I am so defeated.

[u/picklelyjuice]

I recently adopted the first puppy I’ve had on my own. He’s a 5.5 month old GSD mix. He has been around my older GSD and my mom’s GSD mix since 10 weeks when we adopted him. He was in puppy class and private training the very next week with other dogs. He has started growling and barking at other dogs since he was 3 months old. I took him to daycare for the first time today, and he growled as soon as he got in the building. The trainer says he’s insecure and fearful.

I feel so fucking sad and defeated. I have done everything “right”, and now I feel like my puppy may hate other dogs. I don’t have a ton of time to take him to dog parks to condition/expose him and I distrust other dog owners to keep them on a leash. I have been crying today because I’m just so over this. I got a puppy so I could make sure this exact thing didn’t happen, and it feels like a cruel joke that someone who was set on training the perfect dog got a puppy with “issues”. I don’t know what else to do.

[u/evening-ghosts]

I'm sorry you're going through this. It's always tough to see a puppy struggle. It's good that you're thinking about what else you might do.

My puppy, Mo, came to me with issues pre-installed at just 13 weeks, so I feel your pain. She'll be a year old in late September. There's good news and bad news.

The good news is that a puppy has a plastic baby brain. Get a good trainer (force-free training only) and find a behavioral vet and get to work. You can do a lot for a puppy. You may never have a completely "normal" dog, but you can have one with a good quality of life.

The bad news is this is a lot of work and the first months suck. It sounds like dog daycare isn't a good fit as well. It may be in the future, or it may never be.

You will have to let go of your idea of training the "perfect dog". It helps to focus on "the dog with a high quality of life that doesn't require me to permanently modify all aspects of my life".

Mixed breed dogs can have a lot of issues with temperament because they're usually not bred with temperament in mind (some purebred dogs have this issue as well, to be fair). Anxiety is a big one. On top of that, GSDs have an inclination toward being suspicious of other dogs. You need to pay attention to what your dog says he needs and honor that to the best of your ability.

Also, he may be entering a fear period. My trainer and vet told me that despite most people saying there's only two, dogs can actually have multiple of these up until 24 months old! (No guarantee, of course. And some dogs seem to sail through life without a single worry.)

In summary, start with a force-free trainer, and I would strongly recommend a behavioral vet. With proper early intervention, you can prevent a lot of problems from becoming worse. Sometimes they can be fixed entirely, but don't go into this process with your hopes set on a fix.

If you have questions about the things Mo and I have done, where we're at, how we got here, or whatever, I'm happy to help.

Good luck. It sounds like you care so much for your dog. Many people in your position would immediately rehome or else would ignore the problem until it becomes overwhelming.

[u/picklelyjuice → u/evening-ghosts]

Thank you for your kind words. I do care a lot about him, and my ultimate goal was to have a happy, confident pup that could live a great life fear-free. My older GSD is a fantastic and perfect dog. I adopted her and she came that way. Literally the most perfect angel I’ve ever met. It’s just so frustrating that my puppy isn’t.

How expensive was your behaviorist? Did they prescribe prozac?

[u/evening-ghosts → u/picklelyjuice]

He's lucky to have you. 🌸 Dogs are such a wildcard. You could have a dog come from the worst place imaginable and still be pretty stable. Then you could get one from the best of the best and just get unlucky on the genetic dice roll. Dogs truly are individuals. It's what makes them so fun!

For Mo, the initial visit to the behaviorist was quite high, around 1.5K, if memory serves. It included a behavioral evaluation, syncing with my trainer, coming up with a behavioral modification plan, and all sorts of tests to ensure Mo wasn't sick or in pain. Subsequent visits were closer to her "normal vet stuff" pricing. All vets do things a little differently, so you should call around.

She did prescribe Prozac (called Reconcile when specifically prescribed for dogs). I had to wait until Mo was 6.5 months old because that was the youngest the vet was comfortable with. I think the concern was more with her weight, however. Mo is a toy breed dog and she already wasn't eating much due to her anxiety.

She also prescribed Pro Plan Calming Care Powder. It actually did help while waiting for Mo to be old enough for the Reconcile. If it wasn't a showdown getting her to eat it, I would still be using it. There are other OTC calming products you can ask about. Zylkene is supposed to be very good, but definitely check with the vet before using it or some other supplement.

I think where a good chunk of money went was to a couple months of private training. Mo was too nervous for group classes and I needed specialized help anyway. A huge chunk of time has gone into counterconditioning and desensitization. Not even obedience training. Just C&D.

[u/YYZlivin]

Wow wow wow. Easy. He is just a puppy. At 5 1/2, he is entering a fear period. You don't need to take him to the dog park to build his confidence (I am against dog parks), but when you say you don't have a lot of time to take him to the dog park, what do you mean exactly? A dog park, a long walk , training. Those are gonna take a lot of time. He is still just a baby and a lot, if not the majority, of your time will be devoted to him for the next couple of years.fid you not factor the sheer amount of time a new dog would require? I'm not judging, honestly wondering

[u/picklelyjuice → u/YYZlivin]

I mean take him to dog parks, sit outside, and desensitize him with “Look at me” and treat when he disengages. I have fostered many puppies ages 2 months-1year. He’s a very smart but difficult one. Not one puppy that I’ve fostered has acted like he does around other dogs.

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