# Just aquired a 1yr old GSD, here are my problems.



## Zenkai (Aug 16, 2012)

Hello all,

I've recently aquired a 1 year old (this month) male GSD who is intact. That's all the info I have on him. I got him on the 15th of this month. He knows sit, shake, and he knows how to recall. That is until another dog is around.

The problems I am having are his leash manners (pulling) and him being reactive to other dogs.

Lets start with the pulling. I've been trying to work positively with him with the stop and go/ changing direction methods. But when we get outside he is not very treat motivated. He will lost interest in after a few treats. Inside he loves them. I've been through 4 different bags of treats to find this one that hes interested in. So far I've got him to at least come back to me after stopping and saying "aaht aaht" or "no". But as soon as I take a step he's got tension on the leash again. Our walks have not been good for exercise to say the least.

Now with the dog reactivity. Once he senses another dog all bets are off and hes lunging and barking until they are out of site. I've read that I shouldn't pull on the leash or yell at him when this happens or it will make it worse. So I've stood there and just watched him to see if he'll get tired of it (he doesn't) or I'll try to keep moving telling him to "come on" in a higher pitched voice like I do when he stops when I don't want to. Of course when I try to keep moving I am having to pull.

I know I haven't had him very long and he does at least come back to me now when I stop. But I have seen no progress in the dog reactivity and there is almost always other dogs out when I walk him. Which I have to do frequently since my back "yard" is a patio with a very small grass area (which he won't go potty in). I'm worried about neighbors being afraid of him since he is pretty big.

I was thinking of trying out the classes at a local petsmart. But with him being reactive to other dogs I don't know how that would work out.

I've been reading up on the prong collar as well. Which doesn't seem as bad as I originally thought. If this were to work as well as it does for others then it could greatly help with both problems at the same time.

If neither of these were to help, then I would call a more professional, more expensive trainer to help out.

Just looking for some input from more experienced dog folk. It seems most people have these issues addressed at an early age so this doesn't happen. Guess the previous owner never got around to it. I appreciate any input. Thanks.


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## Woof_Terrorist (Aug 3, 2012)

1 year is not too old. 

Loose leash walking is a walk in progress. I would advise you to google or search youtube for "Loose leash walking" training tips.

Treats are good as an incentive, but its the owner's reaction, methodology which matters most.

Frequent stopping, turning, when ever you feel the least bit of tension on the leash. Getting the dog's attention when you are walking with him, etc are important points.

Also, when you are training your dog (and yourself) to walk on a loose leash, please make sure you are going for a walk with your dog, not for grocery shopping, not for anything else.


Also, your dog is naturally protective. When he sees another dog, there is bound to be a response. You can counteract, by showing him you are the leader of his pack. Stay calm, collected. Your dog cant understand your human language, but he sure can read your body language. Trust me, body language is the most key thing here.

When my wife sees a dog coming from the distance, she is hesitant and thinks about moving to the other side of the road. Naturally my pup reacts badly. Whereas, I am calm, keep talking to who ever is walking with me, ignore the other dog. But I do give the leash a tug or two to make sure the pup knows I am here and in charge. 

My pup never lunges at the other dog.

Its a work in progress, loose leash walking and a calm demeanor is attained from a long period of learning for both owner and dog. I am sure you will succeed. 

Please keep in mind there are no "magic shortcuts". Prong collars are great, but not the magic solution. Its you ... and how you train your dog.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Definitely contact a trainer. Preferably one that is used to working with large, tough, working breeds. Contact any schutzhund or GSD breed clubs in your area first and see if they recommend a trainer. Try any AKC type clubs in your areas and ask for trainers that deal with dog aggressive/reactive dogs. Petsmart would be my last resort, but you could find someone good there as well. It really depends though. 
USA - Northwest Region Clubs

I recommend the prong collar. Great tool if used correctly. Find a trainer that can help you use it correctly. There are some Leerberg videos and articles about the proper use of a prong collar as well. 

He's a strong male, coming into his hormones and hasn't had the proper foundation work. I believe you will have to use more compulsion in your training. Again, contact a trainer first if you can. 

Leerburg | Prong Collars & Fur Saver Collars
Leerburg Dog Training | How to Fit a Prong Collar
leerburg.com/prong.htm#safe
http://leerburg.com/pdf/comparingecollarprongandquittingsignal.pdf


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## The Packman (Jan 31, 2011)

Just a suggestion: try walking him around the house on a leash and giving him treats. Than wein(?) him off them while on the leash as you gain more control.

