# Share examples of good nerve!



## Castlemaid

To help people understand what we mean when we talk about "good nerve", I thought I could start a thread where we can share examples about our dogs. 
This thread would be specifically to showcase behaviour that exemplifies strong, solid nerve. 

For example:

I took Gryffon when he was about 9 or 10 months old into an arena to watch hockey practice. We walked up the open grating stairs to the entrance, walked in and sat down. It was a zoo with the noise level completely deafening! People shouting, coaches blowing whistles, skates screeching on the ice, kids hitting the boards, pucks flying everywhere bouncing off the plexiglass guards, small figures with huge helmets zipping around at crazy speeds: Gryffon sat down on a bench and watched everything with interest. Broke his focus to suck up to little kids coming up to pet him, then turned his attention back to all the going-ons on the ice. 

After about twenty minutes, he got bored and decided to lie down! :wild:

Also, just today, for example, I stopped in at work after hours - I work in a helicopter Maintenance Center. The hangar was semi-dark and deserted. Since no one was here, I let him off leash to explore. He explored the whole place, sniffed every piece of equipment, crawled under every helicopter, checked out every tool box, inspected every engine on a stand, and made sure that the paper work was all up to snuff!!! 

I stood in one area, he was completely comfortable and showed 100% confidence being out of my sight, in the semi-darkness, in this huge, cavernous place full of really weird stuff, moving through the place tail wagging, head held high!

Your turn!


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## W.Oliver

My neighbor is one of those guys who is always wrenching on something. The other day it was a cafe type motorcycle...tricked out for the drag strip, with a huge slick and wheelie bar. Indy and I were shootin' breeze with him while he tinkered on the bike in his garage....when he apparently decided the bike should be tested, and turned over the engine. I am ashamed to say, I jumped, and my girlie shreek couldn't be heard over the sound of the motor.....what bothered me is that Indy didn't move...just stood there with a curious look. In fact, this bike, sounding like a deep throated chain saw with the neighbor revving it up....over and over...while I freaked, Indy watched me, then looked at the motorcycle, then back at me...as if to say..."pansy!". If she would have dashed to the end of the leash and then recovered, I would have felt better about my startled reaction!


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## Syaoransbear

Once when I was at the cabin, I was walking Chrono around the campsite in the middle of the night off leash. It was raining a bit, so thankfully I had on all of my rain gear. Then it started absolutely _pouring_ with tonnes of thundering and lightening. The only time I could even see Chrono was when the lightening lit up the sky in a flash and a loud boom.

But he didn't even notice! He was more concerned with playing in the puddles and getting as muddy as possible :crazy:. It took us another 30 minutes to get back, and he was totally fine the whole way. It was as if the thunder, lightening, and rain didn't even exist.

ETA: Of course then there's me, my nerves are so bad that when I yell a bit too loudly I scare myself.


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## doggiedad

>>>> our dog watched the fire works with us and they
were being fired a block away. he didn't flinch (i did).

>>>> was in a crowd of 5,000 people. walked off leash.
there were other dogs there off leash also.

>>>> i pulled the silverware drawer out to far and it
fell near him. he casually looked over but he
didn't get up.

>>>> stood next to a guy (off leash) while the
guy shot a potato gun several times.

>>>> i tripped over him in the dark once and never got up.

>>>> he doesn't leave the room/house when i play
guitar and i suck.

>>>> walked across a grid floor bridge that's 100 ft in the air
with no problem.

>>>> rides backwards when in our Subaru wagon
and looks out the back window.


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## onyx'girl

I don't have "an incident" really but just what I see day to day.
After having dogs with nerves that aren't so strong, having one that is solid is so much more enjoyable to live with.

A pontoon boat ride at 10 weeks, the wind/rains started in, puppy showed no reaction, the ride back was long and bumpy. Storm didn't phase him, but it would have sent my other two cowering underneath my feet.

Parade with people, horses, sirens, gunfire~ puppy showed no hesitation at 3 months of age. 
Amtrak train zooming by at the same time, no biggie.
We see deer on a hike and adolescent doesn't bark or try to chase when deer run, but just observe.
Other dogs are not to react at or try to play with, just look at happily!
Taking the dog onto new surfaces/obstacles with no hesitation...the first A-frame experience was no big deal and an agility tunnel intro a couple weeks back, entered it joyfully and went in again and again!

I wish I had the nerves my dog has!


> >> he doesn't leave the room/house when i play
> guitar and i suck


LOL doggieDad! I bet he loves the music you make


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## cassadee7

I take my pup to the Kindergarten playground several times a week. It is so crazy... about 35-40 children (ages 2 through 6) running, screaming, climbing, sometimes throwing things or crying or racing past us, but Saber sits on the loose leash and watches. After awhile she lies down by my feet and observes. Kids run within a foot of her face sometimes and she just watches. She only gets up or moves when they come over to pet her, and then she sits, puts her ears back and licks them. Everyone says, "I have never seen a puppy that calm."


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## Minnieski

Hmmm...noticing a lot of Wildhaus dogs in these posts...


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## Miss Molly May

One very noticeable thing we do that shows Molly 's nerves is when I take her to my wifes school to meet 25 grade 4 students. The kids run around her and crowd her with a tonne of hands touching her and she is totally relaxed


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## Lin

Tessa is my service dog, and I have to admit she made the training easy :blush:

She's taken everything new in stride. All sorts of bizarre things... I went to a jazz concert at a university here, and the place was packed. I'm 5'3 and my knees practically touched the seat in front of me, and I had my bf on one side and a stranger on the other side. Tessa curled up in a tight little ball between my legs and the seat in front of me and didn't budge. 

First time in a glass elevator she looked out the glass with interest and shifted her footing suddenly when it started moving, then just went "oh ok I know what this is." 

I'm trying to think of more examples but the way that its no big deal no matter what I throw at her means most things didn't leave an impression on my memory!


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## JanaeUlva

The thread "locked in prey" has some good descriptions of good nerve in dogs. I've been impressed with my pup's solid nerve in various "environmental" situations, such as people are describing here so far. The ability to handle loud noises and chaotic situations. 

She also shows confidence in situations where the footing is unusual, like rocking piers, metal fire escapes, and my personal favorite are the deep, grate covered pits with heated air blasting up that are used in boiler heated buidlings. We walked in crowds of protesters with drums, kazoos, and bullhorns. I've had 10 - 20 kids run like a little human herd of buffalo over to pet her.

Obviously, this environmental confidence in our puppies are a really good thing. I wonder how this translates over, however, to the nerve needed in the protection activities that many of us want to participate in with our GSD dogs. Meaning, is there usually a direct correlation in strengh of environmental nerve with protection related nerve? 

It seems like nerves can come in different colors: noise, footing, situational chaos, protection, etc.


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## Rerun

I hate to call my own dog out, because I love him dearly - but let me give an example of very WEAK nerve.

Dante is an 8 mo old Malinois, knew he was weak nerved from day one. He is a GREAT dog and I love him dearly, and have worked with him patiently through all his weak nerve issues. He has fear, but no fear aggression or reactivity.

However - as an example - he's been going to the same place for training since he was 12 wks old (we got him at 10 wks and signed him up for the next puppy class that started). He's been going weekly since then and still to this day, shakes for the first 10 minutes and is very shy when we first get there. He now warms up faster and faster, and will untuck his tail and prick his ears more, and he can now focus on me much better despite distractions. He used to be terrified of loud noises, scary objects, etc and would try to run from them. Sometimes he still does, but he's gotten so much better through time and training. Last week he had to do recalls through and over "scary" (to him) objects and it didn't bother him at all. That's big progress for him, whereas my dogs with good nerve nothing would've phased them at all.


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## Good_Karma

Has anyone ever taken their dog to a civil war re-enactment? I'd be interested to know if a normal, steady-nerved dog could handle cannon fire.


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## Dogaroo

Kaija's typical reaction to sudden, loud noises: "I didn't knock anything over, Mom! Honest, it wasn't me this time! (wag, wag)"


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## GSDElsa

For me it's nothing in particular. Just day to day things.

- First time I walked by the gun range with her she didn't even bat an eye. It's like she was not even aware guns were going off right across the canal from us.

- Take her to dog event parade-type things where there are 100 other dogs and hundreds of people. She happily goes along with it all.

- Take her to the playground and without hesitation goes climbing over everything. IF she slips off or gets stuck, she doesn't panic, just tries again.

- If I quick her when I trim her nails she'll flinch a little bit, but be otherwise uneffected. 

- Let's little kids hang off her and poke a prob her. 

- Can go any new place no matter how much action going on and after a few minutes of excited sniffing and checking things out relaxes and haves fun.


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## CassandGunnar

We have 2 dogs and they are mostly the same, but differ in some areas:

Gunnar is 3 1/2 GSD. We've had him since he was 8 weeks old. I have not found anything that really bothers him. He's been to the firing range, he's worked along police K9's in training, horses, sheep, kids of all ages and over/in/through all kinds of surfaces and footings.
He doesn't mind the water, but doesn't like to swim. If we go to the lake, he'll go in as deep as he can walk, but doesn't really like to get any deeper.

Cassie just turned 2 in November and is GSD/Belgian Mal. She is my first experience with a softer dog. With her, it depends on what we're doing. We go out to our County Shop (I'm a retred sheriff's sergeant/K9 handler) and she loves to play on the ladders/agility/confidence course equipment. She's a little more "picky" about footing. She'll go across/over different stuff, but is kind of tentative about it. However, if I throw frisbee out on the metal flooring, she doesn't even blink. She is one of those high drive dogs.
She HATES loud noises. She does not like to go anywhere near the range and fireworks make her nervous/skittish. Thunderstorms bother her as well. She'll work through them, but we really have to encourage her. Normally, she'll go downstairs to her crate and wait out a storm.
We've only had her since last May, almost a year and I have no idea what she was exposed to as a puppy. I have had some contact with the previous owner (she was a rehome due to a move out of the Country) and their favorite "correction" was to jerk on her choke chain and to yell until she "complied". I don't know if that attributes to her softness or not.


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## Holmeshx2

Good_Karma said:


> Has anyone ever taken their dog to a civil war re-enactment? I'd be interested to know if a normal, steady-nerved dog could handle cannon fire.


I have never been to a civil war re enactment however I live on an Amy base and fairly close to the firing range. We hear HUGE ammunition going off at all hours. There is a super loud bang that even scares me (sounds like a cannon not sure what it is) but the entire house shakes and knocks things off our walls (I finally took everything down lol) We can be outside at 2 in the morning pitch black and a round will go off (preparing for a deployment) and she doesn't flinch doesn't even look up from whatever she is doing. She lays inside and may look at the back door if one goes off but doesn't do anything just lays her head back down and goes back to sleep. We have had people come over and she gladly lets them in the house IF we open the door. If the door is messed with and we are not at it she is all over the door until we back her off. 

She has knocked the baby gate over and just walks accross it neither the noise or unstable footing bothers her. 

She goes to the motorpool and has large tanks driving past her in long lines men with guns big bulky gear and helmets on marching past her bugles going off throughout the day and lets not forget they do PT near our home so morning potty generally includes tons of SUPER loud screaming groups of men screaming out cadences.

She will go between large metal holding units and a large chain fence where she barely has room to squeeze in and if my husband shakes the fence she doesn't even flinch. She will go over under through or on anything that is around without hesitation. 

When we first got her she had spent an entire day (like 12 hours) on a plane met these strange people she never met before (me and my husband) in the dark at a strange place (my job at a car dealership) and then walked right past one of the huge hanger doors and it opened she didn't flinch at the noise and walked inside and investigated all the cars on lifts and the equipment wasn't phased at all.


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## lanaw13

At 13 weeks I don't know how much Osa will change as she gets older…. but so far, seems pretty steady:
No reaction:
Thunder and lightning
Sleeps at the vets office while waiting, dogs barking all around
Strange man in hat shoveling rocks and dumping in metal wheelbarrow (loud)
Kids flying kites, Kids riding bikes, etc
low flying helicopters
BUT a weiner dog yapping from behind privacy fence…. scares her (!?)


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## Stosh

When Stosh was shot in the head in Dec, I thought he would never tolerate gun shots, thunder or loud noises, but he's surprised me. The night he was shot, he was out on the deck with my husband while he was grilling, it was dark and Stosh ran to the wooded creek area to see what the neighbor's dog was barking at- that's when the neighbor shot him. Stosh still loves to keep my husband company on the deck, people still keep shooting [not the neighbor though] and he's completely at ease. Thunder, fireworks, etc. may get his attention but there's no fear reaction. The neighbor's dog still charges down the hill barking at us but Stosh ignores him- he's a strong pup.


