my dog gets fearful and defensive easily

[white wolf]

hi my names lilly and i have a one year old sheperd mix.
She is a wonderful dog and has been fine with other dogs up until a few month ago when she suddenly changed her behaviour,when another dog comes up to greet her she will become fearful raising her fur and backing off, she gets very defensive if the dog goes near her back end and starts barking none stop at them.
The other day another dog tried to sniff her and for a start she was fine wanting to meet the other dog but as soon as it went near her back end she kept scooting away and started to bark and raise her fur,when the dog didnt stop sniffing she ran off and the other dog just followed until they were going round and round in circles coz she wouldnt stop.
Any advice anyone has on how to get her used to other dogs going near her and how to calm her down would be a great help.

 

[snooks]

go somewhere she can see dogs at a distance where she doesn’t react. click treat any calm behavior or looking at u or dogs. move a few steps closer. stay below threshold, of she raises a hair, growls, increase again. go slow. maybe a big pet store parking lot or far from a park when not crowded.

control unleashed by leslie mcdevitt covers this very well and is at the top of my favorite effective training books. it sounds like socializing safely and correctly is a key issue. professional help will make this go faster. sine this is an anxiety issue i suggest a positive experienced trainer.

read more at http://www.animalbehavior.org/

much luck