Remember keep training secessions short.


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## Zenkai (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks for the input!

I know the prong collar is merely a tool and can easily become a crutch. It's something I don't want to resort to as I want to keep all the training positive. But when we go for a walk there is almost always another dog we run into and after the resulting episode hes all worked up and the rest of the walk is pretty much a wash for training.

As for petsmart, I know the training offered is usually considered lower quality. I was thinking maybe the socialization with other dogs during class would help. If we could get the reactivity to stop at all first.

I will work on the leash training in the house and see how it works out. We've been working on the heel position in the house and he's coming along quite well in a short time with that position. We just haven't gotten it going on the move yet. I think I'll focus on the loose leash first though.

I'll definitely look into any of the clubs/groups mentioned and see who they recommend. Thanks.


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## dbrk9 (Aug 9, 2012)

My puppy does that sometimes, this huge bark comes out and she pulls and stands up and down. What has worked well for me is to redirect her focus. Turn her the other direction. Also training her. Keeping her mind busy, along with physical exercise. 1 is still a puppy and he probably didn't get all of that ground setting training.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i wouldn't go to PetSmart for training. i would find a
trainer or maybe a trainer/behavorist. thanks
for rescuing and good luck.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Zenkai said:


> Thanks for the input!
> 
> 
> As for petsmart, I know the training offered is usually considered lower quality. I was thinking maybe the socialization with other dogs during class would help. If we could get the reactivity to stop at all first.


The key word here is USUALLY. I had an amazing trainer at Petsmart. She is very well known everywhere. Do some research, go talk to a couple trainers, and see a couple different classes. It sounds like you want to start out slowly, socialization first, which IMO is very important. Good Luck!!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Just my 2 cents,,I agree wth finding a trainer, but since youve only had him for about a week? I'd give him a couple more weeks to just 'adjust' to his new home and work on bonding with him more.

Hand feeding him his meals is a great way to start..I may have missed what your using for treats to reward, but I would find something HIGH quality, like hotdogs, string cheese, (I use frozen italian meatballs, nuke a few, squeeze out the juice cut up into small pieces),,and save those for just "training'

Good luck with him!


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

For a trainer, since you are dealing with dog reactivity, look for a trainer/behaviorist that has growly dog classes or even consider a private class for a while. Meanwhile, watch your dog's body language when he sees another dog. You'll need this information for yourself and when you talk with trainers in your search. Look for body stance, how he holds his ears, hackles, his eyes (they can give so much away), facial muscles around his mouth and eyes. Watch closely because all these muscle changes can happen in seconds sometimes. Once you recognize his cues, begin redirecting him at the FIRST cue you see. Use treats, favorite squeaky toy, no tension on the leash, and walk the other way.

Prong collars are good tools. However, in some cases such as this, it can ramp up the reaction you are seeing. I would hesitate to begin using one until after its determined what you are dealing with. I know with Woolf, a FA dog, I only began recently to use a prong collar for that reason. 

Woolf was a nightmare to begin with on leash. I finally backed way up from walking him anywhere and just walked him in the backyard, first in a square shape, then just random, using quick turns, sudden direction changes, he didn't have a choice but to keep his eye on me which meant he had to stay close 

Take the next month and just get to know your dog. He's only been with you for a week, lots of play - tug, fetch - build the bond. During this time, look for a trainer/behaviorist that has LOTS of experience with GSD.

Congratulations on your new pup


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

I got sib at 14 months and she was like a wild dog--still has bad house manners...I remember the first time I saw a woman with a dog with a prong collar and I did not hesitate to verbally let her know what a terrible thing that was--Years later with Sib. I got one..It was truly the only way to control her on walks and I still use it to this day when we go anywhere...I feel it gives me better control..And please know this was one of many collars, leases and harnesses I tried first..A lot of money later the prong is what works for us..You have a long way to go with training etc and I hope you don't find that the prong is your solution..but, though I am embarrassed to day , it is mine. jan


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

ok, it's leashes not leases and I am not embarrassed to day--I am embarrassed to say! Although with all these mistakes maybe I am embarrassed today!


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

Zenkai said:


> But when we get outside he is not very treat motivated. He will lost interest in after a few treats. Inside he loves them. I've been through 4 different bags of treats to find this one that hes interested in.


