# My 15mo GSD ran down the Grubhub Driver



## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

I’ve been reading here for a while, but I just signed up today. Thanks for all the advise that has been shared I have learned so much about GSD’s that I wouldn’t have know otherwise.

Phoebe my 15mo old GSD has always been great with my kids, family, other dogs, etc. She is very protective of my immediate family. I have an 18yr severely Austistic son that she herds around the property. If he goes out the front door she follows. Sometimes he will sneak out without us knowing, and when I holler for him she comings running then goes back to where he is. Once I get to him she leaves his side and goes back to doing dog stuff. She and my 6 yr old are besties. She goes and gets his action figure out of the toy box, takes them to him, and then proceeds to play Spider-Man, Batman, or whatever. She lays beside him while e plays Minecraft. If any of the family or friends are swimming in the pool she paces the pool being the life guard. If you slide under the water she will reach down and pull you up by the arm. She has always barked aggressively at strangers coming up our 2000’ drive. We have 40 acres and live in the middle of the woods, and I do not mind her barking at delivery folks, or in welcomed guest as no one should be back there that doesn’t have permission. Typically she will bark aggressively in the window until they leave. If shei is out when they pull up she will stand at the car barking until I call her inside, or until the people get out of their car then she cowers down the aggressive bark becomes a Yelp and she gets petted Then she is fine.
Today however, was different. I had ordered Grubhub, and while waiting on the food I remembered I needed new Sorresto collars. My oldest Austin walked out the front door, and was playing in the front yard. I saw deer him headed up the drive towards his grandmothers house about the time the “your Grubhub order will arrive shortly “notification dinged across my phone. I threw on my shoes, ran outside, told Jake the 6 yr old to put Phoebe in the house (he did) and went to get Austin. 

Maybe Phoebe sensed worry in my voice I don’t know. But, about the time I got to Austin to turn him around I see the Grubhub driver flying down the driveway like the mailman on Funny Farm. I literally had to grab my kid around the chest and pull him out of the way diving in the woods to keep from getting hit. There was no stopping, apologizing nothing. She flew the final 50 yds up to the house hopped out of the car, and ran up to the door to drop the food off. 

I heard and saw Phoebe barking in the window, and remember thinking good she’s in. About the time the woman drops the food at the front door. At the same time Jake decides to open the door, and let Phoebe out “to stop her barking”. I’ve never seen a fat girl move like she did. My GSD had her snout up her butt crack the whole way back to the car. She didn’t bite her, she just wanted her gone.
While all of this was going on I had 1 arm around Austin. He was insisting on going to Grandmas so I couldn’t let go of him...he can out run me (he could probably out run most running backs). I was trying to recall Phoebe who probably couldn’t hear me over all of the barking, and screams of terror coming from the driver. I don’t blame her for not coming to me because of that. When my wife came running from the back yard, she recalled on command to her, went inside, and kenneled no problem. After I got Austin under control from being over stimulated, I had a very serious talk with Jake about never opening the door for strangers. I kept Phoebe in her kennel, and waited for the sheriff to show up which he never did thank god. 

I want my dog to be protective of my wife, and children. I want her to be on alert, notify me of a possible threat, and get in between that threat, and my family. However, I do not wanting her chasing every delivery driver back to the car as though she was going to murder them. I also want her to stop alarming after she is told to stop. 
Maybe she picked up on a stressful situation, and reacted with what she felt was appropriate, or maybe she new the driver was fearful of her and took advantage of the situation. 

what would you do to resolve this issue knowing what I expect out of her?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

What I’m reading is: my very young, not very well trained dog got out because my kid opened the door.
That’s what I’m reading. Details are irrelevant. So is the weight of the unfortunate GrubHub driver. 
Delivery people should be able to do their jobs without fear of being chased down by someone’s dog.
Contact a reputable trainer in your area, one who is familiar with the breed, not a furbaby trainer.
Phoebe’s recall needs to be rock solid and you need to learn how to achieve that. You have a lot of work to do.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

You said “ I do not mind her barking at delivery people” until now? she is doing what you basically wanted her to do, what she thinks you want her to do... 

also the cowering and yelping- so this is a fearful insecure dog who is trying to act as watch dog. These fearful insecure dogs who are expected to make their own decisions under these circumstances are nervous wrecks AND they make bad decisions.
It is my opinion that people seem to think guarding or protective breeds like this just magically know what to do, who to bark at, how far to take it.. they don’t. They are just dogs. They were meant to work in cooperation with a human leader.

