How to introduce dog to kids visiting your house

[DIPANNITA DAS]

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.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there, welcome back!

Just a few questions to better "assess" the situation.

Has your GSD ever been around this 5-year old child before?

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?

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.

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?

Just to clarify, is this the first time he has barked at children visiting, or does he routinely do that even with adult visitors?

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? 

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.

Has he recently seen the vet? Is there any stress going on in his life? Any recent changes?

How is he doing now in regards to his reactivity in regards to seeing other dogs on walks?

Please keep on making safety your top priority as children are particularly vulnerable especially at this age. 

Thanks!

[DIPANNITA DAS]

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.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful! 

 

I agree with you that, since you were four people entering the door from the outside, it is difficult to establish who Sky may have been exactly barking at. Also, the fact that you were outside with them may have made him more likely to bark, considering that, when left alone, many dogs may feel more insecure and they may be more prone to take a "bark first and assess later" role. All the commotion you describe could have startled him, making him more likely to react.

 

On the other hand, we need to consider the possibility of the barrier (the dog gate) potentially having caused him some level of frustration. Dogs who are generally friendly toward people or other dogs, may develop what's known as barrier frustration. In this case, the behavior may look quite reactive, (and even scary sometimes!), but it's mostly a temper tantrum tossed from a dog who is simply frustrated because the barrier prevents him from meeting and greeting as he normally would.  If the said dog was free from the barrier, he would act in a friendly way (approaching and greeting happily with a wiggly body). More about this phenomenon:

  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/

 

So this can be one differential to consider, but since we don't know for sure what his true emotions were and based on his past history, I feel that in these cases it never hurts to be extra cautious, so let's assume that he was specifically barking at the child and that the barking was because he wasn't comfortable with the child being there. 

 

We also need to factor in that he is now about one year and a half which is the age when a German shepherd reaches social maturity. During late adolescence/early social maturity is when their territorial/protective instincts kick in in fuller gear. 

 

German shepherds are known for being extra attentive to their surroundings which are the traits that have made German shepherds cherished guardians of the home and farm. These dogs, (just like Rottweilers) are not the average Golden or Labrador retriever who, as social butterflies" will rush to greet and befriend anyone they meet (although there are always exceptions).

 

Sure, in general, young German shepherd as pups and juveniles are happy and eager to meet and greet people. As they meet and greet, they are all wiggly and may solicit attention and petting from people, but as they start to mature, they may edge more on the reserved side and their standard clearly states that their aloofness "does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships."

 

With this breed's innate predisposition, it is therefore important recognizing how, without proper socialization, training and guidance, one may be walking on a fine line. Left untackled, a German shepherd's natural aloofness may morph into suspiciousness, mistrust, reactivity and even excessive territorial aggression. We also have to be wary of excessive "protective behaviors" as it's not unheard of some dogs to start acting protective of children living in the home with them and not allowing other children/humans to approach them. It may start in a subtle way like getting in between, and then the behavior may get more and more intense, building up to snarling/growling at anybody who approaches the dog's perceived family.  We want to avoid getting to this point.

 

I have said this, and will say it again: I feel that it's far better having a "failed guardian" than a liability on our hands. German shepherds and Rottweilers are already intimidating on their own and normal people wouldn't mess with them based on their looks alone. Yet, I never told people that my Rotties would rather lick strangers to death than harm them, so this was my big secret. 

 

How did I get to that? I may lucked out with their genetics, but I also worked oodles on getting them to not bark/react to Fedex guys and any general delivery men/repair persons/gardeners/you name it as soon as the first protective/territorial signs of this started. 

 

The big test day arrived when my landlord ignored the "Rottweilers on patrol sign" in my yard and climbed over the fence to start painting our shed. He froze in horror when my Rotties rushed to him, but all he got was tail wags and some love licks. I attained this positive conditioned emotional response https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/ through lots of practice doing the "look at that" though the window exercises explained below and then practicing this when on leash making my smacking sound repeatedly and giving treats when encountering people. 

 

Consider that your smaller dog may also influence your German shepherd (just as it can happen on walks) to react to things in his environment excessively, causing him to be in a hypervigilant state, when we may rather want these dogs to remain poised, and only switch into full barking/growling gear when there is a true threat (think a thief in the middle of the night breaking in). So this is something to consider if you notice him being influenced by the smaller guy (which you may want to involve in the training). 

