HA HA! You're all great! I really appreciate hearing that other people have had the same experiences, and that my dog is nothing out of the ordinary... I have learned that some dogs, especailly ones bond very tightly with their pack and are protective (like GSDs!), just don't like to be petted by strangers...and there's nothing wrong with that!! I'm going to continue to brainstorm good comebacks for stupid neighbors ;-)

Liz,
While I agree with all of the previous replies to your post, I am not sure that your question was actually answered.
You say that your dog is shy around strangers. Are you confusing this with your dog being aloof? Aloof is more that your dog is indifferent to people other than yourselves and given a choice it chooses to not be around others. This is okay. Not wanting to be petted is also okay. Shyness is not okay. Shyness in a dog is usually borne out of fear. This can be caused by genetics, or, it can be environmental. If you believe that you are dealing with shyness in your dog you do need to investigate this further.

You mentioned that your dog was at doggie daycare. This is worth looking in to. The people that work at the doggie daycare that interact with the dogs (in other words the people who are there keeping the dogs under control) are trained to not use their voice when a potential situation occurs with the dogs. They are trained to walk towards the dog or dogs, who are getting a little out of control, in a manner that is intimidating enough to the dogs to get them to stop what they are doing. They reserve using their voice for extreme situations.
If your pup was at doggie daycare and he was romping around and playing a little too rough at times, like a pup should do, there is a possibility that he was being reprimanded in this manner a lot and sometimes this is a little tough on a young dog. If this was happening often he could easily become shy towards someone walking towards him like you describe when you are out on walks. If you feel that this is a possibility I would contact the doggie daycare and ask to see the records from the time that your dog was there. The better doggie daycares will keep a record of how your dog behaved each day it was there. These daily records are written by the people that are interacting with the dogs and are usually only a sentence or two. If these are available I would read them. If you find that they often wrote that your dog was rambunctious ask them how they deal with this. Make sure that they know that you are not accusing them of anything because they will shut down and not give you the information that you are seeking. Explain to them that you have observed some behavior, not necessarily good or bad, and you are trying to figure it out.

The other side of this could be genetics, but, I think that it would have shown up before five months old.

If you feel that this is an issue of shyness/fear you may want to consider socializing your dog more, at least to the point where he is aloof. As you read in the previous posts he does not need to be everyone's best friend, but, he should not be shy/fearful either.
Best of luck,
--Steve

Liz,

While I agree that your dog doesn't need to be loved on by every Tom, Dick, and Harry the reality is you still have neighbors that you have to live next to. I think some of the answers are funny but you really don't want to create division by being a smart aleck. These people are probably naive and possibly judgemental so chock it up to life being what it is and stay on as good of terms with them as possible because the next thing you know you'll be getting notices from the city about your dog barking, or you left something out in the yard and it's against the city ordinance (even though everybody and their mother has done it forever). Blessed are the peacemakers. Sometimes this is very hard to live by but you can do it.

 Quote: stevezorn

The people that work at the doggie daycare that interact with the dogs (in other words the people who are there keeping the dogs under control) are trained to not use their voice when a potential situation occurs with the dogs. They are trained to walk towards the dog or dogs, who are getting a little out of control, in a manner that is intimidating enough to the dogs to get them to stop what they are doing. They reserve using their voice for extreme situations. --Steve

Steve - Thanks for your insightful comments.

Your comments about daycare are very interesting. I never thought of that before. When we first observed this behavior in Gus we asked the daycare if anything out of the ordinary had happened, and they said no. But Gus was not like this when we first got him. I think it's very possible that what you described ("intimidating" dogs by walking up to him when they get rambunctious) happened at daycare. It's been many months since he's been in daycare, though.

Gus is definitely not just aloof; if someone comes right at him then he gets squirley and backs away. If we didn't have him on a leash then he would probably run and hide. If people stay about 6 feet away from him and ignore him then he can settle down and be fine. From what you said about how staff at many doggie daycares are trained to act, his behavior now seems to make perfect sense. Needless to say, this shy behavior does worry me, because I don't want it to turn into fear aggression as he gets older.