You have to teach her a lot. A recall under distraction. Words or phrases that mean, I got this. 


there are three types of control. The first is physical control. So leash or long line. Then verbal control. If she can be under verbal control while on a line but you don’t have to use the leash/line- then you actually have verbal control and can let her off. Then control of habit because you’ve done a thing so many times a certain way.

right now her habit is to bark out of control at every scary person who comes to your property.

It comes from following through every single time. Tell the dog okay that’s enough. If they can’t calm down they get immediately removed. Put away in a crate where they can no longer guard anything. You have been relieved of your responsibilities.

if she is cowering and yelping I sure wouldn’t let people pet her, that’s an awesome recipe for a fear bite and/or reinforcing her discomfort with people. Dogs don’t cower and Yelp because they want to be touched.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

Her recall was rock solid she recalled, and kenneled when my wife commanded her. She could not hear me, as I stated before. She was barking to loudly to hear. I have trained 5 HRC Master Hunters in my life. This is my 1st GSD, but her obedience is rock solid. She listens to every command my wife and I give her. She will do a 300 yd blind retrieve off of 3 hand signals. She is whistle trained like the labs I trained, and will hold the stay position until I I realest her from it. 
I am fortunate or maybe unfortunate enough to live on 40 acres just of of I 85 40 minsSouth of Atlanta. The unfortunate part is that there are many criminals who come to our area to rob and steal because they have easy access back to the interstate to ATL. 
I want her to bark like she does when someone comes into my drive way. I also want her to protect my family. Maybe I wasn’t clear but question is how does one go about training a dog to hold while still barking when I’m not there to give the command even when she feels as though her “pack” or ”herd” is being threatened?
Also, maybe calling the “poor delivery driver” fat is not appropriate. But when you literally speed down MY driveway so fast that I have to grab my child, and jump in a briar patch, you will be called names. When you do that same thing, and don’t hit the brakes you will be called names. When I am so close to your windshield in this process I can see that the driver has 5” finger nails, brown eyes, and has purple eye liner on, you will be called names. When you almost kill my innocent child you will be called names. When my dogs sees all of this she may become aggressive. I’m trying to figure out how to stop the action when I can’t correct because I’m in another bad situation. 
You on the other hand got offended about the “fat” remark, and decided to make the post about that, and insulting my training ability instead of offering advise on what methods can be used. I don’t need a trainer, I can train a dog. I just need to know what methods others have used so I can come up with my on regimen.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> You said “ I do not mind her barking at delivery people” until now? she is doing what you basically wanted her to do, what she thinks you want her to do...
> 
> also the cowering and yelping- so this is a fearful insecure dog who is trying to act as watch dog. These fearful insecure dogs who are expected to make their own decisions under these circumstances are nervous wrecks AND they make bad decisions.
> It is my opinion that people seem to think guarding or protective breeds like this just magically know what to do, who to bark at, how far to take it.. they don’t. They are just dogs. They were meant to work in cooperation with a human leader.
> ...


Thank you for your input. I do want her to bark, I just don’t want her to chase, for reason mentioned in my second post. When I say cowering and yelping it’s more of an excited bark, with a lot of tail wagging. She does cower like she wants to sit, but is to excited to sit, then she licks them to death. Maybe she is insecure I will pay more attention to this to see. Like I said, I want her to chase, charge on command only. The barking does not bother me, as she only barks when she has her eyes on a stranger. If she know the person, she gives a greeting bark and goes back to whatever she is doing.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Like it was said above, you need more control over your dog.


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## Jen84 (Oct 19, 2020)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> I also want her to stop alarming after she is told to stop.


If her obedience is rock solid and "listens to every command", then how come she doesn't stop when you tell her to stop?