I have a dog like this! It can take a while, and a large amount of trial and error, to find the motivator that works for your dog. I tried many, many commercially made treats and had no success with my dog. So I made my own baked liver treats and had a fantastic response. 

Also, I used a toy as a motivator at times, mixing it up with the treats so that he never knew which he would get. I discovered which toy he loved above all others, and used that one. He only got it during training.

I would be very wary of using Petsmart for training with a dog that had reactivity. Although you can luck out and find someone that is experienced there, the vast majority of the trainers at the big box stores have little experience (past a quick overview provided by the chain) and could easily make your dog much, much worse. I think the advice to look for a schutzhund or general dog training club is an excellent one. 

Good luck!
Sheilah


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

I just wanted to add that if your dog is already reactive, socializing first and then working on training is not the most effective way to go about it. 

Work with a good trainer/behaviorist and get a handle on the reactivity and THEN learn how, where and when to socialize.
Sheilah


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Dog reactivity is NOT protectiveness. Not in the sense that they are protecting you. Dog reactivity stems from fear and that reaction is a "I"ll be scary and get you before you get me" so they are protecting themselves. There is no overnight cure. I"ve dealt with this for years with Jax.

You need to teach him behavior modification before socializing like sit,stay said. It's impossible to socialize a dog in a reactive mode. Get a good trainer!!! #1 important thing to do!!!!

What has worked for us is

1) Shutting down the reaction. You can do this with a correction collar, you can do this by removing the stimulus. You can do this in many ways. I highly advise AGAINST a prong collar because IME, it only ramped Jax up more.

2) Behavior modification - LAT (Look At That) worked wonderfully for Jax. You teach this first by having them look at inanimate objects. Never have them look at another reactive dog...that's setting them up for failure. This teaches them to look and then look at you.

Our next step was BAT but Jax recently had surgery so we're waiting now. Motivation is key. Jax's motivation is a frisbee. She's really not highly food motivated.


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## Zenkai (Aug 16, 2012)

I got one of those natural balance beef 2.5lb sausage's that I cut into small pieces to use as treats. After trying milk bones, marrow milk bones, and some soft chewy treats. The natural balance is all hes been continually interested in (while in doors that is).

Hes the same way with his food. Hes been very picky. I now add half a can of natural balance wet food to his blue buffalo kibble so he will eat it. Now he demolishes the bowl heh.

Today I will work on the leash in the house. I will give him some more time to get completely settled in and continue working with him.

This morning during a walk there was a dog barking from a house we were passing. He barked a couple times, but I was able to get his attention even without food. I stayed near that house so he could hear the barking and kept distracting him till he calmed down. Then we moved on. He still looked back at the house a few times as we were leaving but I would just tell him to come on and he would move out. Was much easier then when he can actually see a dog.

If after more time I can't get a handle on it, I'll definitely be looking more into behavior modification trainers.

Thanks for all the input! Time to see what I can find on local clubs/groups now.


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

This could be a good case for a prong collar. Seeing that he's just one year old, he might just be being a brat. Since he's new to you, you don't know what he's gotten away with in the past, so I would try the prong. Make sure you know hot to fit and use it. The first time, make sure there's plenty of space between you and any other dogs. What I mean is, they should be far enough away that your dog has no interested in them. I have had very good results with the snap choke collar. (also called dominate dog collar) 



They are also fitted high on the neck and it only takes a little movement for the dog to self correct.


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## Zenkai (Aug 16, 2012)

Well today was pretty much a wash for training since there were dogs and kids everywhere heh.

I got a 50 foot training lead so we can play in the grassy area right next to the house. So we played more today.

I'm still doing the stopping whenever he pulls. Sometimes I take a couple steps back. Then he'll walk back to me and go around me then be ready to go again. I do a lot of spinning when this happens since the leash is then wrapped around me. When we see another dog I just turn the other direction and pull while saying "come on". He eventually follows but then is all worked up afterwards.

Also took him for a ride to my parents house to do some yard work. He's so excited in the car.

I did get a prong collar today and worked on fitment. Still haven't used it though. Don't know if I will :/

I looked into a local schutzhund club and it turns out they meet on the weekends pretty close to me. Just need to get the details on which park so I can check em out.

I do have to say though that he is very good in every other aspect. Just gotta get these walks down.


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## Zenkai (Aug 16, 2012)

Forgot to mention. I'm thinking of giving these guys a call. Alpha Dog Training


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