# Barking at People/Dogs (Our 1 Issue with Jazmyn)



## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

We are absolutely head over heels for our little girl. She is a really well behaved dog (13 weeks), and her training is coming along really well. She is really food-driven and this works to our advantage in most cases. So far, we only use her kibble as "treats" and this works extremely well. She knows the basics (sit, lay down, stand, stay, come, her name), as well as tricks (jump, spin, paw, speak). We have worked on off leash work in a tennis court and she stays right with us, but have yet to expand into open areas as her recall is not where it should be for this. She doesn't jump on people when she greets, them and is learning leave it for her biting.


Our issue with her that I'm concerned about is that she is nervous/fearful of excited dogs and she barks at oncoming people/dogs on walks. She did not do this the first 3 weeks, but has been getting worse the last 2 weeks. Here are some recent examples:
On a walk, a man approached us with his 2 terrier dogs. She was walking well with us, and then we all but disappeared to her. She barks at him, wants to go forward, but then will move behind us and continue to bark. We do not reward this and try to ignore and keep moving but shes fixated.
Hubby walked her by a house with 2 elderly people out front. She barked of course. They're experienced GSD owners so it didn't phase them, and once she got to go see them (they wanted to meet her), she was super happy, tail wagging and all.
People will walk by across the street, or something catches her attention that shes unsure about, and she barks. Distracting her with a treat will often work for this.
At puppy school, she does not like the crazy excited puppies. She tries to get away from them. However, she is very curious about the slow moving puppies (a bulldog pup and a lab that fell asleep in class LOL). She does love meeting the owners more than the puppies.
We were down by the waterfront, and she barked at all approaching people, including 2 kids who were about 9-10. When the people have no dogs, she is excited and is very much wanting to meet the people, but her barking is probably making them nervous.
We went to visit my mom & our neighbours 2 dogs were out. Their GSD 7 month puppy is a little wild and was going nuts. Jazmyn was unsure of her, so she just layed down and ignored their dog (yay!) and eventually their dog followed suit. However, she did bark at first and go behind us. She did this at puppy school as well, but as the class went along, she was paying full attention to us and less to the other dogs around her.
She is usually quite confident on our walks. She doesn't pull, walks fairly well with a loose leash but when she sees people/dogs its totally different. From what I've read, this is leash reactivity, and she's slightly fearful. (At home, at my moms home and in our yard, she is very confident & explorative, and LOVES to meet new people)

This week is supposed to be warmer so we are going to try and sit outside of a Walmart/Superstore to just let her people watch and treat her for ignoring or watching quietly. We are also going to ask strangers to give her a treat during walks to help her learn that good things come from new people too.

Are there tips on how we can help this? Any tips specifically for the winter? 

Thanks!!! (and ask away if you need any more info!)


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

I read 1 mistake you made and thats giving her a treat to redirect her attention. You are actually rewarding her for barking. 

I would also ask who is taking who for a walk. Do you follow the correct guidelines so your dog understands you are taking her for a walk. If you allow your dog to think she is the pack leader she will possibly continue acting the same way.

Allowing her to socialize as much as possible should build her confidence. 
You might want to stay clear of dogs that are very hyper or dog owners that don't control their dogs until she gets a bit older and more confidence in herself.

Reward her only when she acts appropriately.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

I should clarify that we ask her to sit & pay attention to us (being quiet) before we give her the treat. If shes barking, no treat. If we can't stop her from barking, we remove her and continue on our walk with no treat/praise.

I believe that we definitely take her for a walk. We get her to sit before any street crossing and she is almost always walking right between us in a loose heel position (she likes to be close). We don't allow her to wander and we do not let her pull us where she wants to go. If she stops behind us, she gets a little encouragement or a treat lure and back inbetween us she goes. She also does this when we are practicing off leash in a tennis court or fenced area.


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

ZAYDA said:


> I read 1 mistake you made and thats giving her a treat to redirect her attention. You are actually rewarding her for barking.
> 
> I would also ask who is taking who for a walk. Do you follow the correct guidelines so your dog understands you are taking her for a walk. If you allow your dog to think she is the pack leader she will possibly continue acting the same way.
> 
> ...


Many people use treats as redirection in reactive behavior. It's not seen as rewarding the barking, but associating reward or a good thing with whatever she is reacting to. I used this with my reactive female as a pup. As she got older and stronger, I used a combination of correction and rewards.


