How and what is the best way to socialize a 2 1/2 year old dog that has not had the exposure early on to people and dogs?

Question

Hi Cindy!

    What a great site you have.

    We have recently adopted an adult female GSD. She came from a very loving family going through a divorce that did not have time for her. She is well trained--electric collar, but missed out on much interaction with people outside of the family and very little if any socialization with other dogs. She has bonded with us well--I have a 16 year old son and 18-year old daughter. She does not obey them or my husband as she does me, but so far this is not an issue. She plays and interacts well with them. She is constantly by my side and if I move a muscle she is ready to go. She is a playful and loving dog with us.

    We have another smaller old dog--jack russell/beagle mix. After much growling, snarling, snapping and keeping the separate the get along okay. Mostly they ignore each other and only become aggressive when competing for our attention. The GSD seems to exhibit a sort of stalking behavior when smaller children are around and sometimes toward my smaller dog (who I think resents the arrival of this new, big playful oaf). She stares and fixates on my niece and nephew when they visit. My husband was walking her and she lunged at a child who passed by her on the street.

    When we have people over we put her on place to quiet her and allow her to explore and greet the visitors after a few minutes. At that point she is always friendly and happy to have company. We have tried to expose her to other dogs in the neighborhood but when the other dogs--who are friendly--even try to get near her she becomes highly aggressive. At this point we put her in the down position which she assumes immediately and try to just keep the other dog in the vicinity.

    I guess my question is--how and what is the best way to socialize a 2 1/2 year old dog that has not had the exposure early on to people and dogs? It is exhausting to be constantly vigilant and we have friends with dogs who would like to come for a visit and bring their pets. Any ideas? She is a wonderful dog but we live in a neighborhood with lots of kid and dogs and it sure would be nice if we could all get along!

    Thanks,
 Barbara

Accepted Answer

The biggest part of dog ownership is vigilance, especially when you take on an adult dog that has not had the kind of exposure to things you have around your environment.

With a dog like this, I would practice strong leadership ALL the time. When I had guests over and I couldn’t be 100% attentive to her, she would go in a crate. I don’t like to let dogs rehearse unhealthy behaviors like stalking other dogs or kids or showing aggression. I would keep her attention focused on me during walks, and would make sure she doesn’t look at or fixate on dogs or people. Since she knows the electric collar, you could use that on a low level to “tap” her. Sometimes all a dog needs is an interruption of a thought process to settle down.

We have a dvd on using the ecollar.

You don’t mention how long you have had her, but for now I would keep her on a leash and with you all the time, even in the house and ESPECIALLY when you have guests.

Please read this article about becoming an effective pack leader.

I feel that as she becomes more comfortable with your protection and leadership, she will become less aggressive and fixated. You do need to interrupt her when she shows any of that behavior though. Learn to recognize the signs right away and it will be easier for her to overcome.

I hope this helps.

Cindy