# Thoughts of my GSD hurting our son



## listening.eyes (Dec 7, 2009)

Im sorry if this isnt the right place for this post,but let me tell you a few things before I ask my question.I have an 8 month 50 pound GSD puppy.He is massive and already stronger then me.He is very kind and gentle with our family and most importantly our 2 year old son.Hannibal has never given me any trouble,no chewing,digging snapping growling or anything.But when it comes to strangers he is very protective if someone gets REALLY close and he could do some damage if he had the chance.I want him to be a completely indoor dog but when he is inside and im trying to sleep I get freaked out and keep getting up and checking on him and i just keep thinking he is going to just snap and run into my sons room and rip him apart for no reason,or maybe he is just in a bad mood or something.I put up a baby gate but Hannibal is so big he can almost just step over it.So my question is,if a GSD has never shown aggression would they just bust in a kids room and attack him??


----------



## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

I can't picture Rocky doing it, not sure if any dog would. If you are seriously concerned why not crate him at night or when you cant keep an eye on him? He will be safe from getting into things he shouldnt and you dont have to worry about him getting rough with your 2 yo


----------



## listening.eyes (Dec 7, 2009)

Crating him would be great but he a fantastic guard dog,I would like for him to be able to patrol the house without having to worry about him


----------



## Branca's Mom (Mar 26, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: listening.eyesI want him to be a completely indoor dog but when he is inside and im trying to sleep I get freaked out and keep getting up and checking on him and i just keep thinking he is going to just snap and run into my sons room and rip him apart for no reason,or maybe he is just in a bad mood or something.I put up a baby gate but Hannibal is so big he can almost just step over it.So my question is,if a GSD has never shown aggression would they just bust in a kids room and attack him??


Probably no more likely than you getting in a bad mood or something, just snapping and running into your sons room and ripping him apart for no reason!! 









If your dog has shown no aggression towards your son, he is probably fine..... seriously


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Does he have a bond established with your 2 yr old? Or do you keep him separated....that would be an issue if they have no interaction w/ each other. 
I have a 9 month old 80#, and he would never hurt anyone.

Did you socialize Hannibal as a young pup with people, or has he been isolated within your family. 
This can cause some dogs to have fear reactiveness(which some people mistake for protection or aggression). 
If you haven't taken Hannibal to any obedience classes, I would enroll in a positive based training one, asap. There are many good threads in this part of the forum, worth spending some time in, if you feel your pup has some fear issues. You may think it is protectiveness he is showing around strangers when it is really fear-based.


----------



## Branca's Mom (Mar 26, 2003)

8 months old he is still a baby himself. I would suggest crating him at night. 

**********

yes, and obedience training and lots and lots of socialization!!!


----------



## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

What type of training have you done with Hannibal? I think a well socialized and well trained pet that has no health issues would never be a danger to anyone who is not a threat. That includes the general public, but especially includes the dog's own family.

I see you mentioned a baby-gate. Do you have and use a crate? If not, would crating the dog help alleviate the worry? 

If it stresses you this much, maybe having a large dog is not a good choice for your family?
Sheilah


----------



## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

No an 8 month old is not a guard dog but rather a puppy. I can't imagine not crating my 7 month old at night for his own safety. My GSDs have always loved children especially. Unless the dog has a nerological problem, I can't imagine such an attack happening. Our older dog when the kids were young, slept under the baby bed looking after the kiddos all the time.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

I really think that has to depend on the dog's temperament and the situation he is in. A GSD who shows great patience with kids pulling the ears, crawling all over him, etc, is a dog that is great with children. If Hannibal never showed any kind of agreesion no matter what your 2 year old does, I think you're in good paws. Probably the only time Hannibal would show agression and dive into your son's room is if someone breaks in and does something to provoke the boy to cry. Hannibal will be going for the stranger. 

If you hear stories about a dog suddenly bringing harm to a child, "out of the blue" according to owners and decided the dog is too aggressive around children, you need to look at things from a different view. What caused that dog to harm the child? In many cases that I've read, the dog was actually trying to protect the child, and sometimes "herding' the child away isn't going to fix the situation, so the dog resorts to gentle teeth, and trying to tug at the clothes. 

