# Will my dog know to attack



## Mary1990 (Sep 20, 2012)

Just curious, My pup Bella is 9 months old, if I was being attacked on the street or if someone broke in to my house would she know to attack? Iv heard that most dogs would protect to a certain amount, but German shepherds are ment to be the best protection dog, so would I need to send her to attack training, or would she know to attack and protect already?


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

At 9 months old she's just a puppy,so I doubt she would 'attack' now. Protection comes with maturity,but it should always be a measured response and you need to make sure you have 100% control over your dog.I'm sure others will weigh in more,but I wouldn't worry about protection training now.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

The sight of a GSD is enough to deter most bad guys.

You don't want a trained attack dog - unless you want a huge liability and lawsuit waiting to happen.

If you want better security, get an alarm system.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

zyppi said:


> *The sight of a GSD is enough to deter most bad guys.*
> 
> You don't want a trained attack dog - unless you want a huge liability and lawsuit waiting to happen.
> 
> If you want better security, get an alarm system.


:thumbup:

I can't agree more. Just having a big loud 'police' dog is more than enough for me. Plus having them well trained and socialized so they are calm when out in public really freaks people out


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

No, she likely will not. She will vocalize once she is an adult, but protection dogs are trained, not bred or born. Most schutzhund dogs won't bite off the field. She will readily defend herself if needed, but defending (actual biting) you is a trained thing.

As for trained dogs being a liability, I disagree... I take my dogs to that scary place in their emotional spectrum regularly, and train to have immediate compliance in that state of mind. I'd wager my dogs are much safer to be around in the presence of a threatening individual than a dog that is unfamiliar with this emotional state of mind.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

I wouldn't count on it. I do think most GSD's will give warning barks (my pup started doing this at about 3 months old if she saw or heard something strange around the house), but unless they are specifically trained in protection, I doubt they would.

I don't think protection trained dogs are dangerous in public. Police couldn't have their k9's biting random people, that would be a huge liability. If you see a schutzhund dog in action, the second their handler call them off they stop. It's a game, they aren't emotional, they are being directed by their handler.

I think the sight of a GSD is enough of a deterrent for most people. My pup is solid black too, which seems to make her extra scary to people (lol, she's a huge suck!). There's something about GSD's that scare people and something about black dogs that also scare people, so I got a double whammy with her.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

hunterisgreat said:


> *As for trained dogs being a liability*, I disagree... I take my dogs to that scary place in their emotional spectrum regularly, and train to have immediate compliance in that state of mind. I'd wager my dogs are much safer to be around in the presence of a threatening individual than a dog that is unfamiliar with this emotional state of mind.


The people I know that train their dogs, and keep training/working with their dogs have dogs like yours, wonderful in all situations.

The problem with some people that want trained 'attack' dogs is that they do not train their dog at all but instead send the dog away. Then they never do any practicing or brushing up on the skills so both dog and owner aren't really sure of their skills any more. 

So it's as always, the handler/owner that screws it all up by not knowing what they are doing and what's involved. These are the handlers that have dogs that are a huge liability (in my eyes) because neither dog or handler really knows what they are doing after the dog comes back from training. PLUS, there's a weird mindset in some of these owners that say the WANT their dog to 'kill' anyone that comes into their house yard and LOVE the barking/growling/hate for everyone but themselves. But when the mailman/mother-in-law gets bit, SUDDENLY it's an issue 

aw:


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

My dad decided to pretend to attack me once, to see what Gabe would do. He didn't "attack", but he leapt around, barking and growling, and seemed very distressed (Poor baby!). I was pretty satisfied. At 6 months, he's already protective. He keeps an eye on his house and his person, and he hasn't had any sort of attack/security training.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Anitsisqua said:


> My dad decided to pretend to attack me once, to see what Gabe would do. He didn't "attack", but he leapt around, barking and growling, and seemed very distressed (Poor baby!). I was pretty satisfied. At 6 months, he's already protective. He keeps an eye on his house and his person, and he hasn't had any sort of attack/security training.


I think if I tried this, my pup would jump, bark and join in on the attack! 

She's always looking for an excuse to rough house with me!


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## Anitsisqua (Mar 25, 2012)

Gabe loves to as well, but my dad must have seemed very convincing to him...

And it's hard to complain about them loving to rough house...It just means they're healthy, active puppies...Even if they can be little pills half the time.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Mary1990 said:


> Just curious, My pup Bella is 9 months old, if I was being attacked on the street or if someone broke in to my house would she know to attack?


