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Hi, its been awhile.....I finally made the decision to get another pup and she's very special(as all puppies are). She's a German shepherd lab mix(like my precious Shiloh), but she has a completely different temperament. She's super sweet and very alert and playful, but when she encounters a new person she growls and barks. Every time. She's only 8 weeks old and I assume some of its insecurity,or fearfulness . I'm aware she needs to be socialized but is this a behavior I should be concerned about?. Its new to me as every other dog I've ever had were openly friendly at every age. She's super smart, and I have a training question I will be posting soon. I know everyone here is learning as much as I did taking Shiloh through it. I know Heidi will be a star pupil too😊

Hi Cheryl, Congrats on your new puppy! Post pictures when you have a moment. I am sure she is adorable! I am concerned about this behavior, being that at this age, they should be curious and eager to meet and greet. Sure, some pups may be a little shy to approach, but wouldn't normally expect to see growling and barking. This can be suggestive of a genetic tendency that may require loads of management, training, critically planned socialization and confidence building. I don't want to discourage you, but the few pups we had in class that did this so young (bark/growl at people), required a high level of commitment that not all owners were able to achieve, leaving many of them still acting this way past adolescence (when the behavior becomes more concerning). It could be that she is going through a fear period and hopefully it's transient: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-periods-8-10-weeks-6-14-months/ What is her history? Where did you get her from? Was she barking and growling at you the first time you met her? Did the breeder/shelter comment on her behavior? Has she seen the vet yet? If so, how did she do? Please mention the behavior to the vet, they may want to check her eyes and other stuff. If you haven't taken her yet to the vet, make sure to do as much as possible to make it a pleasant experience (treats, praise let the staff now beforehand your pup is fearful so that they can take extra steps in their approach), I highly recommend looking for a fear-free vet in your area and make the long drive as needed: https://fearfreepets.com/resources/directory/ If they offer classes too, I would inquire as long as they have reputable fear-free dog trainers on board. When does she bark and growl at people? When first seeing them and then she warms up? Does this happen on walks? At home? Careful with socialization, these pups need a different approach than the average puppy who is just "taking in" information. These fearful pups need loads of management to prevent them from rehearsing the behavior since we don't want them to feel stressed which can have a snowball effect. They need to learn to not fear and therefore their socialization will need to be custom-tailored, more than just mere habituating them, but rather working more on desensitization and counterconditioning with the goal of creating a positive conditioned emotional response. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

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