Phoebe’s Dad said:


> have trained 5 HRC Master Hunters in my life. This is my 1st GSD, but her obedience is rock solid. She listens to every command my wife and I give her. She will do a 300 yd blind retrieve off of 3 hand signals. She is whistle trained like the labs I trained, and will hold the stay position until I I realest her from it.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i’m not providing reasons for the comments i deleted, nor am i doling out individual warnings, just..... stop.
good grief.


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> Maybe I wasn’t clear but question is how does one go about training a dog to hold while still barking when I’m not there to give the command even when she feels as though her “pack” or ”herd” is being threatened?


You’re dog is already doing a bark and hold. Is your question really how do you train her not to bite even when the stimulus is there? I don’t think that’s really what you want. Based on what you’ve said, it sounds like there are situations where you would want her to bite.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

Bearshandler said:


> You’re dog is already doing a bark and hold. Is your question really how do you train her not to bite even when the stimulus is there? I don’t think that’s really what you want. Based on what you’ve said, it sounds like there are situations where you would want her to bite.


Yes there are situations I would want her to bite. Just look up home invasions in the metro Atlanta area, and you will understand why.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

It was an "oops" in a chaotic moment, but in that situation, I think I would go into the app and leave a HUGE tip for the Grubhub driver to make up for the situation. Everyone makes mistakes, and all of us have made plenty with our own dogs over the years, but I think I would want to make the gesture because I'd worry about how she was doing after being scared like that. It would make me feel a little better, if nothing else. And then I'd work on a counter conditioning plan for delivery people to make their arrival a happier experience for the dog -- the apps tell you when they're arriving, so that helps tremendously on timing treats and good stuff when they arrive.

ETA: Nevermind. I just realized you want your dog making decisions about which strangers are okay and which aren't. I've got nothing to offer on that front. Hopefully the trainer Bearshandler knows can help!


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## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> Yes there are situations I would want her to bite. Just look up home invasions in the metro Atlanta area, and you will understand why.


I grew up in east Nashville. I need to look it up nor do I need an explanation. It’s not too dissimilar from what most people who buy a German shepherd want. What you want is more nuanced than I can explain to you and I doubt anyone will over the internet. You need to get someone experienced ok protection to work with you. There only one trainer I know of in that area. I haven’t personally worked with him but you can go meet and see for yourself. I will dm you if you want. Understand none of this is a shot a you or your training ability. It’s just my view of the situation. Your dog doesn’t sound like a serious threat to bite someone right now based on your description. That could change as she matures and I could be completely wrong in the first place.


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## herojig (Apr 3, 2013)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> I’ve been reading here for a while, but I just signed up today. Thanks for all the advise that has been shared I have learned so much about GSD’s that I wouldn’t have know otherwise.
> 
> Phoebe my 15mo old GSD has always been great with my kids, family, other dogs, etc. She is very protective of my immediate family. I have an 18yr severely Austistic son that she herds around the property. If he goes out the front door she follows. Sometimes he will sneak out without us knowing, and when I holler for him she comings running then goes back to where he is. Once I get to him she leaves his side and goes back to doing dog stuff. She and my 6 yr old are besties. She goes and gets his action figure out of the toy box, takes them to him, and then proceeds to play Spider-Man, Batman, or whatever. She lays beside him while e plays Minecraft. If any of the family or friends are swimming in the pool she paces the pool being the life guard. If you slide under the water she will reach down and pull you up by the arm. She has always barked aggressively at strangers coming up our 2000’ drive. We have 40 acres and live in the middle of the woods, and I do not mind her barking at delivery folks, or in welcomed guest as no one should be back there that doesn’t have permission. Typically she will bark aggressively in the window until they leave. If shei is out when they pull up she will stand at the car barking until I call her inside, or until the people get out of their car then she cowers down the aggressive bark becomes a Yelp and she gets petted Then she is fine.
> Today however, was different. I had ordered Grubhub, and while waiting on the food I remembered I needed new Sorresto collars. My oldest Austin walked out the front door, and was playing in the front yard. I saw deer him headed up the drive towards his grandmothers house about the time the “your Grubhub order will arrive shortly “notification dinged across my phone. I threw on my shoes, ran outside, told Jake the 6 yr old to put Phoebe in the house (he did) and went to get Austin.
> ...


