DIPANNITA DAS

Thank you so much. I will continue his walk and maintain distance from other dogs like you mentioned and also encourage him with treats. I am yet to see how he reacts with another dog on other side of the road as I was avoiding going out during normal time to avoid encounters with other dogs. he plays with our Shih Tzu as usual but that’s the only dog he is interacting since incidence. please let me know how critical it is for me to see a professional, shall I wait to see how he reacts on walk in presence of another dog or should definitely see a professional immediately ? Thanks so much.

Hello Adrienne , how are you? Trust you are doing good. I had a situation I want to talk about with you. if you recall we discussed regarding Sky earlier. He is a work like breed German Shepherd 1.5 years old now. something very bad happened last week. I was talking a walk around 11:00 pm in my neighborhood and all of a sudden a medium sized dog (Poodle) came out of no where and bit Sky without even being provoked. He came straight and bit without even barking or anything. It came from a house where I guess people were about to leave and this guy slipped thru and bit Sky. It happened so fast that Sky struggled himself from the grip of that dog and also from his leash / collar and instead of fighting back (I just heard him growling at him once) or grabbing that other dog who was half his size, he ran away and ran straight towards our house which was 3/4 blocks down. This other dog didn’t stop at just biting Sky but ran towards him and was chasing Sky till I lost sight of both of them. By the time I was able to reach home I found the owner of the other dog reaching before me and he was holding his dog. He apologized and also paid for Sky's Vet visit around $500 and other than just telling him about what happened was unacceptable I didn’t do much of an action. I am not even sure if I should have informed animal services or something but I guess doing that would just create more problems for the person who it seemed was genuinely sorry for what happened Now more than Sky I am in a shock and scared of walking him knowing that a dog can come out of nowhere and can cause injury like that. I just want to know how it could affect Sky psychology and if there is any special precautions I should take. Since that incidence I am not taking him on his morning walks, I am just going once late at night and that too staying close to my house. Any advice is much appreciated. Secondly about the work line breed GSDs, I thought they are protective breeds with a natural instinct to defend. Sky is 43 Kgs and look of him or his bark alone can instil fear. But in reality is he just a sweet mushy little giant who could not defend himself or did he took a call that running away was a better option than fighting. if it ever comes to defending his pack (like me, my kids etc), will he step-in in our defence or requires any further training. My kids are small 2 yrs and six, I don’t want him to be a protection dog trained but expectation was he will be naturally protective towards my kids in particular (which I see he is because when I am out with my daughter and she tends to wander away the look of concern in Sky). However I never thought that he would run away when attacked by another dog half his size, thought I really very much appreciate what he did, but just curious to know what drove him. Did he took a decision to not escalate the situation by getting into a fight or ran for his life and yes, will he fight for me or my kids if we are ever in that situation. He has so lovely and caring eyes, I feel so bad that this happened and I could not protect him on the spot. thanks for reading. Take care.

Thank you Adrienne, these advices are life saving. I have to go thru the different links that you have posted here but it looks l have links to everything I was looking for atm. I will start working on them. Thanks again for your responses and guidences. Kind Regards