I heard a story about a dog that appeared out of the blue and dragged a baby from his crib onto the street. The baby was covered in blood. news reported the dog as a stray that "wandered into the home and took the baby". 

Reality of the situation? The news later reported that the owners admitted the dog was theirs, and that they had not properly locked the baby gate, where the baby crawled out of the home. The dog, instinct taking over to protect the baby, tried to be as gentle as she could to bring the baby back into the home. The baby was hurt, but, honestly, would you rather the baby crawl onto the road and get killed there? 

My GSD didn't grow up around children, but she was always very gentle, so far, with kids tugging and pulling at her and crawling all over her. 
Once, my niece wandered out of the yard and we were calling for her to come back home, and guess what Abbey did? She headed out to my niece and herded her back, using her teeth to "snap" her back into our yard. The niece obeyed









If you are constantly getting freaked out about the possibility,I suggest talking to a few GSD breeders and trainers. They may be able to put insight into your fear. Have you been attacked by a GSD? Did you know a GSD that suddenly attack someone? There should be some root to your fear, and if you're downright not comfortable with the GSD having access to your son's room, then either learn to close the door and use a talkie, or get a different dog.


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I think you need to get some sleep!

At 8 months old, he's not capable of being protective. He's capable of being scared/nervous/unsure of something so he barks at it and if it goes away, that makes him do it more. It's not protection. It's one of the puppy fear stages.

I have 3 kids, my twins are almost 5 and my pup is an 18month old buff beast. We used to have extra tall pressure mount walk through baby gates in the kids doorway.

Similar to this - if you were local, I'd sell you my old ones for cheap
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3721544

When you get it, put it in a doorway downstairs but don't secure it. Let Hannibal knock it over. My pup is very brave, almost to the point of being insane but he's afraid of those gates. He knocked it over, the sound was deafening and it fell on his foot. They're in the basement, protecting the sporting goods from the puppy, he hasn't knocked it over in well over a year, he's still afraid of it.


----------



## listening.eyes (Dec 7, 2009)

Wow you guys are fast,lol.Yes They have been together since Hannibal could walk and they play everyday.Hannibal has always been weird to people even when he was only a few months old I would take him out to meet people and when they would hold and pet him he would have no emotion.He would just stare,never wag his tail or perk up his ears.He would just sit there until they were done and walk off.Its like he never liked anyone but us,its strange.He has never been abused or hit or anything.When strangers come up he lets out a soft growl but only if they are RIGHT on us or if they run up aggressively.He is like a statue,he just sits next to me...and stares,lol.


----------



## Samiam0831 (Dec 8, 2009)

My dog Chewy is very protective over me. But he has NEVER hurt anyone before. He is only protective when someon I am uncomfortable or dislike is around. I dont believe a German Shepard would attack a child like that for no reason. They usually have a reason to attack. If someone I dont like is arond Chewy stays between me and that person. He dosent growl or show teeth, but people I dont like or he is unsure about he will not alow near me.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

Ah... where's the edit?? That last sentence was a bit rude, I apologize. I meant, try closing the door at night and use a talkie, or get a different dog.


----------



## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

You should never leave a child and dog in a situation where the dog can harm the child. It doesn't matter whether it's my 20 lb beagle or my young male German Shepherd. Both of my dogs are extremely well trained, socialized around children, and in my view, 100% reliable. But I would never leave them in a situation where they would have unfettered access to children.

If you are going to sleep, then you need to make sure that the child is safe. Do NOT rely on baby gates or doors left slightly ajar. My beagle can climb baby gates and most dogs that weigh more than 20 lbs can push them over if their minds were set on it.

That said, it sounds like you and your dog need to establish a better relationship, where you feel that you are his leader and that you can trust him BECAUSE you are his leader. Right now,it sounds like you're trusting him because he has a wonderful temperament. And let me tell you, that's a phenomenal thing to have such a pleasant friendly dog.









But there's more to owning a GSD than that. We want your large strong GSD to obey you because you are his leader -- not because you can physically manhandle him. This may be logical, but there's more to it than that. 

Why? Because in time, your child is going to become a toddler, and we want your young soon-to-be-adolescent GSD to respect your son as well. Hannibal knows that your son can't manhandle him. But a well trained dog WILL respect the humans in his home. For example, I have a 4 year old nephew whom my parents care for several days a week. If he drops his sandwich on the floor and their young GSD starts to pounce on it, he can tell her "No Lucy! No!" and she won't touch it. 

