# How to handle new fearful aggressive dog who bit house guest?



## Susnelda

I hope you can give some good advice on how to handle our new GSD. She is a 3 year old female breeding dog from a reputable breeder. When we initially visited her, she seemed quite aloof and a little shy, a temperament typical of a GSD which we thought we could handle.
Jessie has not been socialized nor had basic training. When we brought her home, she was initially extremely shy and fearful, bolting at the slightest noise, and avoiding human contact. I believe the trauma of moving and being with strangers (she never was away from home before) contributed to her fear issues. Since then, she has closely bonded with me and follows me everywhere. She is, however, newly evasive with my partner, after he made a quick grab for her collar in order to put her inside the house. I am hoping that him hand-feeding her treats will regain her trust—it sees to be working so far, at least. 
She is also still very fearful around strangers, and quite territorial. She barks up a storm at strangers approaching our property, and barks at odd noises outside. We are happy to have a good watchdog/ deterrent, since we live in a fairly secluded spot, and have had shady characters trespass on our property before, but are apprehensive regarding her temperament.
Unfortunately, while Jessie was getting used to her new home, we had a house guest with us for a few days. The guest was gone most days, sightseeing, so Jessie did not have a chance to get used to her. She barked at her when she saw her, and avoided her whenever possible. One day, the guest came up a flight of stairs and startled Jessie, who began barking, then bit her leg. I came to our guest's rescue; she was not seriously hurt, with only a minor skin abrasion. We were rather concerned, though, and made sure to keep Jessie and guest apart/ Jessie crated, when necessary. In hindsight, we should have done this from the outset, or rather, the guest should not have been with us during this critical time. But Jessie is so shy, sweet and rather frail, and we did not think she would resort to fear biting. Her breeder was very surprised at this, too. When we first talked to her about Jessie, she said that she “didn't have a mean bone in her body”.
From the research I have done, obedience training, socialization and time to get used to her new home should make Jessie feel more secure and confident, and thereby prevent fear biting. A trainer we consulted (though she hasn't seen Jessie yet) said the same thing. This is also what occurred with our older dog, Greta. She also had fear issues (though not to the same degree as Jessie), and shortly after we first got her (at 10 months old), she bit one person. She is now 12 years old, and has not bitten again. 
We do have the option to return Jessie to her breeder. Somebody on another forum suggested she should be euthanized, but I think before such a drastic decision, she should be given the chance to be rehabilitated. After all, the bite was only very minor.
Can Jessie be rehabilitated, or should we give her up?


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## crisp

If you are serious about rehabilitating the dog, keep in mind that this will be a huge effort. She is rather old and already set in her ways. Its sad she wasn't socialized previously. Obediance and socialization will help but you will have to do additional regabilitation with the dog. This will be a large undertaking. I would recommend hiring a dog behaviorist to work with.


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## Susnelda

Thanks, crisp. No, I don't think it will be easy rehabilitating our new dog. We will hire a very experienced trainer to evaluate her, and to work with us if we keep her. I am also a little concerned re. my partner, who has never taken an active role in training our dogs, though he has always been the favourite human with all of our previous GSDs. With Jessie it's different, however; maybe she is more distrustful of men, and she needs extra dedication and sensitivity. 
The bite was only a "nip", and she may never inflict a serious injury, but unfortunately we can't be certain of that.
Returning her to the breeder is also not an ideal solution, since she would be kept confined for the rest of her life.


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## AgileGSD

What are your goals for this dog? What activities do you want the dog to be able to do?

For the time being, this is a dog who should be put away when people come to your house. That may always be the case or it may not be. For now, you have seen she will bite guests and understand she likely will again and that it is likely to escalate if you keep allowing it to happen. A lot of people have dogs who become overly territorial or fear aggressive with strangers that are put away every time someone comes over. IMO this is a manageable problem and doesn't need to be a death sentence.

Since you said if she is sent back to the breeder she'll be kept confined for the rest of her life I'm curious as to what her living situation was at the breeder's. Was she ever shown? Socialized? Was she raised and kept strictly as a kennel dog?

If she was poorly socialized and not worked with during the critical first few months, she missed out on some key developmental stages and that can't really be undone. That isn't to say she can't get better with training and socialization but it may be unreasonable to expect she will ever be outgoing with strangers or completely comfortable with new situations. 

