# Natural Guard, or trained ?



## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Hi, new to this forum. 
I have a 2 year old working bred german shepherd. She is a very good guard dog. 
I did not train her, she was trained by someone else as s police dog, but did not make the full grade, but does well for me. 
What i want to know is, do working bred german shepherds have to be trained to guard a property, or are some natural and don't need a lot of training ? 
Thanks.


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## RobertJ (Jul 14, 2015)

Pics please!


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## RobertJ (Jul 14, 2015)

In my opinion, no - GSDs don't require special training to respond/alert you to strangers approaching your domain. Also IMO, as the alpha in the relationship, it's your job to protect the GSD, not the other way around.


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Thank you. She is a great watch dog already and was trained to protect. 
Just wondered if they dont get any intensive training, will they still hold a intruder.
Pics of my shepherd Bindy below.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Many GSDs and other herders and protection breeds naturally identify with home territory and alert defend property. For many it does not have to be trained. My Dutchie is a great social butterfly on hiking trails greeting people in a friendly fashion. Once the tents go up he is suspicious and alerts to intruders in the area. Did not have to train this.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Gorgeous! Who is the breeder?


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Thank you. She is manus v teikerhook breeding.


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## BallsofMeat (Apr 11, 2015)

Some dogs are born with a stronger territorial nature embedded in their genetic makeup so they will naturally guard their territory. 
Some dogs don't have this but it can be trained... to an extent.


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Thank you.:thumbup:
Which strains of GSD have a high protection/guard instinct. ?


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## IronhorseRomo (Jul 20, 2015)

Beautiful dog!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jschrest (Jun 16, 2015)

My rescue GSD goes into overprotective mode in the yard. She's never been trained for anything. Just in her nature I suppose.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Frank Smith said:


> Thank you.:thumbup:
> Which strains of GSD have a high protection/guard instinct. ?


It will depend on the individual dog, but in general the german and Czech lines have retained much of their natural suspicion/protection instincts, much less likely to be found in American Showlines. 

Here is an article that talks about the 3 main lines and the differences between them. 

(Types of German Shepherds, by Wildhaus Kennels )


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Castlemaid said:


> It will depend on the individual dog, but in general the german and Czech lines have retained much of their natural suspicion/protection instincts, much less likely to be found in American Showlines.
> 
> Here is an article that talks about the 3 main lines and the differences between them.
> 
> (Types of German Shepherds, by Wildhaus Kennels )


Thank you for that Castlemaid. :thumbup:


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

My Nara and Kaze are both German lines, and both alert me to anything and everything that comes too close to our home/yard. They'll either perk up their ears, or hold their head high and start sniffing the air in a way that's obvious something is coming close, or is already too close, to our property. Every now and then they'll fire off a "warning" bark: a single bark that I've come to know as an alert...an alert to the "thing" that shouldn't be this close, and an alert to me and my family that they've picked up on something. I commend them and tell them that I'll take it from here, and then I'll go investigate if need be. What I don't want is for it to go passed that, where my dogs start barking uncontrollably, disturbing the neighborhood. I've worked with them a lot on this. I can't stand dogs barking and barking without their owners doing/saying anything to stop them. My dogs are my "early warning detection system," and once I'm alerted, they've done their job and they can go back to eating or playing while I ensure our safety.

On a side note, I kept misreading your subject line as "National Guard, or trained?" and being that I'm military, I thought you were looking to pose a question to someone in the Guard or trained by the military. That's why I clicked this thread. Once I read your post, I was scratching my head saying "I don't see anything in there about the National Guard." Then I finally cleared the fog and re-read the subject line. Ha! I need more coffee...


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## RobertJ (Jul 14, 2015)

*DDR/Czech*

I bought into the mindset that diligently/faithfully/traditionally (?) bred DDR and Czech lines are not only physically blocky in appearance (thick heads, meaty torsos, 'heavier' gate) but also more tightly bound to their border fence protection roots. Let's just say "I wanted it to be true" when I decided to acquire my DDR pups. It just so happens that I wasn't disappointed. They happen to also be visually arresting in an intimidating nature to people who aren't dog lovers. When we're in our suburban neighborhood yard and someone they know walks past on the sidewalk, they remain in a down stay but they direct their eyes, ears and face like radar toward the person(s) walking past. When the pups DON'T know the person(s) they come to a 'high' sit and do the same with their heads. This is usually enough to make the pedestrians depart the sidewalk and walk out in the road(!) Of course, the pups won't attack and won't break their sit. However their darkly pigmented, blocky bodies and inherent DDR intensity is effectively communicated to the psyche of the pedestrian. Power perceived is power projected. I don't know if this trait is hard-wired into all DDRs, but this is a trait which Kaiser and Danke have seemed to master. ;-) Pictured is Kaiser - my sable boy.


