# 12 week barking at strangers and visitors during socialising



## Edie (Apr 11, 2015)

We've had our GSD since 8 weeks (first time owners), she is generally lovely and well behaved, but recently has started barking at people we meet on walks now we are socialising her. In busy environments she is fine and seems not to be bothered, but when we see people walking towards us, or people get down to her level to greet her she will bark and back away. I'm worried this may be signs of fear.. Can this be normal? Could she grow out of it? Or should we be worried.. We're keeping on with the socialising and getting her out and about as much as possible without overdoing it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a pic! 
Imgur


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

She is barking because her protective instinct has reawaken. That is her age, and that is normal. She started to differentiate people by their looks and their smell. Alcohol raises adrenaline level, and dogs are capable of detecting adrenaline as a smell. So do people who feel nervous around dogs, they have adrenaline rash. Your dog might hate some smells associated with negative experience in the past: it could be some shoe polish as well as it can be a smell of pizza. Then, it is difficult for your dog to isolate a person in a busy area. But, when you are alone in the street - a stranger coming towards you looks like an attacker for her. Ignore her barks and concentrate on "Heel! command. It is all right if she wants to bark as long as she's heeling perfectly on a loose leash. Knowing that the result of such behaviour would be something for her to do out of obedience - finally she will stop it. Good idea to turn with her backwards 180 degrees every time she starts barking and walk away flashing a toy for her. Good idea to train her to carry a dumbbell on your walks, so she would feel "busy". You are doing everything correctly - she should be socialized with people further, continue to train in the same direction.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Be proactive. When you see someone coming towards you, get her attention before she reacts. Most everyone loves a puppy. So stop them from approaching her and instead give them treats that they can give to her without invading her space. Kind a quiet place with foot traffic and let her just watch the people go by and treat her when she's quiet.


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## scarfish (Apr 9, 2013)

i agree and disagree with you dave. flashing a toy just after barking is showing her a treat for what she wasn't supposed to do. you're right about refocusing the dog. i would shake the leash, say no firmly and refocus the dog on me. you could even use cesar milan's methods where he makes the snake bite tap with his hand on the back or a light kick with the foot to the side to refocus but i just give the leash a shake and say no.

after passing the person and if the dog listened to your NO a treat or toy would be fine. but i just get happy and say good boy. or i food treat in the very beginning. i don't want the dog to now want to play with a toy or be thinking about a toy during teaching walking. i want them focused on me the whole time. just my opinion. everybody does things different.


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## Reef LeDoux (Feb 21, 2015)

totally agree w JAX08. I should have been more proactive. It was cute when he barked at people when he was 10 weeks old. No one was scared and came right up to him. But I'm now working on breaking that habit while he's almost 7 months / 70lbs and a full set of scary looking teeth barking. Definitely should have nipped it in the bud.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

I did "Who Pets my Puppy or Dog" with my guy forhis "people issues." He was not much on barking, but a cold hard stare and a low growl greeted visitors in our home!

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html

I kept people out of his "space" and taught him to ignore people. If someone asked about him I stood between them and him. He learned to accept this as the norm and after awhile once I understood, how he looked when he was not "stressed" I let someone pet him. He did not particular care but good enough, he is now safe in public and that was all I cared about.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I'm with Jax and Reef, with such a young puppy keeping things light and fun and paying attention to be PRO-active is key. A ziplock baggie full of treats so when my puppy sees someone new (before they panic and bark) I am giving a piece of cheese/chicken/whatever sure does make those new strangers alot more wonderful!

PUPPY CLASSES! huge help and so much fun for pup and human.

Have you gotten a great start on ---> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...191183-top-training-expectations-puppies.html just working on the 'engagement' will show huge improvements !


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## Edie (Apr 11, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the replies. She's been doing well, we have been socialising with this in mind and having people approach in a more neutral manner and it's been working, she is letting people pet her and give her treats without a fuss which is great. However just today someone gave her a more boisterous hello when going to pet, I didn't have time to intervene and she barked and snapped. This reminded me of the job ahead, I really hope with appropriate socialisation, love and training she can overcome this. It would be really difficult for us to have an adult dog displaying these behaviours.

Thanks again for all the replies


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

David Taggart said:


> She is barking because her protective instinct has reawaken. That is her age, and that is normal. She started to differentiate people by their looks and their smell. Alcohol raises adrenaline level, and dogs are capable of detecting adrenaline as a smell. So do people who feel nervous around dogs, they have adrenaline rash. Your dog might hate some smells associated with negative experience in the past: it could be some shoe polish as well as it can be a smell of pizza. Then, it is difficult for your dog to isolate a person in a busy area. But, when you are alone in the street - a stranger coming towards you looks like an attacker for her. Ignore her barks and concentrate on "Heel! command. It is all right if she wants to bark as long as she's heeling perfectly on a loose leash. Knowing that the result of such behaviour would be something for her to do out of obedience - finally she will stop it. Good idea to turn with her backwards 180 degrees every time she starts barking and walk away flashing a toy for her. Good idea to train her to carry a dumbbell on your walks, so she would feel "busy". You are doing everything correctly - she should be socialized with people further, continue to train in the same direction.


