I have been doing everything in my power to desensitize\socialize my dog and it doesn't seem to be going well. With a dog like this, would I ever be able to compete?

Question

Cindy, sorry this is so long, I just felt a background is in order.

    I am very new to training/dog sports (11 months, first dog ever) and now I have to face the facts and gather your opinions. I have a very shy female GSD (20 months old, we got her at 8 months old from a local breeder) I have found out through time this dog was never socialized in the first 8 months of life, all she knew was the breeder, his wife and the other dogs.

    I have been doing everything in my power to desensitize\socialize her for example: sit on bench in front of Target, walks in different parks (lots of people-no people), bring her to work 3-4 times a week, obedience classes (they are stupid but it helps, I will do anything to help her), using advice from a post I did last May, and have been following advice from Cindy, etc.  It is all working, she is a totally different dog than 11 months ago, but still very shy if people acknowledge her and\or try to approach her. She does fine otherwise. We TRY to tell people not to look at her and ignore her completely, but you all know how people listen, they hear what you said but 2 seconds later they forgot what you said!

    My definition of shy is - if someone approaches her she puts her ears back, backs up looking at the person, then turns and runs 10-15 ft, 50% of the time she will approach the person again and either repeats or becomes comfortable and stands there looking at them, probably waiting for a treat (one method we have been using to build her confidence).  She has never displayed aggression towards people.

    I have been doing all the training myself with the help of my wife, Leerburg DVDs and the forum. We have gone through Est. Pack Structure, using Basic OB, using marker training, using Drive & Focus, starting Preparing Your Dog for the Helper, just purchased competition tracking and many hours reading the forum.

    I will never compete with this dog in Schutzhund, however, I am kind of training her in Schutzhund to learn from my numerous mistakes and have fun (I say kind of because all I know is what I read and see in videos, there is not a club anywhere close to where we live, so we are on our own, but learning a lot and having a lot of fun).

    I have pretty much devoted my life to training this dog and loving every second of it, lately I have been thinking about weather or not I could compete in competition OB with this dog (AKC, due to the fact I do not belong to a Sch Club to get a BH and I could have the opportunity to do the AKC).  At least I think this is true.

    She does very well with all the training I have done with her so far and enjoys the training. She does get a little uncomfortable; for example, at OB class, if I build drive she is not as intense, but is getting better, its just a little overwhelming with all the dogs and people around her (the only reason I go to OB class is to introduce a new environment\distractions).

    Finally my question, with a dog like this, would I ever be able to compete? I just don't think I could ever pass the temperament test, having a stranger touch my dog. It is what it is and I understand that but I just wanted to get any input from you. I want to bring this dog to her maximum potential.  Please feel free to give your honest opinions. If you have any more advice on overcoming the shyness please let me know. Maybe I just keep doing what I am doing and see what happens?

    PS: I have been bit by the bug and my wife and I are starting the process of getting another GSD hopefully spring \summer of 2010, doing a lot more research this time.

    Thank you so much for your time and all the resources Leerburg has put together.

    Scott
Bemidji, MN

Accepted Answer

I’m afraid I can’t really answer your question with any certainty. A lot is going to depend on how much more she can progress. There are so many variables to this problem.

    The first thing is to be more assertive with people who are around your dog.  I’m sure the people in my town think I’m a horrible person because I have no problem being rude to get my point across. My dog’s confidence and well being are more important to me than a stranger’s feelings. Just yesterday I was doing obedience in a parking lot near a playground and a girl came sprinting up right into my space as I was heeling my dog. To her credit she did ask before touching my dog, but when she said “Can I pet your dog?” I said in a very firm voice, “NO! He’s working right now.” I didn’t have time to worry about hurting her feelings, I wanted my dog to come out of the experience with success.

    For a dog like yours, I’d use markers to teach her that whenever she feels uncomfortable to look at you and she’ll get a really great food reward. If you do this religiously and control all the interactions between your dog and others then I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that she can be left in a stand stay and focus on your completely while a person does a quick exam. I wouldn’t use any corrections, and I would break this down into such tiny increments that she will always come out feeling great about herself.  Don’t ask other people to feed her, your goal is neutrality for a dog like this. All the treats come from you for paying attention to you and ignoring the distractions. By asking other people to feed her you may actually be causing more conflict within her. She wants the treat but is nervous about the people, she gets up to the person, takes the treat and then finds herself in a very uncomfortable position so she retreats. This is not behavior to rehearse.

    Right now I’d keep people away, let her know you are her protector and before you know it she’ll relax more and more. If you take the pressure off of her by not allowing people to approach you may actually find she becomes more curious about strangers. No matter what, make sure that any people you have her around will follow your instructions. If they can’t or won’t do this remove yourself from their influence. No touching, petting, talking, smiling or looking at her from strangers right now. Tell people to pretend she’s not even there. 

    I hope this helps.

    Cindy