[MicheleMarie]

My puppy is reactive but we are working on that with treats.
my older shepherd mix absolutely loathes other dogs. but she doesn't "react" really anymore. Instead she is passive. At a dog park she will keep her distance from every other dog by at least 10 feet unless they are ignoring her too. The only time she switches gears is if another dog starts it first. She won't bare teeth or anything unless another dog does it to her first.

 

[gsdraven]

Raven has never been reactive to other dogs (have had her since 3 months). She doesn't put up with rude behavior and won't let intact males get behind her but she's only ever growled at one dog for seemingly no reason and it really caught everyone off guard because she never acts like that.

Kaiser can be reactive if he is allowed to focus on a dog for too long but it's more frustration.

I've had a couple dog reactive fosters and one dog aggressive foster who all got along with Raven just fine when introduced properly.

 

[CLARKE-DUNCAN]

Nero reacts to other dogs usually his yorkshire terrier freind, he sometimes meets at the park! His reactions are usually nice ones as he just wants a game of chsae me, chase me!!

 

[JakodaCD OA]

Masi will react if a dog comes charging up in her face. Otherwise she has no interest in dogs that isn't in her circle of doggie friends.

 

[Melgrj7]

Nash will perk his ears and sometimes want to go see another dog. Most of the time he ignores other dogs, if the other dog reacts to him he will raise his hackles sometimes and his tail will go up a little. He definitely likes to be in charge when it comes to other dogs and would not back down from a challenge which I think is why he reacts a bit when another dog barks at him. If he is off leash he will play with another dog as long as they are more submissive, if we are on a hike or something and pass other dogs he will usually just go by them.

I think a lot of herding breeds tend to be a bit reactive.

 

[DTS]

jasmine is 14 months old and we have had her since 4 months. we brought her everywhere. socialized her with all sorts of people, places, dogs, etc about 2 or 3x a week. started doing socializing on a daily basis at 7 months. shes been to dog parks before but we dont go much now. pet stores and weve been in OB classes every week since dec. she has gotten better about barking at people. she no longer raises her hackles. but if the person makes eye contact, talks to her or sticks their hand in her face she will bark. shes never been beaten or had a bad experiences with people. wont take treats from them. but shes getting into the stage where she will think if its a threat or not, but hasnt fully gotten to the stage where she will think, and realize that someone talking to her or wanting to pet her is a threat. we have tried everything. she is a slow mental progressor. but we do what we can not to set her up for failure and we hope she will fully grow out of it with more socializing and OB classes.
she used to bark at everyone in petsmart. we went last weekend on a sat. morning and the place was packed. she barked 3x. once at a dog, once at a worker because she got in her face, and once in the checkout line. still needs work but we are progressing.
i have no clue as to what caused it

 

[JKlatsky]

I don't think so much that it's reactivity as a breed that we see in Shepherds (although certainly some are) but rather these are dogs that are very strongly pack oriented. We often hear that GSDs are not dog park dogs (which I firmly believe to be true now) and that they bond very closely with their family and that they are aloof with strangers. All of this points to a dog that will likely not take much pleasure in extensive interactions with strangers- human or canine- that are not part of their family. That is not to say that they should be unapproachable, but rather that this is not a Lab or a Golden- friendly and gregarious to all.

I only have 1 dog that is reactive and that is the dog that I most extensively socialized at dog parks with other dogs when he was young. All of my other dogs I raised with minimal strange dog socialization. They saw and sniffed other dogs at training classes but I did no off leash play with strange dogs. As they matured they are polite in passing other dogs and not reactive or aggressive...however I can see that they are not fond of other dogs who are impolite or challenging and that given time or opportunity there could be a problem. Additionally GSDs are thinking dogs and often proactive dogs in their own defense. Allowed too often to be accosted by other dogs and not protected by their leader and made to feel uncomfortable it doesn't seem to take long for them to make the jump to forward aggression to chase off that which bothers them- hence the reactivity.

 

[GermanShepherd<3]

Wow so many responses, I didn't think I would get this many on this thread. It is really interesting to hear what you all have to say with your dogs. One thing I noticed even when German Shepherds do go to dog parks, they usually just hang around the owners, and barely play with the dogs, and if they run a bit with a dog, they quickly run back without going far. But then I have seen other GSDs who LOVE other dogs, but it seems more GSDs are more reactive or aggressive than actually liking to play with other dogs..

 

[CarrieJ]

Wow so many responses, I didn't think I would get this many on this thread. It is really interesting to hear what you all have to say with your dogs. One thing I noticed even when German Shepherds do go to dog parks, they usually just hang around the owners, and barely play with the dogs, and if they run a bit with a dog, they quickly run back without going far. But then I have seen other GSDs who LOVE other dogs, but it seems more GSDs are more reactive or aggressive than actually liking to play with other dogs..

That's pretty much Alice at the dog park. Not aggressive or reactive, but focuses on me and the ball. I will actually walk around for about ten minutes when I first get there and ignore her. She follows me around stays close but will go out and sniff more butts than if I just go and start tossing the ball right away.
She actually likes to play with other dogs; preferrably standard poodles or labradoodles (sheesh..no accounting for taste) She settled for a 15 month Viszla the other day. She misses her day of daycare she used to do.

But, in the car she's a holy terror...I will pull over and correct the situation if my timing is bad with the leave it. I really don't want to crate her in the car. I don't think that will help the reactivity in the car.

 

[KZoppa]

Wow so many responses, I didn't think I would get this many on this thread. It is really interesting to hear what you all have to say with your dogs. One thing I noticed even when German Shepherds do go to dog parks, they usually just hang around the owners, and barely play with the dogs, and if they run a bit with a dog, they quickly run back without going far. But then I have seen other GSDs who LOVE other dogs, but it seems more GSDs are more reactive or aggressive than actually liking to play with other dogs..

when we would go to the dog park back home all the time, i noticed that my dogs would run and run but check in with me. They werent interested in playing with other dogs.... unless another shepherd came in. BUT then they would all run around, in a way, ganging up on other dogs that got in their running path. They're good with other dogs (with the exception of Riley and his saint bernard issue) but they certainly dont seek to be friends all the time. Shelby was a very sweet and VERY tolerant girl but she didnt give a rats behind about other dogs at all. They could go up in flames and she still wouldnt have cared about them. Shasta is interested because she's still at the stage where she wants to play with everyone but i've noticed thats disappearing recently. She's only interested in playing with dogs she knows which consists of Riley and our friends smaller mixed thing (thing because they dont actually know what the heck she is other than some sort of dog) and the beagle down the street. Beyond that, she's good with a sniff and moving on. Riley is a mixed box of reactions. He can be friendly, unsure or downright nasty tempered. I think a lot of it goes into how they were socialized but more importantly how the general temperment is. Some dogs can be socialized like crazy and still end up being dog aggressive. sometimes there just may be too many factors we dont realize that go into it. Does that make sense? It might not. i'm kinda tired lol.

 

[goatdude]

Ruby from the start has always been reactive towards small dogs even though she has been through over a year of dog training classes and lives in the same house with a Pomeranian. Ruby has never hurt the Pom but does herd him around. With large dogs and especially males she is fine, even looking forward to playing with them. Have something like a Yorkie approach her and you better have good control or there could be a dead Yorkie. She has bitten a toy Poodle when she was 7 months old. Once fully introduced to a dog she will be great, like with my brothers French Bulldog. If it's a strange dog - watch out.

 

[Stosh]

I agree with KZoppa too- Stosh has always been a very friendly dog, socialized from day one, lots of training, etc. He's never met a dog he didn't want to play with until recently. He's now 15 mos old, still intact and has gotten more selective. Like another poster said, if he sees a dog behaving badly he wants to take care of it.

 

[GermanShepherd<3]

The theory is that males are usually the ones to be more aggressive or reactive right? And that's why they say if you neuter them young you can bring that down somewhat, as well as decreasing the chance of having a reactive dog.
So for everyone whose dogs are said to be aggressive/reactive, what's different with your dog? Are the neutered/spayed or not? Do you believe letting them go unfixed until older can make a great chance of becoming more reactive/aggressive?
I really want to hear your opinions on this, and so far I thank all of you for not making this a nasty thread where there is fights all over the place, and I really hope my new discussion won't trigger anything. I just hope we can all continue to be respectful and possibly even take a thing or two from others.

 

[CarrieJ]

The theory is that males are usually the ones to be more aggressive or reactive right? And that's why they say if you neuter them young you can bring that down somewhat, as well as decreasing the chance of having a reactive dog.

I don't think that I agree with this theory. Females tend to be territorial.
I think it really comes down to breeding the temprament (you need a good foundation) and then exposure to the outside world.

I'm only basing this on my female's reactivity and the fact that I had her spayed young. (6 month old) She's still quick to react to a dog pulling their owner down the street approaching her with dominant body language.

Someone here mentioned that males fight for breeding rights and females fight for breathing rights. That made sense to me.

 

[KZoppa]

The theory is that males are usually the ones to be more aggressive or reactive right? And that's why they say if you neuter them young you can bring that down somewhat, as well as decreasing the chance of having a reactive dog.
So for everyone whose dogs are said to be aggressive/reactive, what's different with your dog? Are the neutered/spayed or not? Do you believe letting them go unfixed until older can make a great chance of becoming more reactive/aggressive?
I really want to hear your opinions on this, and so far I thank all of you for not making this a nasty thread where there is fights all over the place, and I really hope my new discussion won't trigger anything. I just hope we can all continue to be respectful and possibly even take a thing or two from others.

honestly i think it depends on the dog. Riley is fixed only because that was a requirement of his adoption. I think he would still be the way he is had be not been altered. Zena on the other hand is just a dominant personality and Shasta is more laid back (though i'm seeing some dominance come out from her sometimes recently). As far as GSDs go, i've heard any number of things but the most common is that females tend to be more serious and quick to judge and definitely less forgiving of other dogs who make them mad while the males tend to be more laid back and dont seem to be interested in arguements like the females do. Some males can be perfectly fine going through life with no issues remaining intact while other males, being altered really does help tone them down. i think the same applies to females. Riley was 6 months old when he was fixed and he's now 6 years old. Given his general personality, i think had we been able to keep him intact he would still be like he is today.... just with a little more lol. Shasta.... well she turns a year old on May 5th and i think over the next year we'll start seeing more of her permanent personality and attitude as she continues to mature.

