German Shepherd Dog Forums - View Single Post - Is it common for GSD to have a fear stage?

julie87 · 01-06-2013, 05:13 PM

I spoke to a few people and they have told me that their GSD had a fear stage at around 7 months and now they are over it and don't react to every day things.Two days ago I had a meeting with professional dog trainer we met at a park when she came up to meet us with her male helper and her dog my dog was barking and growling at her for like 20 seconds and then she calm down and after the trainer started doing her evaluation. Basicallly she said that the dog has fear aggression and recommended walks with treats to distract her from seeing dogs and people, and she recommended to have structure in the house to make rules for the dog to follow. Im ok with all that except yesterday when I was walking her (she is 8 months old) and if dogs would be at distance off leash she would ignore them and be excited about treats but when people with dogs on leashes got close to us she didn't care and wanted to flip out towards them. Im scared to walk her because what if they get too close and she bites them when she is not intrested in food? I know that we just started the training but im so nervous. I also purchased prong collar because I just can't control her pulling anymore. The trainer said that she will be a good dog once she gets some training and its common for her age to go through this phase. She does rescue for GSD and she said she seen dongs MUCH worse than mine...Did anyone here experienced this phase and how long did it take for dog to mature?

01-06-2013, 05:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
julie87 Master Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: CA Posts: 702	Is it common for GSD to have a fear stage? I spoke to a few people and they have told me that their GSD had a fear stage at around 7 months and now they are over it and don't react to every day things.Two days ago I had a meeting with professional dog trainer we met at a park when she came up to meet us with her male helper and her dog my dog was barking and growling at her for like 20 seconds and then she calm down and after the trainer started doing her evaluation. Basicallly she said that the dog has fear aggression and recommended walks with treats to distract her from seeing dogs and people, and she recommended to have structure in the house to make rules for the dog to follow. Im ok with all that except yesterday when I was walking her (she is 8 months old) and if dogs would be at distance off leash she would ignore them and be excited about treats but when people with dogs on leashes got close to us she didn't care and wanted to flip out towards them. Im scared to walk her because what if they get too close and she bites them when she is not intrested in food? I know that we just started the training but im so nervous. I also purchased prong collar because I just can't control her pulling anymore. The trainer said that she will be a good dog once she gets some training and its common for her age to go through this phase. She does rescue for GSD and she said she seen dongs MUCH worse than mine...Did anyone here experienced this phase and how long did it take for dog to mature?