 

If this whole barking behavior is generally a relatively new behavior, you are therefore doing the right thing about wanting to tackle it early rather than just assuming it's normal behavior and allowing it to put roots and establish. So in these cases, I would suggest implementing management and behavior modification, (which is somewhat similar to the work you have done for Sky's reactivity on leash). 

 

So here are some general guidelines/approaches about dog/child safety and having dogs better cope with visitors in the home. Some of these may sound obvious, and some may appear to be overkill, but it's so as to cover many basis. It's always important mentioning them and always making safety top priority if there are ever concerns. 

 

Prevent Rehearsal of the Problematic Behavior

 
The more your dog rehearses problematic behaviors associated children/people entering his perceived territory, the more these problem behaviors put roots and establish.

It is therefore fundamental that you take steps to manage your dog's environment so that your dog isn't put into the position of practicing problematic behaviors which are often reinforced by the children/humans withdrawing.

You can implement management by setting up a designated area in the home where you can take your dog when visitors, especially children, are present. This allows your dog to have access to a a quiet and secure area where he can relax without feeling stressed and rehearsing problematic behaviors over and over. Based on the level of a dog's reactivity, this space may or may not allow visuals of the visitors. If your GSD is capable of jumping a dog gate, it would be important investing in a taller one or securely stacking another gate on top of that.

Become a Pro in to Reading Your Dog

This is important for anybody who owns dogs. Prior to barking or growling, dogs often exhibit a variety of subtle signs. It's important to therefore get as accustomed as possible with a dog's precursor signs so as to intervene quickly and reduce any stress associated with visitors. Kendal Shepherd's Ladder of Aggression can come handy: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dogs-dont-bite-blue/

Supervise All Interactions

Active supervision is the key. Toddlers and young children generally under the age of 10 in particular are known for carrying out behaviors that may not be well-tolerated by dogs, even the most patient ones. According to a study, the majority of dog bites occur in children 5 years of age or younger with over half of the cases being provoked. Children 5 years old and younger in particular are at high risk for being bitten in the face by a familiar.

Yet sometimes supervision is not enough. One day we had some children over, which our dogs were fine with since puppies. One child happened to trip and almost fell over our dog which was caught by surprise and in turn growled and snapped. Pheww... that was really close and I couldn't stop thinking all evening how quickly things could have turned very bad if my dog happened to intently bite. What a wakeup call!

From that day on, I took steps to ensure nothing like this could happen again so interactions were limited to having the dogs behind a baby gate and having the children ask them to sit or hand target and feed them some treats. This was a win-win because this structured setting  helped further polish our dogs' training, gave the children a safer way to interact (rather than running around) while also creating positive associations. 

Give Your Dog Some Breaks

Being around children can be exhausting to dogs. If your dog lives in a home with children or is around children for prolonged periods of times, it can cause overstimulation and stress which lowers a dog's threshold for aggression/biting. Encourage only positive interactions in a structured and as safe as possible way and provide breaks so as to have the situation under control by having the children behave when around the dog and reinforcing the dog (with tasty treats) for engaging in desirable trained behaviors and attending to your cues. If you have *any reason* to suspect your dog may act aggressively around children, it's always best to play it safe and limit/avoid direct interactions. 

Muzzle Train Your Dog

If you are concerned about your dog manifesting potentially aggressive behaviors when around people, you may want to muzzle train your dog so as to add an extra layer of safety. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/

Look for a bite-proof muzzle. Examples of bite-proof muzzles include wire basket muzzles from Dean and Tyler and some varieties of Jafco muzzles. Consider that children fingers can fit through gaps so you may need muzzles with no gaps (like muzzles with "stool guards") if your dog will be around children. 

***Important! Always inquire with the manufacturing company to make sure that a muzzle is truly bite-proof before purchasing. Don't just trust what you read online or what people tell you!

It's important to realize that a muzzle won't fix any aggressive tendencies. Putting a muzzle on a potentially reactive/ aggressive dog without working on the underlying issue is looking for trouble. Even though a muzzled dog can't bite, he will still be emotionally charged and he may get to rehearse reactive/aggressive behaviors such as barking, growling, snarling and lunging.