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## Castlemaid

Wow!!! These area ALL amazing examples of dogs and puppies with amazing good nerve! (exept little Dante - lol - but not his fault!) I'm glad you added that in Rerun, illustrates well that Nerve is genetic and comes from good breeding, and no amount of socilization can overcome genetic bad nerves, though it can help a little. 

JanaeUlva - the thread you mentioned and many others were what gave me the idea to start this thread. Exellent discussions, but often a bit overwhelming in the amount of information to people who are just learning, and people who feel that breeding for protection training as nothing to do with finding a breeder for a good pet, so they avoid or dismiss threads like that. 

Yet it has been often pointed out, that who/what needs better nerve than a family pet? Look at all the examples of crazy, chaotic, noisy, unpredictable situations our pups and older dogs are exposed to as part of their normal every-day lives, and how well they just dealt with it, not getting stressed. That is were the testing of breeding dogs, through training and trialing in different venues comes in (venues more demanding than the show ring, a CGC, or basic obedience trials - as just about any dog with some basic training can do well and pass in these venues - does not call for exeptinal nerve or temperament) for identifying and selecting the breeding dogs that exemplify the strong nerve that a GSD is known for. 

More stories and examples!!! These are great!!


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## NancyJ

Lots of things but we were working a scent problem when a crazy horse (some horses seem to really have it for dogs) came charging after Grim. He just kept working and let the people deal with the horse....Falling int ravines and continuing to work, working with a fishook in his butt, 

Once he went down a sprial tube slide backwards (someone hid a problem in the bottom of one and the scent went up so he climbed the metal stairs and platform, found scent coming out of tube stuck head in, went in, and wound up coming down upside down on his back.......he knocked out the scent source and spun around and gave his trained indication)


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## Holmeshx2

Castlemaid said:


> Yet it has been often pointed out, that who/what needs better nerve than a family pet? Look at all the examples of crazy, chaotic, noisy, unpredictable situations our pups and older dogs are exposed to as part of their normal every-day lives, and how well they just dealt with it, not getting stressed.
> 
> More stories and examples!!! These are great!!


I REALLY think this should be repeated! Jinx was bought basically as a "pet" but we want to still get her into other things I mean whats the point of getting a breed bred to work and make them couch potatos? At least do something for fun. Anyways I digress. We just got home I had Jinx in a sit next to the car while I grabbed stuff out of it then accidentally hit the alarm button and set the car off she didn't even move she just looked at me like "way to go mom" and sat there patiently while I scrambled to figure out how to shut it off then just walked inside with me. Plenty of stupid day to day things that solid nerves helps with from "just a pet"


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## PaddyD

Wondering if it is good for a German Shepherd Dog to not be somewhat reactive. Can't imagine mine sitting there when a deer runs by; after all, she's a dog. Seems they should be calm and tolerant but by nature reactive. JMO My dog is somewhat reactive to sounds until she learns they are not something to be concerned about then she is just curious about them and the head tilt begins. A dog that doesn't react to new situations with some concern is one I'm sure wouldn't survive long in the wild. I consider reaction a sign of intelligence (hey there could be danger here) and overcoming the reaction and learning about the new situation the ultimate sign of strong 'nerves'.
A dog that is blaze' about his environment seems a little dense to me. JMHO


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## onyx'girl

I agree with you PaddyD....dogs should be aware of their surroundings and somewhat suspicious. But to react out of fear or have a low threshold is not good either. 
I'd rather have my pup not be reactive and show enthusiasm when new situations are placed before him. 
I know this thread has many posts from the same breeder as mine and the breeder did things early on in their environment to nuture them to show strong nerves(that and their genetic make-up). Of course all pups are different as far as their thresholds go. 
My pup hates to have his nails trimmed(huge drama queen), but recovers immediately when restrained for the procedure done by complete strangers to him.


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## NancyJ

PaddyD said:


> Wondering if it is good for a German Shepherd Dog to not be somewhat reactive. Can't imagine mine sitting there when a deer runs by; after all, she's a dog. Seems they should be calm and tolerant but by nature reactive. JMO My dog is somewhat reactive to sounds until she learns they are not something to be concerned about then she is just curious about them and the head tilt begins. A dog that doesn't react to new situations with some concern is one I'm sure wouldn't survive long in the wild. I consider reaction a sign of intelligence (hey there could be danger here) and overcoming the reaction and learning about the new situation the ultimate sign of strong 'nerves'.
> A dog that is blaze' about his environment seems a little dense to me. JMHO


If you train your dog around farm animals and deer and wildlife at an early age it can learn to ignore them (you can tell when they still smell game if you learn to watch them) and focus on what they are trained for. A dog that has the self control to not jump a deer or take chase after a critter everytime it sees one is not necessarily - blah-. 

I don't believe good working dogs have TIME to overcome every thing that may cause concern for a dog of lesser confidence in real life situations. They just don't react unless there is actually a reason. 

So far the only thing I have seen really phase my dog was when I *think* we passed a bear (sign in area). His hackles went up (only time I have ever seen them up in our 6 years together) his ears went back, he got between me and it and walked slowly and deliberately casting his head back that way. Soon as we got past the area he was back to normal. I have only seen this once and it was very very diferent.


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## Castlemaid

Pat - good point! A GSD should be in tune and aware of its environment. However as Nancy pointed out, being reactive, or not having controls on their drives is not the same thing as being aware and ready to engage if need be. It is all about being balanced and clear headed - 

For example, my rescue always wanted to chase everything and anything, and was very suspicious of people suddenly appearing down a path, or in front of a house, where she had not seen people before, and would stop and growl. It took a lot of training to get her to not chase anything that moves, and a lot of exposure into the real world for her suspicion to abate, and her trust in me to grow. I did Schutzhund training with her, but decided to not push her to title, as she did not have as good nerves as I thought she had to start with, and did not have the drives to keep her focused on task for extended periods of time. Yet when we started out, she seemed to possess all the qualities needed to make it - again, a good example of why advanced obedience and protection training really brings out the different levels of nerve a dog possesses - from everyday interaction, she seemed quite capable of doing well, but after a better understanding of what "good nerve" is, it was obvious that she wasn't quite there. 

Gryff won't chase stuff willy-nilly, has never reacted aggressively or suspiciously towards anyone - yet he has much stronger drives which come out when we train, and is a much more serious dog that impressed a world level competitor and police-dog trainer/ schutzhund judge at a local seminar. He is high threshhold, in that he is not one to react to stuff easily. 

So on the surface, he may seem sorta 'dead' in comparison to a reactive dog - but when called upon to show a proper reaction in training, he is anything but. 

Personally, I don't find some reactiveness and a certain level of suspicion to be faulty GSD temperament, but it needs to be balanced with calm, clear-headed, thinking behaviour in non-threatening situations.


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## Holmeshx2

While I agree that a GSD should have a reaction they should not be reactive IMO if they are just reacting over everything without any thought then no I don't think that is proper temperment. With Jinx if we go somewhere new like a new trail in a different set of woods and large artillery goes off she startle then quickly recovers. There are times when something loud and hectic happens (like our drunken neighbor crashing into his own car in his driveway next to us at a 3 am potty break) where she doesn't freak she looked across the street then looked at me saw I didn't care then just kept on sniffing around. She still watches squirrels rabbits and cats run around and definitely wants to go investigate but we can distract her so she doesn't chase.

She has almost ran over a few morning doves on the ground when they flew up practically from under her foot she ran a few steps in the other direction then turned around and went to investigate the ground where they were and then watched them in the tree. I don't think they can't react but to recover quickly definitely shows great nerves IMO. Just as I don't think it takes anything from them not reacting to all noises I think they pick up our vibes and realize we ignored it so they do too.


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## NancyJ

we should remember that the attempts of breeding in wolves to working stock failed because they were too sharp-shy. Our dogs have evolved to live with us in our world not as wild animals.


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## cassadee7

It's also important to remember that even if a dog/pup does 'jump' or startle at a loud noise or someone jumping out and surprizing them, the key sign of good nerves is that they are able to recover quickly. Saber is like that... she was afraid of horses at first but within minutes recovered herself and was fine. She has been startled by things like a revving motorcycle (today in fact) but within seconds just kept walking as normal. If a dog startles and stays afraid and trying to run away and just can't get a grip after a loud noise, and is terrified, that I'd say is weak nerves.


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## Syaoransbear

I also agree that a dog should react in new situations, but it should react with appropriate responses like alertness, curiosity, or cautiousness, not with fear or aggression(unless it's appropriate in that situation, and if it has responded that way inappropriately it should be able to reexamine the situation and recover quickly). I think a dog should be able to assess situations properly, and a dog that's scared by things it has no reason to be fearful of and won't recover isn't properly assessing those situations, and neither is a dog that is unresponsive in even dangerous situations.


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## Holmeshx2

cassadee7 said:


> It's also important to remember that even if a dog/pup does 'jump' or startle at a loud noise or *someone jumping out* and surprizing them, the key sign of good nerves is that they are able to recover quickly.


Ok guilty confession time. I have tested this girls nerves a few times. I think she had been home maybe a day when I heard her running through the kitchen and I hid behind the wall to jump out and scare her (yeah I'm evil I do it to my husband and other family members) she jumped ran away about 2-3 feet then turned around and ran to me when she realized it was me. Now I do it pretty frequently jump out of closets etc.. and she pays it no mind I jump and scream she pounces me and starts wrestling or licking me.


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## Zisso

I can't post anything about good nerves because both of my dogs have their own issues but thought it is great to get examples of good nerved dogs so I can compare, note, and set better goals to help mine along. 

Nadia is great with loud noises and does not react to them, however she is very unsure of people and can be scary if not handled properly. I have been training with the same guy now for at least 9-10 months and she STILL nips at him under certain circumstances. 

Zisso is great with people and kids...100% awesome...He loves people. But he is fearful of fireworks to the point that despite not liking to medicate my dogs, it is the only way to relieve his stress. 

Due to the fact that we train every week with basically the same dogs, they do not react to other dogs. However, I still have to work on my reaction to other dogs when we go for walks.

So all in all the 3 of us fit together well because all 3 of us have weak nerves in some way :silly:


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## carmspack

I've had dogs in SAR where they had to lie in kits under helicopters in flight , SAR dogs being repelled (sp?) down the side of cliffs in kits, Maricopa Sheriffs dept SAR dog who would leap into the helicopter while it was hovering feet above the ground.
A police dog (Keno) who was struck by a car and continued to make the rearrest (Purina Hall of Fame for that one) , another police dog that was nominated for the award for holding off a 3 man ambush where his officer had been shot (prison break ) , a dog working security (Toronto's "Docks") where he had to isolate and contain a deranged man who picked up the metal waste container and threw it down onto the dog , these are all the big ones -- but here is a little thing , going to the major show at year end and having a person in a wheelchair break into to tears because mine was the first dog that they could touch -- all the others freaked -- this was Mitzi Frohle who adored GSD and was responsible for bringing schutzhund into Ontario. 
lots more -- examples given were my dogs
temperament temperament temperament -- without it you do not have a dog , you have a worry.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## PaddyD

I hide under the bed when fireworks go off. My GSD is trained to come and get me when they are finished.


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## Courtney

PaddyD said:


> I hide under the bed when fireworks go off. My GSD is trained to come and get me when they are finished.


That's cute

When ours was 5 months old he did awesome on the 4th of July. We had fireworks going off in our area for a week leading up. We went for a walk late one night & they were going off all around-he just kept walking & would look up & tilt his head every now & then. My husband is also a certified NRA gun instructor, he has been to a few outdoor ranges & doen't pay anymind to what's going on. He likes to watch the guys moving around on the course.


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## Sue Smart

PaddyD said:


> I hide under the bed when fireworks go off. My GSD is trained to come and get me when they are finished.


Shoot - Layla would have joined me under the bed.


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## Hunther's Dad

My good nerves story:

I took Britta to one of those "low cost" vaccination events at a local pet store.

NEVER AGAIN.

Not because of the veterinarians (they were professional and competent), but because of the clueless people waiting in line with us. While waiting, one person stepped on her tail, one person _ran over_ her tail with a shopping cart (from behind us; I never saw him coming), and the topper - an idiot came out of the store with a new squeak toy for his dog and said, "Oh, look...a police dog!" He then took the toy out of the paper bag, held it under her nose, and squeaked it with his hand on the bite zone of the toy. She just looked at him, then looked at me as if to say, "What's _he_ thinking about?" (Britta has earned a Schutzhund III title, by the way.)

This was in addition to all of the barking slippers, the out of control dogs of all breeds, people going in and out of the store with their dogs, etc. Then she had to gets two shots and a bortadella booster. And through it all, she never made a sound, and licked the vet tech's face.


