Barking/lunging at dogs/growling at people

I know there are a lot of threads about dogs barking/lunging at other dogs but I'm just losing confidence in myself and was wondering if I could ask some advice about Ciara. She is a 2 and half yr old GSD who from as long as I can remember has barked/lunged for other dogs. She was bitten on the legs as a pup by a border collie who ran off lead out of his house and took a dislike to her as we were walking by on lead. Since then she was very nervous of other dogs and started barking at other dogs in her puppy class.

We have been taking her to Bolton and District GSD club and she is doing really well there. She loves going and doesn't bark at any dogs whilst there. I've been told she isn't aggressive just very nervous, sometimes when sat near other dogs she shakes and I feel so sorry for her. She is also nervous of people she doesn't know but at the club she has started approaching people and is beginning to take treats off them. So at the club she is gaining more confidence.

Outside of the club however she continues to bark and lunge at other dogs while on her walks. We have a halti head collar but she still manages to get her feet off the ground and without it she would be much harder to control. I've tried walking past telling her to leave which she does know the command for, also tried “watch me” which she also knows but chooses to ignore when a dog is there. I’ve tried making her sit while dogs go past but each time her fur goes up and she gets worked up and pulls into the air then barks.

If a dog is behind us she keeps looking back but wont bark, if it is in front she doesn’t bark. It's just when we have to walk past, even on the opposite side of the road. Do you suggest we keep making her sit and wait even though she barks, or try to avoid them and either cross over or go another way?

In the house she has started doing a low growl when people come in who she doesn't know, when she does this I tell her no and make her lie down and then she settles but does keep staring at whoever is in the house, is this the right thing to do? Also if people come up to her on the street and talk to her she does a low growl and pulls behind my legs. When I tell her no she just sits down and is then ok.

I just want to make her feel more confident but not sure I’m doing the right things. I’m not sure why there is such a difference in her behaviour out on the streets compared to at the club where she is beginning to become more relaxed and confident around other dogs and people.

I’m so sorry it’s so long!! Any advice would be great. In general she has a great temperament, especially with my little brothers and with the kitten we have at home. I just don’t want her feeling scared out of the house, even though she gets really excited when she knows we are going for a walk!

Melissa

[Bonniesmummy]

Bonnie is the same only not quite as bad with regards to shaking next to them.... I stressed constantly about it and tried loads but in the end I have just started to avoid or distract her from people/dogs. If we are walking I will put her on the opposite side of the 'threat' and keep her loose on lead telling her it's ok or enough if she is making gestures to lunge etc. I used to get in a muddle about it but now I try to keep calm myself and act like it's nothing and just distract with a treat or talking to her.

She has came on great the past few weeks and now rarely goes mad like before, she may bark still at times but if I say enough she generally stops ..... Yesterday I stood next to my friends car, a stranger to Bonnie, talking for ages and not a peep from her

Hi Melissa, it's good that you're taking her to classes. The change in her behaviour there compared to outside may have to do with how you're feeling. In a class situation, with trainers and other 'doggy people' you are probably more confident compared to outside meeting a stranger with a dog. Ciara will pick up on those vibes. Also don't feel sorry for her if she shakes, don't fuss her to reassure her just act confident when she does this. You could try resting your hand on her, not stroking, while you sit there.

As for outside, try clicker training her. Click+treat for her watching you, or coming with you if you do an about turn away from the dog, or calmly watching the other dog as you approach. Only you can judge what distance to do this. The reason I suggest a clicker is it captures the right behaviour in a dog fast. Just be careful you c+t for the correct behaviour response, not when she's too aroused or fearful. I would always use the turn around and walk away with c+t if the dog's too hyper in seeing another dog. Then keep repeating this, until she associates walking near a strange dog with you as no longer a threatening stimulus. By staying at the distance she's happy with you set her up for the correct behaviour.

Don't know if any of this makes sense, it's harder to write and explain! Also be really confident and calm in those situations, I know it can be difficult as you're worried about how she's reacting, the other dog, the other person etc etc.