My parents aren't professional trainers. They've owned GSDs for decades, and they simply understand that when you have a GSD, she needs to have constant firm, fair leadership. The dog has to get a LOT of exercise (running, playing fetch, etc). And she needs *supervised* time around children from the first day she steps into the house as a puppy, so that she learns what's appropriate and what isn't. Also, the children learn what is appropriate to do to Lucy and what isn't. So she learns that if a child starts to pull her ears, she can walk over to either my mom or dad, and my parents will defend her. 

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? My parents are in their 70s and they manage to do it.







When I visit my family (or friends with children), my 6 month old GSD pup gets the same sort of supervision. 

When you say that he is a "completely" indoor dog, I presume that Hannibal still goes outside to play, exercise and for walks. If not, then you really need to do so. You will probably find that enrolling in a training class or two will do wonders for your confidence, as well as teaching Hannibal some skills that he can use. Often training facilities offer opportunities for dogs to play with other dogs, which is one of the best ways for dogs to release steam, enjoy themselves, AND show their owners a side of them that we don't often see.









So ideally, I'd like to see you and Hannibal get out some and get yourselves training. I think it will be well worth the cost of a sitter, if you need to get one. 

But in case I wasn't clear enough above, those baby gates do not protect your dog. Put your baby in your bedroom with you, and shut the door. I'm sure that Hannibal is a sweetie and nothing will ever happen. But we don't want to find out otherwise.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: listening.eyesHe has never been abused or hit or anything.When strangers come up he lets out a soft growl but only if they are RIGHT on us or if they run up aggressively.He is like a statue,he just sits next to me...and stares,lol.


I think a lot GSDs are like that. Abbey does the same thing with everybody, even with my husband. She lets out a soft growl and sits there, patiently watching and making sure my husband is relaxed. At the slightest tense move, she will tense up and get huffed.








It's normal for a GSD to growl like that... they're supposed to give warnings


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

There's a technical term for this, I'll let someone with more experience in that realm explain it.



> Originally Posted By: DarkEyesI think a lot GSDs are like that. Abbey does the same thing with everybody, even with my husband. She lets out a soft growl and sits there, patiently watching and making sure my husband is relaxed. At the slightest tense move, she will tense up and get huffed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No it's not normal for a GSD to give a warning growl when someone approaches them. 

What is normal is for the dog to be aloof and act as if they could care less that the person is there. 

If someone approaches in an agressive manner, that's different. 

Someone in their own pack/family, the dog should not be tense or growling - happy excited yapping yes, growling? Absolutely not.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

Even when a stranger shows up in a room? Small growl?


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

At 8 months old, that's fear. At 18 months old, that's either bad nerves or handler error in training the dog.

If the room is in the dogs house, I'd expect a bark. Growl is more serious. If the dog is in someone else's building, absolutely not.


----------



## listening.eyes (Dec 7, 2009)

lol,i didnt get offended Darkeyes but thanks! lol,you all asked if I had any traumatic experience with a GSD and I didnt consider it but when I was young my sister had a GSD and it was PSYCHO!! It would attack anyone that wasnt my sister,once my cousin actually hit my sister and ran into the bathroom and the dog broke down the door and attacked him.I couldnt even touch the floor,I had to climb on the back of couches just to keep from being bitten.My dad went to kill the dog,but before he did we took him to the vet and found out he had a mental problem and was put down.

I really really dont think Hannibal would ever hurt my son,especially for no reason.If I had the slightest concern for my sons safety I would get rid of the dog.I was just wondering if its likely for a dog to just "snap".But thank you everyone!


----------



## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I don't think it's likely he's going to snap but what happened to your sister's GSD does happen. There was a dog on this forum that it happened to.


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: DarkEyesEven when a stranger shows up in a room? Small growl?


If a total stranger was to just walk into our house then yes, I would be ok with my GSD growling.

But you said:



> Quote:Abbey does the same thing with everybody, even with my husband. She lets out a soft growl and sits there, patiently watching and making sure my husband is relaxed.


Your husband is not a complete stranger (at least he isn't if he lives in the house with you and the dog).

