Dog socialising for older animals
Discussion
My girlfriend has a 12 year old German shepherd. In the house, it is a lovely, well mannered , playful and affectionate dog. Outside, it is terrible. Goes for other dogs, apparently as she is scared of other dogs. This is a real shame as it means we can’t take her for long walks. Is this something that could be trained out of the dog at this old age?
Our older dog (now nearly 10) managed to learn when she was 8. Same MO - perfectly good dog inside the house and loved people, turned into an utter werewolf when meeting other dogs.
The catalyst was the neighbours getting a labrador pup, and us all wanting them to be mates (very convenient for all concerned in terms of dog sitting). She was terrified of this pup, snarling and hiding, but over time, she managed to work out that it wasn't going to kill her. They're now the best of mates, it just takes time and a willingness of all of the owners to tolerate a fair bit of noise and snarling.
On the strength of this change, we got a GSD pup and all three of them get on well. Her behaviour has changed with other dogs she meets - she's still not to be trusted, but most encounters are absolutely fine. The GSD pup, now 18 months, gets on with everyone.
The catalyst was the neighbours getting a labrador pup, and us all wanting them to be mates (very convenient for all concerned in terms of dog sitting). She was terrified of this pup, snarling and hiding, but over time, she managed to work out that it wasn't going to kill her. They're now the best of mates, it just takes time and a willingness of all of the owners to tolerate a fair bit of noise and snarling.
On the strength of this change, we got a GSD pup and all three of them get on well. Her behaviour has changed with other dogs she meets - she's still not to be trusted, but most encounters are absolutely fine. The GSD pup, now 18 months, gets on with everyone.
If you are going to try to address this (and I think you probably have to be realistic about the possibility of success at this age) I would only do it in a very controlled situation.
I adopted an older dog (she was 8/9 years old) who had had very little contact with dogs other than her own type. I contacted a local (and very good) APDT registered trainer/behaviourist who suggested that I bring her to a basic training class, with only the aim of socialising her. There were puppies and older dogs there, of all shapes and sizes, which helped with getting her used to other dogs. There were also two Jack Russell Terriers, who had fear aggression, who attended the class purely to get them used to being around other dogs in a controlled environment.
You might be able to find a trainer who has a 'stooge' dog who will not react to your dog's behaviour.
We have a dog with fear aggression, and I regret not doing anything to address it, but unfortunately circumstances made it difficult earlier in his life. We are lucky in that we have our own land where we can exercise our dogs, so he doesn't need to come into contact with strange dogs on a regular basis. I do feel guilty sometimes that he doesn't get 'out and about' more, but he also suffers from very bad travel sickness, so all in all, days out are pretty stressful for him.
I adopted an older dog (she was 8/9 years old) who had had very little contact with dogs other than her own type. I contacted a local (and very good) APDT registered trainer/behaviourist who suggested that I bring her to a basic training class, with only the aim of socialising her. There were puppies and older dogs there, of all shapes and sizes, which helped with getting her used to other dogs. There were also two Jack Russell Terriers, who had fear aggression, who attended the class purely to get them used to being around other dogs in a controlled environment.
You might be able to find a trainer who has a 'stooge' dog who will not react to your dog's behaviour.
We have a dog with fear aggression, and I regret not doing anything to address it, but unfortunately circumstances made it difficult earlier in his life. We are lucky in that we have our own land where we can exercise our dogs, so he doesn't need to come into contact with strange dogs on a regular basis. I do feel guilty sometimes that he doesn't get 'out and about' more, but he also suffers from very bad travel sickness, so all in all, days out are pretty stressful for him.
I think if the dog isn't accepting other dogs by 12 years old you're fighting an uphill battle. I rehome a lot of old dogs and generally find by then they're really calm and easy to deal with. The ones who aren't, you can't really do much with other than rehome as an only dog.
Personally I would suggest not even bothering trying. a 12 year old German shepherd is already at the upper end of the range of life expectancy. imho you would be better focusing finding quieter places to walk in, or going to your usual haunts at different times that won't stress out your dog, you, or others.
If it were a puppy then its a different ballgame altogether, but I just don't see any value in trying to change your dog now.
Personally I would suggest not even bothering trying. a 12 year old German shepherd is already at the upper end of the range of life expectancy. imho you would be better focusing finding quieter places to walk in, or going to your usual haunts at different times that won't stress out your dog, you, or others.
If it were a puppy then its a different ballgame altogether, but I just don't see any value in trying to change your dog now.
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