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

*Lisa* said:


> I should clarify that we ask her to sit & pay attention to us (being quiet) before we give her the treat. If shes barking, no treat. If we can't stop her from barking, we remove her and continue on our walk with no treat/praise.
> 
> I believe that we definitely take her for a walk. We get her to sit before any street crossing and she is almost always walking right between us in a loose heel position (she likes to be close). We don't allow her to wander and we do not let her pull us where she wants to go. If she stops behind us, she gets a little encouragement or a treat lure and back inbetween us she goes. She also does this when we are practicing off leash in a tennis court or fenced area.


I think you're doing well. Just continue to socialize and redirect the behavior. My female was extremely dog reactive beginning at only 14 weeks. Her fear is genetic and can never be fully trained out of her, but with time, she has come leaps and bounds. The most important thing I learned is not to react to the negative behavior, and always display calm assertiveness. I used to get tense on walks because of her reactiveness and she would sense it and feed off of me. It will take some time, but you will learn to read her body language and intercept the behavior before it occurs. Good luck!


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Jaz is my first dog, and the first that has been people/dog reactive. She has been improving in some ways, but not in others.

Tonight for example, we were out on our walk. A couple was coming up behind us and i saw them so i had her focus on me, being quiet with treats. Once they were within 20 feet, i disappeared to her. She barked like crazy. Thankfully they werent afraid. They approaced us and finally Jazmyn realized she may get some attention. She does back up behind me so she is unsure & nervous. The female wanted to pet her so i asked if she'd give treats and she agreed. Jazmyn came right around, fear gone! Tail wagging, happy puppy. HOWEVER, when they went to walk away from us, crazy puppy returned! Barking, whining & pulling. She had no focus so we went the other direction. She barked until they were out of her sight.

She seems to act up more on walks at night vs. daytime. We'll see what i can do tomorrow with higher value treats.

Any other suggestions?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Lakl said:


> I think you're doing well. Just continue to socialize and redirect the behavior. My female was extremely dog reactive beginning at only 14 weeks. Her fear is genetic and can never be fully trained out of her, but with time, she has come leaps and bounds. The most important thing I learned is not to react to the negative behavior, and always display calm assertiveness. I used to get tense on walks because of her reactiveness and she would sense it and feed off of me. It will take some time, but you will learn to read her body language and intercept the behavior before it occurs. Good luck!


I agree. She is only a baby and I think you will get a handle on it. Just stay calm and in charge and she will probably come around. Many GSDs have genetic weaknesses that can only be partially overcome or overcome with a lot of work and time. Hopefully, your pup is just exuberant and will calm down with maturity and your leadership.


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## Gracie's My Girl (May 27, 2011)

Your puppy sounds exactly like my girl at that age! I finally figured out the best way for me to work through those situations. I would use my happiest voice, get her to focus on me using a treat, and keep on walking! 

It is so essential not to back off socialization and be put off by the discouraging barking. Best of luck!


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Here's a bit of an update:

Jazmyn is now just over 16 weeks old. This is still an ongoing issue. Some days are better/worse than others. We have yet to find the "right" treat that will help snap her out of a crazy state. Prevention seems to be the key, but doesn't always work.

Barking at "things" (ie plants, strange trees, etc) is calming, and is more of a quiet huff. She is very easy to quiet when passing these objects and focus is very easily returned to us.

People/Dogs are still another issue. It also doesn't help that just about 2 weeks ago, she was almost attacked by an off-leash rottweiler (ugh the joys of set backs). She is learning "watch me" and occasionally checks in, but when shes very interested removing her is the other option & we turn and walk the other way.

Hubby is taking her more places during the day, to walk & people watch. Walmart parking lot, grocery store lot, gas stations are all in close distance so they are the plan for now.