I have strangers (to the dogs) come into the house almost every weekend and my dogs are not allowed to growl.

Tazer, the LOUD Cocker, likes to bark to get their attention and Sasha, the scaredy-dog, will bark in fear. Mauser, the GSD, just walks up to them to sniff them and then walks away.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

I'm sorry, I should've clarified this. 
I meant that Abbey will emit a soft growl around my husband when a stranger comes into the room, and it's not our territory. I think I only hear about her growling when we are in a small room. 
However, I am teaching her when I am not okay with her barking at random neighbors that she hasn't met with my husband previously. There was a couple people that she would bark at when we meet up, and I would tie her to a post so I can walk away and have a proper conversation with the neighbors. She'll yelp, whine, bark some more when left behind like that. 

However, once she sees them again, this time with the husband, she doesn't bark at them anymore. (I'm the one who actually does the training. My husband doesn't really do much). Any explaination about that?


----------



## DogGone (Nov 28, 2009)

The dog sounds like it has an excellent temperament so I think your fears are largely unfounded. A dog like that is unlikely to attack for no reason.

It’s a very remote possibility but dogs like people sometimes can snap for no apparent reason.

There is one situation that you should be careful of and that is a sleeping dog that is having a nightmare. If a dog is having a nightmare it is best to let it sleep; because if it is dreaming that it is fighting it might take a few seconds for it to realize the difference between the dream and reality. 

A few times I saw my dog having a bad nightmare; thinking that it was suffering I woke it up; often the dog just gave me dirty looks; one time it acted like it might snip at me. I made the same mistake with my woman and she started punching me when I woke her up from her nightmare. A few months later I heard a psychiatrist warn that you shouldn’t wake up someone is having a nightmare because they could potentially be violent. I suspect the same logic applies to dogs. So if you do wake up a person or dog particularly if they are having nightmares it is probably best to be out a swinging or lunging range.


----------



## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

> Originally Posted By: listening.eyesBut when it comes to strangers he is very protective if someone gets REALLY close and he could do some damage if he had the chance.


This bothers me. 

I am reading that he acts out when strangers approach you? Are the strangers threatening you? 

At 8 months I would see that this may be puppy hitting adolesence and being unsure. But I would not want my GSD acting aggressively as strangers approach. I would really consider the prior advice about getting out to an obedience class or two with Hannibal.

I would also get on amazon.com or dogwise.com and look for a few books on raising dogs in a positve manner. I would want to work hard on making strangers approaching a very positive thing by pairing the stranger with great treats. I do this by tossing food on the ground as I see a stranger approaching and before my dog starts to look like he might bark. That breaks any eye contact and the dog eventually pairs strangers approaching with good stuff. Then you want to eventaully train him to sit as strangers approach you and feed him occassional treats while he is calm as well as using verbal praise.

It is fine that he dose not like strangers petting him or that he could care less about attention from strangers. That is pretty typical of the breed. But it is not okay for him to aggress at them for no reason. 

I do not see any danger to your child but again commom sense applies here, never leave them unattended together. Not just Hannibal but any dog. 

I would not worry about him "patrolling" the house either. He can certainly bark a warning from the safety of his crate if someone breaks into your home.


----------



## DarkEyes (Dec 5, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: DogGoneThe dog sounds like it has an excellent temperament so I think your fears are largely unfounded. A dog like that is unlikely to A few months later I heard a psychiatrist warn that you shouldn’t wake up someone is having a nightmare because they could potentially be violent. I suspect the same logic applies to dogs. So if you do wake up a person or dog particularly if they are having nightmares it is probably best to be out a swinging or lunging range.


I learned that lesson when Abbey was "running" in her sleep. I went to wake her up and she jumpep up and ran into me. Knocked the winds outta my lungs.


----------



## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

I'm wondering if you're unintentionally activating the 'growl' or protective behavior?

GSDs are territorial and protective, but they do not need encouraging.

I would crate this pup at night - at 8 mos he wouldn't protect you anyway. If someone, somehow, entered your home, his bark from the crate would be a http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/images/markup_panel/default/bigger.gifwarning.

If you are wary of this dog's behavior, for any reason, get a professional evaluation.

No one here can really tell - without seeing him and watching him - what his temperament is really like.

When you're playing with him does he seem happy? Are his eves gentle, happy with the family?

