when your done training if you can bring him out. At least you hope none of them are morons and will not try to be the "every dog loves me" type. If they are, let them pet him!