Have your partner take a very standoffish attitude toward Jessie for right now. The worst thing he can do is try to make up to her by paying a lot of attention to her, trying to pet her, moving toward her, etc. For a dog these things are all scary and threatening when coming from someone they are unsure of. Instead, have him not pay any attention to her but have him feed her at least one meal a day. Just prepare the meal set the bowl down and walk away. VERY gradually have him stay in the same room with Jessie while she eats. Then have him stand closer to the bowl and closer. Then eventually have him hold the bowl while she eats. This should extremely gradual though and if she seems the least bit unsure, go back to the previous step for awhile. 

Most fearful dogs are more fearful of men by nature and especially so if they haven't really been around men. That doesn't mean she can't or won't bond to him though, more than likely she will be much better with him as she gets more comfortable there. 

I would suggest the book Ruff Love by Susan Garrett. I think it would greatly help you acclimate your dog to you, your home and your lifestyle and help put her on the road to learning better social skills.Amazon.com: Ruff Love: A Relationship Building Program for You and Your Dog (9781892694065): Susan Garrett: Books It is a fairly strict program but based totally on controlling resources, preventing the dog from practicing bad behavior while building good behavior and positive reinforcement. It is non-confrontational and just the sort of program that would work really well for a very fearful, reactive dog in her new home. I would suggest doing this for at least a good couple months and just keeping her isolated from your guests before having a trainer come to the house. With such fearful dogs, having a trainer while she is still adjusting to her new life will just be an added stress. Before a trainer and specific behavior modification can be helpful, she needs to be comfortable with you and her new environment. That takes a couple months and it will go best if you have a plan.


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## BowWowMeow

Yes, Jessie can be rehabilitated. I adopted Basu when he was 4.5 years old and like Jessie he had been neglected (and also abused). I had had dogs for many years at that point but had to learn a completely different way of training for him including positive reinforcement only, counter conditioning, etc. It was very stressful but Basu did not have a fearful temperament (he could adjust to new things) he simply had a very rough first 4.5 years. Eventually he turned into a somewhat normal gsd but he tended to be overly protective and very barky. He did end up being excellent with other animals and very good with children, if approached correctly. He was always iffy with strangers, especially tall men, but I knew how to handle him and could read all of his triggers. 

Because I didn't realize the depth of his fear he also ended up biting someone and at that point I got very serious about working with him. When new people were around or we were out in public he was always leashed to me. I also took him through 3 levels of obedience. He spent almost the entire 6 weeks of the first course trying to drag my ex and I out of the room but we made it through and by the Advanced OB class he was taking treats from strangers and doing off leash OB in class. I also took him to (a safe) dog park daily and had strangers give him treats. And I worked with him every single day at home and on walks, as part of our daily routine. 

It took about 4 years for him to really come around and even then he was on strict NILIF and had a very strict routine when strangers were in the house 
(he had to go to his bed, lie down, be quiet and then he got treats). 

Sandy has given you lots of great resources above. Be absolutely sure to work with someone who does not use corrections of any type and will not push Jessie over her threshold as that may cause her to shut down further. 

Good luck...and I hope this person is no longer breeding dogs as, ultimately, this is their responsibility.


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## Mary Jane

From my own experience, which is quite limited, I would imagine that Jessie can be rehabilitated. Your hands-on trainer, provided they use only positive methods, can be enormously helpful in translating Jessie's body language for you. Once you see for yourself when she becomes afraid, you can take steps to change her mind about what frightens her. Her bond with you suggests that you already have a great tool to actively desensitize her. You don't have to leave it to Jessie to "get used to" scary things, moving at her pace-you can pair scary things with good things. From what I've read at the Yahoo group shyK9s, dogs differ a lot in how long it takes them to gain some confidence, so you are consistent and reliable and she may surprise you. Three is not too late, I think.

Good luck,
Mary Jane


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## BlackPuppy

Susnelda said:


> She is a 3 year old female breeding dog from a reputable breeder.


My first reaction to your post was that she's a "breeding" dog from a reputable breeder. No reputable breeder should be using a dog with bad nerves for breeding. A friend of mine who breeds Belgians had a young female (under 1 year old) put down because of it's temperament. It also bit somebody. 

Now the question is, do you really want a "project" dog? Are you willing and do you have the time to do what you need to so this dog can cope. Many people here post their progress with their own project dog. You seem to know what you need to do. 

Most likely she was not socialized because she was a breeding dog and kept in a kennel. Doerak was one of these kennel dogs. He progressed a lot in the 4 years I had him, but it was slow work. In the end he trusted me and obeyed and that's what kept us together. 

Whatever you decide, this dog definitely needs to be spayed.