The only GSD I ever rehomed ( to a very experienced handler) was one with what I call a 'dead' look in his eyes. Professional evaluation made me uneasy about keeping around small children even though he was good with me.

This said, I raised my three children with GSDs and can't think of a more trustworthy, loyal breed.

There is always an exception and I would never expect a young dog to be ready to interface with a two year old without my supervision.

But then, like someone else said, I wouldn't leave a beagle alone with a two year old.

I think your pup sounds normal, but I'd start making strangers a good thing for him - with treats and exposure.

A dog that is comfortable with strangers is a better judge of who is good and who is bad and will just as likely protect against the bad.


----------



## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Quote:
> I'm wondering if you're unintentionally activating the 'growl' or protective behavior?


You're probably on to something Anne. When I read her initial post, the OP sounded like an anxious person. (Not trying to be judgemental. Some people are anxious. It's just how they're wired). If I can tell that sitting over here, I'd be willing to bet that her dog can tell that too. An anxious owner *IS* going to have a dog that is more reactive because the dog senses that there are more threats out there. 

Training (with a behaviorist) is the best way to handle the dog's issue. That and socialization.


----------



## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

It falls back to training and working with the dog. I actually had a fireman uninntentionally walk into my house the other day (wrong house) he was very apologetic but had I had a highly reactive dog, it could have been a very bad scene. I once had a dog like that, and there is something to what Ann and 3K9Mom said about unintentional signals. My rescue girl Heidi, was very protective of the home, but I was a young single mom, living alone and probably a lot more nervous about what was going on than I am today. We have to be careful of the signals we send our dogs ways.....our emotions are very clear to our animals.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Ok the biggest thing is that there is NEVER a 100% guarantee a dog will not bite. Not ever never never, no matter what dog or what you know about him/her. 

Now, that does NOT mean you should be paranoid about it happening. It only means you should never take for granted that because you have a sweet gentle dog that he/she will NEVER bite. A dog is an animal first and foremost and there is ALWAYS the potential that something could trigger him/her to revert to instinctual behavior. Understand I'm NOT trying to scare you and I do think it's ok for you to back off on your scary thoughts, you sound like you might be driving yourself insane. Dogs sense instability in their owners which is not good. Take it from one who's caused their dog to do bad things due to her own fear and paranoia. I have a much better dog and a much better me now that I've managed to work through my fear of my dog hurting someone. I'll never trust him 100% because he IS an animal, but I'm not walking around afraid all the time, making him nervous and fearful. Fear is the biggest and most dangerous form of aggression.

Next is that you're expecting an 8mos old puppy or even as he gets older to protect you and your family. Many many people have this belief that dogs are there to protect home & family. The truth of the matter is YOU are supposed to be protecting your dog. There's nothing wrong with having a dog alert you to something out of the ordinary, but expecting him to protect is wrong. That's not supposed to be his job. Supposedly it's been proven that a barking dog (alert mode) is enough to deter someone from trying to get into your house. Especially if it's a big bark <g>. That's ALL you should expect your dog to do.

Even though he's not been a bit of trouble, he's still a baby. He's going to go thru stages just like any kid which includes teething and that means chewing, curiosity = getting into things that could hurt him. Nissa used to like to chew on electrical cords. Like a child a dog should be supervised at all times. When you can't supervise, your dog should be crated or confined in a safe place. 

I would dearly LOVE to leave my 2 to cruise the house when I'm gone/working. In fact my train of thought was the same as yours until I came here and learned the error of my ways. For my dog's safety I do not allow that. You only have one dog but in my case I have two so I must always be aware that they ARE dogs and if they get into a dog fight while I'm not there, I could come home to some serious injuries if not a dead dog. Then there's my Nissa who's a VERY sneaky counter surfer. She hasn't done it in a long time but there's no way I would ever believe she's cured of this unsafe habit. If I leave my dogs out and forget to put something away that's on the counter or anywhere for that matter, there's the possibilty she'd get into it. 

Do I like crating them? Absolutely not, I hate it. I feel guilty and awful every time I close the door on them, but then I remind myself what could be the alternative and I'm ok with it, well as ok as I can be anyway. If you crate train properly, your dog will actually love his crate, it's like having his own safety/comfort zone.