I could not help but laugh... and I've been a delivery person before. I have a much more radical approach then my compatriot dog handlers probably do. In this case, yes, train ur dog not to rush the door or otherwise run wild thru the hood; and to train the dog not to bark (as much) at deliveries, u can also start by training the drivers. Signboards reading* Feed the Animals* with a _bowl of treats available_ is one technique ive used... but whatever the trick deployed, the object is to get dog to see the doorbell as a food bell, and the delivery human as a hand that feeds. In Nepal, this was relatively easy, as the same delivery people come all the time (think of your postman if ur in the USA). I just trained those humans. In America, well, this will be more difficult...maybe u can put instructions in the comments section of UberEats or whatever, idk...


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

Jen84 said:


> If her obedience is rock solid and "listens to every command", then how come she doesn't stop when you tell her to stop?


I am working with Phoebe on this. I tell her to kennel when she starts, she kennels, and quiets down. However, when I say quiet she will not quiet. The problem I’m having in teaching the command is their aren’t enough consistent strangers visiting the house to nip this in the bud quickly. I do not take her to dog parks, as we don’t have any that people frequent since we live in farm country. She knows the neighbors because they are always around, and most are family. We do like to camp, and while at the campgrounds she assumes her position in her folding chair, and does not bark at passers by or other dogs. She did bark at passers by, but I stopped that the 1st trip. She knows very well that I’m the Alpha, and aims to please. She just doesn’t understand “quiet”. I’ve never trained with treats, I’ve always redirected behavior. Maybe I need to change that up. I’ve read about teaching “speak” and then “quiet” using treats, but without being able to induce barking on a consistent behavior I guess I will have to stick with the kennel command for now. It is the immediate fix. The problem with that is she loves her kennel, maybe that’s not a problem, lol. I don’t even close the door when she is in it anymore, she just goes in, and lays down. 

When training other dogs, if they wanted to be stubborn I would kennel them, and take them out later when they got over themselves. With her it’s not a punishment. I have not used an E-Coller with her much, but she reacts very well to it. Maybe that is another solution.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

herojig said:


> I could not help but laugh... and I've been a delivery person before. I have a much more radical approach then my compatriot dog handlers probably do. In this case, yes, train ur dog not to rush the door or otherwise run wild thru the hood; and to train the dog not to bark (as much) at deliveries, u can also start by training the drivers. Signboards reading* Feed the Animals* with a _bowl of treats available_ is one technique ive used... but whatever the trick deployed, the object is to get dog to see the doorbell as a food bell, and the delivery human as a hand that feeds. In Nepal, this was relatively easy, as the same delivery people come all the time (think of your postman if ur in the USA). I just trained those humans. In America, well, this will be more difficult...maybe u can put instructions in the comments section of UberEats or whatever, idk...


Funny you should say that. I have a lab that cares about 1 thing, food. He is 11 now, I hunted over him for 9 yrs until he went 1/2 deaf and blind. Two yrs ago I noticed when a delivery van like Amazon, FedEx or UPS would pull up he would start barking like ****, but he was wagging his tail the whole time. I would let him out during the day to lay in the sun, and he had never done this before. He usually never opened his eyes when people pulled up, he just didn’t care. Then one day the UPS truck pulled up when I was outside, and I saw what was going on. The UPS driver would throw him a Milkbone every time he pulled up, and I used to get deliveries everyday back then. Well Mack figured out, if I bark I get 2 Milkbones. Then every time he saw a delivery van, he didn’t care about cars, he’d run up to them barking, and wagging his tail. Once the driver got transferred the behavior stopped. Mack did train all of the delivery drivers to give him a treat when they got out of the van though. Some days he was getting 7-8 big Milkbones every day. He earned them though.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

Magwart said:


> It was an "oops" in a chaotic moment, but in that situation, I think I would go into the app and leave a HUGE tip for the Grubhub driver to make up for the situation. Everyone makes mistakes, and all of us have made plenty with our own dogs over the years, but I think I would want to make the gesture because I'd worry about how she was doing after being scared like that. It would make me feel a little better, if nothing else. And then I'd work on a counter conditioning plan for delivery people to make their arrival a happier experience for the dog -- the apps tell you when they're arriving, so that helps tremendously on timing treats and good stuff when they arrive.
> 
> ETA: Nevermind. I just realized you want your dog making decisions about which strangers are okay and which aren't. I've got nothing to offer on that front. Hopefully the trainer Bearshandler knows can help!