Once again, the more dogs get to rehearse these problematic behaviors, the more they put roots and become habit-forming. On top of this, when dogs rehearse reactive/aggressive behaviors stress hormones circulate around the dog's body. 

Therefore, it's important to avoid any situations that may cause your dog to react negatively. This is once again attained through management and the systematic implementation of behavior modification. 

Address The Root Problem

While managing the environment can turn helpful in the immediate situation, it's important to tackle the underlying issue and search for a long-term resolution. It's unfortunate, but management usually fails at some point. The more triggers and situations that require to be managed, the more likely one is to have a failure in the management plan.

If management remains the only way to prevent a dog from potentially harming a child, then the situation is quite critical. It is therefore important to address the root problem. Whether a dog's dislike of strangers/visitors/children is triggered by fear, stress, anxiety, territorial instincts, past negative experiences, or a combination of factors, you'll need to invest time in taking a multipronged approach aiming to change your dog's emotional response towards children. 

This can be done through the use of systematic desensitization and counterconditioning carried out under the guidance of a professional for safety and correct implementation. There can be many ways to approach the problem behavior by incorporating elements of desensitization and counterconditioning. I will list several ones, but each case is different and will often require a different, individualized approach. 

Here is a read on desensitization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Here is a read on counterconditioning:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

The goal is to gradually expose the dog to children/adults visiting in a controlled systematic way, starting with a distance and level of intensity where your dog is well under threshold and doesn't trigger their reactive behavior. Positive associations can be formed through the use of high-value treats delivered contingent upon observing the children/adult visitors at a safe distance.

This can be started with a simple "look at that" exercise where the dog is taught to respond to smacking sound and not react to watching people/children walking by from an indoor window: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

The same exercise can then be done by having the dog watch people/children walk by parallel to the property with the dog is on leash through an opened door, where the dog is fed treats contingent upon seeing them walk by and treat delivery is stopped when people/children are out of sight in an open bar/closed bar fashion: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

Then progress can be made by having adults/children visiting the house and always working on small steps and creating positive associations. Here is a general guide on how I worked with a dog who barked when a particular person entered the house: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

The treat/retreat game can turn handy too if there is a large enough indoor space as adults/old enough children can be instructed to toss a treat past the dog so as to create positive associations. This can be started outdoors.

General guide: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/treat-retreat-game/

 Revised edition: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-play-the-treat-and-retreat-game/

You asked: "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?"

Yes, we can have a warning bark or two, but then we want them to settle down and be responsive to our cues, which brings us to the next general tip. 

Train Helpful Cues

On top of changing your dog's emotional response towards visitors, it's also important training your dog to develop a steady-fast response to certain training cues that can come handy when around visitors. 

Important cues to train include the following: "sit," "down," "stay," "come,"  "hand target" and "leave it," which can turn useful when you'll need to quickly redirect your dog's attention to you and maintain control in situations involving visitors once his emotions are better under control. 

You may also find it helpful training your dog to go to a mat:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

***Remember: If your dog is in an unresponsive state, he is too over threshold. Behavior modification should pave the path towards a calmer emotional state that allows a dog to better cognitively function. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

Avoid Punishment

Studies have shown that the implementation of punishment risks making behavior problems worse, not better. 

"Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them with physical manipulation does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses," points out board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Meghan E. Herron, the lead author of the study. 

Such punishment-based approaches should be therefore be avoided as they may evoke fearful or defensively aggressive behaviors in dogs.

On top of this, you risk suppressing a dog's early cues which act as warning systems. For example, if you punish a dog for growling at children, you risk suppressing the growl, which is an important warning system. You may therefore end up with a dog who directly bites without giving any warning. This is likely removing the batteries from a smoke alarm. You have no more warning system to rely on. 

Seek Professional Help

Once again, enlist the help of a certified professional dog trainer, certified applied animal behaviorist or board-certified veterinary behaviorist experienced in working with behavior issues.

The goal is to carry out a thorough functional assessment and design a customized behavior modification plan so as to address the specific issues your dog is facing. Working with a professional is important for safety and the correct implementation of behavior modification. My preferred go-to are Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAAB) and Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorists (DACVB).

