Would love for some advice!

[Copfreak7]

Sarge is my second GSD that I've owned, my first one Dakota was a sweetheart and I never had the problem with him like I do with Sarge right now. Sarge is enrolled in obedience class and is doing really well, he's a very smart boy and will do anything to please me, except for the few bad days We just recently ran into the problem where he is starting to get a bit aggressive towards new dogs, which has me worried. He has been socialized, at my parents with their dogs, grandparents with their dogs etc, plus with friends dogs, as well as been to the dog park a few times. The first time he was at the dog park with our friends dog, he did extremely well, was playing with all the other dogs and even though he had that deep rough bark he was good. The last time we took him to the park, his hackles were raised, not full body just around the shoulder/neck region, which I know aren't always aggression caused, but he was actually snapping at other dogs. The way that he ran up to other dogs was low bodied and tail wagging, but he was scaring other owners and me as well, I'd never seen him snap like that, so we ended up putting him back on the leash and about 10 minutes later leaving the dog park, I know it was his first time seeing two other GSD's since before I got him, but I don't really know why he would act like that. Our trainer for our class say's it's fear based aggression, but I would love to get some more advice. Oh, and the last time at the dog park, before we went into it, he was shaking real bad, full body shakes, which yet again I'd never seen him do. There were a lot more dogs that time than the first few runs at the park, and it was the only time he'd been there by himself without another friend dog along.
I'm just worried cause I have socialized him with other dogs as well as people, and he's never worried me before this incident, and now he's showing some snapping at other dogs in the class. Any advice, tips or ideas? Would be very appreciated!
Thanks!

[gsdraven]

Originally Posted by Copfreak7

Oh, and the last time at the dog park, before we went into it, he was shaking real bad, full body shakes, which yet again I'd never seen him do.

Shaking like trying to get water off or shaking like scared? The first can be for stress release. It sounds like it could be fear based and since your trainer has actually seen him interact, I'd be inclined to believe them. That's not something that can be diagnosed on the internet.

Does your trainer offer private sessions where you can focus on his reactions to other dogs? Or maybe recommend someone?

No more dog park. You only want him around calm, well socialized dogs right now until you work out his issues. The snapping is sort of like a defense mechanism. He's scared so he's trying to act tough to keep the dogs away from him. This can lead to trouble if the other dog takes offense and fights back.

[Copfreak7]

It was almost like a cold shake, but I would say afraid of something shake and no she doesn't offer private lessons. She's instructed us to go to PetSmart and walk through the store and every time Sarge sees a new dog, give him a treat and say look at the good dog, and things like that.
Good to know that I'm doing the right thing by stopping the dog park visits haha, our instructor said we should go when it's not crowded and possibly get a muzzle. She also wants us to go to throughout the town and any area where other dogs might be walked and basically praise him when we see other dogs as long as he doesn't bark or lunge.
I know this isn't really a internet fix, I was just hoping maybe someone would have a few tips on how to handle it as well

[KZoppa]

you need to get involved with a private trainer who knows GSDs and understands them. Just going to petsmart and treating him when he see's another dog isnt going to make the cut. You have to know exactly when to treat and how to handle the general situation. Otherwise you could very well end up encouraging the fearful behavior completely by accident.

[RocketDog]

I agree with Kzoppa. The muzzle might inadvertently make him more fearful too, since he'll feel defenseless. Do you have friends with older, calm, non reactive dogs? They could really help him.

[KZoppa]

without being there, its really hard to offer anything beyond get involved with the private trainer. If you post your location in wisconsin, others might be better equiped to provide you with trainer recommendations. At the very least, they could observe the behavior and give you some pointers and show you how to handle the situations correctly.

[BlackPuppy]

Originally Posted by Copfreak7

She's instructed us to go to PetSmart and walk through the store and every time Sarge sees a new dog, give him a treat and say look at the good dog, and things like that.

Sounds like she's trying to describe the Look At That! game. I use that with my youngest. I started 2 weeks ago during agility class and there has been a major improvement, but my dog came to me afraid of other dogs. It wasn't something that just happened one day. But Petsmart isn't a good place to work on that because there isn't enough space.

Look at That! A Counterintuitive Approach to Dealing with Reactive Dogs Dog Training for Dog Lovers Blog

It sounds like this is just happening out of the blue and he was good before. Is it possible that he's going through a fear stage? I didn't see how old he was.

Good to know that I'm doing the right thing by stopping the dog park visits haha, our instructor said we should go when it's not crowded and possibly get a muzzle. She also wants us to go to throughout the town and any area where other dogs might be walked and basically praise him when we see other dogs as long as he doesn't bark or lunge.

Definitely, stay away from dog parks, and you shouldn't need a muzzle unless your dog is so strong you cannot control him.

The breeder's suggestion of walking the dog where other dogs are visible is good. Key is you want to keep a comfortable distance. If there's any fear reaction from your dog, you are too close.

[Copfreak7]

Sarge is 8 months old, and has gotten a bit better with other dogs. We are doing the look at that! game and it's helping a lot, he doesn't bark at other dogs as much, if at all anymore, and he has been able to introduce to a dog, he just tried to nip it. We've stayed away from the dog parks, we're thinking of going with my sister's dog, which Sarge is really close with, if the dog park is sparse/close to empty.

Thanks for all the help everyone

[matthewm11]

I just learned myself to stay away from dog parks. Way too many unsocialized, dog-agressive dogs. I told myself never again and caved last week and brought my dog (9 month old GSD/husky) to the dog park since she can really open up and run there and burn off tons of energy. She spent the whole time terrorized by a humping terrier mix (oh, that's just how he plays, says owner as I pull my dog away from their dog) and then got attacked (it was not play) by two huge labs. I got her leash on ASAP and got her out of there.

I realized dog parks were a little bit of laziness on my part and not whats best for my dog. Now I am going to concentrate on working on strong recall so I can take her offleash in safer places. There are some dogs she really gets along with at a big state park we hike at in the morning but I haven't felt safe enough to let her offleash there yet. Id rather have her run around with the same socialized dogs every day than role the dice going tp the dog park.

Just an observation, but other GSDs we meet are always well behaved and socialized and have really knowledable, responsible owners. Too bad there are no GSD only dog parks...