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## PaddyD

Holmeshx2 said:


> I REALLY think this should be repeated! Jinx was bought basically as a "pet" but we want to still get her into other things I mean whats the point of getting a breed bred to work and make them couch potatos? At least do something for fun. Anyways I digress. We just got home I had Jinx in a sit next to the car while I grabbed stuff out of it then accidentally hit the alarm button and set the car off she didn't even move she just looked at me like "way to go mom" and sat there patiently while I scrambled to figure out how to shut it off then just walked inside with me. Plenty of stupid day to day things that solid nerves helps with from "just a pet"


Abby was bought to be just a pet, which she is even though she has exceptional bloodlines. I am glad that she reacts to sounds and new situations with alertness and even trepidation. I think those are normal responses. Also proud of her for getting past any situation that seemed threatening to her at first....to me that is the real proof of good nerves....
taking a second look at the situation and coming to terms with it.


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## carmspack

we've got some good dogs here. 
loved the stories 
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## Catu

This was Friday. A friend and I took Akela to downtown and he met the sea lions for the first time. Here is when he notices one of them for the first time. He shows interest and is alert, I wouldn't blame a 6 months old puppy on his first encounter with a 400 kg wild animal.









The sea lion









Here I sat to show Akela that it was nothing to be worried about and in one second he caught the idea and completely ignored them. We even wanted to take more pics of "Akela and the Sea Lions" but he had blown them off of his mind and was more interested on eating chewing gum from the ground than in them. That until I decided to move when I saw two more sea lions wanting to come to land and yes... it does make me nervous to be that close to them without a barrier. Every year at least one stupid tourist gets bitten by those.









This is Diabla doing obedience when she was 1 year old. This people is practicing for a Diablada. Two weeks later we went to the celebration where hundred of people dance and jump with huge masks and dressed like devils. Diabla should have thought it was in honor to her and just walked in between as if where the most natural thing of the world.


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## Freddy

I live in a good neighborhood. All our neighbors hang out and socialize together as families except one of the ones directly next to me. The girl that lives in the house is 14. About 1 am, after a loud car repeatedly went up and down the street it pulled in next door and a bunch of kids got out. I watched for a few moments while I watched the neighbor's lights go on as well. As the voices ratcheted up I decided to go out and tell them to wind it up for the evening. One of the boys comes up the hill to the edge of my yard and wants to know what the problem is. I told him they were keeping up the neighborhood etc and to leave it alone. 

I went inside and put the flat collar on my 2yr Czech boy. A minute later he's revving the car again, full of kids, and raising **** so I go out on the porch and he starts yelling from the car. Seconds later he backs into my driveway so we go forward as I tell him to get the blank out of my driveway. He pulls into the street and gets out but careful not to get too close. Tango, my 2yr male is training in Schutzhund and is an absolute animal in protection. We have been working almost solely on control for almost 5 months. 

Tango stood at my side, locked into the kid's movements. He made some comments about not being afraid and I told him the Sheriff was on the way and he had better call it a night. This dog is one that when you say passaf he goes over the top, spit everywhere. He was ready, and he showed me he trusted my judgement. 

Was it wise? Probably not. Would I have deployed him? Not unless all **** broke loose and I was being attacked by multiple people but he showed great nerves, maturity he didn't have a few short months ago, and the willingness to go off in a heartbeat if needed.


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## shadmuffin07

*My dog came to high school with me*

I love a shepherd who has good nerves, they should alll be like this! I have many examples but heres one story...

When i was taking a high school class, we were to do a 20 min power point presentation with a prop. I chose to do a presentation on the german shepherd and schutzhund, and my dog ended up being the prop- for demonstration! 
I made sure I was able to bring him in during classes by asking the principle. I brought my working dog in while there was over a thousand kids switching classes. it was very noisy and very hectic! As you can imagine, many high school kids are preoccupied and they might have noticed him only when he was extra close to them and jumped, shouted, some even screamed. Others noticed him right away and either kept their distance or came to see him. Some came running to him. During this chaos, my dog was so calm and collected, but happy, and he was at a walk a little ahead of me for the most part, altho I made him heel as I got in the crowd. He had a big presence no doubt, with ppl thinking he was a drug dog even. He'd even look back at me as if he was checking on me to see if I was keeping up. While he was accepting of the ppl who came up to him, he didnt let any of the chaos bother him at all, and nothing spooked him.
When I got to my class, the ppl were excited to see him, and he warmed up, to them, even giving out kisses. During the other presentations, he remained quiet and in a down. Once our turn came, I put him at a sit for about ten minutes at the front of class-this was when I was talking about the breed and what schutzhund was. For the demonstration we went outside, again although he'd never been to my school before, he was not distracted while I went through the exercises. 
As a sidenote-the class thought the presentation was awesome, and they reaaaally enjoyed the obedience and protection. They didnt know a dog with protection training could have his temperament, or the on/off switch. The principle came out to view the presentation as well, and after we finished, I let my dog to some tricks-my principle got on his knees and let him jump over him...what a great principle, but an even greater dog-to remain so put together and focused, sociable and reliable in a chaotic situation that would have most pet dogs go nuts.
I'm very proud of him, a good dog in this breed with strong nerves will always surpass expectations


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## Castlemaid

Another great example of what a GSD should be! Thanks for posting shadmuffin!


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## horsegirl

Is this good nerve? or what would you all call this? I was on a walk , dusk . off leash, alone one eve.
Got into an argument with another dog walker, My dogs were ignoring his, his dog was agressivly in my dogs face. When he started speaking to me in an threatening tone, Louie my 3 1/2 yr old took notice. Louie just sat down and calmly was watching the encounter. The man finally started to walk away, after about 50- 100 ft he suddenly turned around and started walk towards me again speaking threatenly. Louie jogged towards him , stopped about 20 ft from him, and just stood there. I told the man (not know if my statement was true) that my dog wold protect me and that he should stop walking towards me. the man stopped for a few seconds then started in again walking towards me and shouting. Every step he took Louie stepped closer to him, no growling , or barking just on high alert. I repeated my self to this man as I was getting concerned, I had no idea what Louie would do, The man finally noticed that Louie was on full alert to him, at this point the man decided that my dog truly may protect me, turned around at stalked off. Louie watched him until I recalled him , running back to me all tail waggy and happy. Needless to say I was proud of my boy. At the same time I was made aware of the loyalty of my boy, what I have in a dog and am more aware of my surroundings now.
So is that an example of nerve or something else?


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## bocron

I have a new pup(she's my new heart dog for sure). A few weeks back we went out in the early morning. We live not too far from a small airport where they teach flying lessons. They also have bi-plane rides. Anyway one of the smaller planes was directly over our heads and making that very distinctive buzzing sound for a loooooong time. The new pup startled for just a sec (it really did suddenly appear as if it was going to come down on the house) and then she stopped and looked at me and my reaction, she looked at the older GSDs who I'd taken out as well and then kind of shrugged her doggy shoulders and went to find a place to pee. It was very interesting to me to note her awareness of the pack and how she should react. I get a number of dogs in my daycare who NEVER figure that out. I have one young GSD female that freaks and barks EVERY time the wind rustles the canopy on the tent. EVERY time, even after weeks and weeks. She never notices that no one else cares, even Uma, my pup looks at me like "What's her damage?" LOL. 
Annette


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## sparra

My 4month old is pretty unflappable so far. I have a sthill blower that is louder than a chain saw and he just lays there while I blow our verandah (porch) and gets covered in dirt cause he can't be bothered moving out of the way. I also have to vacuum around him if he is sleeping as he just doesn't care.
We have taken him out to other peoples places where he has to sit outside while we are inside out of sight and he sits quietly at the door. He has been great with strangers and is quite happy to say hello and is really relaxed when we have guests and puppy preschool was so much fun as he LOVED it and was a real social butterfly so we are pretty chuffed with him as he is showing really good signs of being a confident little chap.


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## jdh520

My shepherd who is pretty food aggressive came with me to our deer camp with other family who had their dogs as well. one of these dogs that was there was a 15 year old jack russell who was blind! My shepherd loves other dogs but just doesn't like them taking his food. Im doing something in the back room and I hear him giving out these yelps so I run to find him and the poor blind jack russell is trying to eat my shepherds food. (Which was Royal Canine 24 at the time and the kibble was bigger than the russell's head! haha) Anyway mine was just laying down looking at him yelping at him saying "stop please thats mine thats mine!" No harm was done and I really thought he knew his limitations on that dog.


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## Freestep

My dogs are funny. They're pretty unflappable with most environmental things--I was at a dogshow with Vinca and it was raining, we were standing outside the door of a building, and someone accidentally "temperament tested" her by opening an umbrella right in front of her. She startled, but held her ground and looked at the umbrella with curiosity.

Fireworks, gunshots, etc. don't bother them--in fact, Luka loads when she hears gunshots, as we used them during protection training.

But a BATH?!? Oh Lord have mercy, how could you torture us so?!? Let us shiver, whimper, and moan.

When Vinca got her tattoo, she whined about it and kept trying to get up, but wagged her tail wildly the whole time. Same when she got a foxtail in her foot and I was trying to doctor it.

The only time I've seen Vinca really scared is when big dogs snark at her. The other day I gave my 130 lb. Akbash dog, Whaley, a treat, and Vinca broke her door training and went zooming out the front door. I called her back, she ignored me, and attempted to take the treat out of Whaley's mouth. She learned very quickly that was a bad idea, and came screaming back inside, tail tucked, looking at me like "Why didn't you warn me?!?" 

I had to laugh at her. "I tried to warn you! What did we learn today, little miss?"


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## Lilie

Here's my opinion on good nerves:

Late yesterday afternoon I was pulling weeds from my raised flower garden. Hondo was laying next to me, checking out the weeds I was tossing on him (silly game, but he loves it). I was sitting on the landscape timber edge reaching under a bush and hit a wasp nest. They came out at full attack mode. When I jumped to get away I fell over Hondo. Scrambling to get to my feet and him entangled in my limbs we rolled around a second or two. Finally I had to crab crawl just to get out of stinging range. Hondo remained glued to me attempting to snap up the wasps (the same way a dog might try to catch a fly). As I'm crab crawling I'm screaming at him "LEAVE IT..LEAVE IT..LEAVE IT..LEAVE IT!" 

We both made it a safe distance away, I managed to only get stung once. I couldn't find any stings on him. 

After the wasp ambush, it occurred to me that under normal circumstances, a dog would usually jump and move away if a person was to fall on them stepping on their tail and legs and what ever else happened to be in the path of escape. But Hondo didn't. He remained glued tight to me, making escape more difficult but he wasn't worried or concerned about being smashed under me, he was more concerned about the wasps. 

We did send in additional troops to wipe out the nest. Hondo and I stayed a safe distance away...supervising of course.


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## cta

the other night i took my dog up the street for some fireworks. the place we ended up was not too hectic, but just busy enough that he would have plenty to see. he was scoping the scene...watching all of the people around him, etc. he finally laid down on the sidewalk and sat calmly next to me when all of a sudden this little kid with a light sword comes out of nowhere and starts poking it at his face repeatedly. mind you, the sidewalk is rather wide and there was plenty of room for people to pass in front of us with out even getting near us. anyway, i put my hand out immediately in front of my dog to shield him and told the mother that it probably wasn't a good idea to have her 20 lb child harrassing an 80 lb dog. well the kid didn't stop right away, but my dog didn't even bat an eyelash. he just sat there like a statue and stared at the kid until she finally stopped. he didn't make one peep, didn't open his mouth to try and eat the sword...nothing. they finally went away, but i guess they weren't done because the brother came back and started waving his hands in front of my dog's face. again, i tell them please don't make sudden movements right in front of him...he likes to chase fast things. well apparently that night he didn't...he just sat there again probably thinking, really mom can't you make these buggers go away?!?!? finally after two small children assaulting my dog, the mom told them DON'T TOUCH HIM HE'S GOING TO BITE YOU! well lady, if my dog was going to bite your children it probably would've been the first two times they accosted him and if he was going to bite somebody, he wouldn't be there in the first place. some people aren't very smart. needless to say, i was very proud of him.


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## valb

We actually used to take lawn chairs out front and watch 
fireworks with Tamsen. She'd lay next to us while pretty much
the entire street exploded. The first couple of (mostly ILLEGAL)
fireworks she would "buff" a little bit at and then she would
almost visibly relax and go "Oh yeah, right, it's the Fourth" and
watch them the rest of the night! It was pretty amazing. We
have neighbor's parties and people walking back and forth who
would say hi to us and as they went by sort of do a double take
"Wait a minute, that's a DOG lying there!" when all of theirs are
probably tranqued and inside!