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## Susnelda

*What to do with new, fearful-aggressive GSD who bit house guest?*

Thanks so much for all your good advice; you have been very helpful. I'll also be sure to look up the resources you provided. Sorry for not responding sooner--I was away from the computer all this time. 

We adopted Jessie to be a companion to us and to our 12-yr. old GSD. The two are getting along quite well, and Jessie is also good with our flock of free-run chickens and our tame cockatiel. We also wanted her to be a watchdog; we weren't looking for a ppd, just a dog with a big bark to deter intruders, because we live in a fairly isolated place. 

The person from whom we got Jessie actually owns Jessie's father, and got Jessie as a pup instead of charging a stud fee, so I guess she is technically not the breeder. She only owns a few dogs--7 when we got Jessie--and she keeps her dogs in large runs outside the house. The dogs sleep in the house in winter, and they also have access to the house at other times, so they are socialized with her family and housetrained. She also likes to take dogs along on her early morning runs. She shows her dogs, and Jessie has also competed; she even won a championship while still a puppy. 

Jessie had one litter of puppies; the reason the owner decided not to breed her anymore was that one of her puppies had a congenital liver disease. 
When we saw Jessie at the breeder's, she did not seem agressive at all, just a little shy and aloof, which I think is quite normal for a GSD. Her father was very social, with a "Golden Retriever" temperament; the two pups we saw were also a tad shy, so her temperament seems to come from Mom. 

From what we observed, Jessie had a very close bond with her owner, and though she didn't have formal obedience training, she listened and readily responded to her. I don't think she had the same relationship with the owner's husband. Don't know of abuse; she is very sensitive, so any harsh treatment somewhere along the line would probably have traumatized her. 

The breeder acknowledged that Jessie had an anxious temperament, which our older GSD also has to some degree, and she is a wonderful dog. I think the move to our house really exacerbated Jessie's fears; she probably feels quite insecure and feels the need to protect herself and her territory.

Yes, the timing of our guests' stay with us was not great. My sister and little 3 year old will be also be coming at the end of the month, so the breeder has agreed to board Jessie during that time. After that, things should calm down around here.
I really hope that we can rehabilitate Jessie--and thanks for your reassurances, Bowwow and Mary Jane. There is a trainer in our community who is known for using only very gentle, positive methods for training, so she would be a good person to consult. I hope it won't take 4 years to rehabilitate Jessie, though : / I will show my partner your responses; it's crucial that Jessie learns to trust him again, and that he knows how to handle her. He's used to being #1 with our dogs, so having a dog so afraid of him must be difficult for him, too.

We definitely plan to have Jessie spayed!


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## GSDAlphaMom

Yep 'breeder dog' says it all. That poor girl has probably spent her entire life in a run, no love, no socialization, no anything. It's going to require ALOT of patience but can be done and thank you for saving her. I feel so bad for these dogs that are used as nothing but 'stock' for producing. We have several of those type breeders in the Dallas area. They have a slick website, charge unbelievable prices and breed any tempermant as it's all for the buck. The breeding stock lives exclusively in kennels. It's a shame.


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## Susnelda

I can't say that Jessie is a typical "breeder dog", as I am no expert on dog breeders. The owner/breeder seems caring (she e-mailed and phoned many times to find out how Jessie is doing with us), and Jessie was very bonded to her. Jessie probably didn't get the attention and socialization that a regular family dog would, though, and that probably explains some of her issues. She was also bred for the purpose of being a show dog, and from what I understand, show dogs don't always have the best temperament.


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## AgileGSD

Susnelda said:


> I can't say that Jessie is a typical "breeder dog", as I am no expert on dog breeders. The owner/breeder seems caring (she e-mailed and phoned many times to find out how Jessie is doing with us), and Jessie was very bonded to her. Jessie probably didn't get the attention and socialization that a regular family dog would, though, and that probably explains some of her issues. She was also bred for the purpose of being a show dog, and from what I understand, show dogs don't always have the best temperament.


 My guess would be from your description that the breeder cares for her dogs well but does not properly socialize them as puppies. It is imperative that puppies under the age of 5 months be taken out and about on a regular (near daily) basis, exposed to all sorts of people, places, things and situations. This is even more important with puppies who seem to have a genetic tendency towards being fearful or nervous and also especially important in any breed which is supposed to have guarding instincts. 

Dogs bred for show should have sound temperaments and please don't get the idea that all dogs bred for show have poor temperaments. It is much harder to successfully show fearful/shy dogs, which could be why Jessie was no longer being shown. Sure, there are show breeders who will forgive a lot temperament wise if the dog is pretty enough and when that is the case, you can actually see the genetic tendency for an iffy temperament showing up generation after generation. But that said, there isn't a breeder out there who can guarantee that their dogs will never produce puppies who have less than ideal temperament or health. No matter how careful one is, genetics are not always predictable. 

I guess the question you have to ask yourself is, would you be happy with Jessie even if she doesn't improve? If you think you could properly manage her and enjoy her as a pet, even if she is always the way she is now (with the exception of her being mistrustful of your partner, which I'd say is very likely to improve with a bit more time) then keep her. If not, it might be best to return her to her breeder now. It would be very hard on her and on you to keep her, have her bond really closely to you (as shy dogs almost always do) then have to give her back months or a year or more later because she just isn't a dog you can live with.


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## BowWowMeow

Some ideas for your partner:

Tether Jessie to him when he's home. Don't try to pet her or interact with her but keep her close by and make himself into a treat dispenser. Don't use just any treats but use something really yummy like cheese or sandwich meat or hot dogs. He can also hand feed her for a while. And he should let her come to him and not try to force anything. 

Advise anyone who does get close enough to pet her to pet her under the chin and not over the head (threatening v. non-threatening). 

And read lots of books about fearful dogs! 

There is also a really great shy dogs group on yahoo called ShyK9s

I learned a lot from that group.


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## codmaster

Susnelda said:


> I hope you can give some good advice on how to handle our new GSD. She is a 3 year old female breeding dog from a reputable breeder. When we initially visited her, she seemed quite aloof and a little shy, a temperament typical of a GSD which we thought we could handle.
> Jessie has not been socialized nor had basic training. When we brought her home, she was initially extremely shy and fearful, bolting at the slightest noise, and avoiding human contact. I believe the trauma of moving and being with strangers (she never was away from home before) contributed to her fear issues. Since then, she has closely bonded with me and follows me everywhere. She is, however, newly evasive with my partner, after he made a quick grab for her collar in order to put her inside the house. I am hoping that him hand-feeding her treats will regain her trust—it sees to be working so far, at least.
> She is also still very fearful around strangers, and quite territorial. She barks up a storm at strangers approaching our property, and barks at odd noises outside. We are happy to have a good watchdog/ deterrent, since we live in a fairly secluded spot, and have had shady characters trespass on our property before, but are apprehensive regarding her temperament.
> Unfortunately, while Jessie was getting used to her new home, we had a house guest with us for a few days. The guest was gone most days, sightseeing, so Jessie did not have a chance to get used to her. She barked at her when she saw her, and avoided her whenever possible. One day, the guest came up a flight of stairs and startled Jessie, who began barking, then bit her leg. I came to our guest's rescue; she was not seriously hurt, with only a minor skin abrasion. We were rather concerned, though, and made sure to keep Jessie and guest apart/ Jessie crated, when necessary. In hindsight, we should have done this from the outset, or rather, the guest should not have been with us during this critical time. But Jessie is so shy, sweet and rather frail, and we did not think she would resort to fear biting. Her breeder was very surprised at this, too. When we first talked to her about Jessie, she said that she “didn't have a mean bone in her body”.
> From the research I have done, obedience training, socialization and time to get used to her new home should make Jessie feel more secure and confident, and thereby prevent fear biting. A trainer we consulted (though she hasn't seen Jessie yet) said the same thing. This is also what occurred with our older dog, Greta. She also had fear issues (though not to the same degree as Jessie), and shortly after we first got her (at 10 months old), she bit one person. She is now 12 years old, and has not bitten again.
> We do have the option to return Jessie to her breeder. Somebody on another forum suggested she should be euthanized, but I think before such a drastic decision, she should be given the chance to be rehabilitated. After all, the bite was only very minor.
> Can Jessie be rehabilitated, or should we give her up?


That poor dog doesn't sound like she should have ever been bred.


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## codmaster

Susnelda said:


> I can't say that Jessie is a typical "breeder dog", as I am no expert on dog breeders. The owner/breeder seems caring (she e-mailed and phoned many times to find out how Jessie is doing with us), and Jessie was very bonded to her. Jessie probably didn't get the attention and socialization that a regular family dog would, though, and that probably explains some of her issues. She was also bred for the purpose of being a show dog, and from what I understand, show dogs don't always have the best temperament.


I don't think you can count on her to be any protection at all - least not until and unless she undergoes a transformation in nerve. 

