My Thoughts Of THIS FORUM.

If you think rednosed pitbulls or any pitbulls or rottweilers are mean you are so wrong about that all you see is ladies with beatuiful loving dogs pitbulls and rottweilers aren't beautiful loving dogs???? As someone else said as I keep reading I think you joined just to stir up an internet fight, and I'm sorry think it's time to grow up, in the picture of you're dog he or she looks tiny and not that scary, and you letting you're dog roam the streets is a BAD DOG OWNER, in my opinion you shouldn't have a dog if you're not gonna take care of it properly!! In you're one post you said the next door neighbors dog digs under the fence to get to you're dog but you had to tell his or her owner to fence their dog???? Hmm doesn't seem like you should talk or even suggest another dog owner to keep their dog in their own yard when you're dog roams freely.

 As hard as that was to understand, I believe the jist of it was that you are yelling at a kid who likely has little to no say in where the dog is kept in the first place.  Calling people names and attacking them does not help anyone.  And as much as I agree with many of your points, I'd much rather see this person stick around and learn a bit.

Oh, OP means Original Poster, or Post. 

GSD's are working breed.

Yes, but have you read the jobs these dogs are bred to do? Work sheep, police work, drug work, leader dogs for the blind, service dogs, therapy dogs, schutzhund.

Do you know what all of these jobs require?

CLOSE contact and interaction with the handler!!  NONE of these jobs involve the dog being tied outside to a doghouse on a length of chain or rope.  If the dog doesn't have a bond with the handler, the dog is not protecting or working for the handler.  They're protecting THEIR space and THEIR territory and working for THEMSELVES.  The thought of you doesn't even enter into it.

As far as they're concerned, whatever happens outside of their area isn't their mess to deal with.

My dogs live in the house, with me, and my dogs have made it a point to keep a way some ne'er-do'well's on more than one occasion.
 

Absolutely german shepherds are working breeds, but that doesn't mean that they don't need to be TAUGHT to work or to do the specific job you want them to do.  They aren't born knowing what to do.

For what it's worth, a german shepherd, per breed standards, shouldn't RUN from AC.  He should stand his ground, but not menace.  He should be aloof to strangers, but not leery of them.

Working with a gsd is a very pleasurable experience.  They are so smart and so eager to learn, but also able to think for themselves a bit and react to a situation that they have been TRAINED to react to.  If not trained, they tend to find "jobs" of their own and remind me very much of those wild kids running amok and knocking folks over at Walmart.......

well im interested to learn. How i can use her intellegence to the max. So ill stick anround we just moved out to the country nothing but grass and a big park back door she has plenty of space to run around. We are going to build a big dog kennel and a shed in the back 

Using her intelligence involves diligent training.  Hours, and hours, and hours worth of training.

You don't get this:

Or this:


Or this:


Without a TON of work each and every day 

 Oh, but Xeph... aren't those hours worth it! 

BTW... those Schutzund(sp?) pics, where the dog is latched to the guys arm... The dog attacks on command and lets go the minute he's told to.  Do a search of the sport on youtube for some good videos.  Its amazing to watch.  THAT is an effective guard dog. 

xeph...how long did it take for both of your dogs ears to stick up? 

oo...my dog can do this..

I see a lot of helpful advice from GSD owners here, but you would be well advised to seek out and heed experienced "chow people" too.  Just because she LOOKS more like a GSD, she still has chow in her genes.  Try looking up "chow chow, bite work" on Youtube and see what it comes up with.  The results might be quite telling....

Oh and: I bet she can't.   

gahustle, if you have not sought professional training for your dog as Xeph has, I highly doubt he can do what Xeph's dog can do.  Do you know that at the end of the protection exercise, your dog has to walk off leash at heel between you and the person it was just biting and show NO aggression towards that person? Protection work is NOT about biting and aggression, in fact, the bark and hold exercises are more important.  If your dog is truly menacing, it should never have to actually bite someone to stop them.  Generally, a well trained bark and hold is enough to scare any sane person.  The dog also must be trained in obedience.  This is a video of a dog doing an obedience routine for the same sport that Xeph's dog is doing in those pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkO_VZPHLDk 

Chuffy

I see a lot of helpful advice from GSD owners here, but you would be well advised to seek out and heed experienced "chow people" too.  Just because she LOOKS more like a GSD, she still has chow in her genes.  Try looking up "chow chow, bite work" on Youtube and see what it comes up with.  The results might be quite telling....

Oh and: I bet she can't.   

I agree.  Sorry gahustle, but I really don't see any German Shepherd in your dog.  A black face does not a German Shepherd dog make.  She looks more Chow Chow mix than GSD to me. 

lol well just because you don see and gsd in her...dosnt mean much besides just that.   She IS German Sheperd Mixed with Chow Dog... Says her papers, vet, and tendencies.

Really Dosnt matter if you dont or not.     Im openin to learning on here thats about it.   I do want/plan to get her n OBEDIENCE training next week :). 

gahustle

lol well just because you don see and gsd in her...dosnt mean much besides just that.   She IS German Sheperd Mixed with Chow Dog... Says her papers, vet, and tendencies.

 

Really Dosnt matter if you dont or not.     Im openin to learning on here thats about it.   I do want/plan to get her n OBEDIENCE training next week :). 

How does this dog have registered papers being a mix?

I am sorry, maybe, you just meant what a person put on paper........but seriously........look at the profile......I don't see GSD......sorry...

Here is a profile shot of a very young German Shepherd........

btw., ears stood solid by seven months.......

I would also like to add that seeing what Strauss is doing (the GSD on the sleeve) is NOT as easy as taking him out and saying "SIC 'EM!!!!!"

Schutzhund is, above all else, a working endeavor that tests the dogs mental stability and nerves.  A fear aggressive animal has NO business in this working test/sport.  NONE whatsoever!  That kind of dog is a liability.

Schutzhund is teaching me things about my dog that I would have never known otherwise.  And we are not to the point in our training where he can reliably heel without going after the helper.  He hasn't learned that kind of restraint.  And chances are we'll never title, mostly because I didn't start him out right, and we can't get down to the club as often as we need to.  But that's ok, because even if we only get our BH, that's more of an accomplishment than anybody said we could do.

There is a LOT more to schutzhund than just protection as well.  There is tracking and obedience that come before it, and the entire sport is about the biddability and obedience of the dog.  Your dog isn't obedient, it's dangerous.  No two ways about it.  And just because my dog is trained in bitework, and knows protection commands is no guarantee that he will protect me time and again.

Has he held off someone with less than good intentions before?  Yes.  Will he do it again?  My honest answer is...I hope to God I never have to find out.  I love my dog, and I trust him, and I know he loves and trusts me, but in the heat of the moment I can never expect him to be anything else than a dog, and he may just choose to turn tail and run.

Being hit by a padded stick is a LOT different than being beaten with the butt of a gun, or a tree branch, or a tire iron.  The fact of the matter is that animals like K9 Patrol dogs are bred to behave differently from a normal dog.  A normal dog, in a fight or flight situation SHOULD choose flight.  K9's are bred to choose FIGHT.

Those dogs have to be more than stable.  They literally have to be bombproof, and your dog may well not be cut out for that kind of work, and until her obedience is solid, bitework shouldn't be introduced.

Any dog can bite, but not every dog can be controlled while doing the biting.