Timid One year old White GSD

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,
I have an one year old white German shepherd female. I've had her since she was seven weeks. She use to bark at people when I walked her nonstop, but I've worked on socializing her to the point that people can pet her if they approach slowly and cautiously. She still pees every time someone enters the house, even if they don't look at her. I love her to death, and she is very protective, although very very timid.

Lately she's picked up a new habit, that if anyone that isn't in the family walks into the house invited, even if she's met them many times before. She'll bark nonstop at them for at least 30 seconds to a minute. I've tried distracting her from this by clapping or ignoring her. We've started to put her out back when people come in, because no matter how many times someone walks in and out she isn't desensitizing to them coming in.

Is there something we are doing wrong?
Or something we could do to help her adjust a little better to people coming into our territory?

She is a very smart dog, she knows obedience commands and can even walk off a leash and respond to them. But when she is afraid of someone, she ignores those commands completely and just zones in on that person.

Thanks a lot,
Caitlin

ANSWER: The wetting is called submissive wetting.  Many dogs eventually outgrow it, but you can reduce it by building the dog's confidence up. Start with obedience training. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ As you praise the dog for following your commands, it will build its confidence.

Play tug of war with the dog and lose. However at the end of the game, take the rope or toy and put it up, less the dog becomes confused about who is top dog. Ropes from the pets' store quickly turn to hazardous shreds. Ones I made lasted much better. Go to a hardware or home center that sells rope by the foot. Buy 2' of 3/4" poly rope. Melt the ends, and tie knots in it. Get them as tight as possible, put it in a vise and pound it with a hammer. Watch carefully, and be ready to discard when it comes apart.

Finally, make sure it has a den to live in. If you are not using a crate, buy one. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.

Building up her comfidence may help the other problems too.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the answer, but it wasn't really what I was looking for. She has already been to obediance classes, she is very well trained. Knowing stay, sit, wait, watch, no bark, speak, lay down, fetch and bring back, and even able to walk off the leash. She will not play tug of war, it is not a game she will partake in, we have tried with many other things, no matter what, she always lets go. I do not believe in crate training, she already has her own domain in the house when she needs to calm down, she comes into my room and under my bed, where the other dogs will leave her alone. She has toys under there, blankets, and everything.

My main question was what can I do to help her stop barking at people entering the house, not about obediance and crate training to build up confidence. I own two other dogs, we already know all of this.

Answer
A dog can follow its commands well without acknowledging its owner as the leader.  When she barks at somebody who comes in, she is showing she is in charge and must take steps to put the stranger in their place.  Will she down stay on command when you have visitors?  Check the things listed in that second site I gave you.