Than you so much for sharing 🙂

Hello Adrienne, Please find the response inline: Has your GSD ever been around this 5-year old child before? Answer: No, this is the first time. We were four people who entered the door from outside - my 2 yrs old, 6 yrs old, her 5 yrs old friend and myself. We were all excited because she was coming to our house for first time. It was not even a visit, she was stopping by on her way home while returning from school. Have you always been using a dog gate to keep your dog away from guests/children or was this the first time? If for the first time, was there a reason for using the dog gate? Answer: yes there is this dog gate that stays closed with the dogs on other side when i go out. So if a new person enters the house the dogs (I have a Shih Tzu and GSD) from the other side of the dog gate and if most often they would bark at the stranger from the other side of the gate. GSD is able to jump the gate if he is motivated. If you have used the dog gate before, have you noticed any changes using the dog gate versus letting him freely approach guests (even if on a leash)? Please don't try this, just provide details on whether you have noticed any differences in the ways he reacts when introduced to guests in different ways. Answer: After he settles down with the guest and is calm let him to see the guest (if guest is comfortable, some people feels scared and prefers not the dog to approach them) When he used to play with the kids in the past months can you describe in which ways he "played?" Also, would you say he seemed willing to participate and having a good time, or just tolerating them? Answer: I particularly remember tow teenage girls I had as guest in my house and Sky (my GSDs name) would lie down on the floor and let them cuddle him and make funny noises as if asking them to cuddle him more. Another guest is a boy 10 years old, he would just sit next to the GSD in same room and play with my daughter. Another 5 years old girl I recall was in the house and Sky was on the other side of the dog gate but he was not bothered by her presence though it seems he was already adjusted to the guests presence because they did not meet him head on as soon as they entered the house like in this case. Another incidence I recall during his walks quite a few months back was another younger kid tried to approach him and that startled him and he barked before the kid even approached him. A cyclist (a grown up idiot, sorry) once drove crazy next to him and he was startled and scared with the bike zooming so close to him and since then I see him a little scared whenever he see any bi-cycle on the road. My girls also drive cycle, he is okay with them. Just to clarify, is this the first time he has barked at children visiting, or does he routinely do that even with adult visitors? Answer: Once someone enters, his first response is a warning bark as if who are you and why are you entering my house? He would bark from other side of the gate to any visitors (adult or kid) to even someone he has met before, though after a while he settles down once guests goes upstairs. Once I found him even licking and giving kisses to my friend who happens to love dogs and has met Sky a few times since he was a puppy. In this incidence I am not sure if he got overwhelmed with this little girl's energy as she was all excited to enter the house and running in the small corridor (on the other end is Sky with a dog gate in-between). It would have been okay if he has given a warning bark but then he should settle down, but here even though my daugther and myself were present, he was still barking and it was to the point that I had to lock him into another room. I will not say that he was barking only at the little girl because my front door was open and behind the girl her mother also entered the house and perhaps Sky saw her too while we were trying to calm him down. In ideal scenario, if guest are here and I am with them, then one warning bark may be is okay but then he should settle down? You mentioned there was a lot of giggling, jumping going on. Recalling past events, has he been fine with this in the past? Or would you say that in this encounter there was more commotion than usual going on? Answer: My girls are usually calmer but as with little girls they do make these funny noises and Sky is used to these sounds and doesn't care. In fact i feel he is very protective of my girls and when we are outside he keeps a watch on them. One time my elder daughter started climbing a small pile of stone chips on curb side and I could see the amount of worry in Sky eye as if he was trying to tell me to stop her, and why is she going there. Have you had him since a puppy? If so, has he been socialized as a pup to a variety of people/children as a puppy? Many dogs obtained during the pandemic have suffered from decreased levels of socialization and they may struggle with habituating to some normal things children do. Answer: yes I got him as a puppy, he took a foundation basic obedience class with 10 other dogs or so, he goes leash free in dog park sometime there are other kids and lot of grown up obviously, and he is not bothered with anything but I have stopped doing this since a couple of months as I saw an article that dog parks are not a good place. Other than that I take him to pet smart or pet value but very rarely. As a matter of fact can I take him to the dog parks because I don't see any other way how I can socialize him and meet strangers in his own comfort zone. he will not anyone approach him while we are on a walk. if a stranger is passing by him on the same lane that's alright but he will let a person approach him or not depends a lot in the person himself. Recently I was talking to a gentlemen who has experience with dogs and Miskha was just comfortable sitting in front of him (we met this person for first time) and even took a treat from his hand, but another friend of mine (I explained earlier) who was having a walk with his wife approached to talk to me and perhaps with the intention to touch Sky (may be) and he barked at him (not aggressively, a warning bark). hence wondering how to continue the socializing? Should i continue doing the dog park visits. I also heard that GSD temperament changes as they approach adulthood, something that he tolerated by another dog as a young puppy may be a challenge for him now? Has he recently seen the vet? Is there any stress going on in his life? Any recent changes? Answer: he visited the vet in Feb this year, the vet said he has "control aggression" i.e. he doesn't want to give his control to a stranger. I think that's rooting from the fact that he did not let the vet touch him at places. His assistance touched him with stethoscope (without any muzzle) and he was growling (warning that its a new experience and he is not comfortable). Then we muzzled him for the Dr. to exam his heart etc. I don't think there is any stress going on, I have observed dry skin and itching recently but nothing apart from that. How is he doing now in regards to his reactivity in regards to seeing other dogs on walks? Answer: With a treat in my had he is doing excellent so far. I told you earlier that he had a bad experience with a lab earlier and he tends to react when he sees him but with treats in my hand at the time of crossing each other (on other ide of road) he mostly passes 9 out of 10 times without even a bark even with these labs. If the other dog is reacting on the other side then too I am able to make him cross without a bark (9 out of 10 times). Please keep on making safety your top priority as children are particularly vulnerable especially at this age. Answer: Totally agree and cause of my concern. hence wanted to have your thoughts and guidance on this as I don't want to have him even barking at kids. He used to be very mellow and trusting around kids until this incidence. Kids are mostly with their parents when they visit so I thought his barking was directed to parents and in this incidence now I am thinking he saw the mother entering the house too. So I am not sure if he was barking at mother but I should have planned the visit properly, it was quite sudden, as we were all returning from school and my daughters friend insisted on visiting our house. Any advice would help. Another question, is there a way I can make these conversations about discussing the behavioral issues private instead of discussing in open forum. I don't know who is watching and if they can misuse the info/problem against me or my dog? Is that possible or I am just being paranoid? Thanks again.