We took her to a puppy social at our new training facility on the weekend, and overall she did fairly well (I think). She was barking like a crazy woman going in, but we had her calm down & lay down before entering. When you walk in the door before the off leash play session there is a gate, she layed down before entering. Once in, she was unsure, but got comfy after a little bit. The puppy social is for dogs 10-24 weeks old (preferably breeds over 20 pounds by this stage). She got along fairly well with our friends 20 week old white gsd, and did enjoy chasing the ball and playing chase with other dogs. A few things I noticed:
1) She is not a very good puppy greeter, she goes for the nose sniff rather than the rear, we're working on this
2) She attempts to nip playing chase (herding behaviour that I don't like - we'd call her back for a moment if she was doing this)
3) She likes to be the Chaser, not the chasee sometimes
4) She barks at the dogs when playing, which they dont seem to totally understand/like
5) She doesn't like dogs with highly excited energy or when they're jumping all over her (one puppy was 3 legged and moved sparatically and was jumping all over her, she didn't like him)

She starts her next "Basic Manners" class tomorrow night, so I am going to ask the trainer for any advice (She'll see Jazmyn's behaviour when we walk in, as there will be new dogs/people in the class she hasn't met)

After puppy social she met my friend & his wife, with the 3.5 year old twins and did great! They have a chihuahua/jack russell cross that was very annoyed by her size, but she was nice. Their Pomeranian mix did well with her and she pretty much just ignored her. She was really nice to the kids, except 1 case of sock stealing lol.

Any advise is greatly appreciated


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## OriginalWacky (Dec 21, 2011)

Sometimes when a dog gets over threshold then there IS no treat that will bring them back, so prevention is really really important. If at all possible, really watch for the signs that she's getting closer to reacting and work from there or farther away. 

I've found that some dogs just have different playing styles. And some dogs can adjust to most styles, or might not like certain ones. A good trainer should be able to help point out things you can do to mitigate any issues that might be small now but turn into big ones later.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I think the fact you are going the extra step and joining the dog classes will be a huge help. Think you'll be amazed at how well she starts doing after a few weeks of the classes.

It's why the majority of the smarter people on the board go to classes with their pups/dogs for as long as they need to! So much easier and more fun. With much less FRUSTRATION!


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks  I'm looking forward to tonight's class as well. The training facility (SuperDogs Central) seems to be more indepth than her previous puppy kindergarten school. I'm hoping the trainer will be able to give us more individual attention & specific tips to try. If she does well, and if we really like the facility, they offer classes in agility, fly ball, and all kinds of other things. We really like the idea of keeping her in classes to give her something to do once per week.

During her last puppy school, she'd be reactive the first 5-10 minutes, but then she'd completely calm down and rest at our feet, not paying attention to the other dogs at all. She'd practice sits, downs, etc all with the other dogs moving around.

This weekend we're hoping to be able to sit for quite some time down by the lake and just watch people go by. We'll take it slow with a far distance, and really yummy treats.

Walks have become really stressful for both of us as she is now pulling, only increasing her reactions. Hubby is spending time with her reteaching her to walk calmly on the leash and treating when shes staying beside him. Last night she reacted soooo poorly to an oncoming man and his small dog. I felt bad for her scaring the poor thing with her barking. We tried to catch it early, but it seems like on a walk specifically, her reaction distance is much greater than if we're just sitting hanging out.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm going to use this as kind of an update thread to see how Jazmyn is progressing. Posts will be long LOL

Any suggestions/remarks as I go would be amazing. I've experienced & handled a reactive dog, so any help is very much appreciated. 

*Wednesday's Puppy School*
Jazmyn was a hot mess when we arrived. The facility has a boarding area where there are usually barking dogs. Upon arriving & turning the car off, she could hear them and lost it. Not even out of the car, and she forgot we existed. The class before us was ending and people were walking out and she was barking. Once she stopped, I went in to set her up for class and hubby stayed out with Jazmyn, taking her out of the car. She went into a state I've never seen before. She was barking, whining, yelping, all on leash. Paul just basically ignored her and she continued this for about 10 minutes.

She calmed down some, and we moved closer towards the door, but still not entering into the building. Oddly enough, here she was still reacting, but also responsive when I'd say her name, she'd look at me rather than be completely oblivious to my existence. She'd break her craze and pay attention. She'd bark at just people coming out but less than people with dogs.

Class was about to begin and she settled enough to let her into the entry way. She barked of course, but we stayed calm and she calmed down within a few moments. However, there is a dog in our class that she is definitely nervous around. An 8 month old, intact, Cane Corso. He is GIANT. Its a 16 weeks & up class, so no age maximum. He was very intrigued by her barking, and barked back. Paul walked in front of him with Jazmyn and he pulled so hard he snapped his collar. He did only come up for the sniff, but I'm not sure what he'd have done off leash if she'd turned and barked at him.

