The behavior of my 1 year old German Shepherd

Question
Hello,

I have a 1 year old German shepherd who acts like she was 5 months. I am not sure if it is natural for a 1 year old GS to still be so wild and crazy and way to playful. I kennel train her so while i am out of the house she is caged. I do you the choke collar when I take her out but the problem is that if I bend over to put it on her she pees all over. The only way to put it on her is by letting stand up on me and I put it on her standing up.

Also, we have another dog in my house, she is an Argentinean dogo, and my German shepherd is always trying to play around with her a never leaves her alone.

I bought my German shepherd from  pet shop when she was 3 months old.

She is also kinda shy, strangers cant pet her easily without her backing up or being I guess you can say scared of them.

I was just wondering if theres a possibility that she might be a little retarded or mentally ill since I am not sure how 1 year old GS are suppose to act, but I really doubt that its the way mine is behaving.

I will really appreciate if you can help me or give me some type of explanation.
Thank you

Answer
With her coming from a pet store explains everything. If you aren't aware, pet store dogs usually come from backyard breeders or puppy mills. So they don't have the attention and training they need. And yes, it's very typical for 1 year old GSD's to act like they are puppies still. They won't reach their adult stage until they are about 2 years old.

I would definitely not allow her stand up on you when placing the choke collar. This just aids in her negative behavior. Shepherds are extremely over-active and dominant dogs and firm and persistent training and socializing is the key with them. When she urinates when putting the collar on, it's a sign of submission and anxiety. Anxious peeing is what we call it. Let her see it before you put it on, then treat her so associates it positively. Try putting it on standing to her side you standing over her doesn't freak her out.

As far as the playing with the other dog, if she allows it, let it be. When she's had enough, she'll let her know when she's had enough. You can incorporate the spray bottle if you would like it to calm down.

The shyness, again, stems from the lack of attention she probably didn't get before you got her. Does she cower even when someone walks by or just when they try to pet her? Bring plenty of treats with you on walks and allow people to give her treats. Even if she doesn't take it, have them place it down in front of her. You don't need to make her let them pet her at first. We first want her to understand that not everybody is a bad person.

Also, do you plan on getting her spayed? I always recommend this for health as well as behavior reasons.