How do you handle a dog that is fear aggressive?

I am having problems with my 2yr old GSD bitch. I got her when she was 10months old. When I got her home it soon became apparent that she had had very little, if any socialising with other dogs or people outside of the home environment. She was scared of people, dogs, bikes, cars, pushchairs and was spooked very easily with sudden noises or movements. I have worked very hard with her over the past year to improve her confidence but whereas she used to be nervous and back away from situations ( i.e shy away from people and other dogs ) she now is lunging at other dogs on the lead and charging at them off lead. She has also learnt that she can frighten people by lunging at them on the lead, it's not everyone that she meets that she does it which makes her very unpredictable. She is not an outwardly aggressive dog and will welcome strangers into her home quite happily. Up until last week I would have said that she wouldn't actually touch anyone but someone walked by us in the street and she sniffed them as they walked by then gave them a quick nip on the bottom. She didn't hurt the person but definitely made them jump and gave them a shock. I have owned dogs for over 20years but I'm at a loss what to do here and I'm sure that I'm not helping the situation in the way I'm responding to her behaviour. She has an excellent recall so when I'm out walking if I see another dog or person approaching I put her on the lead. She won't see a dog in the distance and charge at it it is only when they approach her that she shows signs of aggression. I have had a telephone conversation with a behaviourist re taking her to one of her courses but she said that the insurance wouldn't cover an aggressive dog incase of a dog fight. She gave me some ideas to be going on with but I really don't think I can afford her 1 to 1 fees. Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Ali.

Hi there,
sorry, its very difficult to give advice on something like this.

What needs to happen is for her to gain more confidence around dogs, but of course because of her size and the appearance of aggression, not many people will be willing to let their dogs act as a stooge.

I realise what you're saying about a behaviorist and must admit some of them do charge a lot for one to one training - & I'm not always convinced that they are value for money (though some are).

Are there other trainers in the area you could try speaking to? Hopefully there will be someone who is prepared to work with you on this.

If she was a rescue, will the rescue centre help at all? Failing that, I'm not sure whether there is a GSD club near you who may be able to help?

If it is pure fear aggression, one thing that is important is for you to be confident and to show her that there is nothing to fear. But for her to accept that, she has to trust you and to understand that its you that makes the decisions about things. Also of course you can't be nervous or tense yourself which, the more she does it, the more likely it is you will be as you will be expecting her to react. Sometimes making sure that you greet the person/dog before her (even speaking to them as they approach) can help.

A head collar (halti type) may help in you controlling her lunging - not suggesting this as a permanent way of dealing with it, but if she doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing someone move away when she lunges, it may lesson her desire to do it?

Sorry I can't be of more help, but I do hope you can find someone that can.

Hi - I`ve a challenging GSD who I couldn`t actually walk down a street without her launching herself at people at first, so don`t panic - it could be worse!
First I would advise you to look around for a good (qualified or recommended) behaviourist. I found it really helpful as mine would walk with me and give me tips / feedback. This is invaluable as you`re so busy watching the dog, you lose control of the situation.
I also changed her food to a additive-free diet which calmed her down
I also bought a Halti with a double-ended lead. You have almost total control this way as you can trun the dog`s head away from whatever she is eye-balling, back to you, who she should be watching. Which brings us to the most improtant bit - training for control. Teach the `watch-me command (start in the home as it needs to be solid before you use it outside). Then go back to basics with training. Don`t tolerate sloppy sits etc - the object is for your dog to look to you for guidance, not feel they can / should take command of a situation.
and remember - 2 steps forward / 1 step back! You`ll get good and bad days, but persevere. And if in doubt, muzzle your dog.

Thank you Hali and ClaireandDaisy
I think I will take your advice on the temporary use of a headcollar although my past experience of using them hasn't been too successful ( my dog spending all the time trying to get it off and succeeding!) The behaviourist I spoke to on the phone did recommend muzzling her thus removing the risk of her actually nipping someone again and also she said I would probably relax more knowing that she couldn't get to anyone.
She wasn't a rescue as such because I got her from a breeder but they didn't want her anymore because her ears don't always stand up and she was no good for showing.
I will get back to the clicker training and try and reinforce the 'watch me' training.
Going back to the muzzling. I can see the logic behind it and definatly from a safety point of view I think it is a good idea but I'm worried that if people see a muzzled GSD they are going to show even more fear towards her and then it just reinforces her behaviour?
This behaviourist I spoke to is extremely well qualified and was very helpful. She did say she could put me in contact with other trainers but after speaking to her she sounds like just the person I'm looking for. I've looked at my insurance but that doesn't cover behavioural issues that aren't associated with a previous accident or illness. So my only option is to find £170 from somewhere!
I really feel that I need some professional help here but funding it always gets in the way.
I'm interested in anyones personal experiences with this kind of problem.
Ali.

