How can i socialize my german shepherd with other dogs?

Question

she was attacked when she was quite young by a big brown dog

she;s a very happy dog and has 2arces of ground to roam and run in

but you just cant take herout she is now4yearsold.

Answer 1

it would be difficult to try to answer your question without more information.  Does she cower or attack?  Is she leash trained?  We (humans) LOL were taught in dog training classes to walk the dog with another person who has their dog on the leash walking with you.  The dog must be taught to mind it's own business (not sniff the other dog continually) and walk next to you and pay attention to you when it is on lead.  The dog(s) will get comfortable with this routine and will be more social, as it interacts in a controlled environment with you there for security.  On the other hand, if the dog is attacking they need a sharp verbal reprimand and a leash correction (a sharp tug on the leash) to get the dog's attention.  Never use the dog's name when you are telling them "no", just "no" and whatever the behavior is you're trying to break them of, such as, "no bark, no bite, no jump".  Only use their name when they are being praised for good behavior.  Your dog will learn to come to you more readily once it understands it's not in "trouble" every time you start a sentence with it's name.  Your dog wants to please you.  All it lives for is your attention and love.  They have to know what you are trying to tell them and that you are their safe place.  I hope this helps...

Answer 2

I would work with a trainer and socialize her with supervision.

Answer 3

I have a German Shepherd myself, (7 months old) and for me having her in some training classes was very helpful.  I started taking her to the dog park (a membership is required so I know all the dogs have had the required shots) and going to the pet shops is a good way to get her around other dogs as well, PetsMart is a good one because there is always dogs inside.  Just walk your dog up to another dog or ask the other owner if you can socialize your dog, they always say yes.  Also if you are walking down the street and see a dog make sure you stop so they can sniff each other.  I hope this helps.  

Answer 4

It's the last part of your question that interests me here -'You just can't take her out-she is now 4 years old'

I take it from this that your ***** has then had little/zero in the way of socializing with other dogs since a  very young age.

I adopted a rescue dog which had no contact with others for the first 18 months of his life (kept in solitary in a back yard).It's taken time and to begin with every other dog he met was a great novelty.The key thing I noticed was that his social skills when meeting others were non existent in that he lacked the INSTINCT to differentiate between dogs that welcomed his approach/attention and those that did not,

It is only now (2 years on) that he has learned-through his own experience-to be a little more circuitous -cautious if you like-before committing himself to bounding up in exuberant greeting.

So you are in for a long haul I'm afraid and attacked dogs unfortunately keep the incident long in the memory.

I'm sorry to tell you that allowing her to isolate herself will have only  served to accentuate the problem for you are now seeking to reintroduce her to other dogs after a long period.

You are going to need a lot of patience and a friendly fellow dog owner whose dog is A) Very placid-tolerant and non excitable and B) Will work with you over a period of time.

Do not expect understanding from strangers .This is not chance encounter/hope for the best territory but a strategic programme.A dog class will likely freak her out altogether.

Get your friend to SLOWLY introduce his/her calm dog to yours with both dogs on the lead,narrowing the distance by degrees and giving your ***** soothing encouragement.If she goes into something of a state then try again later or the next day.But the objective is to prove to her that other dogs can be friendly and show no aggression.

Once she has made a 'friend' THEN her confidence will soar and she'll be far better equipped to move on to other dogs.

There are 2 other things you need to consider.

First dogs are pack animals and naturally-deep down-DO want to socialize with each other.Much is made on this site about their physical well being.As important is their mental health and socializing with their own kind is key.

Second is that while to begin with you will be working with your dog on the lead-as a first precautionary stage- remember this is not ideal.

Dogs are likely to be more aggressive when constrained and have all sorts of hangups-protecting owner-feeling of vulnerability because they know they can't escape from a threatening situation etc.

Ideally its best to let them charge around unrestrained and it is in fact rare for anything serious to happen-if any two dogs don't get on it's usually 'handbags' and one or other will generally back off.

Finally you may find it best to begin her socialization with another of her own breed.Dogs do tend to recognize their 'cousins' and you have better odds here than with a another breed.Dogs from the same breed play similarly with each other,display similar actions  and can often feel more at ease as a result.

Slowly,slowly and build up her confidence.Don't give up because by doing so you are letting her dictate not just her lifestyle but your own as well and forfeiting much of the joys of owning/having her in the first place

The very very best of luck

(P.S.Sorry the site wont print out female dog as ***** here for God's sake)

Answer 5

I haven't had any problems with my german shepherd dog.