What you want now is a stable, well socialized, confident dog. At nine months, any reaction she is providing is most likely based on fear and not protection. Fear and protection reactions are often confused. 

You don't want to set up 'test' scenarios to see what her reaction is. At 9 months you want her to believe you are Super Person who could fend off Godzilla with one hand while making her dinner with the other. 

Having a stable, confident dog at your side creates a greater sense of security to those who intend on doing you harm, then a fear barker jumping around at the end of a leash while you struggle to control them.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

My first GSD (who had no protection training) DID attack to protect me. So I wouldn't say only a trained dog will protect or attack. However, I had no way to call him off. He simply stopped after a bite to re-assess the situation. He did become hypervigilant after that, though...which required a LOT of training to undo. He saw every male as a threat to me after that, but I was thankful that he DID act to protect me when he did.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

People, wait for your dogs to grow up. Testing a six month old or a nine month old to see what they would if their owner was attacked, is like setting up a mock attack on the parent of a six or 10 year old to see if the child will protect the attacker - just how much mental stress and fear do you want to instill in a pup that relies on its owner to protect him and keep him safe? Sure, they look full grown size-wise, and they have teeth that hurt if they bite, but they don't know that - what they know is that things are scary and out of control and confusing, and a fake attack can traumatize them for years to come. Now instead of growing up feeling secure and confident, they grow up fearful and suspicious, ready to jump and attack at the slightest provocation, even in completely safe and normal situations - but now they have been primed to over-react. 

Protection training must be an on-going project that the handler needs to get involved with. It takes years to properly train a protection dog, not something that you send your pup away for a few weeks. And as others have said, the handler needs the handling/training skills too, and the training maintained, or it will be lost. 

For most people, just having a big, obedienct, calm GSD by your side is all the deterence one needs.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

hunterisgreat said:


> .As for trained dogs being a liability, I disagree... I take my dogs to that scary place in their emotional spectrum regularly, and train to have immediate compliance in that state of mind. I'd wager my dogs are much safer to be around in the presence of a threatening individual than a dog that is unfamiliar with this emotional state of mind.


Your dogs are very well trained and that's awesome.  It was the same reason why I was able to have a great relationship with an officer and his K9; it wasn't uncommon for the officer to bring the dog by and I could give him a good scritch behind the ears. On the flip side, I never wanted to be on the receiving end of his bites. I also knew that, even though I was able to pet him when I was given the chance by the officer, if I ever did something that required the dog to be given the command to go after me, I'd be in some serious trouble.

On the other hand, Joe Schmoe on the street who has their big GSD, or Pit Bull, or whatever "vicious" breed they bought just for protection somehow gets their dog to "attack" anytime someone looks at them crooked. That's where the liability comes in. I also think that any dog who has gone through Schutzhund training and end up biting someone gets a bad shake just because they were "trained to attack."

I'm sure that my dog would protect me if something bad happened. He starts barking and whining when my husband and I practice our TKD take-downs. Someone broke into our house- actually kicked the front door in and ran into our living room. Finn went ballistic. He didn't bite, but he sure acted like he would and he didn't back down. 

IMO, all dogs have that want/desire to protect their best friend. When it comes down to it, I believe they all will. There's no reason, other than K9 Officers and those that are doing Schutzhund trials, to teach dogs how to "attack".


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Shaolin said:


> Your dogs are very well trained and that's awesome.  It was the same reason why I was able to have a great relationship with an officer and his K9; it wasn't uncommon for the officer to bring the dog by and I could give him a good scritch behind the ears. On the flip side, I never wanted to be on the receiving end of his bites. I also knew that, even though I was able to pet him when I was given the chance by the officer, if I ever did something that required the dog to be given the command to go after me, I'd be in some serious trouble.
> 
> On the other hand, Joe Schmoe on the street who has their big GSD, or Pit Bull, or whatever "vicious" breed they bought just for protection somehow gets their dog to "attack" anytime someone looks at them crooked. That's where the liability comes in. I also think that any dog who has gone through Schutzhund training and end up biting someone gets a bad shake just because they were "trained to attack."
> 
> ...


