# Fort Worth, TX



## Xan's Mom (Jun 29, 2013)

Hey friends, 

I am a GSD owner in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and am looking for a place to eventually do protection training with my pup, Xander. He is 4.5 months right now and just under 50lbs, fully house trained and obedience trained (sit, down, wait, come, stay, heel, plus some tricks), as well as socialized with dogs and people. 

I am a young female musician and therefore am in a bar scene/concert atmosphere 4-5 nights a week (Xan is with with me all the time even now) and my plan is to have him trained as a personal protection partner. While I am not new to dogs by any means, I have raised ACDs and other working dogs for years, but Germans and the protection training process are new to me. Any suggestions on where to start? References? I really want someone to let me be the handler and teach me the process, not just drop him off and pick him up trained. Any input is appreciated! 

Whitney


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## amermirza (Apr 2, 2013)

Whitney,

When Nooki was 4 months to about 6 months, she used to be shy and scared. When a dog barked, she would run behind us and hide. If visitors came, she hid in the crate. I wanted her to get some protection training to get bold. However, few friends recommended to wait. They get mature and understanding after they turn about a year old.

Nooki is now 1 year old and if a dog barks at us, she growls and tries to take em out. If we take her to offleash parks and some dog messes with her, she will not shy or backout. She shows agressiveness & she can jump and try to tear the other dogs year. Few months back, we didnt think this could happen. However, she is SUPER friendly with humans and dogs (especially smaller dogs).

My Point: Wait and give your GSD some time. They will have natural protection instinct once they mature (12-18 month timeframe). They will get tough & they will start sensing fear and protection instincts are going to be natural. Dont invest too much till they mature a bit more. You may realize you may not even need it.


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