Hello Adrienne, Trust you are doing good. My GSD is a work line breed male dog and he is approx 1.5 years old now. He is raised with my two kids who are 6 yrs and 2 yrs old respectively. Usually he used to be okay with strangers or other kids coming to our house. Quite a few months back he even let grown up kids pet and play with him. But today my daughters friend (who should be approx. 5 years old) visited our house with my daughter for a quick minute and my GSD started barking at her. There was a "dog gate" between us and that's why he could not approach her but his reaction was unwelcoming. I thought his barking at strangers coming to our house is because perhaps the stranger is making him insecure in a way, so sometimes I used to let him go near the person (if the person is comfortable), however I didn't expected that he would react to a kid and I am not comfortable under such situation to let the dog meet the kid when he is barking in such a manner, so I locked him in a different room. Of course when my daughters friend entered the house there were three kids (my two kids and the friend) and there was a total commotion and noise with all giggling, jumping etc.. so I am not sure if that startled him and is that why he gave a poor reaction? In fact I felt sorry for my dog's behavior and for sure it felt like I didn't do a good job training him and no parent will be comfortable sending their kid in a house with such a big unwelcoming dog. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. FYI, he is okay on walks, he doesn't bark to someone passing by, only one other incidence happened like this during the winters is when I was walking him and friend was coming from the other side. It was winter and he was wearing big jacket, his wife too was with him. So my friend stopped to talk to me and perhaps he was going to pet or touch him and he then started barking at him (there was no lunging, it was more like a warning bark). Please suggest what is advisable here. Thanks again.

Thank you so much

Thanks once again.

Hello Adrienne, just one more question, I sometimes see people suggesting to ask your leash reactive dog to sit and look at you while another dog is approaching. I tried it but wasn’t a success but again few other people say not to stop and keep walking past the other dog. So what is suggested? Thanks

Hello again, I want to know if you have any links or sections on how to engage your dog in playing. I have a GSD, if you have an agility training section I will be happy to go thru it if you can point me. Idea is rt. now I play fetch with my dog in my backyard. I want to include some additional games that I can play with him, to engage him, exhausts him something simple DIY type play cum training. Thank you in advance

Awesome, thank you so much.