Ill also note that the desire to protect is always there.... At least in that seeing a pack member being threatened should invoke some response. It's the follow through that I'm talking about, and the "what happens when the aggressor bites back" reaction from the dog


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

Mary1990 said:


> Just curious, My pup Bella is 9 months old, if I was being attacked on the street or if someone broke in to my house would she know to attack? Iv heard that most dogs would protect to a certain amount, but German shepherds are ment to be the best protection dog, so would I need to send her to attack training, or would she know to attack and protect already?


Back to OP...

I'd say, if you want an attack trained dog, first learn to train and handle one. I don't think the average person has the skill or knowledge.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

this is my 4th GSD. one was protective and 3 were love
all, lick all. if you want your dog to perform in a certain
manner have him/her trained in the manner you want.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Lilie said:


> Having a stable, confident dog at your side creates a greater sense of security to those who intend on doing you harm, then a fear barker jumping around at the end of a leash while you struggle to control them.


It gets pretty dark at night where I am at, so all a person walking by can see is a big GSD. They don't know she is a puppy, she don't make a sound and she just watches. On several occasions because of the way she acts, people have asked me if its okay for them to walk by. And as they walk by, she just stares at them..it really is kind of creepy and I'm sure it makes them feel very uncomfortable. She will hold that stare until they are out of site, most of the time coming and sitting right next to me and looking pretty proud of herself. I kinda laugh to myself, because I don't think she would know what to do if someone approached us in "attack" mode, BUT they don't know that so they leave us alone


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## jade_14 (Sep 21, 2011)

Like a lot of people already said, just having a German Shepherd walking with you is enough deterrent already! No one else knows whether your dog will attack or not.
Anytime anyone comes up to me while I'm walking Casey and asks if he will bite (especially a man), I'll say "only if I tell him to", that usually slightly freaks them out. I don't want to say "nope he's a big sook!" because I don't want to tell the wrong person that lol.
There's many times I've been walking at night in dark places and gone by big groups of scary looking guys, and they've never ever said a word to me at all when I'm with Casey, when if I was alone, there would usually be some rude cat calling of some sort at least. 
Once I was walking at night and up ahead of me was a group of guys yelling and following a young girl about my age all alone, I started walking quickly with Casey to get closer to them, they saw me, stopped bugging the girl, I heard them whispering and I heard one guy say 'Don't bother dude, look at her dog'. Maybe it's not the smartest thing to go in dark places at night but it happened and probably thanks to Casey that nothing ever happened! 
I would also walk my girlfriends home at night in the dark with him as added protection because I didn't want them walking home alone at night around where I lived. 
Casey's does nothing more than watch people very closely at night as we walk past them.. if someone made a move on me, I imagine he'd growl and bark at them, would he bite? I don't think so, but I hope I never have to find out!


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## Jajjaaj (Sep 4, 2012)

Our Skeeter girl was extremely protective of our children. They really were her kids. While Skeeter never had this type of training, she knew when someone was up to no good or untrustworthy. She was a lovey-dovey that the kids would climb all over, and sleep with. When the kids would hike in the hills behind our home, she went with them. Our UPS guy made regular deliveries to our rural home. He related to me that he always knew when the kids were home or not. He said that if she just stood in our yard and barked, it was safe for him to leave the package at the front door. If Skeeter ran up on the steps of his truck barking and her hackles standing straight up, he knew the kids were close by and he would just honk to get our attention. There were several protection mode instances over the years, but she never bit anyone. She just made it clear that if she didn't know you, you were not allowed to get too close to the kids, and would scare the flipping daylights out of, what she perceived, a potential perp. Skeeter was 14-years old when we lost her 19 years ago. To this day, the kids still talk about and miss her. I think, while training is important, GSDs have a natural instinct to protect their people.


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## ilivenanigloo (Jul 6, 2006)

I don't believe anyone can be certain until something happens or the dog is trained. 

Lupa has snapped and barked at people who pushed me, even though we were just playing. 

I used to be very reactive on a leash and any time I tensed up around passer-by on our walks, she would bark at them.

Stupid little kids have run up to her, lunged and growled then run away and she lunged, growled and snapped back. 

A friend of mine that helped raise her since birth once dog-sat for me. While at my friend's house, her little brother jumped out from behind a tree with a water gun. My friend had to grab Lupa mid lunge. She's from working lines and my friend swears up and down she was the most promising puppy in the litter and I've totally ruined a **** fine working dog, for which I feel shame and regret.


