Do you have any suggestion to deal with this issues without seeking dog trainer?

http://leerburg.com/qafear.htm

Aaron, if I may disagree? A 6 mo old pup who shows mistrust around sliding elevator doors does not necessarily mean fearful temperament. Could it be simply that he has never encountered something like this before?

Let's not write the dog up as total loss when a little patience could fix the problem, ok?

Walter, you might want to take your pup out of your back yard and let him see the world.

eta: the weekly newsletter "Fear periods in young dogs" actually covers all this.

Am I suppost to let stranger to pet my dog while out side? He will bark at the stranger with his back of his coat pointing up like cat meet dog.

Any places you will suggest to take the dog to? And he doesn't walk good on the leash, always pulling very hard.

What about biting behaviour??

No stranger pet dog or something like this

You noticed your pup is scared of certain things. Try to find opportunities to introduce these scary things one at a time gradually closing the distance.

Start with the last newsletter and check the back issues.

Biting. I don't think your pup is biting your children in fear. He runs towards them. Probably wants to play. Probably because he needs more stimulation. Maybe you crate him too much.

As Barbara said, don't let them interact till you can satisfy your pup's drives without having your children involved.

I'm not basing it on a fear of glass doors.

I'm basing it on a GSD breeder saying that black and red is an undesirable color.

They've got to manage now, don't they? Work on it and maybe the next time will be better?

I never said get rid of the dog. I said find an experienced trainer to work with.

Based on the breeder's questionable explanation for why the pup was still there at 4 months old, there's the possibility that the pup may have temperament issues.

In the meantime, yes, check out the Ellis videos about fear periods. And start forming an idea of which trainers you might want to go to if the dog doesn't grow out of this.

Also, why the hesitance on seeking a trainer, Walter?

 Quote: Walter Chong

Am I suppost to let stranger to pet my dog while out side? He will bark at the stranger with his back of his coat pointing up like cat meet dog.

Any places you will suggest to take the dog to? And he doesn't walk good on the leash, always pulling very hard.

What about biting behaviour??

Walter, It sounds like the dog has had very little socialization (that would be being exposed to new things on a regular basis in a safe and non-frightening way) and little if no training. I'm going on what you are saying about his pulling very hard on a leash, biting your boys, fearful of sliding doors and barking at people when out in public. And probably not enough exercise if he is being taken out once a day and played with until he lays down - then crated again. A dog will lay down when he is warm/hot but that does not indicate he has had all the exercise - physical or mental - for the rest of the day. (This doesn't mean you over-work him at that time - it means he gets more periods of exercise / play throughout the day).


Have you done any formal training of the dog at home? Have you read up on marker training?

And definitely watch the free streaming videos on fear periods in dogs!!

In a nut shell - if you want to know what to do without involving a trainer - my suggestions are:

Keep the dog under control at all times around your boys. He would not be off leash around the boys at all. Have the boys feed the dog - under your supervision while the dog is leashed.

Ensure he is getting lots of physical AND mental exercise each and every day. Every day. A good dog is a tired dog.

Listen to the videos on Fear Periods of Dogs.

Read up on and begin using Marker Training. Now. Do not go directly to a prong collar. Your dog has not been trained and to begin using corrections on an untrained dog is abusive and will only cause this problem to escalate.

Begin slowly exposing your dog to new situations in a safe and fun way. DON'T take him to a place where there are tons of dogs and children running around screaming. Perhaps start at a park where there is enough space for you and your dog to observe things from a distance. Let him sniff things, climb on things, explore and play all while you are working on obedience with marker training with treats.

This situation is going to require lots of effort on your part Walter. It isn't going to be resolved by putting a different collar on the dog.

JMHO.