# Have I created a monster??????



## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Have I created a monster??? I wanted to make a real effort to socialize Enzo,5 months old now.I took him to puppy class,and take him to see as many new people,dogs,and new situations as possible since I've had him(8 weeks old)....Eventually,I would hope to walk him down the street and have him ignore other dogs....I have noted that he isgetting to the point where,if not allowed to meet other dogs,right away,he starts gettinghis hackles up and a little nasty even towards dogs he knows...until he gets his way. When he is allowed to meet other dogs ,he is relatively well behaved but likes to play rough.This has stopped me from letting him have any slack,with small dogs,which frustrates him,making it an ongoing battle to avert his attention back to me.Have I dropped the ball somewhere,will he grow out of this,will he ever get tired of meeting EVERY DOG HE PASSES BY!!!???? Any opinions on what I need to do next would be very helpful... Thanks Jay


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

At 5 months, no I dont think you have created a monster. Some dogs hackles come up with excitement, there is a book called click to calm that I know many people have used with great success. Try to keep just under his threshhold and then reward the good behavior, then very slowly get closer to the distraction. If that means sitting on the other side of the parking lot from petsmart..........so be it







he is still a puppy, and he is probably going to enter his buthead stage pretty soon and this subject comes up a lot on here with the frustration on leash.


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Thats interesting...and you may be right about his hackles.....funny you should mention petsmart,thats where he got his puppy classes and he goes nuts when we get close to store parking lot...literally! I try to sit in the truck and relax while he settles down before letting him out.I know he is challenging and testing me constantly,so I try to be consistent with how I handle him,but you just can't set up every encounter....know what I mean? I sure thank you for your insight on this.I hope he's already in the (buthead )stage!! cause my patience is growing thin and I want to stay positive and up beat with him but wonder if I'm gonna have to get tough on him,to get him on track. At the same time I don't want to lose his spirit or have him afraid of me,not that I would abuse him,but would rather work things out without alot of reprimanding .By the way....hows your Kenya(hope I remembered correctly)doing??


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Forgive me i mixed you up with some one else I had spoken with and their dog was Kenya


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## Tihannah (Dec 27, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: jay dForgive me i mixed you up with some one else I had spoken with and their dog was Kenya


Haha, that was me! Its Kaiya, but you were close!







Betsy is a good friend of ours though, and knows that I have been going through the same thing with my pup. I just posted a thread about this last night and am feeling your frustration. If you want to read the thread, it might give you some helpful tips. I am just going to stay away from Petsmart for awhile until I can get her more used to new surroundings and new dogs.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1344255

Let me know if you find something that works on this issue cause I'm still struggling to get through it.


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

some dogs may never be what I call "golden retriever friendly." I would insist that he behave but there may only be a few rough and tumble buddies he can play with. Travis gets a little over the top and there are certain dogs that he just can't play with anymore cause he scares them. I was going to join a dog park but I think I may be yelling at him the whole time. So find a few tackle buddies for him but he may just not be able to hang out with FeeFee until he is way older.
Training cannot change a dog's personality.


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

How goes the battle???LOL I read through that thread you sent me and it was very interesting.I actually enrolled in a puppy socialization class at petsmart(8 sessions lasting 1 hr. each).I noticed as the classes ticked on....by say the 5th class,he was thinking he owned the place,and was pushing himself on other dogs,in the class.It seemed as though he was content when he had the rest of the dogs going crazy.....then he would calmly lie down and watch the fun!WHAT'S THAT ABOUT?????.He does not get mean but likes to poke and prod until he gets the reaction he feels suits him,like all out wrestling around.It was not this way in the beginning . While this was going on I was taking him everywhere ,including a dog park,where I finally got the nerve to let him off the lease.He was fairly attentive and wouldn't stray more than 60 ft. away without retuning (to lots of praise and treats),again after the 5th or 6th visit he now acts a lot bolder and basically say you eat the treats ....I'm havin' too much fun.I have since used a 30ft. tracking line to give him small corrections (only to get his focus back to me ) 
It works well. but when other dogs are nearby ....an invisible switch goes on and he is not happy until he has met and wrestled around with every dog he sees!You would think after all thistime he would think...oh another dog...what ever....and just carry on. Is this too much to hope for??? I feel...somewhere along the line I have missed an important step in the socializing process.What do you think????


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

I think he is real real young and does want to play and perhaps dominate every dog he meets. Be careful about the dog park, he might try to rough house the wrong dog. He needs PUPPY/ YOUNG dog friends. It is great you are getting him out and about-just let him play with dogs that are more his age/stamia.


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks for your post .The park that we visit is not an off leash park,and I have been able to leash him up well before encounters with other dogs.Most people using the park leash up when near others.....If the dogs seem to do well together we unleash them to play around.Do you think my dog has grown to expect to be released with every dog. maybe I should change up the routine and try to walk him past others ignoring the other dogs for a while....or will this cause a bad reaction to other dogs as he grows on?


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

Don't over think it. It is like having a kid, sometimes you can play and sometimes the answer is "no." Practice that word "no" ; ) oh, the GSD...Paige wanted to play 24/7 for the first 6 years of her life.No human can keep up with one of these machines. Get your dog doing other things like fetch etc. when you are walking don't let him veer off on every dog. You will let him know when the conditions are right to play.
you sound VERY into your GSD and that is cool.


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Your right....I'm over analyzing everything. I'll try more to just enjoy this time with him!Thanks Suzy....Jay


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Your right....I'm over analyzing everything. I'll try more to just enjoy this time with him!Thanks Suzy....Jay


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Hackles can just mean excitement. After the very early puppy months, I don't do the meet dogs thing. I try to get and keep the focus on me when around other dogs and try to be sure we play and train around neutral dogs who will help me create neutrality. If I let a pup play and meet too much with dogs..... then when he sees a dog he gets very excited, he pulls to get to them, he gets frustrated when he can't and then it starts to look like aggression.

Since I have had the joy of creating this scenario before, I try to avoid it. If there are other dogs and the pup is getting excited, I become more interesting, go the other way, create some play, get out of the proximity and try to condition that other dogs mean to interact with me, not them. It can take a bit of time and the young are very impetuous.


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## jay d (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks,I will give that a try.I spent a couple hours with a personal trainer who said I need to be more animated and interesting to the pup,just as you are suggesting,I tend to be a pretty low key person,and had hoped that would reflect to the dog,a,calm state. I will give your ideas a real try....I will keep in touch....Jay


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