I think it's highly likely that if she would protect her "other mother" from an "attacker," she would protect me. I think it's fair to say she would ACT, but would she know what to do, having no experience? I think she's demonstrated good defense and a potential to protect me, so I wouldn't put it past her, but I wouldn't do anything rash just because she's around.

I believe the point in protection training is to train an already protective dog to assess situations and make sound decisions. Lupa could have bitten my friend who pushed me because she isn't trained to distinguish rough-housing from violence. Nor is she trained to distinguish a stupid kid from an attacker. 

Also, there's the misplaced instinct aspect. I have rhythm (or so I've been told), but that doesn't mean I know how to dance; it means if I tried, I could possibly be good at it. I once had a parakeet get out of its cage and land on the floor. My mother's cocker schnoodle (1/2 cocker, 1/4 schnauser, 1/4 poodle) lept over a barrier and snatched the bird off the floor. She just stood there with this little bird in her mouth, clueless as to what to do with it. The bird sat there, seemingly stunned at the situation (and I'm sure he was surprised!), as though he were thinking, "Wow! I'm not dead!" 

I think it's the same thing with a protective breed like the GSD; the instincts, temperament, etc might be perfect for being a grand protection dog, but if not trained to deal with those situations, will the dog know what to do? I think the certainty decreases with the attacker's increasing willingness and ability to fight a dog. I think it's the likeliness of a dog FIGHTING a a persistent attacker that leaves the most room for doubt; the dog may bite, but will he fight?


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## Halopuppy (Aug 21, 2012)

I totally agree with Gharrissc, I have a 18 month old GSD that I am now working with in protection, I have developed the prey drive and now we work on protection. I like using the prey drive due to it will make a dog go into crack mode, ( That is what I call it ) This is when the dog is so focused they can not see anything else. This is instinct in most dogs. The reason I do this is I need to make sure that in Crack mode I can shut it off instantly with ONE call ! This is a must if you have a protection dog. Basic training is a Must before anything else, sit heel, come etc. To train a GSD you must think like a GSD.
Good luck everyone


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## frillint1 (Sep 2, 2010)

Agreed that having a GSD will deter most people. Anytime I walk Chief anyone usually on the same sidewalk as me walking toward me will usually cross the street them cross back after they are past me or if I am outside brushing him they will cross far down the street and cross back. Almost no one asks to pet him, because they are to afraid. I had one guy come around a corner and didnt see us he hopped a fence to get away we werent doing anything but walking. I felt uneasy a few times with someone following me I stop and tell Chief to "speak" and he has a very scary loud bark. Right now you just need to socolize, train and love him.

My other boy when he was younger hes 17 now he did attack someone that had broke into my house when I was like 10 and he saved me. He had no training except obedience as I was doing the training. We lived in the country, so all I had was him and playing with him and seeing what fun stuff I could get him to do and he has saved me more than once.


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## cptduke (Aug 22, 2012)

The other day I was sitting in the basement when out of no where my 6 month old started growling a death warning to something on the stairs.. I just about **** my pants because I really thought someone was there! Turns out he was growling at my sweater that was at the top of the stairs. 

Point is, whether he would attack or not, I'm confident that his death warning would be enough to deter someone.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

was your dog protecting you or was your dog scared?



cptduke said:


> The other day I was sitting in the basement when out of no where my 6 month old started growling a death warning to something on the stairs.. I just about **** my pants because I really thought someone was there! Turns out he was growling at my sweater that was at the top of the stairs.
> 
> Point is, whether he would attack or not, I'm confident that his death warning would be enough to deter someone.


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## Heracles (Oct 8, 2012)

one time at a family get together, some friends started horsing around and play punched me on the shoulder. I was holding my gs by the leash and he lunged at them with that crying bark, like DONT DOOO THAT!! lol.. it was pretty neat as I never trained him to be a protection dog..

Of course im not too confident he wouldnet get befriended by a thief with dog bones..but as long as they bark and look scary thats all you need, right?


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## Montu (Oct 9, 2012)

as others have said..she may or may not..you just don't know with out training..also my pup is now a year old and is starting to be more protective or at least act tougher.

Also like others have said the dog barking should be enough to deter breaks ins..like this footage from my security cam.
http://youtu.be/6MQG1R3kaxg


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

ilivenanigloo said:


> I don't believe anyone can be certain until something happens or the dog is trained.
> 
> Lupa has snapped and barked at people who pushed me, even though we were just playing.
> 
> ...


