01/11/2026
I wanted to share a message I received from a lady looking for help with her 1 year old reactive German Shepherd puppy and my reply. I get a lot of messages like this.
This message was so short, yet it was descriptive enough for me to know this is an insecure, diplomatic, Beta dominant puppy who has taken on the territorial and protective role for his family while he is on the leash. He doesn't want to do it, he feels he needs to do it. Because he is not an Alpha, he really is not meant to take on that lead role and that's what causes his unbalanced, but normal, behaviour. He is NOT fearful, he is insecure dominant.
Hi there.
I am looking to find the right dog trainer for my German shepherd. He is 1 and has developed significant reactivity to other dogs. He is great with our other dog but when I try to walk him and a dog or person comes near he is very reactive. We have never had a bad experience or anything like that.
Kind regards
Hello,
You don't need a dog trainer because you are not dealing with a training issue. You are dealing with a behaviour problem associated with territorial and protective dominance. You need a Dog Psychologist like myself who can help you understand the deep psychological reasons why your dog acts the way he does and how to communicate with him effectively to calm his mind, bring him to a state of peace, knowing he is safe surrounded by the protective bubble of his Mother Dog. No treats, no words, no dominance. Just the assertive and affectionate love of the Mother Dog.
Your boy is now a teenager. He went though puberty between 6 and 8 months and that may be the period his reactivity began. He is a dominant dog. He is not fearful, he is insecure. His reactivity began when he saw something that made him concerned and how you tried to deal with him the first few times it happened unintentionally told him to do it again. As a dominant dog, he is part of the protective layer of the pack who he knows instinctually he was to protect. It burns in every fiber of his being like elite soldiers and generals, top boxers and fighters, and those who face life and death everyday at work without a single though of self or death. All dominant dogs and people.
Because you haven't had any serious incidences and he is fine at home with your other dog, I feel he is more diplomatic and being more territorial, telling the other dogs to stay away. To 'fix' this behaviour, all you need to do is have a conversation with him to tell him you are his Mother Dog and it is your job to be territorial and protective of him. "I got this. Now you go behind me and relax. You have nothing to worry about. Just ignore the other dogs as we walk by. You can 'observe' them, but I don't want you focusing on any other dog, or anything else. That's my job when I feel their is a threat or danger. Otherwise, we are going on a nice peaceful walk to enjoy the world around us. No worries, son. Now just relax and follow mom."
As you calmly start to walk in areas where there are no distractions, because you are teaching him the foundations of the walk in peace first, you start to have this conversation with him.
"When you show me you understand that the foundation of our walk is you calmly following me, then I will let you in front of me to play and explore while I teach you about boundaries, recall, and rules of off leash time while you are still on a retractable leash so I can manage your movement. Once you show you me you understand the rules and expectations of off leash time by coming to me everytime I call you, never running away from me, and never becoming reactive to other dogs, people, etc, then you have earned the right to be off leash."
The baby stays right next to you, the toddler maybe 10 feet away, the 5 year old 20 feet away, the teenage never wants to come home, the adult decides if they want to come home. When you start licking their neck as a baby and a teenager, all you have to do is lean forward and hold out your hand palm up and your adult dog will come running because he knows you are going to lick his neck. That is how dogs "hug" each other. And it is usually only the Mother Dog who does it to puppies until they are three months old. They will never forget it for the rest of their lives when they had a loving Mother Dog.
Once you have this conversation with him, he will breathe the sigh of relief as his head melts into your hands while you lick his neck with your fingertips.
The challenge is you can't have that conversation with him with words because Mother Dogs don't use words to teach, guide, manage, discipline, protect, and love her puppies. Dogs don't speak English and words ALWAYS make a dog's behaviour worse. I will teach you how to communicate with both your dogs with you eyes and the projection of energy and intent through sound and touch to get your dog's focus. Then you ask them sit in front of you, you look at them without blinking until they look at you, then you close your eyes and slightly turn your head to the side while you reach your hand down palm up, bring your hand in under your dog's muzzle, get your fingertips on the side of the neck behind the jaw bone, and slowly and gently and softly lick your dogs neck with the affectionate, peaceful and loving energy of a human Mother rubbing her babies back to put them to sleep. Once your dog's head melts into your hands, you slowly place your head over their head and gently kiss the top of their head. This is the most intimate, loving, affectionate and visceral moment you can have with your dog and in that moment, to your dog, everything disappears and all they sense is the love, peace and protection of their Mother Dog. Not the Alpha male or the teachers of the pack. Only the Mother Dog.😊
I do an in home consultation that normally lasts up to 2 hours and the fee is $300. There is a travel fee for locations outside the Cowichan Valley. I also bring 4 to 6 dogs with me so we have dogs to work with. You are welcome to call anytime to arrange a consultation.
Cheers ✌️
Ken Griffiths, BScH
Dog Psychologist and Behaviourist
4065 Sahtlam Rd.
Duncan, BC
V9L 6K3
250-465-1090
This dog is a fairly easy case because we are not dealing with aggression, only reactivity. I feel if the owner dropped the leash, the dog would run towards the other dog barking. What happens then totally depends on the actions and dominance of the other dog or their owner, but this puppy would not attack. Only Alphas do that.
If the other dog was also a Beta dominant dog who felt it had to protect its owner, the two dogs would get into a territorial dominance challenge but nobody would get hurt.
If the other dog was a Charlie dominant dog or a submissive dog, they would concede as this puppy approached them and this puppy would stop and probably go back to it's owner because he is diplomatic and there is no threat.
If the other dog is an Alpha, this puppy would know it as he approached and turn and run back to its owners. Not because he is fearful, but because he knows, just by looking in the other dog's eyes, that he will lose any challenge with that other dog. If he was an Apex Beta dominant puppy, he might continue towards the Alpha and if he got close enough to the Alpha, the Alpha would attack him and hurt him. The Alpha would be justified because in his mind the puppy was being offensive towards the Alpha and it's owner.
You may know your dog. But you absolutely do not know the 'other dog'. You don't know how the other dog will react to your dog's inappropriate, disrespectful, or challenging behaviour. That is why you need to teach your dog to ignore other dogs and to respect the other dog's territorial space as we expect them to respect ours.
The Moral of the story, never let your dog off leash in areas you may run into other dogs unless you have 100% recall with your dog and your dog understands perimeter boundaries by not crossing them.
I want everyone to have beautiful, peaceful walks with their dogs. When your puppy or dog starts to show signs of reactivity, it doesn't mean your dog is misbehaving, it means your puppy or dog is taking on your role as protector. Fix that relationship and the reactivity ends.
Cheers ✌️
