maturing 13 mo GS male Wimpy? - Page 1

My 13 mo old GS male from Shutzhund stock whom I have had since he was 8 wks seems to be a  bit  more "wimpy" than I remember my earlier males [3 total]. This would seem to be an aquired condition as he was a very confident, almost too independent  puppy until maybe 6 mos, however, I am pretty confident that nothing in his treatment has caused this behavior. I am aware that GS dogs go through stages of  for want of a better term " insecurity" but I really thought that was more at 4-8 mos. So, what does he do? He lays his ears back quite frequently and licks, not compulsively but when he meets a new person all of whom he likes! If he is not being petted or talked to he generally ignores people outside the house. Which reminds me this whole wimpy behavoir is more pronounced in the house than outside.
He is almost too aggressive with other dogs playing quite roughly and putting his head over their backs. He never gets seriously aggressive but I have never seen him act submissively to any other dog even when he was a puppy.
So the question is: will he outgrow this "timid like" behaviour?  or did I get a Lab in GS clothing?

If he seems overly submissive or fearful in one situation, and then overly aggressive in others, then he definitely has some instability/insecurity issues. He may feel overwhelmed indoors and jockeying for a higher rung on the ladder when he's around dogs outdoors. As a dog, he may not make a distinction between humans and dogs. If you have a family and the dog percieves himself as being in competition with a family member for his place in the hierarchy, you might have a potential situation.

The interesting thing is that some of the most dangerous dogs I have seen are ones with a combination instability/fearfulness because they end up biting erratically. What cues their biting may not always be immediately evident. However, some very dominant dogs that you would think of as agression and unpredictable are not. That may be so if they are so secure with their place in their world. They have a confidence and normally will not aggress unexpectedly. 

Can you think of anything he might have experienced indoors that might have given him this sense of insecurity? It does not have to be abuse or a bad scare. Some puppies are a bit more sensitive or responsive and don't do well with a heavier hand at discipline. Like people, puppies have a personality style. Some are very focused on pleasing their owners and are very outgoing. They can be more or less resilient. Some are not weak or wimpy but more sensitive. They need their owners to be more responsive to them.

It probably won't help the situation if you find yourself too displeased with your dog displaying such insecure patterns of behavior. Genetics play a part in creating a limit on what a dog is ultimately capable of. Certain predispositions can be mediated or modified with socialization and training. You can also take a great dog with a lot of potential and break him. And you can take a less than stellar dog and make him shine. I have never seen a situation where it was always one and never the other. At his age, your dog is still young and can be a good companion. Sight unseen, I can't say much but to encourage you to have him evaluated by a good dog trainer. It's possible that building his confidence at this point may even be inappropriate. It may embolden him be inappropriately agressive if what you are dealing with is a serious instability. 

I guess I am not sure I would classify him as "overly aggressive" so much as overly enthusiastic and active with other dogs. I think you are probably correct regarding his place in the family. If we are snowshoeing for instance, he will let me lead but prefers not to let my wife nor adult daughters lead. They even jokingly have said that he thinks he ranks second in the family. I feel like this is a nieve question but is this a problem as long as he obeys commands? I agree that he needs a less heavy hand although this is strictly a euphimism since he responds to tone of voice and never actually has nor does get physically corrected.
I think part of my question was wishful thinking that maybe this was just developemental and he would "grow out of it". He came from a kennel where he had very little human contact up to 8 weeks [that choice was my mistake, in retrospect]. But, since his arrival has been treated like all of our other GS dogs. It of course is possible that my memory of their developement is not clear. I do recall that they were like large puppies in many ways until they were 2 -3 years old.
Lastly, as I live in a rather remote area, how would you advise me to find a "good dog trainer" to evaluate the guy?
Thanks for your previous response and in advance for further advice.     

I just checked back and saw the last posting... in case you come back to it.

Have you considered socialization? (Lack of it early in life.)

Some behaviors you can only hope to mediate/moderate if not completely eradicate. 

Some types of aggression develop as a reaction to trauma or bullying (by humans and/or other dogs). Some because appropriate boundaries and behaviors were not learned at a particular developmental stage. This might be more of an aggressive "habit". You might have more luck with altering this through conditioning. The first would be more akin to a "trauma syndrome", the second almost a type of "personality disorder". If you can pinpoint etiologiy/pathogenesis, you can better fashion an intervention.   

hey what the hell did you do to this dog the dog was confident before and then became wimpy as you say.you must have done something wrong to mess him up.i am sure there is more to this story. have a nice one.

He licks strangers in a friendly manner?  In the house.
What went on before 8 weeks means little.
You live in an isolated area so he doesn't see many people other than the family.
Does he fetch ducks out of the water?   You mentioned labs.
He's 13 months old and still plenty of pup.
You call him wimpy.
Socialize wimpy for starters, you can never go wrong teaching a dog about the outside world.   You sell him short in my opinion, he's going to have a puppy mind for a while longer males especially.  I just don't see your problem, you want him to do what at this age?
Does he hit the deck when you raise your voice?
Does he bark at strangers outside?
Does he live in with you or outside in a kennel?
So many questions unanswered, I really don't see any major problems unless you have other expectations.
What are your expectations?
Moons.

I seemed to remamber that there was a stage at this age.  Maybe this will help.

http://www.vanerp.net/ilse/GSDINFO/stagesofcaninedev.htm

Second Fear Impact Period 6 to 14 Months

 

This period is otherwise known as Teenage Flakiness! In large breeds this period could extend longer since it is tied to sexual maturity. Incidents may occur more than once. This is a fear of new situations and is handled with the utmost patience. The dog is encouraged to work it out on his own. If anything, it is better to ignore the whole situation than to reinforce the fear by praising the dog or petting him while he is afraid. When you "reassure" a dog with pets and "it's okay, fella", you are telling him it is okay to be frightened and you are creating a potential problem.

Put your books away and use a little common sense.