Some dogs will defend themselves and their "family" when attacked without training! A GSD should be capable of this IMO.

But discrimination is also a real key. We don't want a dog with too low a threshhold of course but we do want a dog with the courage to act when it is appropriate.

And for those folks who think that they should make all decisions about when the dog should really act - think about if you get really attacked and are hit and cannot give a command or are just knocked out (it happens!). Sort of like a K9 - think they should ALWAYS wait for a command to defend themselves or their handler?

Not always!

Training certainly helps!


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

cptduke said:


> The other day I was sitting in the basement when out of no where my 6 month old started growling a death warning to something on the stairs.. I just about **** my pants because I really thought someone was there! Turns out he was growling at my sweater that was at the top of the stairs.
> 
> Point is, whether he would attack or not, I'm confident that his death warning would be enough to deter someone.


 
*I bet he could have taken the sweater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*


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## glg46 (Mar 26, 2012)

A well trained dog is an asset not a liability as this video will demonstrate


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## susan.msp (Apr 30, 2012)

I have a friend who has a male GSD, Goober about 8 years old. No formal training, just at home basic obedience. This man lives out in the middle of no where.

When I first met him, my husband and I got out of the car and my husband held out his hand to shake, Kenny ( friend ) backed up and said "don't do that" My husband was confused and didn't understand why the man wouldn't shake his hand, so he kept walking forward with his hand out. Goober snarled and jumped at my husband. 

Now he's a great dog, but you do NOT touch Kenny. I have been friends with him for about 6 years now, and Goober will play with me, loves to play fetch and be loved on but his demeanor will instantly change if you touch Kenny. And he means business. 

Kenny became very ill with cancer and part of the treatment was causing very dry itchy skin on his back. I said "oh for heaven sakes kenny lift your shirt and i will put the medicine on your back" I started to pull up his shirt and Goober instantly reminded me that you don't touch.

What worried me most was that if Kenny ever needed 911, they would have to kill goober to be able to treat him. He doesn't resource guard any toys or food, only Kenny and only against other humans. 

When people say that only a trained dog will protect it's owner, that is just not true. Perhaps they say it to gain more clients.

One final note, Goober will allow children ( Kenny's granchildren) to climb all over kenny. he sounds like a terribly unstable dog but he isn't. Over the years I have learned that Goober is very easy to get along with, just remember the rule and don't touch!


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## susan.msp (Apr 30, 2012)

I should have added a few things. This dog is 8 years old now, and Kenny has never done anything to correct this behavior so he obviously see's it as a benefit. I know that he knows to much about dogs to have been unable to correct it, it's been incouraged.

Now before he came out here to the country, he lived in a very large city so maybe that's one of the reasons he encouraged the behavior. 

Goober has excellent judgement when it comes to people, he's just one of the most unique dogs I have ever met. If you were to meet him, you would think he was the biggest fluffcake you have ever met. And at 8 years old, this dog is going strong like a young pup.


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

I completely agree with those who have pointed out that your dog is too young to worry about her being protective. 

I believe that correct German Shepherd temperament is to be protective. Those who are concerned about this being a liablity should maybe think about a different breed. This is why peole complain all the time that GSDs are not what they used to be. Get the breed that fits your livestyle and personality, not fit the breed to your desires. 

You actually WANT to train a dog with natural "protectiveness". It is LESS of a liablity, not more.

There is a range in "protectiveness", some GSD's may not display it because they have never been in a situation where it is required. Some just don't have it.

I also agree with those who said that the look of the GSD is the biggest deterrant. Of my two dogs, one has very little defense drive and an extremely high threshold. The other has high defense and low threshold. People react the same to both. They don't ask about their defense level and thresholds, they just stay back. LOL! If they do ask if they are friendly, I say for one "If you are!" and about the other, "Strangers aren't his favorite."

When I run at night though, I am glad it is my "protective" boy that is with me.


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## SewSleepy (Sep 4, 2012)

Montu said:


> Also like others have said the dog barking should be enough to deter breaks ins..like this footage from my security cam.
> http://youtu.be/6MQG1R3kaxg


Seven wasn't sure what to think of your dog barking 



Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## martinaa (Jan 5, 2012)

More importantly, will your dog know NOT to attack? That's much harder especially for an improperly trained dog. And the odds are that if he does attack he will be judged to be in the wrong and could pay a very heavy price for the mistake. This isn't concern about legal liability. It's concern for the dog.