Why would I want to give a bigger tip to someone who almost ran me and my child over and didn’t even stop to check on us as we were laying on the ground. I don’t want my dog making decisions, I don’t want to charge,chase, corner, tree whatever you want to call it, unless a command is given.


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## herojig (Apr 3, 2013)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> Funny you should say that. I have a lab that cares about 1 thing, food. He is 11 now, I hunted over him for 9 yrs until he went 1/2 deaf and blind. Two yrs ago I noticed when a delivery van like Amazon, FedEx or UPS would pull up he would start barking like ****, but he was wagging his tail the whole time. I would let him out during the day to lay in the sun, and he had never done this before. He usually never opened his eyes when people pulled up, he just didn’t care. Then one day the UPS truck pulled up when I was outside, and I saw what was going on. The UPS driver would throw him a Milkbone every time he pulled up, and I used to get deliveries everyday back then. Well Mack figured out, if I bark I get 2 Milkbones. Then every time he saw a delivery van, he didn’t care about cars, he’d run up to them barking, and wagging his tail. Once the driver got transferred the behavior stopped. Mack did train all of the delivery drivers to give him a treat when they got out of the van though. Some days he was getting 7-8 big Milkbones every day. He earned them though.


Hilarious... yes, some humans figure this out themselves... but it does raise all kindas issues... i know trainers here in Nepal that have had to train dogs NOT to accept food from strangers (or anywhere else), as the government once had a policy of throwing poisoned meat out to get rid of street dogs... until pet owners and vulture conservationists alike quashed that shite. On another note re: human training. Didn't we all learn in kindergarten _never to run away from a dog_? Am I imagining that I was told at age 5 that _a dog can smell fear_... so don't be afraid? Don't they make kids read _Call of the Wild_ anymore?!? Okay, now Im ranting...


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## Biscuit (Mar 24, 2020)

If I told my trainer that my dog kept barking because 'She couldn't hear me tell her stop' I would be roasted. The obedience is not rock solid. Sometimes we all need a reality check.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

You also have to stop believing that a 15 months shepherd is trained. It’s been a puppy really up to this point. This is exactly the time when shepherds start maturing, changing, hormones start flowing, they start making their own decisions based on their desires, emerging drives and experiences up to this point. Real training is just starting. I don’t know about females much but male dogs change both physically and mentally very much between 2 and 3 years old. 

If she was in such frenzy that she didn’t hear you then your main focus needs to be impulse control.


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## 44eyes (May 17, 2021)

Sounds like you need to train not only your dog but your kids. Don't mean to sound rude but idk any other way to say it... you want a protector dog ok but then the rest of the family needs to know how to react when she's doing her job. Under no situation should a door be opened while a reactive dog is near, idc what happens after no name calling is needed because the blame is on you. If Phoebe would have bitten that driver she'd might be on her way to doggie heaven. Barking dog means the door stays closed and everyone in the house should learn this. I live with my severely autistic non-verbal brother so I'm not just talking out my a**, come up with rules EVERYONE can follow... hand signals, getting out the way until you get there, whatever. 

Another thing will be to teach your pup (because that really what she is, still-- I think sometimes GSDs are so bright and apt to learn we forget how immature they are) to defer to a human in situations like this. I started by throwing kibble on the floor (with minimal other junk/distractions around if you want to save time), letting my dog eat it, then giving a higher-value treat when he looked up at me to see what's up. Repeat for all sorts of distractions. Get friends to ring the doorbell, knock, leave packages in front of the door, rustle the back gate, etc. Practice with you and Phoebe in different parts of the house, in separate parts of the house. Teach her to find you (or the nearest family member, if you prefer) and give you that "What's up?" look. Reward her immensely for seeking out your better judgement. If you want to train her to bite during certain situations, that will probably require a trainer that specifies in protection dogs but I'm sure even they will tell you this: a good protection dog protects out of a place of confidence and control, not fear and uncertainty. They will want to work out fear reactivity before they move on to anything else, which is why I suggested the above. Get Phoebe's confidence up. If she feels like she has to make all the spur-of-the-moment decisions herself, she'll always act out at ill-opportune times and fail to deliver when you want her to. She's a smart dog she just needs you and your family to pick up some of the slack.


