i have 3 german shepherds. 2 of them, i've raised since they were pups and trained them as young adults and acheived a Schutzhund 2 level with both of them. The 3rd one is 10 months old and he has the potential for doing great tracking and protection work, the obedience is getting there. My question is this, the youngest one is fully confident while at home and has great defensive drive. His prey drive is good and i've been building it as time goes by. The thing is, he is scared or larger dogs for some reason. When he was a pup he got nipped by one of the larger ones i have because he enjoyed bitting ears a little too much. The question is how do i build his confidence so that he isn't afraid of larger dogs. He is not scared of humans at all. In fact, he lets kids touch him and if anyone gets too close to the handler, he erects himself and gives a good warning bark. He has a great potential for a Schutzhund or working title but this lack of confidence with larger dogs has me curious.
Answers:
Congrats on the titles. I'm an obedience person but did some Shutzhound stuff 30 years ago.
The 10 month old a very early adolescent yet. He is probably still showing the submission and wariness of the older and larger dogs because of the day that the older dog got sick of his behavior and announced that the puppy permit for engaging in all kinds of obnoxious behavior was cancelled.
He will start to asert more self-confidence as the hormones kick in and he reaches full adulthood.
My now 120 lb Kuvasz spent his growing up from 16 weeks being bossed about by my then 13 year old 50 lb Chow/Aussie. Now Kuvs are seriously dominant and alpha being a herd guarding breed but the old ** made it clear that she wouldn't put up with his puppy silliness - pinning him down and pinching him, knocking him backwards , launchng into him snarling etc. (never hurt him - just scared the bejessuz out of him. She lifts a lip, he freezes to this day.)
He went through the phase from about 6 months to 16 months of being very wary of any dog that looked like her or was a **. Once he hit late adolesence (about 2 in this breed), he had stopped being so wary of bitches and dogs that looked like his canine boss.
Get him out and about. See if he can be introduced to happy, super-friendly dogs (the kind that LOVE any other dog) that are his size so he can make friends. Then try introducing him to dogs that are a little larger than him but with the same attitude.
Stay right next to him when the other dog approaches - crouching and holding him lightly with an arm over his back if necessary and petting him and make your voice happy and casual. Be very happy and reassuring to him and firendly to the other dog.
Take him out in all kinds of situations - park, around town, etc - with and without other dogs around so he learns to distinguish between threat and non-threat. Does wonders for his confidence. My young Kuv is a working Service Dog and embarassingly friendly - much to the astonishment of the Kuvasz folks - (and he still went on the offensive on his own initiative to knock away and knock down a local man who was bipolar schizophrenic and off his meds and being volatile and threatening.) Utterly fearless about escalators, people, dogs of all sizes, luggage carts in airports, things that go bang, and willing to stand his ground in all situations - and, yes, he still hops to it when the now 15 year old ** gives him "The Look."
If it doesn't interfer with his performance, the fact that he is wary of other larger dogs isn't really a problem. If it interfers with his performance work, then he may not be suited for competition. I once had a top flight Golden with utterly fabulous international breeding behind him would who would learn any task, perform faultlessly at home and whose conformation was perfect - breder and I figured on dual CHS and an OTCH and a TCH with no problem. Turned out there was a problem - put him in a training class at the kennel club with other dogs and he cowered and peed. So much for the titles.
You said he has a good prey drive. How is he on the fight/flight scale?
You might want to run a Volhard test and see how he stacks up.
http://www.volhard.com/training/cpp.htm.
If he is stronger on flight and weaker on fight, then he will need reassurance and confidence building around other dogs.
If he is strong on fight and weak on flight, let him grow up and decide he is a macho young man.
Missed the part about fences. It is a visual thing - he doesn't understand why the dogs look the way they do from the fence distortion. Keep taking him around them and be very confident, talk to him in a postive confident reassuring tone and keep moving. If you don't make a big deal about it, then he'll figure out that it is okay. Keep his focus on you and his job. He is particularly wary since a dog behind a fence appears loose and could move and attack him. He doesn't understand they can't reach him.
(Apparently the Yahoo system objects to the technically correct name for a feamle dog! Utterly ridiculous)
I had a longer answer for you, but then you added details which had no relevance to my answer. How do you know that your dog is frightened of large animals "behind fences?" Seems to me that he knows he's safe, so how is he expressing this fear? Perhaps what you're seeing is something else entirely.
One of my most admirable traits, aside from knowing what I'm talking about is my ability to not insult other participants who answer questions on this site even when I've been attacked for no reason, as from Bonsylar.
I had a field dog who disliked cows!! I asked a local farmer if I could pen her in a Field she soon came to ignore the cattle-maybe if you just hung out with your dog where these other dogs are until he realises that they can't get him?
Check out this website:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/content.
It may offer some insight.
Good luck.