I don't believe the problem is genetic because Gus was the strongest and most confident in his litter. The breeder we got him from breeds for temperment and health, and we know the breeder and trust her. Gus's sire and dam do not act this way - they are more aloof, not shy.

Now I feel awful for putting him in doggie daycare!! We thought we were doing a good thing by choosing this option; now I'm afraid it did him more harm than good.

So in light of all this, what's the best way to socialize Gus? We typically take him on walks (only about once a week) in the outdoor pedestrian "mall" downtown where there's lots of people around. He can walk by people and through crowds just fine when my husband and I are walking him at a good clip, and we praise him a lot for being calm. He rarely gets squirley when we're on these walks. But if we sit on a bench to "people watch" and someone passess too close then he'll back away and strain on the leash, especially if someone approaches him head-on to pet him (but we always tell people not to do this, but some people are stupid and don't listen). Is there anything else we can do to help him? Is it even possible that he'll get over this shyness?

Thanks again for your insightful comments. I'll take all the good advice I can get when it comes to helping my dog get over his fear.

Liz, as well as the other advice given, I would use Yuko's idea of having people toss your dog treats. So if someone wants to pet him, tell them he doesn't like to be petted but could they do you a favor and toss him a treat because you're trying to build his confidence around people. Most people will gladly do that for you. If they say yes, hand them a few treats and have them gently toss one at a time at your dog's feet.

This is non-threatening to your dog since the stranger isn't approaching your dog but tossing from a short distance.

There's only one problem with this of course (guess there are negatives to everything). You'll be teaching him to take treats from strangers. So you have to weigh what is most risky and best for your dog, either having a shy dog or your dog unnoticed by you one day taking a treat from an unsavory person.

Personally, I would let people toss him treats if this were my dog.

Edited to add: there's still no reason for ever getting to the point where your dog has to endure petting from strangers. The tossing of the treats is just to show the dog that the people are not threats to him.

Sandy - Thanks for your response. We have tried doing this technique with Gus, but he is on such high alert that he's not even interested in the treats that people throw at his feet.

Even though Gus loves his liver treats, he's actually more ball motivated than treat motivated... when people come over to the house, we take his *favorite* blue ball and all go into the backyard and play fetch. After a few minutes Gus will bring the ball back to the "stranger" on our command. When that ball is around he seems much more confident. But obviously it's not practical to play fetch downtown :-)

Should we just keep trying with the treats? Maybe ask people to back up a bit more before they throw it at his feet?

EDITED: Sorry for the overlap...I didn't see your post when I posted!

 Quote: sandy moore

Personally, I would let people toss him treats if this were my dog.

I agree with Sandy (hi Sandy!! ) I would certainly do this if this were my dog. And it doesn't have to be treats...does he like a ball? You could have them toss a ball to them. Treats are easier, but some dogs (like mine) are just more motivated by balls. Otherwise, hotdogs cut into nickel size pieces, small pieces of bacon or cheese works well, too.

My concern is that the dog you're describing sounds like he has the potential to become a fear-biter as he matures if he isn't somewhat desensitized to people (at one year old, he really is still a pup). I'm not saying he *will*, I'm just saying you are describing the habits of almost every fear-biter I've ever met, so it's best to take some sort of action now---which it sounds like you're doing.

How's your boy with kids? The truth is kids are at the highest risk for being bitten because they're, well, kids!

You don't EVER want the dog to take that first bite or snap. If he does, and he gets the result he wants (the person backs away), you won't believe how quickly that behavior will escalate.

Keep bringing your dog into situations with people. In general, dogs will get desensitized to things they have to deal with often, as long as it's not traumatic.

My goal wouldn't be to have the dog love everyone he meets. I like aloof dogs, and it's common for GSDs to be like this with people outside of their pack...I like that about the breed. But you want him to feel comfortable, too, not scared. Being anxious all the time is no fun for the dog, either.

