scared poor little pup

Question
Dear expert,

I have one question regarding our 6 month old female GSD pup.

We got her about two months ago but unfortunately did not know much about her past. She is not aggressive at all but instead, seems to be easily scared by strangers and other dogs. Once she notices other dogs in sight, she will start to bark extensively. If people try to approach and pet her, she will bark as she backs up. There is one time we let her play with our neighbour's dog off leash. When the other dog started to chase her in a friendly way, she began to scream and ran away home immediately.

She was enrolled in a beginner's class and we also tried to take her out to socialize as much as possible but still little improvement can be seen.

I am just wondering if you could give me some suggestions on this issue. Thanks thanks a lot.

Amber

Answer
Have you discussed those problems with the instructor in your class?  Even if that is outside the scope of the class, a competent, caring instructor would try to help.  If this is a matter of poor early socialization reinforcing genetic tendencies, it will be tough to overcome.  Often it works well to have strange people offer the dog treats.  I have even carried a 35 mm film canister with kibble in it with a puppy that was having fear issues.  

You could try introducing her to older dogs.  Most dogs over 3 years old have lost interest in the puppy chasing games.  If she accepts their sniffing rituals, she may gain confidence around other dogs.  

Continue your classes.  The 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.  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 the class you are in doesn't teach much about leadership, and the instructor isn't much help, you might consider a different class or a good book.  If she sees you as top dog, then it is your responsibility to handle the scary strangers.  

Playing tug of war with her and losing will help build her confidence too.  Just keep the rope or other toy at the end.  After all, you are top dog.

Does she have a crate to be her den?  If not, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. If you already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start out in crates as little puppies, accept them very well.  If you aren't having chewing and soiling problems, you don't need to close the door.  You can easily remove it from the plastic crates.  At 6 months, she is nearly as big as she will get.  Select one just big enough to stretch out with a little extra room.  At home, if she has her den she can retreat to, she will less frightened of strangers.

This is a serious problem.  She could mature into a fear biter, where a frightened dog sees a strong offense as the best defense.  If my ideas don't seem to be working, you may need a local private trainer or behaviorist.  I know much more about how to keep a 7 week old puppy from turning out like her, than correcting problems with a 6 month old.