After that, class went fabulously. She was intensely focused on me and did all of her commands great. We left the class on a really positive note, and no barking at dogs for most of the rest of the class. The entrance seems to be her issue.

*The Car*
Jazmyn does not like going in & out of the car. I think it still makes her feel sick and I'd hate the car too. She won't come near the car if it's on, so we've been treating her when shes near it and it's off. Once in, she's usually okay and lays down. Getting out of the car, she does try and rush out, but we're treating for calmness. We drive an SUV so she's still to small to jump in & out on her own.

We're going to practice just sitting in the car without going anywhere (both on the back seat and in the cargo area), going for quick trips around the block, etc.

*Yesterday (Mar. 11th) - Visiting My Mom & The Park*
Jaz did fairly well in the car on the 20 minute drive. She got out, but heard dogs barking and that set her off. We stayed calm, until her initial outburst was done. We had my mom stay back so that she wasn't rewarding her barking with affection. Once Jazmyn calmed down, we let my mom approach and she was so well behaved (always is once she can meet people).

Headed down the back gate & our neighbours 2 dogs (Great Pyrenese & German Shepherd) were in the yard. Noah the GP, came to the fence to greet, they nose sniffed for a moment, and Jazmyn went nuts. Looked aggressive, but I think its fear. She seems to be nervous of dogs that are larger than her. Also her being on a leash and Noah being offleash and behind the gate didn't help. Noah is such a good girl and ignored Jazmyn's barking. Eventually, she stopped barking and continued into our yard. For the rest of the time she ignored the GSDs whines and other barking from neighbours. Very focused on us and my parents.

We took her to the Park and had a great experience. She saw a bunch of dogs (boxer off leash, GSD, pit bull, small dogs, husky, etc all from a large distance. She barked once, but was immediately focused back on us. We tried really hard to keep her engaged. We then went into the tennis court & let her off leash. She did amazing following us, playing with us, and ignoring the kids & dogs that were being walked by the tennis court. A few times she'd run over to the fence, silently, but a name call would bring her right back. 

We walked back to the house, and she completely ignored a person walking past us, stayed loose leash, and looked at us numerous times.

It was a great end to the day, and I think a positive experience as a whole.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

*Tuesday March 13th
*Paul was home with Jazmyn all day enjoying the nice weather and he sent me a text with a really good update on yesterday's interactions (It's March Break here)

He took her for a really long walk around our neighbourhood and this is what she can into (copied & pasted from his text lol):


There were babies in strollers
Kids playing with tennis balls,
2 pugs with with a dude
2 adults with 2 Bernese Mountain dogs (she barked at them, but I was able to get her attention back on me)
3 young girls
4 kids at the park yelling and screaming
1 dude on a power walk
A young couple getting in their car
An old lady entering her house with a small white dog(she barked at her & the dog)
Jazmyn also spent about a half hour with my niece (Abby - 2) and our neighbour's son (Sean - 3). Usually Jazmyn barks at Sean and his parents, not sure why, maybe because he reminds her of Abby. Jazmyn gave an amazing greeting with both the mom and Sean. Sean is apparently scared of dogs after "a bad incident with their crazy pyscho dog they got rid of (she bit him bad, no stitches though)" (quotes from Paul's text). Jazmyn was really nice to Sean, and sat nicely while he gave her a pet and she did lick his face. Not a single nip. Jazmyn also gave Abby a high five and let her get in a few nice pets. Jazmyn ultimately laid in the grass and watched Abby & Sean play.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

*Update!!*

An update!
Over the last month since I have updated this, we have made some HUGE progresses with Jazmyn's socialization. Her reactivity is still there, but slowly, we're managing things. Here are some highlights!


Withdrew from puppy school as the dogs were causing here to be too reactive, we have been working a lot instead on focus & engagement - We are having a private lesson this coming weekend
Jaz will now enter and exit the car calmly. She won't jump into the suv, but we toss a treat on the seat and she'll willingly put both paws up on the seat and look at us to be picked up and in. Huge improvement from backing away from the car.
Is able to ignore dogs on our walks that are barking in the distance with no issue. She will ignore dogs that are about 100ft away or so if she sees them, any closer is a reaction but she's becoming more easily redirected
Is getting MUCH better at not barking at people on walks. We walked by multiple people on the weekend (distance from the sidewalk to their driveway was a few feet), with no reaction, or a slight pull but no bark
Her loose leash walking is becoming much more consistent. The clicker & treats have been working well
Her leave it command is becoming much stronger - will remove her mouth from our hands/feet, leave furniture, ignore barking dogs, or will ignore a passing person with a strong leave it. We also use it in the car when shes interested in joggers/people we pass.
She now goes into a down, almost totally on her own, when my niece is around. Very pleased at this. Still gets excited but that's to be expected so she remains leashed.
She is very good at meeting people. She will go up to them and sit. You can see she wants to jump up, but does her best to stay down. Offers licks without nibbles, and often offers up her belly. I'm okay with this behaviour for now as I like seeing her social & confident.
She played VERY well with my sister's lab mix off-leash (they met on the weekend twice).
Jazmyn has an EXCELLENT recall. HUGE success with a very far recall while playing with my sister's dog, and Jaz even encouraged Paisley to come back as well. Jazmyn also came back to us when Paisley wouldn't return. Very proud and we've been working hard at it.
So proud of my pup :wub:

I made a blog to keep running notes on Jaz as well ~ All That Jaz ~


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Just some advice...don't get over confident with her recall quite yet. She's still a baby and will listen to you. You're about to go into the teenage butthead stage where she will mature and you won't be the most interesting thing in her life anymore. She will become more courageous and start exploring by herself, so don't depend on an off leash recall quite yet. Always make sure she's on leash if its not a fenced in area or an area far from danger (roads).

It sounds like things are going well, I've never dealt with a reactive dog so I have no advice on that front, but I know the LAT game is usually what is recommended on this forum.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Totally agree on the recall, we have some trying months ahead but it was a very good test after the work we've put in with her on-leash and leash dragging recall  

This field is part of a school yard (we go on weekends or late evenings), and is almost completely fenced in (except for a few gaps very very far on the other side that we don't go near).

We have a 30ft long lead for training, and we don't let her off leash unless its a secured area. Never know when a leaf may blow by that she decides to chase in the wind LOL

With us around and another dog, she likes to stay close.


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## jetbootz (Apr 7, 2012)

Hi Lisa, just wanted to let you know that I've been following these posts for a while now and I find them really insightful, please keep up the great work


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

kudos to you and Jazmyn!! Keep up the good work!! Your doing great


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks Diane! We've been working hard and it's nice to see results from that. Still a long way to go with Miss Jazmyn, but we'll get there in time.

Jetbootz - Thanks! I'm trying to update my blog more regularly as well and I can provide more information there in regards to her socialization and her reactivity, but I'll keep putting highlights up here as well.

The forum's suggestions and tips have been a great help so far.


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## lavender87 (Apr 12, 2012)

Hi LISA,

Your dog was a smart dog. She recognized stranger at the very early stage of age. Barking is not a big deal if you learn how to train her to bark only when necessary. 

Your dog is good to train for protection or to be a guard dog. I love your dog, and wish that my GSD does the same. You should spend a little more time and learn how to control over her as a leader. And don't listen to many stupid people who wanted your dog to be friendly. You dog showed the characteristic of loyalty.

Not all dogs are loyal to their owner. The fact is that, everybody-friendly dogs can be trained to be mean or to be protecting dogs, but he/she was not a kind of loyal dog. Though you were successfully trained an everyone-friendly dog to be a protecting dog, that dog was changed just because of food or treats but not because of loyalty. 

For example, a patriot can not be a person that loyal to all countries. The same with dogs, a loyal dog can not be a dog that loyal to everyone. 

Loyalty is different from cleverness or smart level of a dog. It is about the properties of individual. 

For example, a talented person does not mean a patriot or moral person. Ancient ASIAN people say:"talented but unmoral is considered a disgusting trash"... Same with dog, though a dog has a high level of cleverness but lack of loyalty, then that dog was not deserved the love of his/her owner!

Congratulation, you have been lucky to find a loyal dog.