The only other example that comes to mind is one time we stayed
in a hotel (older) where she got on a creaky elevator with us
(never having seen one before) and sat quietly for the ride, with
people getting on and off with pretty shocked expressions. That
sure made momma's heart burst with pride, I'll tell ya!


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## danbibby

We were shocked this 4th of July. The first time Karma was exposed to loud booms and not a move out of him at all. His head turned and he was giving all directions this hard rock stare but he looked unphased.

GSD's must be naturally rock wired.


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## LukasGSD

I took Jaxon to the pet store a couple weeks ago. Maybe a 5 or 6 year old kid barrells around the corner and falls on top of Jaxon, literally landed on him. That kid lifted his head and took one look at Jaxon and started bawling and ran back to his dad who then picked him up. Jaxon acted as if nothing had happened and proceeded to kiss the little boy.


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## selzer

maybe here, maybe in stories, but I heard the thunder storm brewing and went out onto the porch with Cujo. He walked to the edge of the porch and lay down. I sat in the rocker. The thunder and lightning and rain came. We both fell asleep, LOL! Maybe not an indication of good nerve so much as an indication of no thunder storm-phobia.


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## Freestep

danbibby said:


> GSD's must be naturally rock wired.


I wish!! I have seen an awful lot of nervous, neurotic, skittish and fearful GSDs.  Of course none of ours are.  This is where rock solid breeding comes in.

Others may disagree, but I think nerve strength is almost 100% genetic. Unfortunately, many breeds suffer from poor nerves, particularly herding breeds it seems. It can be helped by socialization and training, or medication at the extreme, but genetically weak nerves cannot be "cured", IMO.


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## Packen

I only read a few posts and then skimmed to the end. What I see is that people are equating sound sensitivity with "nerve". No mention of how dog handles situation and recovery time when made insecure or unsure. To understand nerve you have to go a bit deeper than just sound sensitivity which is just the very surface.


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## Castlemaid

So do you have any examples that can help illustrate?


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## codmaster

And I would like to see a discussion (by folks who know) the difference/interaction of *"nerve/threshold/recovery".* I am guesing, from conversations that I have had in the past, that there will be a wide set of defintions of these.

Might also depend on your own ideal of the GSD temperament as well as your intended use of a GSD, i.e. Sch or other dog sport, family pet, breed ring, obedience, true K9.

I can see that my own male GSD (3.5yo) has a low threshhold and reacts very quick (too much sometimes) to some other dogs and suspicious looking people, has a great recovery time to being startled or with new things (i.e. a slippery metal boat dock ramp last night) and hasn't seen the other dog he would back down from (yet!). But he also loves kids and puppies and geese! Very tolerant of female dogs if they react to his sniffing!


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## EchoGSD

After having a fearful, untrustworthy GSD prior to now, I guess my experiences comfe from the everyday life with a dog with a more solid temperament. Meaning, anyone - from infant / toddler to elderly and everyone in between - is safe from my dog. Unless a direct threat is evident, Echo can be approached, touched, petted, hugged, stepped on, tail pulled, ear-poked, started from behind, etc and she maintains her cool. Same goes with dogs and cats. I can take her in our car, or a friend's car, riding in a crate or the back seat, and she's fine. She waits patiently on the scale at the vets, and stands solid for the exams and injections. Our vet commented once that Echo "is what German Shepherds are supposed to be like". I can take her camping in the woods, swimming in the lake, walking through a busy outdoor shopping mall, or into a senior center and be confident that she will maintain her confidence and good manners at all times. She will also defend me in a heartbeat if the situation warrants it: just ask the guy who approached our car for a handout in the dark, swinging a cane overhead. Echo considered him a threat and charged the window of the car to let him know to back off. Trust me: he did. Poor guy was just trying to collect for the Lions Club....


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## wolfstraum

I have picked up quite a few pups at the airport - most are other peoples - a few my own...

Danger came out of the crate after 2 flights from Europe, wiggling, happy, running around the room greeting everyone, climbing on laps of a couple kids there....every good nerved pup I have seen has done the same, the ones who are timid and have to be coaxed out generally are going to have some degree of weakness. Panther the same, walked around on leash to potty with tractor trailers roaring by, planes landing over head...walked over a 3 x 3 sewer grate peering down to see what was below...took her to a barn and she was sitting on a huge hay bale, sniffing a horse's muzzle and licked it....turned her loose in front of the barn to potty and she explored and when I called her came back to me, followed me into the barn - aisleway with 16 stalls on each side, stood and looked up quizzically at the whickering horses, paying no attention to the ones kicking their walls (feeding time!) This puppy takes everything in stride, curious but not fearful, dominant over other pups with whom she has played. At not quite 3 months old, she would stand in my front yard, ignoring cars roaring up the street, bass booming, but watch people walking a half block away alertly. 

Took Csabre, who is a water nut, to Niagara Falls, while she was mesmerized by the water going over the falls, standing up, 3 kids ran SCREECHING up to her! Grabbed her and she merely licked their faces....then the busload of Japanese tourists all crowed her, petting her and then posing for photos with her with the Falls in the background. LOL Wish I had exchanged a few email addys to get those! 

Good nerves are genetic - you can condition away some issues, but they will always be what they got genetically.

Lee


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## selzer

When I got Odessa from the Airport at three years, she was on a flight from Germany, with a LOT of delays between NJ/NY and Cleveland. Airport personnel picked the crate up by shoving their fingers in between the grill, and we got her in the van to my friend's house -- she drove, I transferred her to my vehicle and took her the rest of the way home. But she came right out there, pottied, said hello to everyone, I went to my Mom's and same thing. Then took her the rest of the way home. 

Two or three days later -- the bloat scare, she was awesome at the vets and walked along with them for x-rays, no problem. And a couple of days later the emergency c-section. She was stellar through all of that. I have not seen her act fearful at all.


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## Packen

Castlemaid said:


> So do you have any examples that can help illustrate?


Sure thing, catching my breath as been out training since 0530. I believe sound sensitivity is just one small aspect of a dog's nerve. Before going any deeper I would define nerve as I understand it (very gray area so definitions are good).

I see nerve as how a dog responds to an unusual stimulus. For simplicity lets say there are 3 types of nerve. 

1. Good or high or solid nerve
2. Medium
3. bad or low or weak nerve

It is also very important to understand how drive plays a part in the above 3. Say you have a Solid Nerve dog, he is very confident and nothing phases him out. Such dogs do not change their behavior much as nothing phases them out. Now you add an extremely important variable, if this solid nerve dog is high drive then this dog can be molded to perform behaviors that you want but the drive has to be super high. For example in focused heeling, if the dog does not want to hold focus on you and looks away frequently. You will use the drive tool to train him to stay focused on you for example a toy that he really really wants. As the drive is very high, the dog will leave it's comfort zone and change behavior to what you want for the reward.

Now imagine you have a solid nerve dog but this dog has low/medium drive. Also imagine that you have the same focus problem during heeling. Your work will be cut out for you as this dog does not want anything bad enough to believe he/she needs to change his/her comfort zone (not paying attention to you while heeling). As the nerve is rock solid, the dog is very confident in what it does, there is no need to change, there is no motivation to change. Now you have to go to pressure and it could go downhill from there as using pressure has it's own positives and negatives and hard to find trainers who are experts at this (the pressure could get pretty high to push this type of solid nerved dog to faze).

So here you have an example where the dog is solid in nerve but very hard to work with. In this case you either need less than solid nerve (medium nerve) and/or high drive. Now you have something to work with and in no time you will have focused heeling in distraction (just an example). Same applies in bite work.

Low/weak nerve is a different story altogether, you do not want that with any drive combination.

So without going in too much detail, I just want to say that nerve itself does not give one the full picture as there are cases where the best nerve can become a serious handicap whereas a medium nerve can be the key to work with that dog in conjunction with the overall drive makeup for that dog.


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## wolfstraum

Great post Packen!!!! One thing I have seen is that alot of dogs with weak nerves and extreme drive get sucessfully titled ..... alot of Mali's fall into this....I knew an awesome mali in OB and Protection - on home field/helper....getting him through check in with a judge was a challenge due to nerves...after that, home free....

Lee


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## Freestep

Packen said:


> Now imagine you have a solid nerve dog but this dog has low/medium drive. Also imagine that you have the same focus problem during heeling. Your work will be cut out for you as this dog does not want anything bad enough to believe he/she needs to change his/her comfort zone (not paying attention to you while heeling). As the nerve is rock solid, the dog is very confident in what it does, there is no need to change, there is no motivation to change. Now you have to go to pressure and it could go downhill from there as using pressure has it's own positives and negatives and hard to find trainers who are experts at this (the pressure could get pretty high to push this type of solid nerved dog to faze).


Very interesting, and makes perfect sense. It also would explain why some dogs with weak nerves can actually excel at obedience with just a little bit of pressure.


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## TankGrrl66

When I was in high school, I brought my dog Rudy along with me to help walk one of my friends home. This was the 4th of July, at night. There was many groups of kids out, and many of them were from our school. We stopped and chatting with some, Rudy was in a sit-stay. Someone ran by shooting roman candles, and one of the kids in our group suddenly lit one within a foot of Rudy's head (pointing away, obviously). He was unfazed. They started lighting bottlerockets at each other too (ah, to be kids, am i right?) and he didn't mind. 
He can go through crowds of people without batting an eye. He makes the breed look good, and people have commented about his good behavior :wub:

My 4mo puppy has so far not been fazed by anything. Fireworks? Whatever. Angle grinders? Pfft. Compressors? Boring. Grinding wheel on the angle grinder? Oooh pretty sparks. 
I really love how confident she is. She is very sure of herself around novel things.

But to continue the nerve discussion...what about barking at something? My younger boy is never afraid of anything, but he will angrily bark at stuff. He barks at the hose, the nail gun, the compressor, the lawn mower...would this be an example of bad nerve because he is having such a reaction to it? He always shows more confident body language, and never fearful body language. He will bark at the thing, and move towards it...what does this mean in relation to his nerve?


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## Packen

Barking at the stimulus is a sign of nerve/insecurity. But you have the best behavior in this situation, he moves _towards_ the stimulus. The worst outcome would be for him to run away or shy away. In your situation, you have something to work with, you can use this behavior as an ally in training. If un-neutered at around 14-16 month age, his testosterone level will rise and mask some of this. The rest is up to you.


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## Freestep

Packen said:


> Barking at the stimulus is a sign of nerve/insecurity.


Dogs also bark when they're excited, happy, playing, lonely, bored, etc etc etc. If barking at stimulus is a sign of insecurity, there must be a lot of insecure SchH dogs, as they're barking their heads off at the helper in the blind. 

Some dogs, I think, are just naturally vocal and express themselves that way.


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## Miikkas mom

doggiedad said:


> >>>> he doesn't leave the room/house when i play
> guitar and i suck.


:spittingcoffee: :rofl:


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## London's Mom

London has much more "nerve" than I do when it comes to heights. I have a major fear of heights when there is no handrail and I am about 75 feet above a ravine.

This episode occurred this past 4th of July. London and I signed up for a organized group, 10 mile dog/owner hike along the James River. Little did we know it would turn out to be a true test of our mettle that hot morning. There were 6 owners and 6 dogs and we started out early since we knew it was going to get darn hot that day. Our leader had the course planned out in his head and, apparently, was in the mood to strengthen the bond between man (or woman) and dog. He certainly did. The hike was steep, rocky, treacherous and tricky. There were times when we were orderd to unleash our dogs for their safety and ours in case either one were to fall.

The scariest part for me was at around mile 8. I was exhausted and simply plodding along in the line of the others. When suddenly the leader orders to "unleash." I did before I looked up to see what we were in store for. By the time it registered, London was 10 feet in front of me following the line across an old abandoned train track. This track was laid on ties that had 4" - 5" of spacing between one antoher (just enough of a space to allow a paw to slip thru!!!). London was focused as heck on making sure his footing was stable and landed directly on the tie. The ties were about 6 feet wide, no railing and below was a ravine 75' down!!!! I still get sweaty palms thinking of this. The leader saw my panick and ordered me to WALK! He said if London senses my fear I will risk that he may try to turn to me and FALL!!!! So for the love of my dog I had to swallow my phobia and WALK THAT BRIDGE! I was terrified, but I kept looking at London who was as calm and as focused as can be. He is truly an amazing dog.

That episode made me realize how much of a bond the two of us have developed in his 2.5 years of life. And possibly what a fool I am at my age!