BTW,The vast majority of show dogs with not so good temperament are not shy just very soft and also usually not aloof as they probably should be BUT they don't usually bite people either.


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## codmaster

"When we saw Jessie at the breeder's, she did not seem agressive at all, just a little shy and aloof, which I think is quite normal for a GSD. Her father was very social, with a "Golden Retriever" temperament; the two pups we saw were also a tad shy, so her temperament seems to come from Mom."

It is definetly not "normal" for a GSD to be shy! Common, yes but not normal or expected.

Good luck with your project. It sounds like a big job and you guys are to be highly commended for even attempting it!


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## debbiebrown

i agree you are in for alot of work, time and patience.........i don't think most people realize just what it takes to work with a dog like this........all good intentions, but it is a huge commitment, and i also commend you for making the effort.......

its definitely not normal for a gsd to be shy, aloof, yes, shy and an upredictable fear biter, no.......unfortunately this issue seems to be getting more common in this breed, and alot of it does appear to be genetics.........thats sad.........

i know what it takes to commit to such a dog, i have a young male who i have had since a pup, he was socialized, and had every opportunity to become confident, he had issues with people, which is the worst.......there are alot of things i had to figure out on my own, because they all have different personalities, triggers, etc, you really have to watch them closely to see the body lauguage, the thresholds of each individual etc, the counter conditioning is very slow, and progress can be made, but some might always have to have limited supervised interactions with people......its also important that the people you pick to enteract with your dog, listen to how they need to act around your dog, and if someone is going to be around that you know won't interact correctly, you do need to put the dog away..........you want short possitive meetings, without pushing the dog to the threshold of getting nervous and bitting, nipping, growling, barking, etc, so getting together with an experienced trainer, they will watch your dog, educate you on the body lauguage, things to watch for etc.........it can get a bit frustrating working with a dog like this, and even the best of trainers can be challenged with this issue......

best of luck.......
debbie


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## debbiebrown

i also want to add, and i am sure your realizing this......making a decision to keep a dog like this can totally consume your life in every way........you really do need to think long and hard about things.........honestly, i would not do it again..........

we all seek confidence in this breed, none of us want this type of dog, they are not equipped to be a confident companion, they are to busy seeing the world through fearful observations..........the commitment of keeping a dog like this, requires constant leadership, letting the dog know you will protect it, you cannot ever show any weakness, etc..........


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## AgileGSD

BowWowMeow said:


> Some ideas for your partner:
> 
> Tether Jessie to him when he's home. Don't try to pet her or interact with her but keep her close by and make himself into a treat dispenser. Don't use just any treats but use something really yummy like cheese or sandwich meat or hot dogs. He can also hand feed her for a while. And he should let her come to him and not try to force anything.


 I would not suggest this at all. Forcing her to be closer than she is comfortable with and not able to get away could actually cause her to become reactive to the partner. Even if it doesn't, forcing her to be tethered to someone she finds scary is not a good way to build a relationship. IMO she will need to learn to accept him in her own time by seeing that he is safe, non-threatening and that good things come from him (as I mentioned in my previous post, I do feel he should be preparing her and giving at least one meal a day).


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## Mary Jane

I don't have enough experience to weigh in on the tethering issue.

I would like to say a word about owning a "project" dog. Certainly Debbie is right that rehabilitating a shy, fearful dog is a long-term commitment. Part of the reason we adopted a shy dog is we have a very quiet home with only a few regular guests for Wolf to get to know. We also live on a very quiet street with practically no traffic, so the only big obstacle was desensitizing him to joggers on our walking path. As Ruth said, you need to train Jessie on how to act around guests, but I believe you can do it. With very little skill, we put together a good method that basically eliminates interactions going and coming in the house-you know that shepherd desire to control movement. This was tested in a big way some time ago when ambulance workers came in to take my husband to the emergency room and Wolf went into his crate like a charm, with a lot of commotion and distress around him.

The point is with good in-person advice and a commitment to Jessie, the steps are all reasonable. For us, the undeniable constant pay-off is an enormously sweet, loving, emotional GSD. To us, he is markedly more gentle than the average dog. Some character flaws come with their own benefits.

