A friend told me my GSD may become a fear biter, which really upsets me. He's 3 mth.s old. He seems to cry alot, and he backs away from new people and cries and when that person pets him he starts to tinkle. I get him around other people and dogs at least twice a week and people come to my home all the time well he eventually stop.Or is there something else I could do. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Kelee--

I think it's too early to tell about the fear-biter thing. Your pup certainly is submissive--the peeing is submissive urination. Dogs that are this submissive are not necessarily going to become fear biters.

If you were hoping this dog was going to be a guard dog or do high-level sport work, you are probably going to be disappointed.

But as for right now, you are doing the right thing. Socialize this pup extensively, and try to make sure that he doesn't have negative experiences like little kids teasing him, etc. His nerves aren't the strongest but with attention on your part he may still turn out okay.

Pete Felknor

As Pete said it is too soon to know for sure. Just remember to not let him be hurt by other pets (yours or others) during this time also. You need to find what this puppy responds positively to (such as food or toys such as tugs) and really make yourself look like a fool when praising this puppy for ANYTHING he does right. That will help build his confidence level. It won't hurt for you to have people that you know and trust to play with the puppy with these items or give food treats to help his as well. Be careful about how they approach him to pet him...NEVER have then bring their hand OVER the pups head. Let him come to them (with soft encouragement from them)and then pet him under his chin and work there hands to his sides if he is comfortable. You don't need to comfort him through words when he is scared...he may look at this as praise for his behaviour and will only further instill it as a permanent behavior. If he sees you as being calm he will gain his confidence through that. There are several good books that Ed sells and the one that would fit your needs would be Purely Positive Training. The author makes learning fun and positive for the dog AND the owner!! There are also several good articles on his web site about fear biters and shy dogs. The best time to take care of a potential problem is NOW!!!

Good Luck

Excellent post, Jerri, and thanks for emphasizing the negative experiences with other dogs. That can be disastrous for fearful animals.

Kelee, most dogs won't fight with a dog that is highly submissive--but your dog may not want to engage even in "normal" canine rough-housing at this stage. Be careful about the dogs you introduce him to.

Jerri brings up another very important point, too--PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE. Any confidence-building you can do will help.

Thank you so much for your input I really appreciate it.

So is my gsd, is he going to be hard to train(Frawley basic obed. tape)?

I'm sorry I have so many question's, well ever since I brought the dog home he stuck to my side, but for some reason he listen's better to my fiance' then he does to me so my question is do I do the training or should he? I know the dog should listen to both of us, but I would like more control.
Because I'm at home more than he is and I also have a four year old daughter at home who likes to play w/ the puppy and you know sometimes they don't get along.

Make sure you always supervise any play between your daughter and the puppy. This is of utmost importance, both because you want to make sure that this puppy has no negative experiences and also because you want to make sure that he and your daughter establish a good rapport. Soon he will be a much bigger animal and this will be absolutely critical. As Jerri was saying, you want to keep this fearful behavior in check BEFORE it becomes a problem--much harder to fix it then.

I think you and your fiance should both participate in the training of the dog--especially important when you have a fearful dog. He can't be taught to respect only one of you. Dogs usually will gravitate naturally to one person or the other in any couple--and GSDs often exhibit very strong sex preferences among people--but it is imperative that this dog learn to respect you both. It doesn't really matter who his favorite is.

So far I think Pete and I seem to be handling this pretty well!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
I too would be very careful where your daughter is concerned...not for her saftey but to be sure that the puppy is not hurt or scared either by her or her friends. I would limit his time with them for a little bit longer. Let him get more secure with himself first. Only let him around her and her friends when you can be there and I would keep him on a lead to start with. You can't take a chance with anything happening to him. There will be plenty of time for more formal socializing in the next few weeks (stil under your supervision) and there should not be any problems.
My 3 month old GSD is also very close to me. He follows me everywhere and I have been assured by other more experienced owners on this board that this is not a problem. It should make training easier in the long run. If nothing else it makes the heel and come easy to do...they stay command may be another story...I am not sure my puppy will stay anywhere if I walk off!!!
If I have repeated myself here I am sorry but you really need to be careful and pay close attention to your pup now and you will be fine in the future. Just remember...PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE so more...anything from peeing, pooping, coming to you or even looking at you when you call his name!!! Make life happy...the way it should be. If you have any questions at all remember the board is here and between all of us we can get you through.