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## Packen

Freestep said:


> Dogs also bark when they're excited, happy, playing, lonely, bored, etc etc etc. If barking at stimulus is a sign of insecurity, there must be a lot of insecure SchH dogs, as they're barking their heads off at the helper in the blind.
> 
> Some dogs, I think, are just naturally vocal and express themselves that way.


I meant barking at a nail gun or a hose. An example would be dog barks crazy at the vacuum cleaner, the question to ask would be, is the vacuum visible to the dog? If yes, then it could be a prey response, ok to bark. If not visible then the dog is barking at the sound, sign of nerve. 

Barking at the helper is ok if dog is in defense and helper is still, dog should switch to prey when helper runs away and focus on the target silently (escape bite).


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## blehmannwa

London's Mom--that sounds terrifying! I would have had to crawl!


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## Freestep

Packen said:


> I meant barking at a nail gun or a hose. An example would be dog barks crazy at the vacuum cleaner, the question to ask would be, is the vacuum visible to the dog? If yes, then it could be a prey response, ok to bark. If not visible then the dog is barking at the sound, sign of nerve.


What if a dog is barking at something he hears from a distance or smells on the wind? My Akbash dog will bark if there is a coyote a mile away.


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## Packen

You would have to assess the dog's state of drive from his body language and actions. Hard to say without seeing the behavior. If I were to make a wild guess I would stick to a sign of nerve, there is no threat (coyote is not within the critical zone and I have not heard of the alert zone being a mile long). So definitely one has to see the behavior to understand it.


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## TankGrrl66

With the fireworks thing, I wasn't just referring to sound...it was bright lights, lots of people, confusion...if that means anything. He just rolls with whatever is going on. Be there lots of other people, dogs, etc. he just kinda chills out with me being his confident self.

As far as the younger dog: Vacuum, lawn mower, compressor, nail gun....it is an aggressive bark, and he will try to come up and bite the offending object. The lawnmower, vacuum and even the weedwacker have the scars to prove it. 
He has even busted down a door trying to get at stuff. We got him to not outright come up, but then he started stalking these objects. The stalking of the moving stuff (lawnmower, vaccum) is very prey, but what about the confrontational part?
Like the nail gun? He will come up and bounce up barking right at it, as close as he can get. He tries to get in front of where an object is moving if he can, and stop it. When told off, he starts stalking it and getting around us. When he does that, we tell him to down stay and he will give the object a hard look. 
This confrontational stuff is also observed when he sees men with hats through our screen door. Thankfully we put super screen on said door that not only stops his mouth but puppy zoomies as well. He will shut up as soon as the hats come off.

Or is this just some sort of psychological issue that doesn't have much to do with nerve? He is 5 years old and neutered. He is fine going out and about and seeing people, but he will show subtle signs of anxiety. He never lays down and remains vigilant until we get back home, and will pant more often than he should. *sigh*

At least I got 2/3? :crazy:


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## Freestep

Packen said:


> If I were to make a wild guess I would stick to a sign of nerve, there is no threat (coyote is not within the critical zone and I have not heard of the alert zone being a mile long).


For a livestock guardian dog, the alert zone is as far as the dog can see/hear/smell, which can be miles. It is part of their guarding style to alert to predators anywhere within hunting range of their flock. They are an early alert system. Early and often.

Standing alert, head up, tail up, sniffing their air, barking, patrolling the boundary, sniffing, barking some more. If the threat is not immediate, my Akbash will stop barking if I tell him to. He gives me this look, like "Okay, I just wanted you to know there's something out there." If the threat is immediate (something right outside the fence), I could yell at him until I'm blue in the face and he will not quit until he's either satisfied that the threat is abated, or he's convinced that it isn't a threat after all. He's finally starting to get used to the neighbor's tractor. 

Livestock guardians are a completely different kind of dog. They are different than a GSD and different from a human-aggressive guarding breed. I've learned a ton from my Akbash Dog, and have been fascinated by his behavior, working style, and problem-solving ability... he is so much unlike my GSD, I'd almost classify him as a different species. 

To take this back to a GSD-related discussion, if a GSD was barking at a coyote a mile away, I guess I would interpret that as weak nerve. Yet, if an Akbash or a Great Pyrenees did the same thing, I'd chalk it up as normal (and somewhat desireable) behavior.


----------



## GSDElsa

I would NOT be ok with my dog attacking or barking at my household good...nail gun, lawn mower, or ANYTHING. Not acceptable and with that level of obsessive behavior I would say it's at least in part nerves.


----------



## TankGrrl66

GSDElsa said:


> I would NOT be ok with my dog attacking or barking at my household good...nail gun, lawn mower, or ANYTHING. Not acceptable and with that level of obsessive behavior I would say it's at least in part nerves.


I'm NOT either, trust me lol. It ISN'T acceptable. I love teeth marks on my vaccuum probably as much as you do. I brought it up bc if someone were to unknowingly get a lawnmower/nail gun/vacuum out with him just chillin' he would get up and bark at it. He would probably try to bite it too if they just ignored him and moved around with it. I was trying to explain the behavior bc I'm curious as to why he does it and what nerve has to do with it. 

He isn't as 'vigilant' about it as when we first got him, and he needs to be told something to do when he looks like he wants to do something about whatever object. We don't just let him do it, and I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I just wanted to describe what he would do if not told to do something else. Tell him to go in/outside and he will. Go lay down and he will.


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## Castlemaid

Packen, thanks for your following posts, very well thought out and presented!


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## sparra

Packen said:


> You would have to assess the dog's state of drive from his body language and actions. Hard to say without seeing the behavior. If I were to make a wild guess I would stick to a sign of nerve, there is no threat (coyote is not within the critical zone and I have not heard of the alert zone being a mile long). So definitely one has to see the behavior to understand it.


So is it not possible for a dog to just bark because in general dogs hate coyotes??
If he can smell them and he barks I don't quite get how this is nerves but like you said you would have to see it.
What about other breeds where nerves are not really an issue and they bark at the coyote? Do you think maybe we over analyze things sometimes and overlook the fact that dogs sometimes like to bark at coyotes just cause dogs.....well like to bark at coyotes ?? I know our kelpie barks at foxes when she can't see them but not because she has weak nerve but because she would like to kill the buggers


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## hunterisgreat

‪redgsturbo's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

My nephew, at a public restaurant... he lives in Orlando, so for all purposes, he is a stranger to my dog.


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## Wolfiesmom

Wolfie sleeps through the fireworks every Thursday night. 

He has been attacked by kittens and small dogs and just stands there. He never retaliates.

He doesn't flinch during thunderstorms or target practice at the local rifle range. 

People have grabbed at him and got in his face without my permission while we are on walks, and he stays calm and doesnt jump or nip.


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## Packen

Freestep said:


> For a livestock guardian dog, the alert zone is as far as the dog can see/hear/smell, which can be miles. It is part of their guarding style to alert to predators anywhere within hunting range of their flock. They are an early alert system. Early and often.
> 
> Standing alert, head up, tail up, sniffing their air, barking, patrolling the boundary, sniffing, barking some more. If the threat is not immediate, my Akbash will stop barking if I tell him to. He gives me this look, like "Okay, I just wanted you to know there's something out there." If the threat is immediate (something right outside the fence), I could yell at him until I'm blue in the face and he will not quit until he's either satisfied that the threat is abated, or he's convinced that it isn't a threat after all. He's finally starting to get used to the neighbor's tractor.
> 
> Livestock guardians are a completely different kind of dog. They are different than a GSD and different from a human-aggressive guarding breed. I've learned a ton from my Akbash Dog, and have been fascinated by his behavior, working style, and problem-solving ability... he is so much unlike my GSD, I'd almost classify him as a different species.
> 
> To take this back to a GSD-related discussion, if a GSD was barking at a coyote a mile away, I guess I would interpret that as weak nerve. Yet, if an Akbash or a Great Pyrenees did the same thing, I'd chalk it up as normal (and somewhat desireable) behavior.


Interesting post. Key is to "know" your dog and you do. The buck stops there and you can trust that dog.

I could not believe that at 0530 today (just as we are having this discussion) as I was loading up the dogs to go train, Gnash indicated on the driveway. It was a human indication and put me on defensive instantly, I downed him got my 9mil and took him in the alley, he continued to indicate strong till 3 houses up the alley and then wanted to go follow the scent in between 2 houses, he was strong on scent and by his body language I knew 100% he was indicating a human scent. Here I had an option to let him go but decided against it as it was still dark, returned, loaded up and went to train. I did call (woke up) my wife and let her her know that I armed the house alarm. Knowing the dog and their reactions is the key in my opinion. There comes a point where you begin to trust them 100%.


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## cassadee7

So, if a dog barks at something and goes towards it, it is a nerve problem, but it is a worse nerve problem if they are afraid of something and try to run away? Would you say this is true of adult dogs only? Because one would think a puppy or younger dog's smartest reaction to something threatening would be to avoid it.


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## codmaster

Wonder why a GSD barking at something that he sees a mile away is a sign of weak nerve? How close would the strange thing have to be in order NOT to be a sign of weak nerve - 1/2 m, 1/4 m, 1/8 m, 100 yards, 50 yards, 1 yard. Just kind of curious.

And wouldn't the type of barking enter into the analysis of nerve?


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## dazedtrucker

I sent my breeder a note...my pup is around semis, everyday. He barely bats an eye at the loud noises, air horns etc....
We went for a ride with my "hubby" (soon to b x... but o well...)
He was messin' with an air line in the cab, broke it... the thing is hissing like a rabid snake... Axel just looks at us like "what? OK, I'm taking a nap" LOL!
Then a couple days ago...
anyone with kids here knows the whole puppy toddler thing...puppy wants to chew on toddler, toddler eggs it on...
Axel has learned chewing on the kid is a no no. Sooo.... kid is harassing him, I'm on my kid to cut it out...but he keeps trying to annoy the pup. He took 1 last pass at the pup, screaming, and waving a toy in the air, then layed on the floor howling...Axel calmly got up, walked over to where he was flailing and making "monkey noises", licked his face....then...sat on him. Just sat there. No biting, chewing...nothing. Just sat on him, looking at me, like, " is he about done?" Kid "Tyler" is having a fit, I asked him "well, are you about done? Axel doesn't want to listen to it either.." Axel is ALMOST 5 months old now...those 2 are tight...now Axel is acting like a parent. Maybe I should sit on him once in a while...Axel is SMART


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## Freestep

cassadee7 said:


> Because one would think a puppy or younger dog's smartest reaction to something threatening would be to avoid it.


We're not talking about smarts. We're talking about nerve.  It can be argued that the two can be at odds when it comes to the dog's own self-preservation. It is an interesting philosophical discussion, whether breeding strong nerve, fearlessness, and the lack of natural caution is in the dog's best interest. It is certainly in OUR best interest, and with that comes a responsibility to protect our dogs from situations that are truly a threat to their health and life. 

But when you look at wild canines, it is often the boldest, fearless pup that winds up getting himself killed because he did not exercise caution and avoidance of a threat (hissing snake, larger predator, etc). I would guess that canines as a species would naturally tend to revert to more cautious behavior if randomly bred, which is why breeding for strong nerve to go along with strong drive is so important.


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## gsdraven

I took foster pup, Katie, to the 4th of July parade. There were a lot of people and kids running around and everyone wanted to meet her. She was very nice and accepting a couple pets before trying to go sniff more. She also tried to give my friend's 8 month old daughter a kiss. 

She slept through most of the parade! There were maybe 10 fire trucks that were in the parade, 5 bands on floats and various other attractions. The fire trucks seemed to always blow their loud horns right before they passed up and Katie just looked up from her nap with perked ears and then layed back down. She didn't even bother to see what the bands were about.

You can see here how close we were to the trucks. This is the spot where they usually honked the horns.


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## LaRen616

Sinister grew up around motorcycles, my ex and all of his friends have one and they liked to park in the driveway and rev up their engines so he's not afraid of them at all but everytime he hears one, he thinks his daddy is home. 

I take Sin to the parade we have every year and he lays down and watches the whole thing, he never even flinches.

We have a huge car show during Nostalgia Days in the summer called "Scoop the Loop" and I take him there to walk around and look at the cars. It's pretty loud because of the music and the horns and he is always on his best behavior. :wub:


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## GSDElsa

TankGrrl66 said:


> I'm NOT either, trust me lol. It ISN'T acceptable. I love teeth marks on my vaccuum probably as much as you do. I brought it up bc if someone were to unknowingly get a lawnmower/nail gun/vacuum out with him just chillin' he would get up and bark at it. He would probably try to bite it too if they just ignored him and moved around with it. I was trying to explain the behavior bc I'm curious as to why he does it and what nerve has to do with it.


