# Very Reactive To Sudden Movements.



## PreciousSister (Oct 8, 2012)

Hello all again! I need some tips for our new older pup Trooper. First let me say this...he is a five month old with little to no manners or training. The breeder who had him worked an did not train him ( we adopted him from her under the premise we will not breed him and have no papers on him, i would not buy from a BYB) as far as i know he had little socialization (but he takes new situations in stride after a few minutes) the only thing he had to learn from was the other 3 GSDs in the house..his sister seemed very reactive to new people.He is a smart dog , and has his own manners with other dogs with no problem ( and yes we are doing basic training right now "sit,stay,down ect." ) .My question is this...Trooper is VERY reactive to sudden movements from anyone; even our other dog Bogie.He will bark,growl and look around like he is searching for a "bad thing" . I have searched through the forum here and can't seem to find tips on how to stop this. I know he is still a insecure puppy ,and i want to help him be a confident dog..any advice? 


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

How long have you had him? Maybe he is still settling in, and after living in a calm home, with good leadership, and role models, he will become more confident in the big bad world around him. I don't know how you will stop this behavior, but taking him to classes and building his confidence might be a place to start. Good luck.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

There is a post about "2 week shut down". If you search what's in parenthesis, you should be able to find it. It may help you, it sounded good anyway. The person who was talking about this handles many rescues from all backgounds, so I have some idea that the info. would be useful to you!

I agree with classes. Also, don't tip toe around the pup or try to 'avoid' doing things that would startle it. Go on about your business. Don't fuss over the pup or coddle it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

5 months old is probably right on the line where I would think that one might start a shut down period. Dogs that are under five months should be a lot more able to switch homes with few wrinkles. And I do not know that I like the idea of ignoring puppies. I mean, a puppy needs to know right away that this is good, this is not so good. For an older dog, over a year old, I would definitely consider some form of shut down, let the dog relax and come to you, get used to the rhythm of the home without being subjected to a lot of extra stuff, being taken everywhere, etc. Get to know the dog, let the dog know/trust you before going out into the world with a dog that might not be good with all types of situations, people, or dogs.

But some rescue people might want to chime in on this as I could be all wet about the age.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

At 5 months, he is still very young and could be going thru a fear period in addition to adjusting to a new home and his new "siblings". I can just picture your Siamese cats teasing him by pouncing suddenly at him. The Siamese I had, used to hide behind doors to tease the dog. As Jag suggested, don't coddle him or try to avoid the situations. When my Sting was 5 months, he did react like that. What I did was yawn and repeat the noise. If he was afraid of a door slaming, I would yawn, the I would slam the door and yawn. It is a calming signal and did work with him to show him that there was nothing to be afraid of.


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## PreciousSister (Oct 8, 2012)

Thank you all so much for the advice! He will indeed be starting classes in about two weeks ( thats the soonest i could get him in the class  ) and yes he is still very new to out home We have had him for only a week now so it could very well be settling in still. But i will try the calming signal with him and act as if what is bothering him dosent bother me.and force myself not to coddle or try to baby him. Yes my Siamese girly Cupcakes loves to sneak attack any and everyone!! . I will keep you all updated on his progress! 


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Lack of socialization.....I have seen many puppies like this when they stay with the breeder past 3 months. This is especially prevalent with conformation kennels who want to hang on to pups until they can see if the dog will be successful in the showing
Some of this you can reverse with extensive socialization, and some will be a developmental period passed by and cannot be regained. The key to overcoming this phenomena( if this is the case), is the genetic strength of the pups nerves.
Of course this could be nutrition or hidden medical reasons


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I still say your pup is just going thru an adjustment period and the Siamese are doing their very best on making that as interesting as possible. Cliffson1, have you ever lived with a Siamese? The talking ( well, really howling) and the sudden "play moves", teasing, attacking would not be what a puppy is used to.


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## PreciousSister (Oct 8, 2012)

Clifton1 , i have no doubt he is socially lacking  ..the only time the woman took him anywhere was to the vet..poor thing didn't get the chance to learn manners ; so now we are working hard with him keeping in mind he may already have bad habits .Although he did do much better today with it..i intentionally got up suddenly and walked to the kitchen,opening and closing cabinets. He uffed some but calmed once i ignored the action . Hahaha you have lived with a Siamese i see..Cupcake is always yelling at me to play,love or feed her. He dosent bark at her anymore for it ,which im sure she appreciates .He is fine outside the house by the way; he wont bark at strangers just sniffs them cautiously. 


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i think its just a matter of lots of positive exposure and training at that age. it might be a fear stage, but sounds like he just needs time spent with him and slow conditioning to movements, etc.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Nooooooo...lol....I have never lived with a Siamese , but I have lived with GS forever .....if the behavior described is bought on by interaction with the cat....even when away from home when the cat is clearly not around???...then that speaks to something different. Jmo


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## PreciousSister (Oct 8, 2012)

Clifson1 haha they are a trip to own let me tell you! But as to your question no , he barked and acted that way to sudden movements before he met the cats. He acts awesome outside our home; on trips to the petco /petsmart and other places...he's a good citizen. He makes friends with other dogs without even a sight of hesitation. Dosent bark at all the people. Even if they move quickly ,its only at home that he dose it. I am only aware of a bit of his past . He lived with his bitch, sire and sister. There was a handicapped boy living in the home with the woman that owned him. Besides having all his shots and not really having any training or social interaction outside of the house; thats all i know about him from before he came to us. My mother thinks maybe sudden movements startle him like that because the boy was epileptic among other things and maybe the seizures he'd seen from the boy scared him. I am not to sure on this theory though.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I think your mother is right and that explains why Trooper is frightened inside the house. The Siamese can come out of the "dog house".


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

As others have said, keep him involved in socialization and structured activities and the behavior may slowly recede....good luck!


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## PreciousSister (Oct 8, 2012)

@Mary Beth i guess i never really considered how seizures could scare a dog,now i feel bad that i never thought that may be where his fear came from,least Cupcake can no longer be the bad guy! Shes bad enough as is! Anyway updates are already in order. Trooper has shown us that he a very willing learner and that he can take things in stride. He is already less reactive to sudden movements from us as we have been doing them on purpose now to help desensitize him. We barely get a ooff out of him now...he even did well meeting the mail lady today, he refused the treats from her though .He has a play date scheduled with the manager at petco who also has two GSDs Both are are around his age ;we think getting him out and about like this before his classes start will be good for his fears of strange men since he already likes the Nick. I will be starting a new thread in another section more appropriate for updates on how he is doing. THANK YOU ALL For your words if kindness,advice and opinions. And to sign off...Trooper says thank you to! 


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

You're very welcome  Congratulations to you and handsome Trooper for making such excellent progess so quickly. I look forward to reading his further adventures on his new thread.


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