Well you sound like you have some knowledge of dogs and I APPLAUD you. This is my personal opinion, when you walk your dog he needs to feel that you are in complete control, in other words you are his pack leader. When you walk by the dogs behind fences are you calm? A dog can sense your emotion thru the lease and if you seem to get nervous or excited your dog will do the same. I am an avid believer in the Dog Whisperer and his training techniques, but I know others who don't care for him, and it is a matter of taste. You can check his web site out to see what you think. But while walking your dog anywhere or at anytime walk with your head up, remain calm and let your dog know that YOU are their to protect him and in turn your dog will always protect you. Good Luck and Regards KG
One thing that many people do not know is that dogs must never be tapped on top of their heads (forehead) always pet your dogs on their chin (lower part of their mouth). That gives them a lot of confidence towards you.
Introduce him to as many big dogs as you can (ones that he has never met). He will learn that he is safe with you. Also let them play by themselves. I hate to say this but being a little apprehensive to other dogs isn't a bad thing because not all dogs are friendly. So don't worry about it to much. Part of that just comes with age as the dogs becomes more dominant.
have it spayed or neutured
Teach him Karate. No, just kidding. Go here:
http://allexperts.com/browse.cgi?catlvl=.
All Experts is a FREE service. Ask a question, and get an answer by email in just a few days. Good luck!
I was going to answer your question, but when I read Ann s'
I considered it so complete nothing else could be said.
Good luck with your dogs.
I would think that a lot of love and care, as you are probably giving to your dogs, already, would do the trick.
Just before you start to walk with your dogs, give the one that is having problems with other dogs, a nice rub down and talk to it. Also, you would want to do the same for the others, if they are walking with you as well.
Feed him chili peppers, the hotter, the better
I provide my answer with the caveat that I do not in the least consider myself a dog expert, but there is a television program I think that would be of interest to many dog owners called "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan" on the National Geographic Channel. I've provided a link to the site below. The show features Milan, who owns a Dog Psychology Center in LA, going from household to household to help owners with dog behavior problems.
His solutions to all the dog problems seem to stem from the foundational philosophy that dogs are dogs, and when it comes to behavior, humans should not project their psychological biases on the psyche of a canine. According to his views, humans need to modify their own behavior just as they are trying to modify the behavior of their pets!
One thing he asks an owner to do is to assert the demeanor of a "calm and assertive pack leader." Basically, he is asking owners to assume dominance over the dog in a way that doesn't escalate excitement/anxiety. If the owner doesn't take this role, dogs can potentially exhibit various problematic behaviors such as aggression, nervousness, etc.
Once establishing that, Milan frequently prescribes regular walks in which the owner constantly reinforces (in a calm but assertive way) that dogs should not get distracted from the walk. According to him, regular walks (when done correctly) are good for getting rid of excess energy and providing focus for the dog.
The dog should be walking beside the owner, never ahead. The leash should never get taut--this is a sign that the dog is distracted. He seems to address any misbehavior by providing a virtual bite (pack leaders do this when a follower is out of line): he either tugs up on the leash, or reprimands with a quickly exhaled sussurussed "chhhhh" sound (his personal way of providing an audial cue of his dissaproval), or sometimes even gives a dog a quick jab (not hurtful) in the neck area (which is where a pack leader would bite to assert dominance). All the while he is remaining calm yet staying in control of the situation.
I'd recommend watching a show to see how he actually applies his techniques. The show provides the disclaimer that he is a trained expert and that owners shouldn't try his techniques without professional help. My own caveat is that I haven't owned a dog for some time and that you can't believe everything you see on TV. But you should check it out and judge for yourself.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/.
I have found this man incredible helpful
Cesar Milan
One thing you can try is putting him in a pen with one of your older dogs. Doing this will teach him not all big dogs are mean. Many puppy's are scared when they are little and never get over it. But going by the way you described him, it sounds like he will get over it and become the type of dog you want him to be. Hope this works for you. I like pet owners like you who want to help their dogs and not just replace then.
well give him/her a treat for the good such it does, then you can reward it, try takein it out for a walk or 2 ,let it meet other pupppy and let it play with them, and trying to froce the pup might have promble try it with small dogs then work your way up.
Feed him scooby snacks whenever he does something spectacular. Praise him on a daily basis and introduce him to other dogs and people so their is a feel of being loved. This is how humans become confident as well.
Bribe him with some rum and cooquies.
Lots of love.
Try rewarding your dog and getting him out around nicer larger dogs more. If he used to ones that aren't agressive he will probably become more confident in them
when you train him him reward him for each and everything he does right for you. even for when you show him at the dogs shows . and he will get used to things quickly.
All of my Dogs are trained at 5 weeks on up with constant love and care.
keeping them clean and free from Ticks and Fleas. Y}ou have to let them know they are loved and the result is outstanding.
sounds to me that the dog got his ear chewed alrite.. why do you want him to stand uo to other dogs. at the end of the day he knows when to and how to stand up for you if you get into a situation.
You need to become the pack leader.
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