New to GSD ownership.

[OldSchool45B]

I have owned all kinds of dogs over my like, mostly small dogs but we had a black lab mix who was a monster and lived nearly 15yrs. Dogs are members of the family for us.

That said, I picked up two 8mo old GSD females for my daughters. The goal is to train them, one as a protection dog and the other tracking and explosive sniffing (I own a Security company...). The problem is, they were ignored all of their young life. They are skittish around humans. I am getting better, now they will come to me and allow me to give them little scratches, one will let me roll her over and scratch her sides and belly. The other, the alpha female will let me have the barest contact. We are getting better with the treats and close contact. The more friendly of the two will now shake and sit. But I cant come close to getting a leash on them, let alone get them into a car or to go out for exercise.

What do I do folks? Any tricks to getting them to trust and be more comfortable? I try to get them in the house once a day, in their favorite corner and give them gentle contact and love. Everyday I am able to do that helps break down those walls, but is it the right way to break them of this and build trust?


Thanks!