Generally I see this as a dog being unable to keep itself out of a frenzied state...I guess you could think of it as "leaking" nerves. I'm not the best at putting these types of things into words and I'm sure someone else can describe it much better.

To me it's a sign of a nerve issue that the dog can't--after all this time--accept that the vacuum, lawn mower, etc is nothing more than a noisy object rather than just a noisy house ornament that the human plays with occassionally. The dog is overloaded somewhere...I would hazard a guess that it's probably an overload on prey behaviors and there isn't enough of a balance in other areas to counteract....it doesn't sond quite fear based the way you describe it.

Everyone has a difference of opinion on this. Some people say "look at all that drive my dog has--he/she's so freaking awesome" when it's ripping itself and the crate to shreds waiting for its turn to go work. I think it's nothing but a nusance and weak nerves.


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## Eiros

Our 13 week old puppy Jack... first time to the lake house over the weekend. Pawed the water a little, splashed, and two minutes later was swimming like a champ! None of us were in the water, just watching and laughing from shore. I couldn't believe he let himself get to where he couldn't touch and was not only fearless, but kept coming back for more! Looks like we have a water dog! :blush: I was proud of his bravery and glad I could witness his first swim!


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## windwalker718

Ikon came out of our home, where he lives with us and our other dogs, got into the back of a strange pickup, in a strange crate, and rode quietly from Connecticut to Buffalo. He got out stretched wandered around to pee and started meeting folks. While 10 strangers to him and I sat around and talked he climbed up on the picnic table and lay down smack in the midst of everyone. Nothing really fazes him... he checks everything out when he meets something new. We've often commented that we've never owned a dog who ponders things like he does. He is a dog I would recommend for Schutzhund training, and never worry that he would bite someone without due provocation. 
Duke is our Rescue, was a wild dog and reverts to a feral state under pressure. I would consider him weak nerved as he's prone to panic (cutting nails, cleaning an ear, grabbing him suddenly if he scoots out a door).


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## Liesje

Lately our best example of good nerve is my almost-3 year old dog who has been alternating between protection training and then walking in local parades with elementary school kids (to help promote my husband's school) or doing obedience and dog safety demo with second graders.


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## LARHAGE

Wow Lies!!! I LOVE that 4th picture, he looks great, I freaking LOVE Nikon.


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## Liesje

Thanks Lorie. I wouldn't change a thing about him. Makes me sad to think I might never find another show line dog for myself that can measure up! He set the bar sky high.


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## TankGrrl66

I know this discussion has pretty much fizzled out and moved on, but I really wanted to add this link:

Elem. of Temperament

It is a pretty good read for everyone interested in nerve...


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## Anjulian

Thanks for the link, made interesting reading. Now I know that my boy is not as bad as I feared he was. lol.


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## Dogaroo

TankGrrl66 said:


> I know this discussion has pretty much fizzled out and moved on, but I really wanted to add this link:
> 
> Elem. of Temperament
> 
> It is a pretty good read for everyone interested in nerve...


Thank you! That last paragraph describes both of my dogs Gunner is an English Shepherd from working stock. (BTW, that is a redundant statement when you're talking about English Shepherds.) Kaija isn't well bred at all, but lucked out temperament wise. She's a perfect example of a high drive dog with good temperament. And she has stellar temperament in spite of having been abused before I got her. (Yes, I know that for sure. The jerk who dumped her didn't know she was chipped. It's a small town. People know each other. He has a reputation.)

Regarding the landrace that includes the English Shepherd, the Border Collie, Old Scotch Collies, etc. collectively known as "farm collies" or "farm shepherds," historically a dog that couldn't herd & guard & be useful around the farm didn't have the right to wear the title "farm collie" or "farm shepherd" regardless of its heritage or appearance. The best workers were the ones sought out for breeding. 

Many breeders do NOT want their breeds included in the AKC because they've seen what happens once working breeds start entering the conformation ring & are no longer required to earn working titles.


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## TankGrrl66

Yes, I really like how the article broke down Nerve (and defined it), Sharpness, Drive, and all elements of temperament 

It clearly answers the question that my dog Beau is a nervebag. He isn't terrible, but he will try to attack what really should be benign objects. Also, he will sometimes (only with men with hats) bark aggressively through our screen door. Everyone else insists it is the hat. I inisist it is a personality flaw we need to make no accommodations with. 
In every other regard though, he is fine. I put him in a new situation, and he is fine. Sometimes he acts a little anxious if he needs something (food, water, somewhere he considers a bathroom, tired) though. 

Oh well. At least my older guy has a legit temperament..and it looks like my new pup does too (so far).


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## aManicCookie

The only thing I can think of after reading these posts is when I take Gryffin to the drag races he watches from the sidelines, while the rest of us wear earmuffs. He never jets off or freaks out, just simply lays there and watches the cars race off.


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## Thru the Viewfinder

When Dakota was just a pup we walked her around downtown, and hung outside the gates at the baseball game. We were waiting for the post-game fireworks. She was totally at ease when they started, laying down for a snooze. The cops wanted to borrow her, saying she'd be a great police dog because she wouldn't be afraid of the guns. I know they were just half joking, but I was a proud mama. LOL

So anyhow, as far as loud sounds go, she's awesome. Fireworks, guns, screaming children, screeching trains, thunder.... Although she howls when the tornado sirens go off!


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## Dogaroo

Thru the Viewfinder said:


> Although she howls when the tornado sirens go off!


Aww, she's just singing along! Or maybe she just wants to make sure you hear them.


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## susee

I know at some point i have posted this story but this Dog has now been PTS after having a stroke, only a few months short of turning 16 years old

I walked a few times a day with this Dog nearly its whole life and i would have to say this Dog was incredible, and in all those years i never once saw that girl do one thing that even remotely looked concerning

Beautifully bred by an amazing breeder
trained by my friend
sensibly excercised by my friend

and excep for eating some poisonous berries as a youngster had almost 16 years of incredible health

The nerve story goes like this 

We were at the off lead dog park when a very young toddler **ran out of the blue up ***behind the dog and lunged at her back grabbbing her fur along her back , so it was all a bit of a shock, we had no time to react at all, but were only just a few feet away

She just balanced herself , didnt move and just looked straight ahead at her owner as if to say " should i just keep still Mum" 
The Father ran up panicking and saying sorry, o h boy was he lucky that it was this dog. 

She was really beautiful, lovery confirmation, very switched on....... but a fantastic nerve in all situations.

RIP.


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## Germanshepherdlova

I can take my dog Oso to the fireworks and he doesn't get startled at all by them. Also if we are taking a walk and someone sets off one of those M 80's (the real loud ones) near us it doesn't scare him either. Thunder doesn't scare him. I haven't come across anything that scares him. He is one strong-nerved fellow.


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## jetdog

Well, just decded to read this whole thread, and I'm glad I did.
Someone asked pages ago if anyone had been to a Civil War reenactment with their dog - my husband and I have with our GSD Bandit and our toy Poodle Pepsi. Both dogs were great with the crowds, the weird costumes, all the activity, etc. 
Then the cannon fire started, Pepsi startled at the first big bang and then settled right down and Bandit didn't react at all. Totally fine and in the midst of all the chaos, he was happily greeting new people and being admired for his "great temperament."


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## cal28

My gsd showed really good nerve at the park today, and just how obedient she really is. So there I am walking her and all of a sudden a bunch of dogs just charged her and one specifically, a smaller dog which she would've loved to have for dinner went straight for her and was trying to jump all over her and the dog was being aggressive so my gsd let out a deep growl as a warning and the dog backed off a few feet. Then she stared down the dog and it started to run off, then the owner comes up and apologizes to me and asks me if she goes off leash? I'm just thinking, I value the lives of the birds and other animals in the park. If she wasn't so obedient that could've turned out bad for the other dog though, because people at that park have dogs that do not do well with other dogs and will bite.


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## susee

I think im over dog parks just cant deal with idiot people with idiot dogs anymore.


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## cal28

susee said:


> I think im over dog parks just cant deal with idiot people with idiot dogs anymore.


This wasn't even a dog park, it was a park where leashes are required.


----------



## ElvisP

Just this past week, Elvis and I had two unusual situations occur:

1) Coyotes - not unusual (we see them almost every day) but one day last week Elvis was dragging me on the trail at about 5:30am. He never does this ... he was pulling hard and was after something about 200 yards up on the trail. We finally got to our "destination" and there stood 2 coyotes about 25 yards away. Elvis, with hair standing up on this neck, went crazy. He certainly hates coyotes but this day he was pulling hard to get to them. There was very fresh scat from both coyotes right on the trail so he must have smelled this.

2) Javalinas - on another day in the same area we saw the coyotes, Elvis and I walked by this large tree that had branches hanging on the ground ... the tree was about 10 yards away. Elvis went crazy and was going toward the tree. I noticed 4-5 javalina's under the tree. I immediately pulled him and ran, which turned out to be a good thing because 1 second later 2 of them came out and ran after us for 5-10 yards. As we were running away, Elvis wanted to keep turning to fight those things. 

Elvis is a sweet, loving GSD that loves people and other dogs. But he sure doesn't like coyotes or javalinas.


----------



## carmspack

For the first time ever after having lived here for close to 25 years I had a rascally dog size things up and take advantage of a situation that presented itself while I was away from the house for the larger part of the afternoon. 
This was the week where I had the place and the responsibilites all to myself.
A tremendous downpour the day before helped set the stage.
Anyway when I came home I discovered that this female "Claudia" had crawled under her kennel to freedom. 
When I had put her in everything was fine.
Seems however that the flash flood had created a pot hole which was to give way later , when I was away. The large cement patio slabs collapsed in to the hole. 
After frantically looking for her , walking up and down the rural road calling looking in to the properties , then driving the route looking into ditches , going so far as in to the subdivision along the road I bike-exercise the dogs on , 1 a m flashing high beams into the fields hoping to get movement or the reflection of two eyes.
The next day I get up extra early , and head to the ponds hoping that I don't find her tangled on some willow root or branches in the water . Out to the road , look up and down , nothing , pick up newspaper head back to house thinking about plan B. Time is the essence because other half coming home later that morning and I have to pick him up.
Just then a brown pick up comes up behind me -- You looking for a dog? Yes? Did you find one -- oh no how many sheep did I buy. 
This was the sheep farmer less than 1/2 mile down the road . I was prepared to buy / compensate for any sheep.

He said he saw her sail over his electrical fencing, which was on, into one of the paddocks, went for a swim in his large pond. They were holding off letting the sheep out till I got the dog.

Ran in to house grabbed car keys and leash and drove to his place. From the road I could see her in all regalness on a slight hill on the south side of the pond , very proud, front legs crossed at the pastern, not a care in the world.

So farmer and I walk together , pass his barn where the farm hand is sweeping -- talking with him about the dog that nearly got mistaken for a coyote (no coyote wears a wide red collar) . Sheep are baaing and bumping up against the boards wanting to get out.
We continue deep into his property , every bit sectioned off with fencing (which had been turned off while I was getting the dog). 

This dog , although happy to see me , was perfectly composed . Clipped the leash on and slowly walk back to the barns talking . Thanking him and joking saying it was a good payback for the many many times when I have parked my van on the shoulder of the road , chased his escaped sheep off the road into the fields , and got him at his house to take over . He said when we had the flash flood his power went out and the sheep got out . So now we are even steven.

We are now moving from one paddock into a chute no wider than 8 to 10 feet and some 150 feet long , about mid way when all of a sudden there are over 100 sheep stampeding towards us, and then by us , excited to get to the sweet grass fields . Dog is at my side not the least perturbed , extreme confidence . Then I spotted the donkeys, let out last , who are there to chase off coyotes . I see that they see Claudia who looks like a coyote and they start heading towards us , quickly. I stand still and farmer rushes ahead of me through the still approaching stream of sheep to chase the donkeys temporarily into a side field . He said they don't like dogs either, don't like any canid . Even so , even with the donkeys he said from Aug 1 to Aug 11 , (the date of this adventure) he had lost 5 sheep to coyotes . 

When I got out of the field I put the dog into the van , took her home, I was exhausted , the dog ready for her feed and a run around while I made busy catching up to chores before getting decent enough to meet husband at bus terminal.

Sheesh. You could not have dreamt up a better improtu test of nerves - hers and I guess mine .