Re the muzzling, unfortunately I think you are right that some people (particularly where you don't get a chance to speak to them) probably will think that - but ultimately I think it will give you and her more confidence and that's the main thing.

Also, I would imagine that a dog under control and muzzled is much less frightening for strangers than a lunging unmuzzled one, so you never know, perhaps people will be less scared.

One of our Dogsey members, Random, muzzled her fear aggressive weimy for awhile - it did make a difference as more owners where prepared to let her have her dog off lead around theirs and they both gained more confidence - hopefully the same will happen to you.

one other thought about the muzzle though, is I would get her used to it before you take her places where she is likely to be fearful - otherwise there is a possibilty that she may end up associating the muzzle with bad things.

I still muzzle Daisy in certain situations - when we travel by train, because people are in close proximity and they do tend to leap into the carriage, which really worries Daisy. When kids are rushing around (better safe than sorry) and when training with other people - I don`t think they should have to worry about what my dog is going to do. I find that people don`t actually react any differently - if they are frightened, they will be frightened with or without the muzzle. If they are doggy people they tend to assume she`s merely dog-agressive (she`s not!) What it does do is prevent situations where she does something to cause her to be destroyed.
Is it £170 for one session with the behaviourist? That seems a bit steep. Mine was £70 which included email and phone back-up. I found 2 sessions enough to get us going, then found an excellent (and cheap!) trainer to take us the rest of the way. Maybe you could find a less expensive one? And let us know what happens. Good luck

Hi Ali you have already had some excellent suggestions from other members , have you read this article by Shadowboxer on 'Shy and nervous dogs ', it may be of help to you.

http://www.dogsey.com/dog-articles.php?t=8050

Hi there, you have been given some great advice already. As Hali said I have a fear aggressive weim, she's also 2 and was attacked when she was 9 months old, up 'til this point she was fine, I used to show her and she'd never batted an eyelid before.

I had the problem that I had a big dog who wasn't friendly to other dogs and no-one was really willing to help us, which is understandable really. She's usually fine with people although there are some people she will take a disliking to if they come running over or frighten her. The only way really to get her over her fears is to face them, but in moderation. It's easier said than done but you need a lot of 'stooges' who are willing to help you with her. If you feel the behaviourist is too expensive (been there to no avail so they are not miracle cures) try and find a very patient dog trainer, even if just to sit in on classes to help with her socialisation issues. Treats and praise when she is good and ignore her when she is not, just as you train any normal behaviour, but the biggest issue is staying calm yourself. Maybe if you have a partner of good friend, try them with her and see if she behaves any different, then you will be able to determine just how much she is picking up on your feelings.

Maddy did great with the muzzle as quite a few other dogs owners felt comfortable letting their dogs mix with her while she was wearing the muzzle and this helped her gain a whole bunch of new friends and she came on leaps and bounds. She'd been used to the muzzle and headcollars for a while before hand though so before you try letting her mingle with other with her muzzle, make sure she has gotten used to it first so it doesn't stress her out even more than usual. If she has started nipping people then you probably need to think about putting a muzzle on her whenever she is out in public anyway, for her safety as much as that of anyone else, someone only has to 'feel' threatened by her and you could be in trouble with the DDA unfortunately, so being muzzled IMO would probably be in her best interests and hopefully in time you will progress enough to be able to remove it, Maddy did in just a few weeks. She used to snap and lunge at the other dogs and it didn't even take a full week if I remember right, before she realised they were of no threat to her, and she was running and playing with them without her muzzle.

One thing to bear in mind is, there's no quick fix, it will be a long road. Maddy was attacked at 9 months, she will 3 in August and if I rated her behaviour at about 20% after the attack, she is about 70% now, so it is a long a road and you do have to relent to the fact that you might not ever have a 'normal' dog, we can but do our best.

Best of luck with her. x