6 month old pup & nipping

[peppergrass]

Hi everyone,
Hubby and I got our very first GSD this year, brought her home at 8 wks old! We did a lot of reading up on them and talked to the breeder at length when waiting to be able to bring her home.

She's pretty well behaved for a puppy, and has a lot of the characteristic GSD behaviors (both good and unwanted) and we have enrolled her in a basic manners course with the local (privately owned) dog training facility. Her first class was Sunday, and aside from being apprehensive with the new environment and barking at the other dogs, she did pretty well.

However, when the assistant trainer was fitting her for her harness (the kind that you clip the leash to the front so that if/when they pull it pulls them toward you) she got nippy with him. She bared her teeth at him a little bit and even lunged at him. She did not make contact, no growling, and I have never seen her act that way toward a person before. He was fumbling around for awhile and it was a new environment + new sensation, but still - not sure what to think about that.

Our trainer said everyone has a shepherd story - either they were saved by one or bit by one - and we want to make sure our girl Hazard is a 'good' shepherd story. So far she's a big, gangly, timid, lovable pup and she plays with our kitten and the neighborhood kids, so it's not like we see her headed toward being a 'bad' story, but the nipping at the assistant has me a tad freaked out.

They are all about positive training at this facility, which is all good and well. How do I correct a behavior like that so that she knows that it's bad? My husband and I are struggling with that, because telling her "Nein!" in a stern tone doesn't seem to do it justice (she should absolutely NOT be lunging for someone's face). She has not done it since and does not even mouth me (I've read here that it's a common issue; we are working on it!) when I'm adjusting her harness and try to be as annoying as possible... but she knows me and trusts me. What should we do in a situation like we were in? I'm not saying we should have beaten her or anything like that, I'm just curious to know what we should be doing. (We love animals!)

Side note: We are also working on her barking at other dogs and pretending to be tough act. She isn't tough - if the other dog comes toward her she will run - and we are going to take her to a (supervised) puppy playtime each weekend to try and socialize her. We take her everywhere... walks, parades, the pet store, we have taken her to the dog park and had limited success there... she continues to bark at the other dogs and scares their owners! Our trainer gave us good advice and we *are* working on it, I know not everything comes immediately.

[MaggieRoseLee]

If she only did it once, I'd kind of ignore it at this point but REMEMBER 'strangers getting too close may be upsetting' in my databank of doggy things.

SO...........

with that knowledge it's just another 'socialization' type thing to work thru. I personally always use food (real treats NOT dog treats) to help when my pups are upset and uncomfortable with a new situation. New people being really close (hovering over is upsetting for many pups) with a new harness.

Keep up meeting tons of new people in tons of new situations with a hungry pup and tons of treats available for both YOU and the 'strangers' to use to reassure and calm your pup.