This is about a 12 week old pup! A pup at that age is not protective but afraid. Heel is too far fetched to demand from a pup. Where do you get your research on all that stuff about adrenaline etc. It is NOT alright to bark in a heel position.
I agree with you on further socialization but sometimes I don't understand your advice. Just my 2 cents.


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## Chai (Dec 11, 2014)

I agree with not letting her be overwhelmed, be selective over who greets her. I'd go as far as to get a little harness (with room for growing) with those velcro patches that you can add signs to like "do not pet" or "Please give me space". I had one that I sometimes attached to my bag/training belt that said "please ask before petting me". It had a little little paw print with a happy face in it, so ppl didn't think he was some vicious little monster!

I think go back to quieter areas, and slowly build up the action as she grows more confident and learns (from you) what is appropriate behaviour, and that she shouldn't be afraid as you are there to protect her. Use toys, treats - anything that will make her associate calmness around strangers/new environment a good thing. Catch her BEFORE she spots someone and displays any fear. With the correct training, she'll grow into a solid, confident lady!

And OMG she is so cute, no wonder she gets so much attention!!


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## Edie (Apr 11, 2015)

Update: we have had some progress with her, she is generally calm until approached and she will: shy away, bark and snap. Today she has just bitten a little girl on the face at puppy class while she was stroking her from the side on after giving her a treat. It has not left much of a mark and the girl was ok. Last night we introduced her to some family members on neutral territory, if they got to close she barked at them showing teeth and snapping. With us she is lovely, in the outside world she is different. Sometimes appears calm, other times a bit scared. When people approach/look at her this behaviour comes out. At classes, every dog that comes near her she lunges at.

This is the last thing we want in a dog, we are friendly people and want a social dog we can take with us everywhere. Are we fighting a losing battle with her...? We have experience with dogs, but never a fearful dog showing these sorts of behaviours at such a young age. There has been nothing we can pinpoint in her history that could have triggered this. We have been taking a slowly slowly approach to her socialisation, trying to ensure everything is positive. 

She is 14 weeks old now, she has been like this since 8 weeks getting progressively worse in terms of aggression towards people and dogs. At puppy class it is most obvious she is nothing like the other puppies in terms of confidence and temperament. We have a behaviourist coming out in two weeks, but after this bite today I am starting to think the worst.. I really worry what would happen to her if we returned her to the breeder and it's heartbreaking as we have really bonded with her (even our other dog loves her)..


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Get the help of a veterinarian behaviorist. Do you get the right help in class? It sounds like she needs private training.


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Just wondering,
at what point would you return a puppy to the breeder?

The OP's pup is 14 weeks old and has been showing signs of aggression or fear...and the aggression or fear has escalated to a bite (or was it a real bite or just a pup being mouthy?)
Also, the op sees that her pup is different than the other pups in class.

Surly, A family that purchases a pup from a breeder should have some assurance that the pup they purchased has a solid temperament.


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## Katz79 (Jan 21, 2016)

My GSD is 13 weeks old and barks at strangers on lead walks from day one. He was a nervous puppy from day one sadly which we realised shortly after getting him. He is fine off lead very little barking and sticks with me and will happily play with other dogs but he is re active on lead. The strange thing is he can walk through a crowd of people with no fear at all (Say at a shopping area) and shows interest in the people who approach us but if we are walking on the path near our home and a stranger approaches alone then he lets out a couple of barks and sometmes his hackles go up (no lunging) if I see the person coming before his does I just turn him 180 put him in a sit and either show him his tug toy or treats and say watch me so he is focussed on me and not the passer by and that seems to work so barking then. I have been doing this for 2 weeks and he is a little better but I wouldnt trust him not to get mouthy if that person was too much in his space. I always ask people to just ignore him and only if he approaches the person playfully do I let them give him a treat and stroke him under his chin (he does not like to be stroked on his head by anyone but our immediate family plus this starts off the puppy biting which I try to avoid with his land shark puppy teeth!) I too worry his bark will one day turn into a bite and there seems to be no consistency to the type of people he takes a dislike too. I know it is fear and not protecting me I just want him to be more confident and I am hoping he ill improve over the weeks to come with socialization and puppy classes.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Well ... I tried, good luck with your "behaviourist.


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