Be Patient and Consistent 

It goes without saying that changing a dog's behavior takes time and it's best to nip behavior problems in the bud before they establish. Behavior modification takes time and no guarantees can be made over the outcome of behavior modification. Any progress will be gradual and you may witness setbacks, but with consistent effort and professional guidance, you should be likely to notice improvements over time.

Keep Socializing Your Dog 

Socialization efforts should be in place for the rest of the dog's life. While it's true that puppies go through a critical socialization period, it's also true that dogs keep learning throughout their lives. 

Teach Children How to Behave Around Dogs

This involves teaching our own children how to behavior around our dog as well as any visiting children. Teach them to avoid moving suddenly, use their "indoor voices," and respect your dog's personal space.

Be your dog's ambassador. You can warn any approaching children that you think your dog may struggle with by telling them that your dog is a guard dog and not for petting.  Basically, do as much as you can to control the situation and help your dog feel secure knowing that you're there to 'protect' him from random strangers/children that you feel he's not eager to interact with.  

A Word of Caution 

The ultimate goal of management and behavior modification when it comes to dogs who struggle with visitors/children is to attain a reduction in the frequency and intensity of behaviors such as barking and growling.

When it comes to the interactions between dogs and children, there are several risks that need to be considered. Children are particularly vulnerable and there are specific risks involved due to the fact that they're less reliably to follow instructions and struggle recognizing subtle cues that dogs are getting increasingly stressed and may be about to bite. 

 The stakes are therefore much higher and it’s harder to control the outcome when it comes to dogs and children. Of course, every case is different. An old and toothless small dog weighing 10 pounds poses less risks compared to a a two-year old dog weighing 90 pounds. The risks at stake are always high as there can be dangerous consequences for any mishap. 

 It's important to recognize that some dogs, despite the commitment and the skill level of the trainer/behavior specialist, will pose a high risk and the situation may be too dangerous should management fail one day. Of course this is the worst case scenario, but worth mentioning. No trainer/behavior specialist should provide guarantees on the outcome of training/behavior modification. 

I will be answering your other queries shortly in the next post. 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Please see my answers in non-bold:

" 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?

Dog parks can come handy by using them for training. What I like to do is walk at a distance from the perimeter and practice obedience cues and "look at thats" when seeing people and other dogs. If you have people with other dogs that your dog seems to do fine with, you can also organize "parallel walks" and praise and reward for doing steps of attention heeling despite the distraction of their presence. These structured forms of socialization are a win-win because they help polish your dog's training while also creating positive associations with the people/dogs around him. 

If at any time other dogs or people are coming too close for comfort or I notice early signs of stress, we would execute a u-turn that was trained previously at a fluent level. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

You can also work on obedience skills in presence of dogs/people at the pet store or the pet store parking lot or if you really want to kick his training up a notch, you can try enrolling him in Reactive Rover classes if there are any held in your area. 

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.

I am not too keen in accepting a so readily dispensed diagnosis of "control aggression" as it seems to insinuate something about being in control and the whole outdated dominance mythologies .https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dominance/ His reluctance to being touched as you correctly mention is most likely due to not feeling comfortable in that situation. If you are lucky enough to have any fear free vets in your area I think they could help you and your dog out. If he's barking and growling on a routine basis, that is often a sign of underlying stress. 

Here is a directory for finding a Fear-Free practice near you:

https://fearfreepets.com/resources/directory/

How is he doing now in regards to his reactivity in regards to seeing other dogs on walks?

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). 

That is great news, keep up the great work!

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?

I am not sure how to make a post on the forums private. On my moderation side of things, I can hide this post if you want, I am not sure though if it would also hide it from you though. I also have a delete option if you wish which you can always request after you have read.

I don't think there are any particular risks, as long as you aren't using your real name and malicious people who know you aren't on these forums. This forum is private and only open to members who are seeking help with their dogs just like you. You can try by emailing support about this as I am not very techy and they may know best about answering this. 

Support email: [email protected]

Hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[DIPANNITA DAS]

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

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome, keep us posted on how it goes!

Best,

Adrienne