Hello all:

Here's my situation. In about 4 months I am relocating with my 100 lb, 5 year old, neutered male GSD "BEN" from NYC to my home in North Carolina. I will initially be living with my parents, one Grandmother and my 24 year old autistic and nonverbal brother. I am asking for suggestions as to how to best introduce the dog to the family, as for the most part, the dog is suspicious of strangers and has been aggresive to single men in the past.

From all I know and have attempted to learn, the best scenario goes like this.

I have the family on the deck in the backyard all seated and all preloaded with treats. I bring the dog back on the halti/leash. the family stays seated as I walk the dog onto the deck, let him sniff, get a treat, receive some affection. If all goes well, the dog and I get off the deck, I throw him balls in the back yard (his favorite game) after a while they throw him balls too. Ihave used this "meet outdoors, treat-treat-treat, throw balls, then go inside" model in the past to get the dog to be accepting of girlfriends in the apartment and it seems to work well.

Can anyone suggest any other elements for our initial introductory meeting? Please point out things you dont agree with and lastly, please let me know what information you might need before answering.

Hey Brock
Good luck with the move. I think that you should check Ed's article about introducing a new dog into the home. Some of his suggestions would probably work well. I think that the dog needs to spend some time in a crate so that he realizes what his place is in the new pack

One thing that I'd suggest is to allow your dog plenty of time to unwind if you're making a long trip and then doing the introduction. I know you do an excellent job of keeping your dog in shape with exercise, make sure you keep as much of a daily routine as you can for your boy during the move.
Good luck!