I volunteer for a local GSD rescue and another volunteer contacted me regarding their foster dog. Apparently, she's quite the handful. The dog has not be socialized and is very nervous around people. When meeting new people, she tends to bark and is agitated the whole time, it takes awhile for her to calm down even in a controlled environment. I told the other volunteer to keep a prong and leash on the dog and to correct her when she displays these types of behaviors (lunging, barking, etc.), however, the dog has a serious yeast and bacterial infection and the vet said not to put a prong on her.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? I am going over her house tonight to see the dog.

Does "agitated" mean fearful or what?

What is a controlled environment?

Meeting new people -- where? In her home, or on the street?

Yes I believe the dog is nervous and fearful. Not 100% sure since I haven't seen her yet.
The volunteer is introducing the dog to people mostly in her home and in the yard.

A prong on this dog may very well cause her to become more aggressive so I would not recommend that.

Time and patience is what is needed here in a quiet atmosphere with no distractions.

I would muzzle this dog while treating her as well.

Also, if the dog is nervous and fearful, I would recommend the "foster home" gain her trust first before trying to introduce anything.

I'd probably go slow with adding new-people intros, too.

Thanks guys for the tips. I'm not sure how long the foster mom has had this dog, but I do know that the dog is muzzled when meeting new people and she is fine around the foster mom. What's strange is that when the dog was brought to the foster mom, she didn't display any of these behaviors. We'll see how she does with me.
I will keep you posted. Thanks again for the quick responses.

 Quote: kristen shepherd

What's strange is that when the dog was brought to the foster mom, she didn't display any of these behaviors.

I would tend to think that there may be too much going on in the "foster" home.
Is there children, other pets, maybe even a roommate or husband?

The foster home only consists of the foster mom and another dog, which the "nervous" dog is fine with. Apparently the female does good with other dogs, just not people. I think she is worse around men too. Not 100% sure on that, as it was a vet experience. Time will tell I guess.

Here is the update...
So I met-up with the other foster mom last night, Diana is her name btw, to meet the dog. Diana had the dog outside in her yard when I walked over. The dog immediately began barking and lunging at me. I completely ignored it and Diana and I started to walk down the road with the dog. Reminder that she was leashed and muzzled the whole time. The dog did calm down and "accept" me after about 5 minutes or so. I threw her yummy treats when she was good. Diana keeps claiming that she is very "mouthy". I had a hard time reading the dog. She did seem very indimidating at first with the lunging and barking, but I wasn't scared. I think she only acts aggressive and like she'll bite you, but I don't think she actually would. Since no one is sure, she stays muzzled around other people at all times. Do you think there is hope for this dog calming down around strangers? Once her skin infection is cleared up, would it be a good idea to put a prong collar on her or would that make it worse?

Did you find out how long the dog has been in the home?

I find with my fearful/agitated fosters, it takes at LEAST 2-3 months of a quiet relaxed atmosphere, a strict routine, and obedience training before they start to relax.

If the dog has been in the home only a short time, he is probably agitated because he does not understand why he keeps changing "scenery" i.e. homes. Remeber a shelter is a trauma for a dog. It takes them a while to get the shelter out of their system.

I seem to recall that someone on this board had to surrender their GSD, "Stark", and another board member fostered him. If I remember correctly, "Stark" was quite angry when he got to the foster's home. The dog is likely just confused and lashing out is a defensive strategy (the best defense is a good offense).

Like I said, in my experience they take months to settle in. Especially if they are coming out of a shelter.

The foster needs to give this dog a routine and follow it, so the dog knows what to expect. She also need to teach the dog commands. I have found that once a dog knows what to expect and learns to understand some English words, it feels a lot better. (THink of how you would feel if you were kidnapped and taken to Japan where everything looks strange and you can't understand anyone, and you can't understand what has happened to you?)