I have been following he doggie daycare thread and have a few questions.

I agree that DDC and dog parks are not the best. Unfortuneately I found out the hard way. My well mannered boxer is now dog aggressive after an unplesant DDC experience.

My question is in regards to my 10 mnth old GSD. He is from working lines and hig energy but will be a campanion and shown in obedience. What I want to know is how to socialize him to other dogs?

At class he is wonderful but has started to bark (with hackles raised) at dogs he sees while we are out on walks. He sees TONS AND TONS of people weekly so ignores everyone beautifully when we are out.

I want him to do this with dogs. I feel like he is indifferent to people because he has been saturated with the experience of meeting all types.

How or do I get him like this with dogs? I do not want another aggresive dog but if I issolate him from dogs will I create this?

Last night I drove to a neighborhood to walk him so he could see other dogs. I wasn't going to meet them just wanted to pass without incident and stop Quincy's barking. All was going great until a pitbull mix ignored his invisible fence and attacked us.

Know one was hurt but my dog was scared for a few blocks after that.

Should I just leave this alone. This was his first negative experience so I have now made the situation worse.


Long winded post sorry, I basically want to know do most of you just not let your dogs socislize and if so how does this not create a dog that has poor dog/dog skills.

TIA

Focus building. You have to *teach* him to ignore other dogs.

Dogs become dog aggressive when they have *negative* experiences with other dogs- not due to a *lack* of experience with other dogs.

When you are out on walks, and you see another dog, do something to shift his focus from the dog, and BACK onto you.

Opinions vary on when to start obedience training for Schutzhund, but I start teaching fuss (heel), seriously, by 7 or 8 months. To explain, my trainer has been 5 times national Schutzhund champion ... and I incorporate Ed/Bernhard Flinks methods with hers...
I begin by getting the dog's eyes to me when in the heel position. I stand in the correct position beside the dog, and - with a pinch collar on - get the dog's eyes with a ball or tug toy. Then, eventually, she has to learn that she MUST give me her eyes in that position. I start with just her eyes for 1 second, then "break and play" with the toy. Then 3 seconds, 10 seconds, and so on. Once she can focus for 30 seconds, "fuss" is just doing the same thing but moving forward.

Anyway, when I see a dog approaching and she wants to put hackles up and be an a**hole, I just say "fuss" and she MUST look at me - and not the dog.

It's a matter of pack structure too, which is a whole 'nother topic...but imperatively related!