 

[GSDElsa]

The theory is that males are usually the ones to be more aggressive or reactive right?

I've never heard of such a theory.

The problem, I think, lies in the OWNERS of these dogs. GSDs are not dog park dogs for the most part. They like to be in control and have a tendancy to be dominant. And they also like to play rough. Couple all these things together and it generally does not equal fun times with a bunch of strange does.

I think reactivity often occurs or is brought to the surface when owners try to push something on their dogs that is simply not compatible with who they are.

 

[KZoppa]

I've never heard of such a theory.

The problem, I think, lies in the OWNERS of these dogs. GSDs are not dog park dogs for the most part. They like to be in control and have a tendancy to be dominant. And they also like to play rough. Couple all these things together and it generally does not equal fun times with a bunch of strange does.

I think reactivity often occurs or is brought to the surface when owners try to push something on their dogs that is simply not compatible with who they are.

agreed.

 

[GermanShepherd<3]

Well don't most vets say oh no it is really time you should consider getting your dog neutered as it will most likely develop aggressive or reactive behaviors, and a lot of vets try to push it to neuter around six months, when research now shows that is not always the best case, and there were some studies used just for German Shepherds. I'll try to find it. I mean when your dog gets to that age, I haven't heard from anyone that their vet didn't say anything about a dog being at a higher risk of picking bad behaviors..
Breeding of course does also make the hugest factor in this I agree, because temperament is inherited, and that's the whole part of breeding, getting dogs to the correct temperament to the breed along with other things behind it such as conformation and anatomy. There will always be some nut who claims to be a breeder, and it shows why so many German Shepherds IMO are becoming so messed up and abandoned.

 

[KZoppa]

Well don't most vets say oh no it is really time you should consider getting your dog neutered as it will most likely develop aggressive or reactive behaviors, and a lot of vets try to push it to neuter around six months, when research now shows that is not always the best case, and there were some studies used just for German Shepherds. I'll try to find it. I mean when your dog gets to that age, I haven't heard from anyone that their vet didn't say anything about a dog being at a higher risk of picking bad behaviors..
Breeding of course does also make the hugest factor in this I agree, because temperament is inherited, and that's the whole part of breeding, getting dogs to the correct temperament to the breed along with other things behind it such as conformation and anatomy. There will always be some nut who claims to be a breeder, and it shows why so many German Shepherds IMO are becoming so messed up and abandoned.

keep in mind vets are going off older studies and not newer studies. They've had it drilled into their heads that dogs HAVE to be fixed by a certain age otherwise it can cause behavorial issues for life. More often than not, the behavior issues are a result of bad breeding and/or poor training. Think of it similar to vets pushing foods on people for their dogs that arent really good foods. They push things on people that isnt always the best course of action. some vets have an open mind and some even encourage people to not alter their dogs younger than a year old. I had a base vet verbally attack me one night while i was walking Shasta demanding to know why she'd not been fixed yet when she was about 7 months old. He asked me if she was altered and when i said no, i was waiting until she was about 2 years old, thats when he started laying into me. I dont care about the studies HE has. I've looked up my own studies and come to my own conclusions regarding MY dogs. Riley was ONLY altered because we adopted him and that was part of the condition he stayed with us. Otherwise, he would still be intact. and the ONLY reason shasta will be fixed when she's about 2 years old is because i dont want to deal with doggie periods. My males, if possible, will remain intact.

 

[DJEtzel]

The theory is that males are usually the ones to be more aggressive or reactive right? And that's why they say if you neuter them young you can bring that down somewhat, as well as decreasing the chance of having a reactive dog.
So for everyone whose dogs are said to be aggressive/reactive, what's different with your dog? Are the neutered/spayed or not? Do you believe letting them go unfixed until older can make a great chance of becoming more reactive/aggressive?
I really want to hear your opinions on this, and so far I thank all of you for not making this a nasty thread where there is fights all over the place, and I really hope my new discussion won't trigger anything. I just hope we can all continue to be respectful and possibly even take a thing or two from others.

My male is more AGGRESSIVE with other dogs (male) now than he was before he was neutered. When he was intact, he never had an issue with dominance or being dominated and never acted out towards another dog. Now he's very iffy with young males and will posture, chase, etc. I don't like it, so we leave, but he never would have done that before the surgery.