Reactive German Shepherd

[JagdeepGambhir]

My German shepherd is 1.5 years old and is very reactive. He barks at strangers on the street every time I take him on rides in my car, especially people on bikes. He is calm on walks but will bark at dogs and people standing near my house. I’m not sure right now how to fix this problem. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums!

We see this type of barking when dogs aren't comfortable having certain dogs or people around. With a car being enclosed, such dogs tend to feel rather ''trapped,'' and therefore, feel like engaging more in a "fight" since their flight option (the ability to retreat) is removed.

 By barking he may be saying something along the lines "go away, I don't like you!" and because most dogs or people on bikes tend to move away at some point, these dogs will feel as if their barking has worked to fulfill their mission. Hence, the behavior will put roots and tends to repeat. 

Being a German shepherd, this behavior isn't uncommon considering that they have a history as 'guardians." GSD are described as being vigilant dogs who remain poised, but when the right circumstance demands, switch into being eager and alert. These traits have made German shepherds cherished guardians of the home and farm. 

In general, young German shepherd pups are happy and eager to greet people. As they meet and greet, they are all wiggly and may solicit attention and petting from people. Things may start to change though when German shepherds reach the adolescent stage, a time when their attitudes about people being nearby their properties shifts into territorial behaviors.

At around 8 months, one may notice how strangers or other dogs approaching have now become potential threats. From wiggly, the young teenager may now bark or even growl upon noticing intruders. As pups turn into teenagers, they are more likely to therefore become more emotional and reactive, but without guidance it can morph over to suspiciousness, mistrust, and even excessive territorial tendencies that may develop into aggression. Most behaviorists seem to agree that territorial tendencies starts around 8 to 10 months and escalate around the age of 12 to 24 months. 

So how to work on the issue of dogs barking at people/ people on bikes approaching the car? Here are some general tips:

1) Manage the Environment
 The more a dog rehearses reactive behaviors such as barking and lunging, the more it establishes and becomes habit-forming

In order to help a reactive dog, you will therefore need to do everything possible to prevent him from feeling overwhelmed to the point of barking. In other words, you'll need to prevent him from going over threshold as much as possible. Here is a read on threshold levels in dogs:

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

So what can we do to manage the dog's environment so to make him less likely to bark at triggers? Here are some ideas:

 -Invest in a car crate. Many dogs will be less likely to bark when they are crated in the car and they are also safer this way too.

-Placing a blanket on the crate can help too so to prevent the dog from seeing triggers.

-Try a "calming cap." Like the Thunder Cap, for instance, helps reduce visual stimulation so there are lower chances for the dog to react.

-Play Calming Music. If feasible, bring along calming CDs made just for dogs such as Through a Dog's Ear. Nowadays, you may also find a lot of music specifically crafted for dogs offered for free on YouTube. 

Did you know? After a stressful event, a dog’s cortisol levels may remain at high levels for days or even weeks. Back-to-back stressful events may lead to the phenomenon of trigger stacking where the dog suddenly "explodes."

Management helps prevent the dog from rehearsing the undesirable behavior and helps keep stress hormones low, but in order to work on the issue we will need to implement some form of behavior modification. Management therefore is important to use for those times when you cannot implement behavior modification. However, many owners find that management is often enough to reduce the occasional barking in the car and therefore rely on it long term.

2) Behavior modification 

Behavior modification for barking at triggers in the car requires desensitization and counterconditioning. 

Desensitization involves exposing the dog systematically to his triggers. In order to work well, in a good desensitization program the dog needs to be kept as much as possible under threshold. Here is a read on desensitization: 

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

Counterconditioning involves creating positive associations with the dog's triggers. In order to work well, a good counterconditioning program incorporates things the dog finds very reinforcing provided contingent upon the exposure to the trigger. Here is a read on counterconditioning:

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

Putting it together: for barking at triggers from the car, you would therefore need the aid of a helper (like a family member) who can sit in the back seat with your dog  and feed him high-value treats every time he sees a trigger. The "look at that dog" exercise can turn helpful in this case.

Start by training a fluent response to the smacking sound:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

then use that for Look at That Exercises done in the car with a helper sitting in the back seat with your dog,  making a smacking sound and feeding treats every time a person rides on a bike from a distance where your dog is better under threshold:

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

the goal is to repeatedly present the triggers with something perceived by the dog as pleasant such as food to the point of the trigger becoming a predictor of great things, creating what is known as a positive "conditioned emotional response."

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

If your dog at any time reacts, take that as a sign that he has been exposed to a too intense situation. Take a step back and increase further distance from the trigger. You may find it extra helpful to purposely create "setups" in controlled settings where you can have your car parked and a person riding a bike/walking by the car starting at a distance and coming gradually closer, always using your smacking sound and super high value treats. 

On walks;

On walks, you can follow a similar protocol.

Management-wise, to prevent rehearsal of the problem behavior as much as possible, train an emergency U-turn so that you can turn before  he has a chance to act reactive and bark. Then come back when there is no more people standing by your property. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn

Practice having people standing by your property and you feed your dog treats when your dog spots them from a distance where he doesn't react. The open bar/closed bar method can work well with this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

Knowledge is power. You know know that people near your home or people on bikes on car rides are high on the list of triggers. This means that when you see people nearby your home, you should steer clear if they're coming too close as much as possible and aim to work on them by presenting them in their least intense forms and then build gradually. A good starting point is watching people pass by windows if that's feasible:

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

Consider that allowing a dog to bark at people from windows or fences can contribute to elevating stress hormones and can carry over (generalize) to barking at people on car rides or people in the neighborhood. Management therefore remains important in these cases too.

I hope this helps!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. When dogs are over threshold or in a highly aroused state,  dog owners are at risk for a re-directed bite (sometimes just from being touched!) and other people/dogs around can be at risk too if not enough distance is taken or should people come too close or should the dog lunge forward or escape. For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it is therefore best to enlist the help of a dog behavior professional for in-person coaching and to ensure the dog is kept under threshold and not exposed to stimuli/situations that may be too overwhelming.