Over the past several months I have learned an important lesson - when something goes "wrong" with the dog's behavior or training, it's not always necessary to focus on that specific behavior in order to work past it.
I think the best example of this was Nikon's dog reactivity. From about 6-10 months he was really dog reactive. On walks if he saw another dog, his hackles would go up and he would bark, groan and lunge. It was odd b/c he has always been fine in the conformation ring, and we carpool to training with friends so there are dogs crated side by side with no rumblings, but out in public on leash he was very reactive. Now my first thought was that I should keep walking him, but use more careful management (turn around faster) and work hard on desensitization. I tried this a few times and it was epic phail, mostly because I cannot control my neighborhood, like people walking their dog up to me even though I am clearly trying to move my dog and turn away, or loose dogs charging out of their yards up to my dog's face.
So for about 4 months, walks were not part of Nikon's regular routine. During that time we got heavily involved in SchH. We got a new trainer who has already taught me more about my dogs than I could have ever figured out by myself in their lifetimes. I learned how to motivate my dog with things that are inherently motivating for *him* (not just the common rewards that *I* am most comfortable using). I learned how to make training about playing games and developing a bond with the dog. We did all of this *without* any intentional exposure to other dogs. It was strictly about me learning how to motivate my dog and the dog learning how to play the game with me.
Then about mid-summer I wanted to walk Nikon again. I remember the first really long walk, I was concerned about the reactivity and how much bigger and stronger my dog had grown. On this walk we passed several other dogs on walks and were confronted with loose dogs in close proximity. Amazingly, the reactivity was gone. The only interest or signal from Nikon was "hey I'm just walking by with my mom and it's all cool as long as you don't charge up in my face." Now we are walking just fine. In fact I walk all three dogs by myself with the leashes loosely draped in one hand and I'm not carrying treats or other rewards along. Nikon is in a CGC class right now and he's the most well-behaved, relaxed dog in the class. Ironically, on the first day he layed down and put his head down about 4 feet away from a Basset hound who is fearful of other dogs. Nikon the bully and the fearful Basset, lol. I often train at a nearby church yard and a few times I've had him
fetching off leash and I see a dog approaching, hold my breath, but now
he just glances at the passing dog and comes back to me for more fetch
whereas before I would have had to step on the line and somehow
distract him or remove him from sight.
Now I am not saying that desensitization or doing some other more direct approach is never valuable or appropriate, I was just pleasantly surprised at how far we came with one issue by completely stepping away from it and totally focusing on something else. I don't know if he simply "grew out of" the reactivity, or if by developing our bond and respect for each other he is more confident and less concerned with other dogs. He will never be a dog that wants to go to the dog park and play, and I do not allow head-on greetings, but he is now working in SchH and in CGC class in very close proximity to a variety of dogs.
I think about this experience often because so many GSD owners experience the same reactivity problems and I see people working tirelessly to desensitize their dogs and often making very little progress or resorting to using a corrective device as a crutch. It has shown me how important it is to have that bond and respect between you and your dog before you can even begin to touch on behavior issues.