# What age do they "toughen" up?



## bmorebraap (Nov 28, 2013)

Sorry for making a post so similar to the others already on this board, just figured it would be better than high jacking someone elses thread. 

Anyway, I have a young Male Shep(just under 7 months). Hes a great dog, very friendly, strong drive, loves to play and has been very trainable. But hes a bit skittish. As a puppy he was VERY shy and it took a while for him to warm up to us and his surroundings. He does bark at sounds in the house or strange dogs passing by, ect. But at times he just seems like such a wimp! My parents cat(is a bit aggressive) who has no claws, completely beat up my male shepherd without him doing anything but run and yelp. Mind you this is a 6lb Siamese cat vs a 75lb shepherd. Don't get me wrong I DO NOT want him to attack and kill animals, but I figured at the age he would have more of a defensive response and try to protect himself. It makes me a little worried if a strange dog or person was to attack him or try and enter the home, he would do nothing but run and hide. Does this pass with time?

I'm going to assume that something like Shutzhund training is out of the question for my male? My little female, who is only 9 weeks, is the complete opposite of my male. EXTREMELY out going and brave, very strong drive, but that is expected since she came from a shutzhund bloodline. Is there anything I should be trying to do to help my Male or is it just a puppy phase that will pass? Sorry for the long post, thanks for any help guys!


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Unfortunately this is probably his core temperament. A confident adult is usually a bold and confident puppy, as you can see with your female. There is a lot of good advice her for raising a pup who is a bit skittish.


----------



## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

a wussy dog will always be a wuss. you can help him be more confident but he'll never be brave. he doesnt sound like a schutzhund dog but he sounds like a great pet.


----------



## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Could always work the dog in prey only, and then practice obedience, experiment with engagement related stuff. Wouldn't want to put the dog into competition or anything like that where he could be put into defense accidentally or otherwise, but you can still work him for his enrichment and your own practice. From a training and practice perspective these dogs are more challenging. You would potentially learn more from working with a dog like that.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

This may be a good start with some good resources for you. Learning how to work with a dog with these issues will, indeed, make you a better handler all around. It will also make you much more aware of dog body language etc. A big goal is to prevent fear related aggression and it sounds like you may have made it thus far without this issue.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...82-shy-dogs-fearful-dogs-links-resources.html


----------



## bmorebraap (Nov 28, 2013)

Thanks for the replies, I figured as much. Looks like my girl will be the shutzhund prospect/better guard dog around here. 

jocoyn, thanks for the links and resources! Looking into that now.


----------



## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Never hurts to have a nervy one to wake up the heavy hitter when the baddies go bump in the night.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

7 months is young. train and socialize a lot. some GSD's are protective
and some aren't.


----------



## Rbeckett (Jun 19, 2013)

I would also work on strengthening your bond with your skittish boy so that he trusts you implicitly and looks to you for all directions and cues for his behavior. Once an inseperable bond has formed between you and a dog they tend to do more of the things that you would consider "toughening up" Generally a meek dog remains meek for their entire life, but that is no reason that the cannot be a great pet and life long companion. My first long term foster/homing attempt is a female who is skittish and refuses to come into the house. So we give her lots of love and attention while we are outside and she is blossoming into quite the little powerhouse with great drive, loves fetch and is always seeking a good rub or some attention. This is in contrast to her sister who prefers inside and plays keep away but is a sucker for a belly rub too. So be patient while you build your relationship, show lots of love, maintain your alpha position, and above all be consistent. This experience will make you a better trainer and help you to understand the psychological as well as the physical needs of this breed of dog. Just remember....Nothing is impossible or insurmountable until you do not make the attempt.

Wheelchair Bob


----------



## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Yeah, definitely don't give up on the dog. Continue to socialize and work on those issues because the best progress is made at these ages while the dog is still pliable.


----------



## bmorebraap (Nov 28, 2013)

Oh by no means am I giving up on my boy! I've got him in some advanced obedience classes now that he's doing great in. He's absolutely a great dog and companion and I will work with him and love him the same no matter what. 

I Just wanted to figure out what type of temperament he may have as an adult and if protection training could be possible with him. Thanks again for your replies.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

bmorebraap said:


> I Just wanted to figure out what type of temperament he may have as an adult and if protection training could be possible with him. Thanks again for your replies.


I knew Riley couldn't do protection or IPO. He just didn't have the temperament. He was a very sweet loving dog. I was going to try herding with him or therapy work.


----------



## BrendenDurand (Jul 2, 2018)

I have something similar and my Venus is a gsd slightly mixed she has the saem temparement where she is scared of other dogs (however she is fine with my girlfriends 4 year old husky). We came home one night and a strange dog came out of our building the dog looked at me and she instantly barked and got into a launch position. It sounds like your dog has the same issue as mine, i would suggest some light obedience and attack training (very light she is still a pup) its should be more like a game really hold a toy or your arm (use a thick jacekt) and as she bites on command tug with her for a while but then let her win and praise her, you will notice she will hunger for that praise more so increase the intensity of your tug gradually and then move towards putting the object way and sending her to bite it. I dont think she is too soft, i think she is just a loving dog whose instinct isnt to naturally attack t first but when threatened she will. To get her into a full protection dog will take some time but remember she is very young just like my venus there is still plenty of time wait till about 1 year old to really put pressure on her in this area there is no rush, its always easier to toughen up a more timid dog then it is to tame a viscous one. SO for now enjoy her temparement and let her grow confidence by playing and winning


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Let your boy surprise you with what he can do. He may always take a backseat to your female though. That's not all that unusual, as lots of females are bossy in multi-dog homes, and that's just fine -- it's a peaceful home when the male just decides to follow her lead. She may make him more confident though as she grows into that. I've seen many shy dogs grow more confident when they've got another dog to draw from and start learning OB skills.



