# 20 week puppy scared of other dogs? Normal?



## White GSD (Jul 8, 2009)

The other day I brought Kylo into a Petsmart and he was confronted by a 2 year old Great Dane. The Great Dane was very passive, and showed no signs of aggression, he was merely interested in meeting Kylo. However, as soon as the Great Dane got within 5 feet of Kylo, my dog literally threw himself on his back, belly up, and started to cry. I kid you not, Kylo was crying.

I read in a book that the German Shepherd is characterized by "fearlessness and confidence, an aloof personality makes them approachable, but not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers." 

Kylo pretty much failed this description, but I am wondering if its natural/normal for puppies to be scared/weary of other (larger) dogs? Considering is was a Great Dane and all. Do I need train Kylo to be more confident? On the bright side, I probably wont have any aggression/dominance issues! 

Thanks for the help!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Give your puppy a break. He's just a baby and he was confronted by a giant of a dog so he did what any smart puppy would do and that's be submissive and hope the giant didn't kill him. He's never seen a dog that big before and was totally intimidated. 

It was your job to prevent your puppy from being so overwhelmed. You should have either removed your little guy entirely, kept the Dane at a distance that your puppy would find comfortable, or ask them to put the Dane in a down so he was on the same level as your puppy.

At this age, you want to expose your puppy to everything possible without terrorizing him. You want to keep your puppy to feel safe in all new experiences by not overwhelming him and by keeping things happy and encouraging. This is how you develop a confident, out going dog.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

Does Kylo react like this to all other dogs or was it only to the Great Dane?
I would be concerned, I like to see a puppy that's not afraid of anything. But most puppies will have some insecurities. If it's a reaction to all dogs, that's a big issue. If it's only to giant dogs then he will just need to be exposed to them more, and hopefully he will quickly realize that they are just like smaller dogs.
Unfortunately fear (if not resolved) can easily turn into aggression as the dog gets older. 
My Djenga was afraid of all other dogs as a puppy. I mean terrified! As she got older it went from fear to fear aggression. She'd bark and growl at any dog she saw. It took a lot of work to keep her from reacting to strange dogs and it's always a work in progress! She understands that it's MY job to keep the other dogs out of her space, not hers.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Even my Balto eres on the side of caution with dogs larger than him. Small dogs, otoh, get him going on the playbows.


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## White GSD (Jul 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies!

No, he usually is not afraid of smaller dogs. He sort of just stands there and stares at them. He doesnt bark, but he doesnt approach them either. After some time, he will ignore the smaller dogs.

Its with the Great Dane that I have only seen him do that, so I am guessing its just because the GD is so much larger. Should that happen again should I pick up my puppy? What should I do? I read in a book that its not good to pick up puppis so much or else they might get used to it, the book was somewhat vague in this situation, so I am still a little unclear on what to do should it happen again. 

All I did, was I petted Kylo and told him it was ok. It gave him some reassurance and he flipped on his belly when I told him it was OK, but he still was a little scared. I didnt know if I should have picked him up or not









Thanks again for the help!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

> Quote:I read in a book that the German Shepherd is characterized by "fearlessness and confidence, an aloof personality makes them approachable, but not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers."


That's a description for an ADULT GSD, not a puppy (any puppy).



> Quote:All I did, was I petted Kylo and told him it was ok.


While it was a fairly normal (though bit of an over reaction) behavior, since it's not something we wanted, and WAS an over reaction, we have to be careful about reassuring and comforting our pups in circumstances like this. You don't want your pup to think you are agreeing that the GD WAS horribly scary.

What I'd have tried to do is ignore my puppy and SHOW them that the GD was ok. If I could, I'd leave my pup where they were having their fit, let the leash long so I could approach the GD and the owner and start having a conversation with the handler (is your dog ok and friendly?) and a pat with the GD. 

I want my pup to cue and watch me. So if I say it's ok, it is. MY RESPONSIBLITY is to make sure it is. So if I allow a vicious GD to take my puppy out, that's my fault. But just to expose my puppy to a GD at the end of the aisle is a GOOD thing for socialization and to teach my pup that just cause they are bigger doesn't mean they are meaner.

So I never reassure my puppy if they are afraid of something that is NOT really scary. I may take them a bit further away so they can collect themselves and think. I may walk towards the 'scary' to show my pup it's ok (never forcing my pup to follow but allowing them to come on their own when I'm clearly living thru the experience.). Clicker training is great cause you can click if they even look at the 'scary' (heck I've had puppies think a big stinky dumpster was the most terrifying thing they've ever seen!) or take a step.


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## White GSD (Jul 8, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: MaggieRoseLee
> 
> 
> > Quote:I read in a book that the German Shepherd is characterized by "fearlessness and confidence, an aloof personality makes them approachable, but not inclined to become immediate friends with strangers."
> ...


Thank you so much! I will be sure to follow your advise, the next time something like this happens!

It makes sense now, sense I am supposed to be the "pack leader" I need to show my pup what is dangerous and what is not dangerous through my own actions. I wish I could have come up with this logic on the spot. Thanks again, I learn something new each time I visit the forums!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

My 8 year old female is the picture of confidence. In her mind, she is the queen and all other dogs must respect her. That all gets thrown out the window when encountering a female great dane or mastiff. While she doesn't throw herself to the ground, she steps aside and lets the bigger bitch pass - something she wouldn't do EVER with a bitch who was merely a few inches taller than her.


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## White GSD (Jul 8, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarinaMy 8 year old female is the picture of confidence. In her mind, she is the queen and all other dogs must respect her. That all gets thrown out the window when encountering a female great dane or mastiff. While she doesn't throw herself to the ground, she steps aside and lets the bigger bitch pass - something she wouldn't do EVER with a bitch who was merely a few inches taller than her.


Oh I see. Now I am starting to feel embarrassed for even posting this thread hehe. Thanks for sharing that!


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

But you said you learned something from this thread so there's no reason to be embarressed.

I'll never forget when Rica was a little bitty puppy - maybe about 4-5 months old. We were visiting my parents and my Mom had a Great Dane/GSD mix. When Rica first ran out to meet him, she was barking ferociously. As she got closer, she realized how much bigger than her he was and the bark quickly raised in pitch to a puppy bark and her tail went down between her legs. If I were to put words to it it would have been - "I'm a big, brave girl and I'm going to do my best to scare you, but please, you're so big, don't forget I'm just a little bitty puppy! (







)" Bear was very good with her and they sniffed and everything was fine. They played together the rest of the day while we were visiting. I was there watching but didn't have to intervene.


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## TheDailyShep (Apr 24, 2016)

*Helpful Article*

Here's some information on fearful behavior in German Shepherds along with some fixes - 

Why Is My German Shepherd So Scared? And How You Can Fix It!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

"For example, as a puppy, it is natural for your GSD to howl or run and hide when it hears thunder for the first time, compared to an adult German Shepherd who has experienced several storms before."


No it's not.


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