Hi I got a 15 weeks pup a week ago (he is 16 weeks now) The pup never was outside because the bitch owners were afraid to take them outside so they will not catch anything. The breeder just co-owns the bitch so the litter was raised by the bitch owners.
He has never been outside until he was shipped to us. He spent almost 2 days on a road because there wasn't direct flight and he spent a night in the animal hotel. How he was handled there I can only guess, assuming very well but still can be scary fore a pup to see all the new people outside for the first time.
The pup is not bothered by any noises, even very loud noises, things dropping, etc. New things outside, loud cars passing by, and new things do not bother him. If he sees something that he hasn’t seen before he will slowly approach and sniff and be fine.
He loves other dogs; The first few days when we got him he barked when he saw people approaching. He however, did fine if surrounded by a lot of people as long as they don’t try to pet him. I took him to Petco and he did very well there, let people pet him with no problems. He was a little unsire when we got there first (it was a little crowded) but in a few minutes he was fine. Took him to puppy classes and his first time went great. The class was big over 20 puppies and even more people and he didn’t mind people, let some pet him. Not very friendly with them just neutral.
Already knows my neighbors and they can pet him and walk him on the leash with no problems. We have a lot of kids and this weekend the weather was great so a lot of kids were playing outside in the parking lot running, making noise, he did fine with them even new kids. Everyone was able to pet him. He already likes kids . Acts happy, is not bothered by them at all. He still barks when he sees some strangers outside especially if it is dark. What I noticed that he sometimes even barks at people that he already knows but his tail is up and wagging and he goes right to them and is happy to be petted. So, may be he is just a barker.
What I do when I see he is about to start barking when someone passing by, I destruct him with a treat. If I am to late and he already barks I ignore it because I think if I will start pulling on the leash and tell him to stop it will make the matters worse. Is my approach a right approach?

Sounds to me like you have a good dog. Most good GSD will not go to strangers right away. They tend to be suspicious of people untill they get to know each other. Normal for a good shepherd.
Good luck
Ron

Sounds to me like you have a pup that certainly is showing good genetics due to his ability to recover. The most important socialization period is prior to 16 weeks. I would expose and socialize him as much as possible and make every contact a positive experience/association for the pup.

The fact the pup barks at strangers at night is not something I would be 'paranoid' about as I have encountered many dogs which reacted like this...yet they were some of the most social and stable dogs.

I have also seen dogs that will charge the door and bark (tail up) when the bell rings or a stranger knocks on the door; but as soon as that door opens they happily greet the visitor. So I wouldn't read too much into the barking. Barking doesn't always mean fear or insecurity and isn't necessarily a predictor of a future socially aggressive dog.

I also think you're expecting too much way too soon from a pup that hasn't been socialized and one you've only had ONE week. Give the puppy time to adjust to his new surroundings. He has gone through a lot of changes for one that has never been exposed to the outside world and by the sounds of it; he's been 'bombarded' by so much in the last week that it's to be expected that he may show some insecurity. Expose the puppy daily; but let him deal with one issue at a time and don't 'flood' him with so much all at once.

If he barks at someone through the window; distract him or redirect his focus and play with him. I would distract/redirect him with a toy...not food.Food is used as a reward. You may unintentionally be praising him for this unwanted behavior. Example: he sees a stranger-->he barks-->he is rewarded with food and probably petted as well and told his a good boy after the food reward...

It is much better to ignore his 'outbursts' at this time, and immediately redirect his attention with a tug or ball (game)...

I hope this helps. Just another perspective.

B

<Food is used as a reward. You may unintentionally be praising him for this unwanted behavior. Example: he sees a stranger-->he barks-->he is rewarded with food and probably petted as well and told his a good boy after the food reward...>
Thanks everyone for the replies.
I don't give him food if he barks, I jsut ignore it but if he hasn't started barking yet and I see he looks suspisiously at strangers passing by I distruct him and give him some treats. I will continue to socialize him and hopefully he will be fine. I know he will never be overly friendly with strangers, he doesn't have the friendliness in his genes but at least he should be nuteral to strangers. He does already barks at the door if someone rings the bell.