# 4 month old way too reactive to dogs



## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

Our 17 week old male GSD is very reactive to other dogs. He seems to be insecure around them. Until he had all his shots he only got to meet family and neighbor dogs, as well as our two other dogs (of course). He never had bad experiences with our dogs or other dogs. Our older GSD has reprimanded him for being a brat, but she has never hurt him. When he had his shots we started going to puppy play time at Petco. He avoids the bigger puppies and is even a little insecure around some of the dogs his own size. None of the other pups bug him too much when he wants to be left alone and after a while he comes out of his shell and plays with a couple other GSD pups that are his size. Occasionally he will play with a couple that are bigger.

We also started puppy class (not at petco) 2 weeks ago. He initially has the very deep insecure bark when we first get there which turns into the higher pitched "I want to play" bark. After a while he calms down and has excellent focus. He is also very reactive to other dogs on walks. He goes nuts! He uses the very deep and insecure bark. We don't have a lot of dog traffic in our area, so today I drove to a more populated area where there are lots of people walking their dogs. Again, very reactive to every dog. I have been distracting him and every time he looks at me and not the dog, I mark it with a "yes" and treat. Is this the right thing to do? Should I be using any correction at this point, or all positive?

I love this dog. He is solid around people and kids. I take him to the nursing home where I work and he happily goes up to everyone in wheelchairs (even electric) and puts his head in their laps for a good petting. He is very smart and the easiest dog I have ever potty trained. We have also started Schutzhund training with a club and his breeder, which he does well at so far. It is just that he is very reactive and insecure around strange dogs.

Any suggestions? Am I right to take him as many places as I can where he will see dogs? How can I make him more confident? I don't want a full grown 85 lb dog that reacts this way. 

Thanks in advance.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Marking it with an yes is good, but is he understanding what your are marking? Does he think he's being rewarded for barking at the dog or does he understand that being quiet is getting him the treat. I would think either the watch me or leave it command with a marked yes might be the way to go.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Sounds like you are basically doing LAT with him. I would find how close you can get to the other dog without him reacting and just work on LAT. Look, he looks, looks back at you, Yes and treat.

I would not use a correction at this point. I do correct Jax if she lunges and barks first but she fully understands what I want from her and she's 4 years, not 4 months.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I use "look" and only mark it when he stops barking and looks at me. He did get less reactive as our walk went on. It was easier to get him to look at me, but it is just frustrating. He seems too young to be so worked up over other dogs.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

It is frustrating but I think you are doing the right thing. The one thing my trainer told me is do not do LAT to a reactive dog. You want him looking at calm dogs. For a barking/lunging maniac, I tell Jax to Leave It and we keep walking. It has worked well for me so far.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I like going up to this area. It is in southern Minneapolis. It is a nice, small lake with lots of people. I would say that 90% of the dogs that are walked in that area are very calm and non-reactive dogs, because they are so used to seeing dogs on a daily basis. I just wish it was closer. It is about a 20 min drive. We will try to make it up there a couple times a week to practice. I also need to work on staying calm. I know that I get frustrated and he feels it through the leash.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

She also told me....keep focused on your dog and don't worry about what every one else is thinking...which really helped me because i would get bent out of shape about what others must be thinking and then get frustrated with Jax.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I am working on this too....Stella barks, lunges, growls and acts up whenever she sees another dog. In class she eventually settles down but walks are crazy. My son saw her doing this a few weeks ago and said she looks like she wants to kill someone! In truth she is really just amped up and wants to play. If the other dog comes over she runs between my legs! She also does this to skateboarders. I am going to try the Look at that I guess. I have tried to get her to look at me but haven't been too successful. Although this week in class she did really well with that. Even the trainer was pleasantly surprised at how well she did. So maybe it is just a matter of time. It sure would be nice to be able to walk quietly and calmly down the street!


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

How old is your Stella?


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Stella is 8 months and 75+ lbs. I have tried the watch me command...leave it command....ignoring....turning the other way.... I really don't know what else to do. 
I have a 9 yr old 120 lb newfie mix who used to do the same thing after being attacked when younger at a dog park. But he really did want to go after the other dog! He definitely did not back down. Age has mellowed him but I really don't want to wait for Stella to age before she calms down.... I prefer my arms to stay in their sockets!!!


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

Dude is already 38 lbs and getting stronger everyday. We were at puppy class tonight. Same old stuff, but a little better. Once he gets to meet the other pups and gets to do the whole sniffing thing, he does much better.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I won't take Dude to a dog park. I also learned my lesson with my other Shepherd. She had a bad experience at about 4 months old. She was also reactive to other dogs. Hers was always fear and insecurity, where Dude's reactions seem to be insecurity mixed with the excitement of seeing and meeting other dogs. 

