Okay, so I guess I should’ve added more info to the post. I don’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I didn’t know how detailed I should’ve been.
This is about a two year long process. He’s about 4 years old. When I first got him at 12 weeks, he was already showing signs of anxiety. He was hiding under things, and just scared to move. He got a little bigger, but due to my relationship at the time I left him behind with my mom because I felt it was safer for him. (I was moving to another country, and my relationship was extremely toxic but I didn’t see it at the time.) When I came home, after we separated I immediately started working on him.
He HATED men, wanted nothing to do with them. Wouldn’t even be in the same room, loved car rides but didn’t want to go anywhere but the car and maybe a park. So I started inviting men over to the house (my brothers/friends) and just asked them to ignore him. Never large groups, two men at the same time if ever. Slowly he opened up to everyone, and just though he loved women, he was still cautious of them. Now he slowly approaches them, smells, and will sometimes let a man pet him.
As for anxiety in public. I take him to a park five minutes away. There’s a LARGEEE field, and we’re usually the farthest away from the walking path/parking lot/playground as possible. And I walked him in the trail passing one or two people a walk. I’ll take him far far out, but he’s still more worried about the noise pulling up in the parking lot. The one car, with only two there, and hell just stare for a prolonged period. I tried taking him on a little busier trail and the start of the year he was actually AMAZING, didn’t care about anything but the walk and the joggers. The last three months or so, I feel like he’s reverting back. Reacting to dogs walking by only really. He doesn’t care about the treats/toys, and just keeps reacting.
I’ve gotten embarrassed one time because he barked at a dog that walked by, and another lady was behind with a smaller one and picked him up. She muttered something about my dog, and I just wanted to cry. He has NEVER attacked, he only wants to play, even when guests come over they remark on his recall, and his attitude being so amazing, but I know that’s because we’re at home.
Throughout these two years, he’s made great improvement on his attitude, but I still have never been able to find out what he wants more than the thing over there. We talk on a loose lead, lay down when he’s overwhelmed, or remove him entirely. At home he’s learned a few new tricks (“say hi!” “dead!”) but when I try teaching him something substantial it’s like it’s in one ear out another.
I almost think my mom half way tried to train him, but said “it’s not my dog”. She never took him to the vet, never took him out. I don’t want to blame her because if I hadn’t left he would’ve been better than he is now. But in that same way, I hate thinking that way because he already is an amazing dog. I guess I’m asking what I’m doing wrong. I don’t have the money for a professional trainer, and at one point thought i could’ve been a professional trainer with the leaps my dog was making, but everything has halted in the last 3-6 months, and I was looking for tips?
- Replied with my phone, so this might feel more ranty/venty rather than productive. I am trying to be productive
Thanks for the extra info!
I agree with the comment above about the genetics. Since he was anxious at 12 weeks, this is likely just his personality, not your fault. You can definitely let go of the guilt.
Also, I want to emphasize that the work you did to successfully socialize him to men is a huge win! It shows you absolutely know how to train and read him. Don't let the current hurdle dismiss that massive achievement! You are doing well by your pup by identifying the issues and wanting to work on them
That being said, the recent regression is a bit worrying. There can be a lot of reasons things can go backwards, so I'll try to ask some questions/give some advice.
First, I would try to get a vet check for pain or thyroid issues, as 4 years old is prime time for that in GSDs, and that can contribute to having a shorter fuse.
Also, are you using any tools on your walk (Prong, E-collar)? These can sometimes suppress stress for a while, leading to a blow-up later.
Also, is he a "Window Warrior" at home? (meaning, does he bark, growl, or over-alert when seeing people or dogs outside?). If he’s practicing stressing out at the window all day, his stress bucket is full before you even start the walk. Also consider if he has enough mental stimulation, boredom can turn into frustration which turns into reactivity.
From what I'm gathering so far it sounds like Trigger Stacking. He was "white knuckling" it on that busy trail until his stress bucket overflowed. This also explains why he listens at home but not outside. At home, he feels safe, so his "Thinking Brain" is on. Outside, if he is worried, his brain switches to "Survival Mode," so commands literally go in one ear and out the other. It's not stubbornness; he just can't process the training when his adrenaline is that high.
One quick thing on his behavior: you mentioned 'he only wants to play.' That sounds like a Frustrated Greeter. To him, it's frustration, but to the public, a lunging GSD looks like aggression. Since the fix is the same (teaching neutrality), you should treat him like he's scared for now. The fix is to slow way down. If he is fixated on the parking lot noise from across the field, the field is still too hard. You might need to start the training in your car or find a totally quiet industrial park or even perhaps a cemetery, which are mostly dead quiet... (sorry couldn't help myself XD)
Look up the "Engage/Disengage Game" as your action plan right now.
As a note, I’m not a professional trainer, just giving my advice based on how I’m interpreting what you wrote. Please take information from different sources/people to come to your own conclusion, because there are a lot of knowledgeable people on here, and different approaches may or may not work better for you and your dog, because every situation is different!
Let me know if you have any more questions or if I misinterpreted anything
