my other female was a brooding bitch also,Tossed from home to home, had no training,I kinda rescued her,made a deal with the guy. If I could have her he could have the litter she was carrying, she was almost 7 at the timeand he was about done with her. she was just a mouth to feed to him then. Well she lost that whole litter and almost died doing it,all the pups were born dead but she labored off and on for 2 weeks. She was so weak and lost alot of blood. I slept by her crate during all of it. Vet said she was bred so much she couldnt hold anymore litters. I ended up getting her for free, had her spayed, and she has been one of the best dogs i ever had. After the ordeal with the puppies she bonded to me,with all her heart and soul. Unfortunely she has breast cancer and wont be with me much longer

 Quote: Debra Dibble

She also does this when my ex comes in my house.charges at him agressively then kinda jumps back and barks and growls.

I'd crate the dog in advance, besides requiring that people coming in ignore the dog, don't hover or make eye contact or talk to the dog, etc.

You want this dog to settle in and to see you as an ever-present and dependable wall between her and anything in the world that makes her anxious.

JMO.

 Quote: Debra Dibble

my other female was a brooding bitch also,Tossed from home to home, had no training,I kinda rescued her,made a deal with the guy. If I could have her he could have the litter she was carrying, she was almost 7 at the timeand he was about done with her. she was just a mouth to feed to him then. Well she lost that whole litter and almost died doing it,all the pups were born dead but she labored off and on for 2 weeks. She was so weak and lost alot of blood. I slept by her crate during all of it. Vet said she was bred so much she couldnt hold anymore litters. I ended up getting her for free, had her spayed, and she has been one of the best dogs i ever had. After the ordeal with the puppies she bonded to me,with all her heart and soul. Unfortunely she has breast cancer and wont be with me much longer

I'm sorry about her cancer, but also filled with happiness that you gave her such an excellent new life. I hope that your own focus is on that blessing that you have been to each other's lives, too.

http://leerburg.com/301.htm

If you haven't taken a look at this video I'd like to encourage you to take a look along with pack structure for the family dog.

I got my lab at a very similar age and situation where she was essentially thrown out into a yard and locked there from the age of 12 weeks until 9 months old with very little human contact and almost no training (she knew her name). In her case it became clear very early that she would be a challenging dog because she had zero concept of her size, had very little socialization with other dogs and people, couldn't walk on a leash, and no manners. She also had a food drive to the point where a piece of kibble was too much distraction. She is slightly dog aggressive especially of other bitches, is terrified of old women and children, and has some bad habits which prevent her from ever likely be a upland game dog or a good choice as a house dog. She is good at fetching down ducks at this point but it took a year and a half to get there and we have to have her tied up and bark collared still while shooting.

We had to evaluate her after awhile and think to ourselves about what we wanted for her, as well as how that fit into the dog we had before us. In the beginning we had to handle her like a wild animal because we basically had one. If you find yourself being frustrated by training her don't take it personally, take a step back and think to yourself how do I create the picture I need to see in order to move forward. In this case for us it ment we taught sit with a dog tied to a post, we got a dominant dog collar, a prong collar which we had never needed before, and even a muzzle.

Dogs bring such a unique aspect to our lives. Your older dog is a blessing and so will is this new one be. They just need our help to find their way. Trust is BIG. and you have it with your old girl. It takes some time. You will have it with the new one. I found with my new girl that she needs that. Routine, consistency and using her drive are good tools. As are crates, treats and the long down...

By the way, Debra, are you familiar with marker training?


Michael Reese and others have you given such great advice about short training sessions that will increase the dog's confidence and her bond with you, and IMO marker training is going to be the easiest and most effective route.

You will love it, and so will the dog.

 Quote: Marcia Blum

My dog lacks a lot of socialization skills as well, I have had luck with marker training, it really engages her (and she loves treats).

If you are not familiar with anything anyone is suggesting, please post back. This board has some very experienced members.

thanks everyone for the help. thats one thing I will not let happen is fighting in the pack, Even if that means separation,I will put advice to work and l will let ya know how its going. Thanks again

p.s I have heard of marker training but do not know what it is all about,or how to do it. I came from the old school on obedience,but have started to try training with food motivation. Even though I learned from just correcting the dog when disobeying I've always tried to be fair with my dogs and not bully them like alot of them did in the old days. Ive heard good things about marker training but have no experience with it

 Quote: debra dibble

Ive had her for a month,she is leary of everything I wouldnt say fearful but very jumpy. At the kennel she seemed very out going and friendly but I think it was because she was outside in a open area when I met her,she is even leary of me at times. And dominant aggressive at my other 2 gsd. She is czech and ddr line. I want to build her confidence,and her trust I guess I dont want to make vital mistakes with her.

I have not (yet) read the entire thread, and it's possible that others have given or will give better answers ("Possible, Jeff?" "OK, OK... Probable.") but I want to address the two items above:

1. When I first got Casey, she was pretty skittish around most everything. I took the approach of "When we walk, if something makes her spook, just ignore it and keep walking." As she matured, and got to the point where she'd rather RUN than walk, we do the same thing: If she spooks, we just keep running. I've even preempted things: I'll get her running before the thunderstorms move in. In the end, she's learned that the scary stuff isn't such a big deal, and I won't let anything hurt her. Took time, as all good things do, but worth it.

2. I wouldn't be worried too much about making a mistake. Maybe I've been graced with a forgiving dog, but even when I do make a mistake, Casey doesn't seem to care. She's willing to try it again, once I've learned my lesson, so to speak. Sometimes I even get that look: "You're a silly human, you know that? You're doing it ALL wrong. Shape up, if you want this to work." Best dog advice I ever got, from a former professional trainer: Dogs don't have memories, they have habits. Don't be concerned about creating bad memories. Instead, be concerned about creating good habits. A smart dog will understand the difference. It's up to you to do the same.

Hi Debbie and welcome!
I'm not experienced w/ a dog of this nature, but I'm great at copying and pasting...

Here's some reading to get you started. Marker training (clicker training, without the clicker)is a great way to start developing a bond with your dog and building her confidence.

Free e-book: http://leerburg.com/pdf/markers-clickers.pdf

Also, here are two great DVD's re marker training:
http://leerburg.com/219.htm

http://leerburg.com/220.htm

There are other free e-books that you may find helpful:
http://leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm