Socialization with people....need advise

xenabella · 01-08-2012, 01:04 AM

I have a 7mo old spayed female. She is good with other dogs, she has gone to doggie day care a few times a week since we first got her. But our GSD has become more uncertain about people and is barking and very on guard when others are near. We used to take her to an outdoor mall when she was younger, but winter has come and it is harder to take her places.
A trainer that we consulted said that we would have to work on socializing her very quickly and frequently. She also thought that for the rest of her life we would continually have to socialize her with people, otherwise she would "slip" back into being un-social. Has anyone ever had an expierece with them "slipping" back into un-socialed mode? Are we really going to have to make such a huge effort for the rest of her life to keep her a nice pup?

Rua · 01-08-2012, 06:05 AM

Socialisation does not end with puppyhood. It's all about new environments, people, and animals and helping your dog to interact with these things without fear. The prime window of opportunity to do this is when the pup is young as possible to set a good foundation. But ultimately, you have to MAINTAIN the socialisation if you want your dog to be confident and not react out of fear to the unknown. It's good that you've done the doggy day care with your pup, and it seems to have helped her regarding dealing with other dogs. But her people skills may need more work.

GSDs are naturally rather aloof of strangers and very protective of their family. Is your dog barking at other people that come to your home? Or is she barking at people when you take her out places like the park?

If you feel that she is reacting aggressively towards people in public, then leaving her at a doggy day care to play only with other dogs isn't enough. She needs YOUR direction and "ok" to meet and interact with new people. And she needs you to be there with her. Help her deal with this consistently in a controlled environment. There are several ways to go about this, depending on the level of her uncertainty towards others. Socialisation doesn't have to be a chore. The general rule of thumb is to socialize from home (new people coming to her on her turf, with your "ok"), and taking her out into new environments (park/city walks, etc) as much as you can. A weekly dog class where you are there with her to meet and interact with new people and dogs is very good too.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of other great advice on this site. Mine advice is simply to not delay in dealing with this, as you could have a potential problem on your hands if you do.

carmspack · 01-08-2012, 06:12 AM

maybe she has become too dog packy -- too much exposure with other dogs . This is a problem when you don't control the dogs environment . You don't know if the dogs she is with are reactive and bark at everything and she joins in with the gang to belong.
The dogs may be loose with each other running all day - no quiet time or crate time, so for her age she may be over wrought , over tired , exhausted -- not good for her growth or immune system either . A young dogs life is spent in activity and lots of rest - sleep . Like babies that missed nap time -- further stimulation can set them off .

doggiedad · 01-08-2012, 08:17 AM

1>>>> is winter really that bad where you can't out
to socialize and train?

2>>>> i don't think socializing stops. i think
once a dog is trained and socialized you don't
have to do it as much as you did in the begining.

3>>>> maybe if you had put in a huge effort
in the begining you would be in the effortless
stage now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xenabella

1>>>> But our GSD has become more uncertain about people and is barking and very on guard when others are near. We used to take her to an outdoor mall when she was younger, but winter has come and it is harder to take her places.

2>>>> A trainer that we consulted said that we would have to work on socializing her very quickly and frequently. She also thought that for the rest of her life we would continually have to socialize her with people, otherwise she would "slip" back into being un-social.

3>>>> Are we really going to have to make such a huge effort for the rest of her life to keep her a nice pup?

01-08-2012, 01:04 AM	#1 (permalink)
xenabella New Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 4	Socialization with people....need advise I have a 7mo old spayed female. She is good with other dogs, she has gone to doggie day care a few times a week since we first got her. But our GSD has become more uncertain about people and is barking and very on guard when others are near. We used to take her to an outdoor mall when she was younger, but winter has come and it is harder to take her places. A trainer that we consulted said that we would have to work on socializing her very quickly and frequently. She also thought that for the rest of her life we would continually have to socialize her with people, otherwise she would "slip" back into being un-social. Has anyone ever had an expierece with them "slipping" back into un-socialed mode? Are we really going to have to make such a huge effort for the rest of her life to keep her a nice pup?

01-08-2012, 06:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
carmspack Knighted Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: ontario - Posts: 3,317	maybe she has become too dog packy -- too much exposure with other dogs . This is a problem when you don't control the dogs environment . You don't know if the dogs she is with are reactive and bark at everything and she joins in with the gang to belong. The dogs may be loose with each other running all day - no quiet time or crate time, so for her age she may be over wrought , over tired , exhausted -- not good for her growth or immune system either . A young dogs life is spent in activity and lots of rest - sleep . Like babies that missed nap time -- further stimulation can set them off . Last edited by carmspack; 01-08-2012 at 06:15 AM.

01-08-2012, 06:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
Rua Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 296	Socialisation does not end with puppyhood. It's all about new environments, people, and animals and helping your dog to interact with these things without fear. The prime window of opportunity to do this is when the pup is young as possible to set a good foundation. But ultimately, you have to MAINTAIN the socialisation if you want your dog to be confident and not react out of fear to the unknown. It's good that you've done the doggy day care with your pup, and it seems to have helped her regarding dealing with other dogs. But her people skills may need more work. GSDs are naturally rather aloof of strangers and very protective of their family. Is your dog barking at other people that come to your home? Or is she barking at people when you take her out places like the park? If you feel that she is reacting aggressively towards people in public, then leaving her at a doggy day care to play only with other dogs isn't enough. She needs YOUR direction and "ok" to meet and interact with new people. And she needs you to be there with her. Help her deal with this consistently in a controlled environment. There are several ways to go about this, depending on the level of her uncertainty towards others. Socialisation doesn't have to be a chore. The general rule of thumb is to socialize from home (new people coming to her on her turf, with your "ok"), and taking her out into new environments (park/city walks, etc) as much as you can. A weekly dog class where you are there with her to meet and interact with new people and dogs is very good too. I'm sure you'll get a lot of other great advice on this site. Mine advice is simply to not delay in dealing with this, as you could have a potential problem on your hands if you do.

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