My daughter wanted to get a Bernese Mountain Dog. Sometimes I think a mellow and confident BMD pup would be nice, but I love my pup too much . Plus I need a higher energy dog to be my running buddy someday.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I have really been trying to work with Stella and her excitement when she sees other dogs. We have been to 3 obedience classes that focus on this issue. She has improved dramatically in class. From barking/lunging at every dog to letting the other dog and owner walk by with very little reaction. The trainer was very happy with her progress. So was I when I left the class this morning...up until we were taking a walk today in the real world. Back to craziness and excitement. HELP!!!!!


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I have been taking Dude to a new place to walk once a week, where I know there will be lots of dog traffic. I just started last week, but went to a new place yesterday and he already seems more confident and it was easier to get his attention. Still a ways to go, but we will get there.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

katdog5911 said:


> I have really been trying to work with Stella and her excitement when she sees other dogs. We have been to 3 obedience classes that focus on this issue. She has improved dramatically in class. From barking/lunging at every dog to letting the other dog and owner walk by with very little reaction. The trainer was very happy with her progress. So was I when I left the class this morning...up until we were taking a walk today in the real world. Back to craziness and excitement. HELP!!!!!


My golden retriever is a very obedient dog, but walks are a nightmare also Imagine a big excited golden...people aren't even to sure about him. I use the easy walk harness on walks and he becomes the well behaved dog I love The german shepherd puppy is not reactive to strange dogs or people, she gets excited when she sees the neighbors and their dogs. A good example with her and she is almost 6 months was last week at the german shepherd club..12 dogs and when the trainer walked their dog past my dog was the only one that didn't react, but if it was my neighbor things would have been different.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

I have the easy walk harness. It is the only way I am able to hold Stella! I just cannot get her attention when she is outside and another dog is approaching. Or we see chickens, or a horse..... I really am trying to be fun or interesting but it is not working.


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## Spiderlash (Feb 19, 2012)

I have this same issue with my Bronson (avitar). He'll be exactly 19 weeks tomorrow and we've had him since he was 3.5 months. We take him on walks twice a day (about 30 - 60 min) around our neighborhood where there are lots of dogs and people around. Every time he see's another dog, person, skateboarder, or car driving by he growls/lunges/pulls at the leash/machine-gun barks until they are out of sight or far enough away that he looses interest.

We usually tell him 'no' or 'quiet' and just keep walking. Unless the person/dog wants to meet him, then he's good and lets the person pet him while he tries to cuddle with them and lets the dog sniff him. But as soon as the meet is over and they walk away, he goes nuts all over again. :crazy:

Today we took him for another walk and we seen some improvement (which made my husband and I very proud of our little guy). There were lots of dogs barking behind fences down the street we were walking. He was very alert and every time he would look in their direction I would say his name. After a few tries he actually looked at me instead of the barking dogs. He got the treat immediately and lots of praise.

Then towards the end of the walk we seen some kids playing in the street. As soon as he started to get a little too interested (pulling on the leash and acting like he was going to start barking) I said his name - and he looked at me the first time! He got several treats and lots of praise. And even though he did let out a few little growls in their direction, he lost interest as soon as we passed them! 

I'm planning on bringing him with me everywhere next week to get him even more used to everything because we're planning on taking him to the beach for the first time this coming saturday. Hopefully he loves it as much as we do! *crosses fingers*


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

I also have this problem with Juno. She will be 19 weeks tomorrow as well. I wonder if the excessive reactivity has something to do with this age group? (A bit like when babies reach different milestones in their development. Maybe dogs have various stages of development where they tend to react more strongly to situations than they would otherwise?)

She does the lunging, machine gun bark, hackles up...pretty much everything already mentioned on this thread. 

The funny thing is, she tends to only do this for the first 10 minutes or so of the walk. Once she is used to the idea of being in the new environment, she settles and is fine. It's almost like she has to bark and make a fuss to put her stamp on the situation before she can relax. 

I keep working with her (using "look", "leave it", etc), and I pray it gets better. I'll be interested to see how others get on once the dog gets a wee bit older. Will the excessive reactivity in all our 4.5 month olds finally subside on it's own, with guidance and direction from us?


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

I think you pup sounds perfectly normal. I strongly disagree with sheltering a puppy from 8 weeks to 18 weeks because of shots. In fact I do the exact opposite, in that the most important socialization period, of going to new places, is between 8 and 16 weeks. The chances and percentage of the pup picking up some disease from another dog during this period is very remote. (Now I don't go to unsupervised dog parks, but normal things like pet obedience or club training or walks in malls and traffic are necessary during this period,imo). Especially in Minnesota in the winter. You have better chance of getting something at your Vet. Of course there are people who this did happen to,(but the % are very low) and have created this public health message that is very deceiving. Socialization during this period is very important, and windows lost during this period can never be regained. Continue to socialize your puppy and he'll be fine(unless there is more to the story). This breed is not as fragile as some owners think.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

My friend did the same thing with her sheltie pup. Took him to shows, training. You have the same chance of bringing a disease home on your shoes to the sheltered puppy as the sheltie did going to the show.


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