Thank you Adrienne, I will check the links you have suggested here and let you know how it goes. However I want to answer the questions you have asked me, here it is; Q1) Is your dog just barking or also lunging? I think its both. FYI, he walks by my side when we are on walk ( when we take a walk, I try that he does not walks ahead of me). I learned that I should give leash pops by watching some YouTube videos on leash reactivity, and gave him leash pops a few times when I knew he is going to bark at the other dog. I have tried this very recently hence can't say if its working for sure. But since then and with some lures in my hand i have observed that he is barking selectively now. If he is passing any new dog who doesn't care or is not looking/barking at him then my dog is not reacting at the other dog (not even a bark but he still keeps checking, even by turning his head back and making sure the other dog has passed till the other dog out of sight - just wondering is it normal for GSDs to be this suspicious or is stemming out of lack of socializing? as i said for socializing I only took him to dog parks where he used to play fine with other dogs, earlier he also attended in-person foundation training class as a pup with 7 or 8 other dogs and a few time he goes to pet smart and pet value stores with me). Coming to the point, so he passes some dogs fine now, but there is another familiar dog, a lab who was once "barked at" by both my dogs (unfortunately GSD and Shih Tzu were together at that time). So, if this lab is coming from the other side, then even the lab keeps checking on us and i think that is what triggering my GSD as they might be exchanging glances. My GSD then starts barking and lunging even though the lab is not barking back at him. When he barks his body language is like this, he watches the dog, waits for the other dog to almost reach him on the other side (as if when they are exactly opposite to each other), then as soon as they pass he starts to barks as well as lunge pulling me with all his strength. Since he is on prong hence I am able to hold on to him. But now he is barking selectively, hence its getting difficult for me to judge whether he is going to pass or make a scene. I will read rest of he articles you have suggested and I will let you know how it goes. Much thanks for your time. Regards

awesome, thank you so much.

Hello Adrienne my GSD (male) is a big boy bog now. He is one years old (unfixed, I plan to neuter him at around 2 years of age). issue description:- I find him difficult giving a walk because he tends to bark aggressively at other dogs even if they are on the other side of the road. I am using prong collar but that’s not improving the behaviour. It has given me some control over him but how can I make him act calm (or ignore) in presence of other dogs. I used to take him to dog parks earlier (haven’t done in a month now after I read somewhere that dogs parks can give your dog disease, but that’s a different topic for a later time). Leash free he plays fine with other dogs of every size in the dog park but with a “leash on” and walking him in my neighbourhood I literally keep hoping that I don’t encounter another dog coming from the other side. He is not a mean dog, I just don’t know how he picked up this bad behaviour but it’s not easy with him giving walk. He is close to 100 pounds and if it wasn’t for the prong collar then I would have not been able to held on to him with the way he lunges seeing other dogs barking at them aggressively. I should mention that I have another dog which is a ShihTzu and she also barks at other dogs (sometimes). GSD being younger than the ShihTzu might have picked the behaviour from her. It’s hardly once or twice I took both of them out together on a walk, as it’s unmanageable hence I do not take both of them out together now. but ShihTzu is now more relaxed or atleast in absence of his GSD friend she doesn’t care to bark at other dogs on her walk. I used the pop technique as well as with some lure in my hands and it has helped me a little bit as now he ignores another dog who doesn’t bark at him, but he still very nervously keeps checking on the other dog till the other dog is passed his sight, and if the other dog shows any aggression then he reacts. Please help me if you have any suggestions. I mean I have seen other GSDs taking walk “leash free” with their owners and not leaving their owner’s side or any kind of reaction in presence of other dogs (even when the other dog barks at them). So just wondering to how to reach that level of comfort zone and confidence with my dog. I believe he trusts me, he takes approvals by constantly looking at me as if to get permission or making sure I am there etc. but when he reacts he doesn’t listen to me. Please share if you have any suggestions. Thanking you in advance. Kind Regards

Hello Adrienne, I am so excited to start my dog training course with you. I went thru the instructions in your “look at me” game and watched the exam video that you did with Einstein. Honestly I find easier to learn from a video than reading and happy to see that your course includes both. However I still have some questions about this game which is as below: When I ask my dog to look at me and once we have “eye contact” how long should I maintain that eye contact before treating him which also means releasing him from look at me task? when I play this game with my dog he looks at me for quite a bit say 30-40 secs and then he tends to look away when I signal him again to get that much duration of eye contact again. So how long or brief should I really keep it? Is it meant to be just a split second like you were doing in your video where once you smacked and as soon Einstein looked at you, you treated him and you did not held on to the eye contact for long when he looked at you ? So how it is meant to be played, are we trying to get his attention for a split second to distract him from whatever is going on around him or we are supposed to make him hold the eye contact so that he can ignore everything else going around him? I hope I am able to put my question properly? thanks in advance