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

RobertJ said:


> I bought into the mindset that diligently/faithfully/traditionally (?) bred DDR and Czech lines are not only physically blocky in appearance (thick heads, meaty torsos, 'heavier' gate) but also more tightly bound to their border fence protection roots. Let's just say "I wanted it to be true" when I decided to acquire my DDR pups. It just so happens that I wasn't disappointed. They happen to also be visually arresting in an intimidating nature to people who aren't dog lovers. When we're in our suburban neighborhood yard and someone they know walks past on the sidewalk, they remain in a down stay but they direct their eyes, ears and face like radar toward the person(s) walking past. When the pups DON'T know the person(s) they come to a 'high' sit and do the same with their heads. This is usually enough to make the pedestrians depart the sidewalk and walk out in the road(!) Of course, the pups won't attack and won't break their sit. However their darkly pigmented, blocky bodies and inherent DDR intensity is effectively communicated to the psyche of the pedestrian. Power perceived is power projected. I don't know if this trait is hard-wired into all DDRs, but this is a trait which Kaiser and Danke have seemed to master. ;-) Pictured is Kaiser - my sable boy.


Thank you Robert. 
Do they bark when any stranger comes too close and go into attack mode, as if to say, 'come any closer and you will regret' lol 
I have heard that the DDR lines do seem to have a very strong guarding instinct, but not sure how much though. ?


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## GSDhistorian (Aug 30, 2014)

Mostly working lines, especially the Sable Czech lines.


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## GSDhistorian (Aug 30, 2014)

Most working line German shepherds are "natural" guard dogs because of their original uses of protecting their flock from predators and herding them. The German shepherd was bred to do 2 jobs in 1; protect the sheep flock from wolves and lynx, and also herd the flock. They would show bravery in the face of any threats that approached the sheep and chase them away. So that is why they are naturally protective. However, there is nothing wrong with doing protection work because then you can sharpen their skills and also have better control.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

This totally depends on the individual dogs as Castlemaid stated previously. And it depends on the maturity of the dog. Not all German Shepherds, regardless of lines, will be naturally protective. 

My dog has never met a stranger. Everyone is his new BFF. But I see his suspicion coming out as he ages and I see him "react" to things he never previously did. I put "react" in quotes because he's not reactive to situations in general but he has acted appropriately to odd things.

A few months ago, we were walking into a hotel when a man said something to me. I asked him to repeat it. I, in no way, showed I thought anything was odd or out of place. But Seger did. The man said "Those dogs! They have a history!". He must have been putting off odd vibes because Seger wouldn't take his eyes off the guy. I had to drag him thru the door.

Friday, a friend we haven't seen in a while was at the house when I pulled in. Seger was in the car, in the crate, where his view was obstructed. Excited greeting and the guy reached into the car thru the window to give me a hug. Seger erupted. The dog that never makes a sound in the car, ROCKED my car. That was a first and it was not inappropriate given the circumstances. He immediately stopped barking as soon as we opened the back so he could see who it was.

So as they mature you will most likely see a difference in your dog. And there is a difference between a dog being reactive and a dog acting towards a potential threat. It's not something I can explain. It's just something I am now really training my dog to understand - that they can turn it on and turn it off appropriately.


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## Frank Smith (Jul 16, 2015)

Jax08 said:


> This totally depends on the individual dogs as Castlemaid stated previously. And it depends on the maturity of the dog. Not all German Shepherds, regardless of lines, will be naturally protective.
> 
> My dog has never met a stranger. Everyone is his new BFF. But I see his suspicion coming out as he ages and I see him "react" to things he never previously did. I put "react" in quotes because he's not reactive to situations in general but he has acted appropriately to odd things.
> 
> ...


That sounds interesting, thanks Jax.


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