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## lavender87 (Apr 12, 2012)

All breeder would socialize their puppies at the very young age, but they would keep the mean puppy for them-self and won't sell it or to sell at the very high price to organization to be service dogs. Those mean puppiess are rare and only a few of them may be trained to be super service dogs. Because they are less distracted from the surrounding and so could focus more on duty. In contrast, those every-body friendly dogs are toys and they love to play all the times, they will never be great duty dogs.

One reason, why people trying to spread the thought of a friendly dog as a lovely one, because breeder want to get rid of their puppies as soon as possible. And the second true fact is that, only 1 or 2 puppies in the litter are loyal dogs, most of puppies are friendly to everyone. The 1 or 2 mean puppies in the litter will be passed to police dog or service dog training organizations.

So don't expect to own a protective dog with a few hundred of dollars. Each of the puppies selected for service purpose will cost not under 2 or 3 thousands of dollars, and a few more thousands of dollars to train that puppy.


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## *Lisa* (Nov 20, 2011)

Hi Lavender,

While I don’t mind her barking when it is necessary, barking at every person/dog/moving object while out on a walk is not acceptable to me. Our neighbourhood is full of older adults, young kids and small dogs, and with Jazmyn being a GSD, she automatically has a stigma that is attached to her. Barking & lunging will only reinforce that stigma, and we want her to be a joy to have in the neighbourhood, not a nuisance. We also want people to feel safe, rather than threatened by her. Her dog reactivity is one thing, her people reactivity is another and in my eyes, not okay.

I believe that her barking isn’t her showing loyalty, its excitement/frustration because she wants to meet people and her leash prevents her from doing that. It’s also a combination of excitement/fear when she barks at other dogs/objects as she is unsure of how to react. She will bark when people walk by our bedroom window (basement apartment) because she is unsure of who they are, its insecurity.

We have absolutely ZERO expectations for her to be used as a guard dog or for protection. We want her to be a loving member of our family that is welcoming & accepting of friends, family and children. Being friendly is a goal that we are working extremely hard towards with Jazmyn and we’re having success, even if it’s in small steps.

At her age, 5 months, I do not expect or want her to be showing loyalty/possessiveness/protection over us. I want her to be interested in the world, experience all the good it has to offer, and to look to me for guidance on how to react to certain situations, or to simply not react at all. We are working every day on our bond and she is doing much better. The “Click & Treat” method is teaching her very well that she is to look for me to guide her and that a reward will follow upon the right action. Bonding with her and having a strong bond is extremely important, and we do want her to be loyal to US (she is very attached already), but just because she is loyal to us, doesn’t mean she can’t be social with friends & family. It is okay for her to be hesitant of strangers, but she should not act out/react, and she be able to realize the person is okay if we are okay with them.

I don’t believe that breeders, especially one breeding for the right reasons, will keep the “mean” puppies for themselves because they’re loyal & protective. They keep puppies that have strong nerves and a great drive to use as show/work dogs, not because they are “mean”. I also don't believe that the good breeders are extremely anxious to "get rid" of their puppies as fast as possible.

 In regards to your statement of “the mean puppies are rare.....because they are less distracted from the surrounding and so could focus more on duty”, Jazmyn doesn’t fit this at all. If a loyal puppy is the mean puppy, and they are less distracted, Jazmyn couldn’t be any further from that. Once you let her close to a person, she is totally in love with them. She will sit nicely, tail wagging and will offer her belly for rubs. She is DISTRACTED by EVERYTHING, which only ramps up her reactivity on a walk. Heck, a leaf blowing across the pavement is the best thing in the world for her. LOL We are teaching her to be neutral and working on focus & engagement with her to teach her to be less distracted by the world.

I think "mean" is being used when words like drive, focus and aloofness should be used.


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## lavender87 (Apr 12, 2012)

Hi, Lisa

You are right about it. The point is that you don't need her to be on any duty at all, and you just want her to be a toy-pet. So in my opinion, it is not too hard to make her stop barking and be nice such a cat. In my experience, though not experience much with GSD, but my family have raised many types of dogs in ASIA for years, you should not leash your 5 months old puppy any where alone, except when you walk with her. Let her run free in your back yard with high fence, it will calm her when she get older. 

My experience told me that leashing a dog alone in a certain area, though small or large space, will lead to aggression as puppy getting older. 

I did not know that your puppy bark at others because she was excited. LOL, I thought she was like my dogs years ago. My family always choose the best guard dog to keep for family and will not let it go for any price because in ASIA, people prefer dog to be aloof as you said. But anyway we are not breeder.