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## Phoebe’s Dad (May 16, 2021)

I am now regretting even creating a thread. Their were a couple of good ideas, but most of post say your dog isn’t trained. Without laying eyes on the dog how can you judge? I described the situation the best I could. Maybe I should have been more clear about what I want from her ultimately. No the dog isn’t “finished” but the dog is rock solid on the commands she knows. For those of you who said she isn’t because she didn’t come to me, we’re you standing there to witness what I saw? Do you deal with her on a daily basis? My point behind the post was to get ideas of training regiment to use to get her on hold while barking while a stranger is in the yard. If she sees a stranger I want her butt hitting the ground, and not move until I say the command. If I say “quiet” she stops. I don’t want to have to use the “kennel” command. I want her to be seen and heard by the approacher. I have very different circumstances in my family life then most of the keyboard heroes out there. Sorry for wasting your valuable time. I will find the answers I need elsewhere.


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## Lexie’s mom (Oct 27, 2019)

Something else to consider-maybe to put some yard signs to prevent those lunatic drivers. I would be so mad as well, if someone did it on our driveway.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

I live with a reactive, fear aggressive dog. The first thing I would be addressing is the rushing the door. I don't care who or what, dogs should not be running out open doors. It has nothing to do with alpha crap, or anything else other then manners and common sense. I may be speaking with someone or carrying stuff and I don't need to be bothered about a dog. 
My dog is a mess, but I walked out to my car to get something this morning with the patio door wide open and people moving about and she remained inside. Trust me when I tell you that if this dog can achieve that it should me a cake walk for yours. 
The other thing I will comment on is that you have a young dog and by the sound of it a busy home with lots going on. Step up the control. A child is not a competent caregiver for a dog.
Lastly, other peoples actions should not dictate yours. We all tend to react to asshat humans but we shouldn't. Regardless of how out of line the delivery person was, be the better man. Be the person your children think you are. What your dog did was out of line, nothing excuses you allowing that.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Biscuit said:


> If I told my trainer that my dog kept barking because 'She couldn't hear me tell her stop' I would be roasted. The obedience is not rock solid. Sometimes we all need a reality check.


I read it as he wasn't close either (down the road). If your dog is lighting up an "intruder" and you are 50 yards away, you better be able to yell loud

And leaving food out for strangers to feed my dog is the very last thing I'd ever do. I too had couriers who asked if they could give my dog milkbones. Harley just let it hit the ground and stared at him lol


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> I am now regretting even creating a thread.


It's not unusual here  
The answer of "I don't know since I can't see your dog or fully understand the situation/wasn't there" doesn't help much either though ...


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## Jen84 (Oct 19, 2020)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> No the dog isn’t “finished”* but the dog is rock solid on the commands she knows.* For those of you who said she isn’t because she didn’t come to me, we’re you standing there to witness what I saw? Do you deal with her on a daily basis? My point behind the post was to get ideas of training regiment to use to get her on hold while barking while a stranger is in the yard. If she sees a stranger* I want her butt hitting the ground, and not move until I say the command*.


If her commands are rock solid and you want "her butt hitting the ground", why don't you just tell her to sit?


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## eanderson (May 17, 2021)

I'm not going to roast you or Phoebe, but I do agree there needs to be something done. I caught the part about her being Whistle trained... so is it possible to just always keep one around your neck in case you are very far from her? With that much property, a whistle will go a lot farther than a voice and it's never too late to really train her on that whistle. She will hear it over her own barking.


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

I would love to have a dog like Phoebe. I live in the woods, too and it amazes me how many people will drive past the 'no trespassing' signs just to tell me they didn't know there was a house here. I have no sympathy for them. I recommend simply not calling GrugHub again. Maybe your dog sensed something about the driver you missed. I'd trust the dog before I trusted a stranger. 
You might also consider a RING doorbell. Ours tells us when there is 'activity at the back (or front) door.' It would help you keep track of you son which is your primary concern. The rest is just life.