If it were me, I would get a vest with a patch that says "Do Not Pet". Some people will still approach you to ask "why not?" but they will generally keep their distance at first, and won't talk with their hands first. This way you can limit the number of people approaching him, and do the treat-giving at a gradual pace. You could tell these people that you're trying to build up your dog's confidence, and would they mind throwing a treat to him, but not petting him. I've found that most people are willing to help.

And don't beat yourself up about the doggy daycare. It's possible that no one did anything to your dog. It might just be that a place like that was just too much stimulation for him. A person could have just dropped a whole bunch of metal bowls by him by accident and scared the crap out of him and, viola, you have a dog that is fearful of people. Some dogs are just like that. I guess what I'm saying is...best to not worry about what happened and just get him past this. It might not be anyone's fault.

Keep your sessions short, ignore any fearful response and give him gentle praise when he acts confident. I'm sure you know this, but some people accidentally reinforce a dogs fearfulness if they say, "It's okay, don't worry" to the dog in a sing-song voice that sounds, to the dog, like praise for being fearful. And I personally wouldn't say or do anything while the dog's considering whether or not to take the treat, because remember, if he's hesitating and you're saying, "That's it, it's okay" then the dog is hearing praise for the hesitation. Only praise when he acts confidently.

 Quote: liz thomson

We typically take him on walks (only about once a week) in the outdoor pedestrian "mall" downtown where there's lots of people around.

If I were you, I would walk him once or twice a day, not once a week, and I would do it in a place that only has *some* people, NOT lots of people. Again, gradually is better.

Think about it, if you were afraid of snakes, would it be better for you to have a pile of them thrown in your lap once a week, or would it be better to go everyday and look at one behind glass, and as you begin to feel comfortable, get closer? The pedestrian mall would be where I would take him as a final test, not the first thing.

And I would take him out every day if you can. Also, have the dog well-exercised before he goes on these jaunts. A dog with energy could very easily have that energy turn into nervous energy. A tired (not exhausted) dog will be calmer...that's the truth.

At any rate, I think your dog has plenty of potential to move past this, and I think you're very capable of being the one to help him move past it.

Good luck...and keep us posted!

Amber

Yes, ask them to back up 5 feet or more, whatever distance you notice is comfortable for your dog. They shouldn't be right in front of his face or invade his "space bubble". You could also try tossing a treat at his feet so he knows it's coming from you, in between the treats tossed by someone else. Maybe if he knows you're actively in the game, he'll be more comfortable. Don't let the game last too long either. A few seconds, a few treats. Don't drag it out.

I would also give him a sit command, having him sit (not lay down) at your side before the treats are tossed. I wouldn't let him shrink behind you. You need to show him your confidence by bringing him to your side and telling him to sit, give him a treat from your hand when he does.

This may or may not work. I do think it's important not to let him shrink behind you. If he still shows no interest in the treats, at least have him sit by you.

Another idea if he continues to show no interest in the treats: take his ball with you and when someone approaches, have him sit by you and give him the ball when he does. Again, ask the person please not to pet but if they would do you the favor of just standing there and not make eye contact with your dog while you do this exercise with him to build his confidence. Thank the person, be on your way.

Maybe you could put a muzzle on him. Most people associate a muzzle with an aggressive dog and I'll bet they'll be a lot less likely to approach the dog. If you introduce it properly, the dog shouldn't mind it too much. I have found that if people approach you to pet your dog, you have to spend time with each person explaining why you don't want them to. A muzzle would save this entire effort because it will prevent them from approaching in the first place. Good luck.

 Quote: Amber Morgan

EDITED: Sorry for the overlap...I didn't see your post when I posted!

 Quote: Sandy Moore

Personally, I would let people toss him treats if this were my dog.

I agree with Sandy (hi Sandy!! )

Hi Amber! We both did it again, posting at the same time. I just posted another one while you were posting yours! Good to see we have the same ideas!