german shepherd scared behavior

Question
I have a 2 yr old female purebreed german shepherd.  She is very scared when a dog is loose and comes up to her.  She crowls behind me and between my legs and shows no aggessiveness but very much fearful of the other dog.  Is this normal for her to react this way?  If not what can I do to break her of this or can I?

Answer
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/  If you are top dog, it is your responsibility to protect her from other dogs.  If you control your emotions and do not tense up because of her past problems, it should help.  

Start with walking her in places like a park where there are other dogs on leash.  An obedience class will also help her be comfortable in situations around other dogs under control.  As she becomes more comfortable round other dog on leash, move into an off leash situation, perhaps a dog park.  Start out watching from a corner removed from the other dogs.  Greet any dog that approaches in a happy tone of voice.  Maybe offer it a treat, just a piece of kibble should be enough.  Best to check with the owner before giving another dog a treat.  

It may take some time to work her through this.  Even dogs that aren't removed from their mother and litter need continuing contact with other dogs while still vulnerable to disease.  Owners of young puppies face a difficult time needing to both protect the baby from disease, and socialize it to prevent such problems.  She is a good example of what can happen if you are too careful about avoiding disease.  It is then much more difficult to fix socialization problems.