very territorial/protective german shepherd

Question
I have an 8.5 month old female german shepherd dog. She is good with my husband and me. She is good at the dog park, not aggressive with the other dogs. She plays and runs at the park. But...when I walk her around my block(I live in the country)she barks at other dogs & people & pulls me towards them. I use a gentle leader otherwise I would have a hard time to control her.The other night she ran to the road & started barking and lunging at a dog that was passing by with his owner. Any advice on what to do. I find this very stressful. She is a sweet dog but I do not want her to be so aggressive in these situations. Please advise.

Answer
Hi,

I would recommend obedience classes.  I don't think your pup is being bad - just normal tendencies for a guardy breed.  The fact that she is OK at the dog park is probably your biggest indicator that she is not an aggressive dog.  

She may be pulling and barking to get to the other dog to play, but is barking and pulling like a fool to get there.   Unfortunately, most dog owners don't want the lunging, barking GSD allowed to come close to their little "Fluffy".   Can't blame them!

So, that is why I suggest group classes, this way she will learn to settle with other dogs on leash.  The other dogs will provide a controlled environment to work on "distractions" ie other dogs on leash.  

Now I have a question for you.   Why was your puppy loose in the yard and able to make it to the road to bark at the other dog?

As you dog gets a bit older she will also get a bit bolder.  So if she hasn't raced for the road before and not come back when you called her, now you know that she cannot be loose in the front!  If the dog had been on the other side of the road she could have been hit by a vehicle.   If you want her out with you in the front, then put a long light line on her so that you can catch her before she gets too far.  But be aware at all times what is happening by the road.   Remember you have a guarding breed and that is what they do.

Good luck, if you have any more questions or need clarification, don't hesitate to follow up with me.

Lori