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Posts: 1
From:Riverview, FL
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-01-2004 09:07 AM         

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-sigh- This will probably be long...any help will be greatly appreciated.

I have a spayed GSD female that will be turning 5 in June. I have had her since she was about 6-7 weeks old...her mother was a stray and shot by a police officer, and she was hand raised. She is a great family dog..great with the kids, trained well (heels, comes, stays, etc), and she lives with her two "brothers", Akita mixes. I have this problem...whenever I take her anywhere or for a walk, she barks, lunges, and basically flips out at dogs, and if we get too close to people. I had thought I had socialized her well..almost every day since she was very young we would be at a local ice cream shop, people always would pet her, and we brought her to dog parks. She has been threatened/nearly attacked by 3 dogs on seperate occasions...although none breaking skin, basically large dogs running into her. After that, its just gone downhill. She refuses to listen to anything, and stands either stock still if the dog is far enough away or if it comes close she lunges forward and barks like crazy. She has never bit another dog in her life..she only acts like shes going to and barks in their face. Usually if the dog sticks around, she calms right down and i can let her off the lead and she'll play with them perfect, however this is rare because by the time she is done barking in their faces the dog has left or the owner gets nervous and takes the dog away. I walk her in either a prong collar or a halti. I have had a trainer come to help me, which was a waste of money because he brought his well trained dog and said "just correct her" and she was scared of him as well and just stopped barking right away. I've tried water bottles, cans, etc...it just dosen't help. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated.

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Posts: 277
From:Nellis AFB, Nevada
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 02-01-2004 09:50 AM         

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Don't let one bad experience with a trainer ruin it. I really recommend you get him to another trainer and make sure this is one that is knowledeable in aggressive behavior. They will help you regain control of your dog and it will teach you how to handle him when he is out of control. I think you are on the right track. It sounds like the experiences he had with the other dogs soured him. Look into the credentials of the trainer and ask how much experience he has had in training dogs. Make sure you ask in his experience in dealing with aggressive behavior also. Don't give up in the dog trainers. There are some good ones out there that can help you. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Karriesue (edited 02-01-2004).]

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Posts: 115
From:UK
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 02-01-2004 10:14 AM         

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Hi,
I know you've probably tried this but have you taken a handful of treats out with you on your walks?
My pup doesn't bark at people or dogs but he used to pull to get to people and jump up them if I wasn't strong/fast enough to correct him in time.
I asked my trainer and she said to offer treats as I'm approaching people/other dogs so he see's it as a good/happy experience but it's better/happier if he keeps his attention on me as there's treats at stake.
Basically I'd have him on a 'heel' and as people got closer I'd softy say his name and give him a treat, repeating as we pass. It took a few walks and me looking really silly but he now (most of the time) walks past people with nothing more than a glance... we're still working on him ignoring the temptation of other dogs tho.

I guess the only problem I can see you having with this is if she see's the treats as a prize for her barking, so if you can read into when she's about to start that and treat her for just walking nicely maybe it'll work.

Good luck

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Posts: 790
From:uk
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 02-01-2004 11:49 AM         

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Hi, Most dogs bark when they are out and see other dogs mine do it all the time i also have german shepherds.

because your dog has had dogs come into her face she will see this as an immediate threat not just to her but you and this is there way of warning other dogs that she will attack if she has to.

As you say she is fine if the dogs stick around and play with her this shows her that these dogs dont mean any harm to either of you.

She will also get the sence of pride she has chased off danger when the other dogs have ran off when she has barked in there faces.

The one thing your should try and distinguish is the her bark types, friendly bark playful bark and agression barking.

Friendly and playful barking she will have her ears pointed up and tail wagging and its more of a yap than a bark.

Agression barking her ears will be back her back hair will stand on end and she will either lower or lift her tail she will also lower her head and you can tell she is looking from the top of her eyes, this gives people and other animals a false sence of security.

There is no true way to stop a dog from barking when out and about apart from saying No firmly or a tug on the leash.

As Nik suggested you can try the notice when she is going to bark and give her a treat before she does it or as soon as you spot another dog play with your dog and occupy her mind so she dont have time to see the other dogs.

Mike.
boro_lad1976@hotmail.com

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Posts: 107
From:sherman oaks,california,USA
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 02-01-2004 02:51 PM         

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I know exactly what you are going through. I have a 15month Lab. She loves other dogs and we go to the dog park all the time and she is fine, but whenever we went on a walk or just out and she was on the leash she would bark uncontrollablly at other dogs and lunge towards them. Since my dog LOVES treats of anykind I started taking them on our walks. When I saw another dog approaching I would talk to her and say be a good girl, do you want a treat? I would distract her with a treat and I would only give it to her after we passed the other dog and only if she didnt bark or lunge. eventually she learned that when she sees another dog on the street that she should be quiet because then she would get a treat. I take her on walks now everyday with no problems.So if your dog likes food as much as mine, teach her the word "treat" and then use it on walks. I hope this helps, goodluck! I also used a gentle leader for a couple days, which helped a lot.

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