GSD tend to get really rude and bitchy when they age out of puppyhood. It’s just one of those breed-specific things.
I also have a GSD mix, and I would recommend to stop bringing your dog to places with strange dogs. I only allow doggie dates with dogs she already knows and who have established boundaries (and sheps tend to play better with the opposite sex). The general public isn’t super tolerant of rude GSD. GSD are relatively scary-looking, big, and intimidating, so even if your dog doesn’t actually hurt another dog, I personally find it’s not worth the risk of upsetting other dog owners and getting that reputation. It doesn’t help anyone in the long run.
If you want to continue to bring your dog to play with strange dogs, here are some ways to encourage good dog-to-dog play: here, here, here, here, and here. Doing proper introductions and picking good doggie playmates really helps a lot here! That’s how my dog makes (rare) new doggie friends.
My personal criteria for playmates for my 3 year old, 70lbs, female GSD are:
- Herding or northern breeds
- Plays by chasing and ruff biting
- At least 50lbs but bigger is better
- Male
And then after I find one that I think will get along with her, I introduce them by:
- Starting off in a neutral area, both dogs on-leash and at least 15ft apart
- Reward my dog for attention on me and ignoring the other dog
- Engage my dog, ignore the other dog
- Snacks snacks snacks
- After a few minutes of this, we both let the dogs free and they do the whole rude dog posturing thing (usually on long lines in case things go wrong)
- Humans walk in the field, dogs chase and bite each other in the faces
- Enforced breaks, often and with lots of snacks
- End on a good note! If things start to look like they are heading downhill, call it a day (especially if you want to have more playdates with this dog)
Honestly, it’s so much work. It would be way easier to just have a dog that gets along nicely with other dogs. This is not to say that GSD are aggressive; usually they don’t have aggressive tendencies! But play drive can turn to prey drive can turn to aggression so quickly, so you (the human) have to be aware!
Sorry for the rambling – this is an issue I am personally dealing with all the time. Hang in there anon! -C
Edit: My criteria only started coming together after some mistakes. I met up with another dog owner who had a small dog, that ended badly. I tried for a long time to get Marlo to be a dog park dog, and that didn’t work out. We occasionally meet up with females, and that doesn’t go as smoothly as males. You will undoubtedly uncover your own criteria that work for your dog over time!