Let me tell you a story about my heart-dog who died as an oldster in 2013...


He was a bi-color dog (still my avatar) who came to me at 11 mo. old through breed rescue. He'd been part of a BYB litter in a home in a big city where the people had a mess of GSDs indiscriminately breeding and couldn't afford to feed all the dogs and puppies. My guy was likely a runt who was picked on and not allowed to eat by the other dogs. His face was full of scars from where they'd gone after him over food. He was skinny as a rail, had pneumonia, and was terrified of other dogs (and his own shadow).


He loved our confident female dog. She was good with him, and I think she helped bring out his playful side. From Day One, we practiced confidence-building with him. If he was interested in a dish towel while I was working in the kitchen, I let him tug on it, and win. Anything that demonstrated courage got rewarded in those early days -- even the smallest act of bravery.



Soon after I got him, we went walking, an off-leash dog charged us and caused him to splay flat on the ground and shriek in terror. I covered his body with mine to protect him while the owner grabbed their dog. My guy was shaking. It was heart-breakingly sad. However he learned one important thing that day: I'd protect him.



So we signed him up for a novice OB class at an AKC club to get him around other dogs on-leash, safely. The goal of the class was just to reinforce that I would keep him safe, and to trust me rather than focusing on other dogs. Nothing more. We ended up getting A LOT more though. 



That old-school class had 25 dogs and people walking in "band formation" pretty close to each other in a field. Sits and downs were practiced with other dogs walking by. It was a lot for him, but I kept his focus on ME. He realized very quickly that nothing bad happened with other dog with me there. I was like his magic shield. And then something unexpected started happening...


Around week 3-4, something in his head clicked that he always knew the right thing to do. Good stuff kept happening, because he kept doing the right thing. I could almost see the pieces click into place in his brain because he stood a little taller in class, and suddenly there was confidence where there wasn't before. It's like he unzipped his scaredy-dog suit and out stepped a confident German Shepherd -- his whole affect changed by the end of that 6-week class.


I signed up for the class thinking he'd never be able to pass the final exam -- with AKC OB judges in a ring surrounded by other dogs watching, a 3-minute down with dogs walking in front and behind, etc. I figured we'd just use the class for some therapeutic growth -- learning to trust me to keep him safe, picking up a few skills along the way. On the exam day, he passed with flying colors. Any points we dropped in the ring were because I was new to it, not because he screwed up -- he was absolutely outstanding because he was SO focused on me, and doing the right thing.



He was never that scared dog again! The experience was totally transformative for him. He eventually became sociable and gregarious, cool with other dogs, and a happy-go-lucky soul for the rest of his life. He up to be a solid, handsome 90-pound bicolor hunk of a dog with a sense of humor unlike any dog I've ever known -- a jokester who LOVED to make people laugh. He was emotionally connected, loving, gentle, and oh-so-devoted. He was never all that protective (that was the female's job), but he was confident and happy.



Years later, on a walk, a nasty terrier-ist jumped out of its mom's arms and ran at us, intending to bite my leg. My dog saw it before I did and put one gigantic paw on top the little dog and pinned it. He put his entire mouth over the head of the little dog, holding but not biting. A deep growl like I'd never heard came out of his body. This protective behavior came out of the blue -- but the one thing in life he cared most about was ME. His eyes met mine, waiting for direction. In the adrenaline rush, I fell back to our training and simply said: "Leave it!" -- he let it go unharmed, and that little dog ran back to its hysterical owner.



That afternoon, my dog walked home with a jaunty little gait, very proud of himself. It was hard to believe this was the same dog that years earlier had shrieked when another dog approached him.



Keep building your guy up! Set him up for success in all you do. With lots of confidence-building and a really good bond, you don't know what he's capable of. Find what he's good at, and build on it -- it's probably not bitiing bad guys, but it might be agility, tracking, barn hunting, flyball, competitive OB or something else (therapy certification???). Celebrate what he CAN do, instead of mourning what he CAN'T do.



My guy was with me for 11 years, and I don't think I'll ever fully get over his passing -- five years later, I still cry if I think about how much I miss him. Anyone who would have written him off as a "wuss" when he was a youngster would have missed the amazing, funny, joyous creature he was meant to be.


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Oops. Just noticed Brenden restarted a 5 year old thread. Maybe it will help someone else though.


----------



## Aly (May 26, 2011)

Magwart said:


> Oops. Just noticed Brenden restarted a 5 year old thread. Maybe it will help someone else though.


I'm glad he did, Magwart. Your inspirational story made my heart smile. 

Thanks for sharing it.

Aly


----------



## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

I absolutely agree, what a great story! There are so so many stories of that kind of transformation! Hopefully it will give someone the inspiration they need to stick with it! Thanks for sharing that Maggie!


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Aw, thank you both.


----------



## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

I'm glad you didn't notice how old this thread is. That is an amazing story.


----------



## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

I cried as I read this, I am so glad you posted it. With all the evil in the world, we sometimes forget that there are still angels all around us. And I am not just talking about the dog.


----------



## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Thank you for restarting the thread. Magwart what a fantastic story. Glad I got to read it.


----------



## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Thank you for writing this Magwart. I will keep this forever in my collection of inspirational truths.


----------