I think that a GSD whose temperament falls within the breed standard and who is properly assimulated into his human pack can be expected to protect you if it is really necessary. I've had two do it. Both dogs were lovable goofballs in their non-superhero alter egos.

I've noticed something funny. I have had many people cross the street to avoid meeting me and my GSD on the sidewalk. But I think I've had nearly as many automobile drivers slow their vehicle to shout some variation of "gorgeous dog". Even to the point of resulting in one near accident and one actual accident.


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

IMO, I don't think you can really know for sure until you are placed in a threatening situation. 

My last GSD was the love all, kiss all type and even at full size, was a hit in the neighborhood with the kids who played ball with him every day. I didn't think he had an aggressive bone in his body until one day, this off duty cop who lived in the neighborhood had his off-leash ex-service GSD bolt into my garage with me and Riley in there. Buddy came running in after him and there I am backed into the wall by a strange dog and a strange dude we never met. I am sure Riley sensed my concern over this and proceeded to chase both their sorry asses out the garage in a snarling fury.  Would never have guessed he had it in him. 

Nothing the guy could really say and even after that he refused to use a leash.


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

martinaa said:


> I've noticed something funny. I have had many people cross the street to avoid meeting me and my GSD on the sidewalk. But I think I've had nearly as many automobile drivers slow their vehicle to shout some variation of "gorgeous dog". Even to the point of resulting in one near accident and one actual accident.


I am a runner now and run with one of my dogs. This happens to us all the time.  If they don't walk on the other side of the street, I pull Grizz off the sidewalk and have him sit. Almost always get comments, but if not they stare at him all the way by. I have never once had someone ask to pet him while we are out running only ask if he is friendly

"Beautiul dog."
"I like your dog."
"Is he a police dog"
"Does he bite"
"Is he going to bite my dog" (Owner of a yippy dog who ran at us)
"I bet people leave you alone"
"Does he protect you"
"Don't want to mess with him"
"Look mom, a police dog"
"That's a big dog!"

I've noticed many cars slow down as they go by us. I was self conscious when we first started running because I thought people where staring at me. Then I realized they were looking at him.

BTW I wasn't saying that a GSD owner shouldn't consider liability issues. Just pointing out that if a person feels a "protective" dog is only a liability that a GSD may not be the right breed for them, because a GSD SHOULD BE protective.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

FrankieC said:


> IMO, I don't think you can really know for sure until you are placed in a threatening situation.
> 
> My last GSD was the love all, kiss all type and even at full size, was a hit in the neighborhood with the kids who played ball with him every day. I didn't think he had an aggressive bone in his body until one day, this off duty cop who lived in the neighborhood had his off-leash ex-service GSD bolt into my garage with me and Riley in there. Buddy came running in after him and there I am backed into the wall by a strange dog and a strange dude we never met. I am sure Riley sensed my concern over this and proceeded to chase both their sorry asses out the garage in a snarling fury.  Would never have guessed he had it in him.
> Nothing the guy could really say and even after that he refused to use a leash.


And the ex-service dog didn't fight back? What service did he do - therapy dog?


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

codmaster said:


> And the ex-service dog didn't fight back? What service did he do - therapy dog?


Nope.. and trust me, I figured Riley was in over his head. It all happened so fast. And the dog was retired from the city police k-9 unit.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Probably good that he retired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

When I was in my twenties I had a dog, Noah, who was part White German Shepherd and part smooth Collie. He was devoted to me and was polite but distant to other people (except my sister and my Mom). I didn't raise him to be protective, but one evening I heard a sound followed by the most god-awful snarling and growling and howling. A man was in my backyard trying to take the screen off my window and come into my house! And Noah had transformed into a **** Hound, fur all standing up and lips curled up and teeth showing!!!! I have never seen a scarier looking dog in my life! The man ran away, and I called the police. Noah calmed down, but he was glued to my side the rest of the night and slept between me and that window.

If a dog loves you and has the temperament to figure out that he CAN protect you and the brain power to recognize a real threat, the dog often will give protection his best shot. Noah was very smart and I was very young, and he figured things out well without enough guidance from me. Since then I have tried to give my dogs better lessons about what is and is not okay in terms of people coming to the house. But I will always be grateful for my first dog, Noah, who kept me safe in an iffy neighborhood and was smarter than I was, sometimes.


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