Remus has got better at approaching other dogs, he's not aggressive but a bit rude in rushing up to say hi! Now if he clocks another dog and goes into stalk mode I'll tap my finger on his head and say 'Yes, I've seen them' or something like that and he's a lot better. Might be he's growing out of it, as Zee's just starting to do the same behaviour of pulling to greet the other dog while Remus is calmer. There's always work to do!

[ClaireandDaisy]

The trouble with frightened dogs is that every time they get frightened it reinforces the fear. (Scary thing arrives, she feels frightened therefore scary thing is frightening).
So you have to calm the dog almost before she reacts. Which is hard.
What I do is teach an alternative behaviour and also relieve the stress. Then, when the dog is calm, she can be gently introduced to the trigger - at a `safe` distance.
The watch me is good, but you need to combine it with a turn and a sit behind IME. When she starts to stiffen, turn and walk away from the target. At first you`ll have to go a long way! Then get a sit behind the line of your leg, so you are between her and the scary thing. Do all this very calmly and quietly. When she is sitting nicely, reward or praise.
Do this as a training exercise - deliberately go out for a training walk. Then you won`t be taken by surprise.
She will be learning that you will protect her by taking chage, and that she will not have to face the threat. (If she were off lead she would be able to control the distance herself. Putting her onlead makes her helpless and therefore more scared)
In the house - find a place she can feel safe and ask all visitors to ignore her.

[LOVEGSD]

Sorry to hear you are feeling so down on your confidence, great though that she's responding in classes though.

I can't really add any more to what's been said above, so I hope the advice given really helps you.
xx

[MARYLOU30]

I have a 9 month puppy who sounds very similar in terms of nervousness, but rather than lunge at everything he moves out of way - if we walk past someone or another dog he changes sides so that he is on the opposite side of me to them. He is also very calm at dog class, although if there is a new dog that does lunge or get too excited etc, he does become a bit nervous - he usually jumps up at me when nervous, but luckily this doesn't happen too often - I think that he now trust me enough to know that I wont let the other dog get too close to him. Thankfully, at the mo he does look to me to protect him rather than taking action to protect himself.

Luckily he doesn't bark/ lunge, unlesss provoked, but he is only young yet so thing may change. Hopefully with constant managing, his behaviour will not get any worse and he will gain more confidence as his testosterone kicks in. We have always known that he was nervous so from the beginning have learnt how not to take him too far out of his comfort zone and to do things slowly but surely.

He also gets nervous when strangers or people who dont visit very often come to visit (barks and growls if not handled properly) and has to be managed around them so as not to spook either party. People who do not really know him think that he is a real bad-ass but he is the biggest, soffest dog ever with us, including my 4yr old daughter.

It is easy to get fed up on a bad day and want them to be like the dog down the road that is so well behaved, but if they behaved all the time, you wouldn't get the same pleasure as when they do something for the first time that they were previously too scared to do.

Hope it makes you feel better that you are not alone with these issues.

In the house she has started doing a low growl when people come in who she doesn't know, when she does this I tell her no and make her lie down and then she settles but does keep staring at whoever is in the house, is this the right thing to do?

I wouldnt allow her to stare at people.
She sounds uneasy with their presence
Great advice so far

Thank you all so much for the advice, I really appreciate it! I will definitely try turning around and walking away until I can find a distance she is comfortable with and take it from there. It's good to know that there are others with similar problems who have been getting positive results so it's really encouraging.

I don't like her staring at people in the house, I do try and distract her with treats/asking her to shake a paw/touch etc but she always goes back to staring afterwards. Well its more keeping an eye on than staring but not good all the same. What would you suggest I do when she is doing this? We had people delivering something last week who were in and out for an hour or so and she wouldn't settle, she only growled when they first came in but then was watching them all the time afterwards. Should I remove her when she does this or just continuously try to distract her?

Thanks again for all the great advice