Snapping and barking at new people, how can I fix?

[kaasia92]

i have an 8 month old german shepherd and she has a tendency to snap and bark at strangers and little kids. can you give me some tips how to teach her to let people come close and maybe let people pet her? she only lets the family memers around her and that is it. no one can come closer to her becuase she freaks out.

[PaddyD]

Has she been to obedience training? Another good class would be CGC preparation, that works on approachability. Get her out in public as much as possible but, of course, be safe about it .... so that the sight and actions of people become ordinary to her.

[GSDBESTK9]

She could be doing this out of fear. My best advice to you is to find a good trainer in your area.

[pfitzpa1]

I've heard that teaching your dog to bark on command makes it less likely for them to bark for no reason. I did this with my dog and she's not a major barker. She barks when playing (high pitched) and Low growling bark when at home and she senses something outside, but doesn't bark at people/dogs in the street (she was barking at dogs across the street which is why I taught her speak.

Regarding the nipping/fear, I think you should get a trainer involved.

[Twyla]

Woolf is the same way. He's my rascally 14 month old who is fear aggressive. With us, he is the absolute sweetheart.

With strangers, he is kept leashed until we are able to determine what their 'attitude' is and if they are willing to follow our rules of no look, no touch, no talk until things settle down. Otherwise Woolf is crated for his own good.

With kids, no way do we let kids close to Woolf. He may not react to every kid, but I'm not willing to take the chance. I'm not sure if it's because kids are smaller, move fast or a combination but they can set him off.

You really should find a behaviorist and begin working closely with them. One that is VERY familiar with GSD and aggression. If you will post your location you may get some names close to your location.

We have been through 2 trainers and now with a behaviorist, I can honestly say we are seeing headway being made now under her direction.

[MaggieRoseLee]

How has she been doing the past months with all the hours of weekly socialization? Did this just suddenly start or has she done this on all your 'out and abouts' for months?

What does your dog trainer recommend? Does she react the same way in class or do the same owners/dogs not set her off?

When you spoke to the breeder, are they having the same issues with all the littermates? Were the parent dogs fearful too? What do they recommend and what worked for them so they got their dogs thru it and worthy to use for breeding?