Mary Jane


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## Susnelda

Wow--thanks for your helpful comments and advice--I didn't think anybody would return to this thread.
Your comments are quite thought-provoking, AgileGSD. As I said before, I am no expert on breeding GSDs, but you are probably quite right that a show dog shouldn't be extremely shy/ fearful, and that this is why Jessie is no longer being shown. Perhaps it's also the reason for no longer breeding her?
Jessie seems to be a bit more relaxed around my partner, and she takes the hot dogs/ very yummy cookies that he hand-feeds her. Thanks for mentioning the ShyK9 group, Bowwow, will be sure to look it up. 
Jessie's dad was extremely friendly and playful, not at all shy, so her temperament must come from Mom.
Surprisingly, Jessie did very well on the 2-hour trip to our home from the breeder's, though she was in the back of our small stationwagon, together with us. So maybe, once she is really settled here, she'll lose most of her fearfulness and be more like the dog she was at her breeder's? I still have some hope that she will turn out like Greta, our 12-yr. old GSD...She is still a little anxious and fearful, but she is very loyal and sweet, and a good watchdog who no longer bites innocent visitors.
I agree, codmaster, that Jessie won't be much protection when push comes to shove (neither, probably would Greta be). Jessie would just be a deterrent with her very mean bark.
Just wondering--is it best to shut her away when somebody comes to the house, the way she is now, or could I already start, as you suggest, Debbie, to invite trusted friends to the house who would agree to act in a way (quiet, calm and aloof around Jessie) to slowly desensitize her/ make her realize that most strangers are no threat? I would certainly not leave the friend and Jessie alone together, as I think that that was the trigger which caused Jessie to bite our house guest.
Thanks for your reassurance, Mary Jane, that Jessie will eventuall change and be safe around guests, if we use a good behaviour modification strategy.
Our house is normally very quiet, but we live in a touristy area on the west coast, and in summer, we tend to have guests staying at our house. Unfortunately, these visits just coincided with our adoption of Jessie. In a few days, my sister will be visiting with her husband and their 3-year old daughter, and staying for about a week. Since this visit would be a lot more stressful for Jessie than the previous guest's stay (not to mention the real danger she would pose to my little niece), the breeder agreed to board her during that time. After that, things should quieten down around our house for at least 6 months, allowing us more uninterrupted time with Jessie.
Yes, it definitely looks like we have taken on a "project dog". Jessie has already developed a close bond to me. She is a very sweet, emotional, loving girl, and I have already fallen for her. So I am now defending her here, because even at this point, it would be very difficult for me to give her up.
We will certainly seek the counsel of an experienced dog trainer/ behaviourist.
It will be interesting, too, to see how Jessie reacts to us when we pick her up rom the breeder's, after her one-week stay there...


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## codmaster

Great wishes for you and your dog! Please keep us all informed!


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## debbiebrown

i would honestly see if you can get a professional to help you with the counter conditioning, have her evaluated, and then work with a behaviorist/trainer, this way you will be working together with an experienced person that has seen your dog, and can recognize the triggers and teach you how to deal with certain experiences. working alone on an issue like this is Very Frustrating without the right help......


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## Susnelda

Jessie's breeder agreed to extend her trial period with us to early October, to give us a better chance to work with her. We plan to have an experienced trainer assess her and work with us; not sure, though, if there is enough time for the trainer to come before Sunday, when my sister visits and we take Jessie for boarding at her breeder's place. I'll be sure to update you on Jessie's progress. Thanks for your good wishes!


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## AgileGSD

Susnelda said:


> Just wondering--is it best to shut her away when somebody comes to the house, the way she is now, or could I already start, as you suggest, Debbie, to invite trusted friends to the house who would agree to act in a way (quiet, calm and aloof around Jessie) to slowly desensitize her/ make her realize that most strangers are no threat?


 IME it is always easier on the dog and less stressful if the dog is put away when the people come in. Putting a reactive or guardy dog into a situation where they have to decide what to do when a scary stranger comes into their house is not going to help the situation. Instead put Jessie in a room or crate away from the main room/door, then let your guests in. This should be the protocol for a long time. Then have your guests get comfortable and wait about 10 or so minutes to bring Jessie out. I say bring her out because at first it should be very controlled, not just opening the door and letting her go. I'd have her on a leash and ask your guests to just ignore her while you give her great treats for being in the room with them. Then put her away again. Keep the sessions short, maybe 5 minutes at a time at first. If your guests will be over for quite some time, you can have several short sessions in a day. After the session, you can also try gating her where she can hear and/or see the guests but the guests will not have to interact with her at all (not in a main path to say the bathroom) and give her a stuffed Kong treat to chew on.

The goal is to make her feel like guests being over is no big deal - she doesn't have to do anything about them coming in and she gets really good stuff when she goes out to the room they are in.


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## Susnelda

Thanks, Agile GSD, that sounds like a good strategy.We will give it a try.


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