I still remember that, my dad tested the puppies right after their eyes opened. Usually there was only 1 or no puppy will go back ward and show fear to us. A puppy that shows fear to people at first time, not always because they are lack of nerve, LOL, they show preventive. They will recognize owner very soon and since then no one can touch them except for the owner and family members. 

Sorry to say that a wagging tail dogs to strangers are kinds of market dogs, but not a truly friend or a loyal companion dog as people imagined. I rather have a cat or a small breed dog if I decide to care for him/her as a toy.

There may be a big difference in culture between the Eastern and the Western of the earth. In ASIA people value loyalty as the best characteristic of creatures, no matter human or animal. It is hard to tell the differences between Idealistic Philosophy and Materialistic Philosophy. 

we don't consider our dog as a pet, but we consider he/she as a friend and a family member who can sacrifice for us just as we were willingly to sacrifice for him/her. I have live in USA for around 10 years and have witnessed many dog owners who stated to love their dogs just as family member, but when their dog got sick and could cost over a thousand dollars, then they decided to find another loving dog! what a materialistic mind! Is a family member only worth a few hundred of dollars?

A lack of loyalty dog should not receive the true love, it is not worth it, but our loyal dog is priceless.

"A partiotic martyr should be remembered for many generations, but an alcoholic death is not worth the memory!"


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## lavender87 (Apr 12, 2012)

Hi, Lisa

You are right about it. The point is that you don't need her to be on any duty at all, and you just want her to be a toy-pet. So in my opinion, it is not too hard to make her stop barking and be nice such a cat. In my experience, though not experience much with GSD, but my family have raised many types of dogs in ASIA for years, you should not leash your 5 months old puppy any where alone, except when you walk with her. Let her run free in your back yard with high fence, it will calm her when she get older. 

My experience told me that leashing a dog alone in a certain area, though small or large space, will lead to aggression as puppy getting older. 

I did not know that your puppy bark at other because she was excited. LOL, I thought she was like my dogs years ago. My family always choose the best guard dog to keep for family and will not let it go for any price because in ASIA, people prefer dog to be aloof as you said. But anyway we are not breeder.

I still remember that, my dad tested the puppy right after their eyes opened. Usually there was only 1 or no puppy will go back ward and show fear to us. A puppy that show fear to people at first time, not always because they are lack of nerve, LOL, they show preventive. They will recognize owner very soon and since then no one can touch them except for the owner and family members. 

Sorry to say that a wagging tail dogs to strangers are kinds of market dogs, but not a truly friend or a loyal companion dog as people imagined. A cat or a small dog breed is best to serve as a toy. 

There may be a big difference in culture between the Eastern and the Western of the earth. In ASIA people value loyalty as the best characteristic of creatures, no matter human or animal. It is hard to tell the differences between idealistic philosophy and Materialistic philosophy. 

we don't consider a dog as a pet, we consider he/she as a friend and a family member who can sacrifice for us just as we were willingly to sacrifice for him/her. I have lived in USA for around 10 years and have witness many dog owners who stated to love their dogs just as family member, but when their dog got sick and could cost over a thousand dollars, then they decided to find another loving dog! what a materialistic mind! Is a family member only worth a few hundred of dollars?

A lack of loyalty dog should not receive the true love, it is not worth it. 

"A partiotic martyr should be remembered for many generations, but an alcoholic death is not worth the memory!"


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## Sir Bear (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi Lisa! I know this may not be the solution for every puppy...but my pup bear(same age as yours) was what I thought of as "dog reactive" until I caved and started taking him to the dog park every day. I'd say he's barked once in the last three weeks when he used to go ballistic. Initially I was scared off from the dog park because a lot of people say they are a horrible idea, but I think I was stunting him by only letting him play with the couple dogs we knew. For him I think he was barking because he was unsure of other dogs and once he got to consistently meet a lot of new, friendly dogs they aren't a mystery anymore. 

Having this much contact with other dogs comes with its own set of concerns, but for me watching to make sure all the dogs are playing well together is much better than worrying about the barking and craziness on leash. And he's learning how to play and getting energy out. Just don't be afraid to grab your dog and leave if any strange dogs don't seem nice to you. Just my two cents, but it worked for me!


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