Here is Claudia represented by her brothers information on the data base Carmspack Silva - German Shepherd Dog Silva by the way is a certified bomb detection dog - Toronto 

(I still have a bruise on my knee where a sheep whacked in to me ) 

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## sparra

carmspack said:


> For the first time ever after having lived here for close to 25 years I had a rascally dog size things up and take advantage of a situation that presented itself while I was away from the house for the larger part of the afternoon.
> This was the week where I had the place and the responsibilites all to myself.
> A tremendous downpour the day before helped set the stage.
> Anyway when I came home I discovered that this female "Claudia" had crawled under her kennel to freedom.
> When I had put her in everything was fine.
> Seems however that the flash flood had created a pot hole which was to give way later , when I was away. The large cement patio slabs collapsed in to the hole.
> After frantically looking for her , walking up and down the rural road calling looking in to the properties , then driving the route looking into ditches , going so far as in to the subdivision along the road I bike-exercise the dogs on , 1 a m flashing high beams into the fields hoping to get movement or the reflection of two eyes.
> The next day I get up extra early , and head to the ponds hoping that I don't find her tangled on some willow root or branches in the water . Out to the road , look up and down , nothing , pick up newspaper head back to house thinking about plan B. Time is the essence because other half coming home later that morning and I have to pick him up.
> Just then a brown pick up comes up behind me -- You looking for a dog? Yes? Did you find one -- oh no how many sheep did I buy.
> This was the sheep farmer less than 1/2 mile down the road . I was prepared to buy / compensate for any sheep.
> 
> He said he saw her sail over his electrical fencing, which was on, into one of the paddocks, went for a swim in his large pond. They were holding off letting the sheep out till I got the dog.
> 
> Ran in to house grabbed car keys and leash and drove to his place. From the road I could see her in all regalness on a slight hill on the south side of the pond , very proud, front legs crossed at the pastern, not a care in the world.
> 
> So farmer and I walk together , pass his barn where the farm hand is sweeping -- talking with him about the dog that nearly got mistaken for a coyote (no coyote wears a wide red collar) . Sheep are baaing and bumping up against the boards wanting to get out.
> We continue deep into his property , every bit sectioned off with fencing (which had been turned off while I was getting the dog).
> 
> This dog , although happy to see me , was perfectly composed . Clipped the leash on and slowly walk back to the barns talking . Thanking him and joking saying it was a good payback for the many many times when I have parked my van on the shoulder of the road , chased his escaped sheep off the road into the fields , and got him at his house to take over . He said when we had the flash flood his power went out and the sheep got out . So now we are even steven.
> 
> We are now moving from one paddock into a chute no wider than 8 to 10 feet and some 150 feet long , about mid way when all of a sudden there are over 100 sheep stampeding towards us, and then by us , excited to get to the sweet grass fields . Dog is at my side not the least perturbed , extreme confidence . Then I spotted the donkeys, let out last , who are there to chase off coyotes . I see that they see Claudia who looks like a coyote and they start heading towards us , quickly. I stand still and farmer rushes ahead of me through the still approaching stream of sheep to chase the donkeys temporarily into a side field . He said they don't like dogs either, don't like any canid . Even so , even with the donkeys he said from Aug 1 to Aug 11 , (the date of this adventure) he had lost 5 sheep to coyotes .
> 
> When I got out of the field I put the dog into the van , took her home, I was exhausted , the dog ready for her feed and a run around while I made busy catching up to chores before getting decent enough to meet husband at bus terminal.
> 
> Sheesh. You could not have dreamt up a better improtu test of nerves - hers and I guess mine .
> 
> Here is Claudia represented by her brothers information on the data base Carmspack Silva - German Shepherd Dog Silva by the way is a certified bomb detection dog - Toronto
> 
> (I still have a bruise on my knee where a sheep whacked in to me )
> 
> Carmen
> Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


Great story....so glad you found her safe and sound. Had to laugh about the donkey bit....we have two who run with our ewes and lambs in the scrub to protect them from wild dogs.....we have to be pretty careful with our dogs as the donkeys don't seem to care that they are "our" dogs...a dog is a dog in their eyes!!!!


----------



## carmspack

yes . here is what was going through my imagination 



 
only me, with dog, and two donkeys.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


----------



## sparra

carmspack said:


> yes . here is what was going through my imagination Whitetail Deer attacks Hunter - YouTube
> 
> only me, with dog, and two donkeys.
> 
> Carmen
> Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


Wow....I didn't realise deer would be that aggressive...maybe we need one of those with our sheep!!!
Mind you we did find a fox dead in the paddock once and he was squished to a pulp.....the donkeys had done a pretty good job on him
I am glad you escaped!!!!!


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## Debbieg

What a great topic. It is good to have a long weekend and time to read all the stories. I have had only one dog that I would say had great nerve. He was unflappable and trustworthy in every situation we encountered durung his 14 years. He was my companion when I left home at 18 and hitch hiked everywhere. He is also the only GSD I have had that had the Genetic Obedience that is discussed in the other thread. I wonder if GO and good nerve go together?
Here is a link to his litter mate
(USA) CH Idol v Celler Schloss - German Shepherd Dog

Benny does not have good nerves, but they are not awful. Loud noises, fireworks, crowds do not bother him. But even with great socialization he will back up, lunging and barking at people ( usually men) who approach him in a cautious manner. ( As if their caution makes him suspicious).
He is wonderful with children, lets them climb all over him, but with adults I have to always be very vigilant with him.


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## carmspack

debbieg , I do believe they do go hand in hand . I was going to bring that up on the genetic obedience thread.\
Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## codmaster

I wouldn't say that barking at something or someone is always a nerve problem - if so there are a lot of police dogs that have nerve problems. 

Sometimes it is just a signal that the dog sees/hears something that they don't recognize. particularly if they are at the end of the leash going toward the sound/person/thing. I agree if they are moving, or hanging, back it is likely not a really good thing.


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## Lin

doorman330 said:


> Would you say this is true of adult dogs only? Because one would think a puppy or younger dog's smartest reaction to something threatening would be to avoid it.http://www.wly.com/gold/Eden-Eternal/


First off, my experience is mostly with adult dogs. 

However... Yes I would consider it concerning for a puppy to avoid something threatening. GSD puppies of good nerve are mostly fearless. A lot like teenagers, they think they're invincible. So I would be concerned about weak nerves with a puppy running and hiding. Now it also depends on how threatening you're talking about. Also the age of the puppy, I would be more accepting and lenient if it was during the fear period. Also the care of the puppy, one coming from an abusive situation could be fearful due to that but have the basis of solid nerve to quickly recover from the experience.


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## prophecy

I say this would be a decent example for a puppy.This is my girl FeNyx.This is the first time she'd EVER heard a train.....and it is VERY close that the ground trembles. Not even phased!


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## Richk515

Anjulian said:


> Thanks for the link, made interesting reading. Now I know that my boy is not as bad as I feared he was. lol.


Same here with my girl. My trainer said her nerves were soft and I took it personally but after reading that article, I was confirmed, that I have a great dog.  She may not become the next captain but I'm ok with that.


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## msvette2u

When Ruger was younger - last fall in fact, he'd have been around 5mos., we took him to a parade. 
I was concerned and ready to walk him away from the noises and sights, but he he tolerated it all so well, didn't even blink. Noises, not a big deal (sirens, etc.) people, everything, he just laid there and watched. 
Then these big tall...things came by--



















He didn't even care! Didn't get up, startle, bark, anything, he just hung out and watched. 
The most excited I saw him was when he saw a few other dogs and he got up and wagged at them like he wanted to check them out. 
Other than that, nothing fazed him. I was amazed and so proud of him!

I might add, Ruger was a stray dog and we have absolutely no history on him at all, where he came from or what his parents were like, so we really lucked out with him


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## marshies

Puppy at 6 months old, went out with me during the middle of the night for a potty. This was the first lightening storm she had seen with me. The sky was WHITE from the lightening, and thunder was rumbling everywhere. She did her business and wasn't at all bothered by the rumbles.

I think a reasonable expectation of a healthy pet should include expectations of their reactions to challenges and uncomfortable situations. Puppy is ALWAYS willing to try something for the first time with me. We were introduced to a mini dog walk. This one was about a meter off the ground, and 30 CM thick(?). The first time we were introduced, Puppy walked without hesitation while I clutched nervously at her collar and got off without incident. ​ In terms of challenges: 

After our glorious first go on the dog walk, Puppy decided that she really wasn't too thrilled about walking 1 meter off the ground. She went into a down when I got near the ramp. That's okay, I don't blame her, I wouldn't be thrilled to repeat the experience again. To overcome this, I put a few treats on the ramp leading up to encourage her to get on. She took the treats, and when the treats weren't there anymore, she offered to get on the dog walk herself to earn some more treats. This took less than 10 treats. She walked straight off, more coordinated than she had ever been, and even was able to hold a "wait" in the ramp coming off. She now readily goes on the dog walk when I go near it, and has no hesitation left whatsoever.


​


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## Castlemaid

I'm absolutely LOVING all these great stories of nice, solid, dependable dogs! Gives me hope!


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## RocketDog

Ok, I'll play. 

Let me see: From 9 weeks old, DH ran a big commercial leaf-blower (to which Rocket thought this was great fun!), a chainsaw (no reaction), he loves the vacuum ( he will sit and wait and at the end I let him "play" with it, he loves to get his mouth stuck on the end, LOL and be vacuumed off), thunder doesn't bother him in the least, neither did fireworks on NYE, and we go shooting regularly, starting by taking him to the gun range at just under 5 months. He fell asleep after a while. 

He was just over 4 months on Halloween, we took him out to our old neighborhood, which is HUGELY busy, they bus church groups and kids in there, not a reaction in sight. Walked him for 45 minutes, slowly, stopped and watched, got petted by strange shapes and weird flashing lights, saw all the Halloween decorations (with fog, lights, noises, sound effects), met Jokers and Serial Killers and Lego Men and you name it! All like a 12 year old dog. 

He has been bitten on the muzzle by a small dog at under 4 months, attacked at 5 months by two Old English Sheepdogs, gets harassed by not only my friend's putzy, mean dalmation/terrier mix (who is fear aggressive and bites!!) but my sister's rescued english springer spaniel, who does the same thing on a regular basis. Every time he just dances around out of their reach, continuing to do the play-bow. 

He went through a mini agility course at 4 months easily (no fear of the tunnels or the little balance beam walk thingie), walks on the playground equipment at schools, and gets swarmed by little children on a regular basis, one little girl even tugging at his ears, all the while wagging his tail and hoping to get a kiss in, lol. 

He took his shots at the vet like nothing even happened, gets his temp taken with them just holding his tail up, and I dremmel his nails easily. 

I swear, I have not seen anything phase him yet. Well, possibly the cougar, but I'm still not sure if he didn't just think "OOO! BIG KITTY MY SIZE TO PLAY WITH!" :crazy:


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## VonKromeHaus

Judge went to a PowWow on an Indian Reservation as a young puppy. The war cries, dancing, costumes, and everything else going on, NEVER once phased him. 

He goes to Dock Diving at the fair every year and walks around the large fair afterwards, the other animals, crowds of people and screaming children don't even get a second glance. 

He is truly an amazing dog.


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## llombardo

Is this an example of good nerves???

My puppy is in her obedience class and they are doing a 3 minute down stay when a 5 month old lab decides he doesn't want to and comes over and plops on top of my dog..there are about 7 dogs in the class and every dog in the class is out of the down/stay except for mine with the dog on top of her. She focused on me, never looked at the dog and remained in the down stay. This dog was pawing her, biting her back legs--doing everything he could to get her to play and she just remained there. I have to admit it was a pretty proud moment


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## onyx'girl

A test with the SDA(Protection Alert~PA) is a 'friendly greeting' after the dog has been pressured by a 'bad guy' in a bite suit. 
The dog is alerted to bark at the threat as the man comes out of a blind yelling, charging and raising a whip or stick. The man charges the dog, but the dog isn't allowed to get close enough to bite. Then the man retreats and you tell your dog to quiet. The man then comes back out in a friendly, non-threatening manner and you have to greet in a friendly tone of voice,shake hands with the man, as the man comes in very close and the dog is supposed to control himself enough to not lunge or bite, stay in the sit position. Talk about control! 
This exercise shows how the dog can change drives within a minute and be able to see from their handler the difference between a threat and not. It shows the balance of the dogs nerves/temperament.


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## Discoetheque

At about 11 or 12 weeks, Discoe didn't seem to give a hoot that my light bulb exploded not even six feet from her. She looked up to see what the noise was, but didn't pay much more heed to it than that.

At about four months, she went to her first 4th of July parade. We walked there, amidst all the people who were going with their chairs, kids, wagons and dogs and she sat and watched right at the corner, not at all bothered by the bands playing, and even seemed curious about the horses. Later on, after the initial marching was done, we went around to the main 'fair' portion of the parade and I let her see one of the horses up close.