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## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

Speaking to strictly the training question, your dog needs practice and clear guidance to understand what response is desired during what stimulus. This isn't something you can train without an experienced decoy.

PPD training involves putting the dog in scenarios and shaping that response you want. This shaping will vary greatly depending on the dog.

ETA: just as you try to simulate actual working conditions with a retriever, the same holds during protection training. You wouldn't call your retriever ready for trial because it will play fetch with a ball in your living room. The dog needs experience and guidance.


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## the.siegel (Mar 15, 2020)

This post was hilarious, I couldn't help but laugh the entire time. That's why GSDs are awesome! 

Everyone here should relax. The dog is 15 (FIFTEEN!) months old, a puppy. The dog did also exactly what a GSD should do. We had a problem with Amazon thieves in our neighborhood: they act exactly the way the young lady did. Kids in loud and fast rice-rockets, jump in and out of the car and the only difference -in this case- was that she dropped instead of stole the brown box. How would your dog know? 

The original poster also lives on the countryside, you want your dog to be EXTRA protective. 

Finally, to those who think the dog needs more training. Sign up to Schutzhund training and see how well the "AUS" and "HERE" commands works during protection training with a 15-month old puppy.


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## coolgsd (May 1, 2010)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> Maybe she is insecure I will pay more attention to this to see. Like I said, I want her to chase, charge on command only. The barking does not bother me, as she only barks when she has her eyes on a stranger. If she know the person, she gives a greeting bark and goes back to whatever she is doing.


I have to agree with the others. "I want her to chase, charge on command only." It does not sound like you have either the experience to train for that (it is not that simple). Any it sounds like your girl has questionable temperament to deal with that kind of training. Dogs usually bark for whatever reason is driving them but trying to teach one to chase or "charge" is a dangerous approach for a dog that does not have solid nerves and is not exactly sure who, when or how to deal with a stranger. I have had dobermans and pitbulls challenge me and I took after them. They ran from me. If it had be the other way around (me running from them) I would have probably been bitten. The dogs were not trained to be protection dogs nor did they have the confidence to deal with what they were barking and growling at. Sounds similar.


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## just4mom (May 4, 2021)

Phoebe’s Dad said:


> Her recall was rock solid she recalled, and kenneled when my wife commanded her. She could not hear me, as I stated before. She was barking to loudly to hear. I have trained 5 HRC Master Hunters in my life. This is my 1st GSD, but her obedience is rock solid. She listens to every command my wife and I give her. She will do a 300 yd blind retrieve off of 3 hand signals. She is whistle trained like the labs I trained, and will hold the stay position until I I realest her from it.
> I am fortunate or maybe unfortunate enough to live on 40 acres just of of I 85 40 minsSouth of Atlanta. The unfortunate part is that there are many criminals who come to our area to rob and steal because they have easy access back to the interstate to ATL.
> I want her to bark like she does when someone comes into my drive way. I also want her to protect my family. Maybe I wasn’t clear but question is how does one go about training a dog to hold while still barking when I’m not there to give the command even when she feels as though her “pack” or ”herd” is being threatened?
> Also, maybe calling the “poor delivery driver” fat is not appropriate. But when you literally speed down MY driveway so fast that I have to grab my child, and jump in a briar patch, you will be called names. When you do that same thing, and don’t hit the brakes you will be called names. When I am so close to your windshield in this process I can see that the driver has 5” finger nails, brown eyes, and has purple eye liner on, you will be called names. When you almost kill my innocent child you will be called names. When my dogs sees all of this she may become aggressive. I’m trying to figure out how to stop the action when I can’t correct because I’m in another bad situation.
> You on the other hand got offended about the “fat” remark, and decided to make the post about that, and insulting my training ability instead of offering advise on what methods can be used. I don’t need a trainer, I can train a dog. I just need to know what methods others have used so I can come up with my on regimen.


 I agree with you. You should have been calling the police about her nearly running over your child. That is outrageous! My shepherd is only 3 months but she is scheduled for k9 off leash in Philadelphia. I think they are other places too. You could check out her website and see what you think. And if someone almost killed me and my child I would expect my shepherd to react. It’s ridiculous to think they won’t. They are protectors. That’s their job in their minds. Your situation was certainly stressful and Phoebe picked up on that.


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