I have a gorgeous 11 week old german shepherd puppy girl and she hates going out the house,she is so scared she wants back in the house straight away ,when I get her to walk away from the house and if she sees people she growls and barks at them non stop.She even does this to dogs.I have never had this problem before with a puppy so its new to me.I was thinking of taking her to dog classes 2mw but will this make her even worse being around lots of people and dogs ?

I dont have much doggy training knowledge im afraid,but lots on here do! i would have thought puppy classes would have a very positive effect on a shy nervous dog,helping him to socialise and interact with others,my dog is quite nervous of other dogs because he didnt really mix enough when he was a pup.good luck.

Has she actually been near another dog other than he litter mates or is she just barking at them from a distance??

the only dog she has been near is my 4 year old rottweiler who she plays with all the time,they are best friends !my puppy also hates being away from me,follows me every where,if I even leave her for 5 minutes she howls like a wolf.my husband has just took her out for a walk tonight and met a fellow GS male,she barked but once he sniffed at her she was fine and she barked at the owner but once he gave her a fuss and touched her she was fine again.Im actually upstairs on the PC and I can even hear her whining for me and she is with my hubby.

Hi there, just wondering if you have been to the class before without a dog and just sat and watched how it runs? I ask this as I personally think you get a better idea of things if you are not watching or working with your dog at the same time. Also, it will give you the opportunity to talk with one of the instructors/trainers with regards what you hope to gain from attending. We also had a GSD dog who had issues with other dogs (he had been attacked by another dog at 12 weeks), he was great with people, we thought that by taking him to classes that it would help him be more sociable......what a mistake that was! He was fantastic when he was at work, his obedience on or off lead was great but when it came to playtime/rest time he was like a dog posessed! Even the instructors couldn't believe that he was the same dog in the ring as he was out. Although he improved some towards the end of his life, (pts 2 years ago at the age of 11 due to DM) he was never ever comfortable when any other dog was within his sights other than the GSD x Rott that he lived with and loved to pieces.
I'm not saying that the above scenario will happen with your girl as I know many nervous gsd's that have attended dog class and everything has turned out great, but I would suggest that you go along on your own for the first class and talk to them about your concerns.

yes,I have been to dog classes before with my rottweiller when she was a puppy to socialise her and train her.I went without the dog too.

I thought so, I would get her into a puppy socialisation class as quickly as possible, that should sort her out. Sounds like she's just not sure of other dogs and unfamilar people, once she realises they aren't a threat the problem should ease.

As for following you around, don't let her, praise her when she's been quiet in your absence and ignore her when she howls.

thanks for the advise every one.no one bothered to advise me on the GSD forum ! I seem to have been deleted as I said I got advise from another dog forum,a bit petty this is a great forum here.

haha muppets! most other forums are crap! this is the best one i've come across!

well,I took zara to dog classes tonight and she was just brillant,not a single growl or bark ! very strange ! she even met a female GSD and had fun with it !she just lay on the floor and watched the dogs doing their stuff,tonight was a dog party so I just watched,going back next week for training.as soon as I got out in the street though she barked at a person with a dog !