Incidentally, on our way back home from the parade, a dog burst out of its front door a few houses down from where we were. I put her in a down and told her to stay while I went between us to intercept the oncoming dog. I had to end up using my vest to loop it around the other dog's neck to restrain him. Luckily, he wasn't a mean dog. He seemed like he only wanted to play, but I didn't want to risk anything. She never broke her stay. I love even now, almost three years later, stay means stay.

She's the type of dog who will try anything you ask of her, is ready for any situation and takes everything with the utmost confidence. Car washes, crowds of children, crowds of adults (lol), training on a new field or with a new helper, parades, Halloween, gunshots, or going to new places are like no-brainers for her. I don't recall having gone through Fear Periods with her as a puppy...she always seems to have owned everywhere she's gone and everything she's done.


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## TCAP1

Couple weeks ago Zach was just over 1 year & we were walking into the pet store, which was crowded with clinic day. In front of us was this lady being dragged by a spaniel into the store - this thing is barking at other dogs and really pulling hard. Later on i am standing in the aisle and the same spaniel comes running around the corner yapping its head off at us with what i assume is the teenage daughter being dragged behind. Zach tunred his head at the thing, didn't move any other muscle, spaniel slide a couple feet to a stop. The girl mumbled something, both turned and went the way they came. 
One of those instances where you just shake your head and thank God for watching out for certain people. If they did that to any the wrong dog with issues and an owner that had little control there would have been a big problem.


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## Pepper311

My dog is My shep. The other day a dog she knows an older golden came charging at us barking. She just looked at no real reaction and when it came up they sniffed and it was all
Good. Not sure if that shows nerves. But this describes my shep best. I took my dog for a walk thew a casino I work at. Flashing lights weird smells strang people everywhere loud sounds. She did great was. Very alert but never fearful. I thought that was pretty good.

"Mid Strength nerve: Dogs that make up the majority of dogs in the community. These dogs can be spooked and frightened but it is at a level that is not seen almost every day as can be seen with the weak nerved dog. These dogs will show signs of stress but will recover much quicker. They may bark and alarm the pack (owner) to strange goings on but will not show full blown aggression (hair up, teeth bared, etc) until truly threatened. These dogs will happily greet new people and objects without fear. Without the direct threat, no aggression will be shown. "

I found a great read up explaining what this nerve stuff is all
About. Now my little Pom is the weakest dog ever he hears a pin fall and goes off. 

I was not sure about how all this nerve stuff worked and read this to make better sense of it. Basic Nerve Strength and Thresholds: - Rottweiler Discussion Forums


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## SiegersMom

We have no issues with noise. He does chase along the fence after motocycles but he is in play mode...NO Fear. THat is not to say he is nerve free but sounds are nothing to bat an eye at. WE always greet people very nicely but he certainly does not have the fearless personality for police work or anything along those lines.


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## iBaman

I am thankful for Sheldon's nerves every day!

We just got back from a week long camping trip...He loved every bit of it! There were thousands of people, who just loved petting him! He went out on the battlefield with us (on the sidelines, of course), where there is clanking armor, snaps from the sticks, shouting, drums, bull horns, air horns, etc, etc. He just watched a little, brought water to the fighters and had a great time. 

His first time on a gun range, he acted like nothing was happening. He doesn't like being around it for long periods, though. I think the sounds hurt his ears a little. 

There's more...I know there is...but man. I love this dog. =]


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## jprice103

Here is an example for you. I have a 13 week old GSD. The other day, I was putting away dishes, and Panzer was asleep on the kitchen floor. As I went to put a pot away, it slipped from my hand and hit the tile floor with a HUGE crash. He just calmly looked up, and then went right back to sleep. My older GSD, who was also asleep, went running from the room with her tail between her legs! I'd say that my puppy has good nerves.


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## Tiffseagles

When he was an adolescent (less than a year old but not a pup), he was out on a walk with my uncle when they came across a black bear that was NOT happy. He charged the bear and his housemate took a wide arc around the bear until she was behind them. Together they were able to run the bear off and up a tree.


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## Lakl

Somehow I am just now seeing this thread. After dealing with a fear reactive pup for almost 3 years, Achilles has been a breath of fresh air as far as nerves go. Drive? Eh, not so much, so I wouldn't say he has the "ideal" temperament. Me and the two were sitting outside one afternoon enjoying the cool weather. Was only partly cloudy, but out of nowhere came the loudest crack of thunder I have ever heard. Scared the crap out of me and Kaiya bolted inside so fast, she nearly broke her neck in the process of trying to get through the back door. Achilles? Never moved from the spot he was laying in. He gave a simple head tilt as if to say, "Hmmm? Did you hear that, Mom?" and that was it. 

The problem with Achilles, though, is that he is TOO laid back, about EVERYTHING. We've started back over on his foundation training now that he is so much healthier and not in pain anymore, but I swear, it gets so frustrating. He does a command, gets a reward, and lays down. I get him back up, give a command, he follows through, gets his reward and plops back down. Just working on simple focus, he's great at it, but wants to do it while laying on the floor! And I honestly try my hardest to make it fun and keep him engaged, but he's like yea whatever! I wanted to sign him up for an AKC obedience class next month, but I honestly think he'd doze off on me!


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## Zeeva

Well behaved at the vet (as a puppy). Now, not so much


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## pfitzpa1

I had my girl in a down stay (on leash) beside me as I sat on a concrete barrier between the road (25mph road in recreation area) and our training grounds. She was on the road lying on the double yellow line. About 100 road cyclists came around the corner, all in tight formation. They zipped by her (within inches) and she didn't blink an eye.


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## selzer

I think this is an example of good nerve. 

Dolly came back to me from a home where the 12 year old teased the dog trying to get her to go for him until he was a little afraid of him. They put the 4 month old puppy in with a trainer's three adult dogs for three days to teach it doggy manners. They tied the dog up over the bed and let her get wrapped in her tether and somehow broke her elbow all up. 

At six months she was returned with her elbow swelled up, and not happy with people or dogs. Not even all that interested in me. 

I took her to the vet and we decided to let the elbow heal. I left her heal as well, and decided that if she was ever socialized it would be as an adult. I gave her six months to heal, and the next summer she went through a set of classes. She barked at dogs at first, but gave that up. I signed up for another set, but she went into heat, and I had to finish up with another of my girls. Then summer classes ended (summer classes are 30 minutes closer to me than the other location).

I started her in advanced classes about 2 months ago. A few weeks ago at class, I had her tied to the fence as we were doing the walk through of a rally course, and then stopped to watch her.

All the people were working their way through the signs without their dogs. Right in front of Dolly was a left about turn. So all the people were walking right up near her, and then turning around while feigning the movements with their hands to get their imaginary dogs to about turn, switching the lead as the dog comes around them. 

Dolly was just sitting there watching them. 

It is not protection, or courage under being beaten etc, but it is what you would want your pet dog to do if you tied her up in front of a grocery store while you went in to get something.


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## Lilie

I've got a great example of 'good nerves'. This weekend I was sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner, I was sitting indian style with a Kendall on my lap reading. There is a small table on my left, and Hondo is laying on the floor next to the table. 

While I'm reading I reached over and picked up my glass of tea, took a drink, and put it down on the corner of the coaster so the drink started to tip. I over corrected, lost the drink and threw too much of my weight over the arm of the chair so the entire chair tipped over but didn't come crashing down on it's side because of the table.

So I'm stuck with the chair tipping over, arms and legs spilling everywhere....and Hondo only sat up (he was sleeping on his side). He looked at me as if to say, "Seriously? Now you're throwing cold tea on me?"


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## CeCe

A customer came to my fruit stand with a gorgeous female shepherd in in car who I had never seen before. I told him he could let her out if he wanted to and he did and she sniffed around and we talked about our dogs. All of a sudden a wasp flew into my hair and got stuck in my hair buzzing around. I'm terrified of bees so I was yelling and flailing my head around, eventually I had to stick my head in a bucket of water to get the darn thing out. His dog looked at me with concern but was calm and collected the whole time.


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## codmaster

pfitzpa1 said:


> I had my girl in a down stay (on leash) beside me as I sat on a concrete barrier between the road (25mph road in recreation area) and our training grounds. She was on the road lying on the double yellow line. About 100 road cyclists came around the corner, all in tight formation. They zipped by her (within inches) and she didn't blink an eye.


 
*Outstanding!* 

Wonder what those folks thought when they first got a glimpse of your dog??


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## pfitzpa1

codmaster said:


> *Outstanding!*
> 
> Wonder what those folks thought when they first got a glimpse of your dog??


My guess, is "uh oh!". The island where we train is a multi purpose recreational area. Joggers, bikers, walkers, kite boarders, fishermen, boaters, horse riders etc etc plus the entire island is leash free. The bikers are always training for some race or other, usually travelling above the posted 25mph and "hate" seeing animals (and people) on the road. They have a bit of a bad rep on the island as they seem to think they own the road.


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## Sunflowers

Been packing up our kitchen. Hans was right there in Velcro mode as I opened the drawer where I keep the large pots. 
I began pulling on those steel pots and pans and lids, making quite a racket. Hans didn't even flinch.


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## SueDoNimm

Lilie said:


> I've got a great example of 'good nerves'. This weekend I was sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner, I was sitting indian style with a Kendall on my lap reading. There is a small table on my left, and Hondo is laying on the floor next to the table.
> 
> While I'm reading I reached over and picked up my glass of tea, took a drink, and put it down on the corner of the coaster so the drink started to tip. I over corrected, lost the drink and threw too much of my weight over the arm of the chair so the entire chair tipped over but didn't come crashing down on it's side because of the table.
> 
> So I'm stuck with the chair tipping over, arms and legs spilling everywhere....and Hondo only sat up (he was sleeping on his side). He looked at me as if to say, "Seriously? Now you're throwing cold tea on me?"


The other night my dog was sleeping beside my chair and was kicking his feet while dreaming. I held my phone out over him to get a video and dropped it right on his side with a loud thump. He didn't even flinch and didn't move until I went to pick it up. While I was picking it up, he just raised his head and looked at me with a very dignified, long-suffering expression and went right back to sleep. Pretty much the same look your dog gave you. 

He also lets me vacuum him with the shop vac and just stands and enjoys it and I once accidentally shut the tip of his tail in the door and he did nothing.


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## Stella's Mom

The first thought that comes to mind is a few weeks ago while walking someone lit a very loud cherry bomb from the direction that we just came from. My girl wanted to turn back and investigate the noise. They lit another and she sat and tried to figure out exactly where the noise was coming from.

The first bomb startled me and her a bit, but she did not get the jitters at all.


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## KaiserBastiansMom

We only had Kaiser home for 3 days, he was just under 4 months old. I had him out front when our neighbors started shooting fireworks less than 20 feet away. Kaiser did not flinch just kind of watched them. Eventually I took him inside because it was getting hot. He did sit by the front door until all his other people (my DH, 4 year old son and 5 year old daughter) were inside.


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## llombardo

Mine has never really flinched for much...well maybe the evil vacuum I think the true test was 4th of July. She sat with me about 5-10 ft away from the fireworks my family was setting off. She never moved and just watched them. At the end there was a belt of firecrackers and she laid there calmly through all of it. That was the one test I was waiting for and she made me proud


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## rshkr

we were fishing off the florida gulfstream about 30-40miles offshore.
this is kimber's first boat ride, and first time seeing the ocean.
we got our lines out and a shark was circling the boat, kimber didnt bark but jumped into the water, swam after the shark and went on a 2 minute underwater dive to bite the shark!
is that considered solid nerves?







 of course this is a figment of my imagination. rofl, gotcha!!!


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## Jag

I am going to try joining a club again.


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## Wolfgeist

- When Hunter was a young puppy he slept in the garage while we stood there and watched a very intense, very loud thunderstorm at night. He didn't even notice it... 

- A couple months back we were training in a park when school got let out. A big group of kids asked to pet Hunter and they swarmed him, petting him and asking all about him. He didn't mind at all, just sat there and soaked it up.

- Took Hunter to watch fireworks. He just laid down and relaxed.

- I take Hunter to the farmers market, which is incredibly busy, and he remains calm and relaxed but curious.

- Does not excite at gun shot, becomes more alert.

- A few days ago he raced up a wood chip pile that was taller than my husband, it was falling apart beneath his feet put he played on it like it was all a fun game.

- He loves to play on playground equipment, will run up and down slides.

- Hunter will happily ride the tire swing as I spin it around. Haha.

- Does not react to loud, sudden noises.

- Does not react to crowds or loud kids running around screaming. May watch, but nothing more.

- Can take him ANYWHERE and do ANYTHING - he is SOLID!

Just a few things.. Hunter's nerve is impeccable. 

-


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## Tiffseagles

We went fishing near a shooting range. Otis didn't give the noise a second thought.


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