If I only had one dog, it would probably be different after my dog was older, I think if he/she didn't surf the counter or get into things, wasn't a chewer etc .. I don't think I'd be crating him but not until he proved to me he could be trusted to not hurt himself being left alone.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Forgot one thing ... it's not uncommon for GSDs to take on a new personality around a year old. Male/female doesn't matter as I recall, but they can grow into a very protective personality. That happened to me and trust me, it was a shock and a pretty scary thing until I found out what was going on. One day he was my sweet 'wouldn't hurt a fly' cuddly fuzzywuzzy who'd watched the mail person come and go for months and loved everyone .. the next day he wanted to eat the mail person and everyone who so much as walked past our house even if they were on the other side of the street. This is no lie, it was totally out of the blue and he was now about 10-11mos old.

A protective, territorial GSD can be dangerous if you don't know how to handle him properly.


----------



## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

you shouldn't have named him Hannibal.lol. I have a very aggressive GSD and never once did I ever worry about her and my daughter. HOWEVER she did knock a babysitter against a wall for pretend punching my kid. close you son's door.


----------



## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

no offense to the OP or to anyone else, but do you have other worries and such that might appear to be unfounded? 

this one does appear to have a basis in your past, re the sister's dog. which makes me wonder why you picked a GSD.

I have a girl I work with who is off the wall paranoid. her son is 10 years old and can't walk to the bus by himself. the bus stops at the end of their driveway, a few yards from the front door. she is afraid that he could be grabbed by strangers. He could trip and fall. If he falls he could smack his head on the steps. etc etc etc. She holds his hand and actually helps him up the steps to the bus. 
Her son is the same way, afraid of EVERYTHING and thinks that everything is dangerous. Thankfully her new husband convinced her to talk to her dr and she is already making improvements. 

I brought this up for a couple of reasons. 
1) constant fear and worry are bad for you. not to mention that they can be a sign of anxiety disorder or similar 

now, if your only nervous worry is the dog/son situation, think of this.

both of them can pick up on your fear. that is bad in multiple ways.

son - sees you are afraid or get jumpy when the dog approaches him. son begins to be nervous around the dog. that will make the dog antsy and could lead to problems.

dog - sees you are afraid or jumpy when he is around your son. dog doesn't know what you are afraid of, begins to think that your son is making you nervous. his natural reaction to your son will become one of fear.


then if you put the 2 together, then big problems. 

re: his reaction to strangers. If I read right, he just kind of ignores them and tolerates their attention? sounds normal for an aloof dog, which is what GSDs generally are. they love their family, but have little emotion for those outside of it.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

Dainerra is right on with the fear/stress thing! You are literally making your own potential dangerous situation. It happened to me, so I speak from experience. You really need to find a way to put that to rest. It works, honest.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

is your dog showing any signs of aggression
towards your son or are you being overly protective
or paranoid? when your napping why don't you crate your dog?
i don't think you should you should leave your dog and
a 2 year old alone. i'm really concerned why are you feeling
your dog is going to hurt your child? you asked "if a GSD
has ever shown aggression would they just bust
in a kids room and attack him? if i had a dog that showed
the least amount aggression towards my children i would get 
rid of him. i wouldn't trust him around my children. if you're feeling
that your dog might attack your baby you probably have a reason for such a feeling and you need to address it.

my children were raised around dogs, cats, goats, horses,
mules, guinea pigs, Muloccan Parrot, rabbits, etc.
i never felt that any of the animals were going to do them harm.
my children were always supervised around the animals. we didn't leave them alone with the house pets. 

your dog is 8 months old and aggressive towards strangers.
are you socializing and training your dog? i'm feeling like
something is wrong between your handling of your dog, the baby
and strangers. only you know what's going on.

crate your dog when you can't watch him around your baby.
crate your dog when you're napping. train and socialize your dog.
good luck.


----------



## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

yeah attacking your child is totally anti GSD.


----------



## WayneMeganGSD (Dec 21, 2009)

Im not sure I really understand the whole situation with the growling. My girlfriends GSDs bark at the door when someone knocks. But as far as anyone coming inside, they dont growl at all. 

If youre worried about your dog hurting your son you should probably crate the dog. But then you said you want the dog up patrolling at night. Well, something has got to give.


----------

