can untained dogs really protect? - Page 10

Destiny: Yes, he attacked out of no where. There was no growl, no action like he was nervous/scared, nothing. He had been in so many times, mostly for boarding. I was used to seeing him 2-3 times a month at least. The doctor went up to greet her, like she did everytime they came in, was standing there talking to her, and out of nowhere he jumped up and attacked. One of the strangest things I'd ever seen. He went straight for the neck, too, she had to throw her arm up and he got her arm instead. He just flipped a switch all of the sudden. Maybe within the past 4 months he had been in he had begun to become like playfully agressive with us in the yard, but it wasn't anything like that.

Nan: My pup is a really dominant female. We haven't worked on any bitework quite yet, but I have no doubt in my mind that if the situation presented itself, she would tear someone up. She's never been aggressive to anyone before, but she's extremely interested if someone comes up to greet me, especially if they are strange to her. I picked her based on what I knew of both of her parents and grandparents, and how she acted in the litter. If you're looking for a protective, high-drive dog, I'd definately be looking for a WL. Mine is of both WL and SL, so it took me a little while to really start bringing out her prey/play drives. As for US or oversea dogs, I prefer US. I like imports, but I like being able to meet both parents of the dogs to get a sense of their attitudes and stability.

Macrowe that is the kind of agression that I would hope with proper training a person would want to curtail; actually insist on control as far as the handler goes;  however, again, this sounds just like my boy.  The first time he lunged and went for the throat of a grocery helper I was in such shock all I could do was to get in my van and hold him and hug him and wondered what hit.  JHC it all happened so fast I was in shock for an hour.    I apoligized to the guy though and he stated that it was OK that my dog probably smelled his cats.  I don't think so.  Unless the dog is serious about the person who he is attacking I do not want him to behave like that.  This is where I feel training comes in; to teach them when and when not to behave in a protective manner.  To this day I am grateful he did not get the guy and this was when he was 18 months old;  surprised the hell out of me.  Told my trainer at the time and she just said "good boy".  Yeah, but what if he would have bit the guy??  So I do feel there is some liability involved and being a responsible dog owner I feel it necessary to have control of the dog along with proper training.  What happens naturally, well I would need to be able to read the dog very, very well.  JMO,  NAn  Thank you all for your assistance and knowledge regarding this majestic and loyal breed, I absolutely love them all.  Nan

I have a male GSD that is 2 years old.  My husband was ill in the hospital last year, I called a friend to see if he would come over and help me with my sprinkler system.  Well he didn't think before hand, but he opened the door and can right in the house.  My male did not hesitate to protect, he charged my friend, I was able to grab him before he got to him.  However, I still don't know what would have happened.  Would he have bitten my friend? I'm not sure.  I do Schutzhund with him, so he is trained to bite a "sleeve" and I know that is different then bititing for real.  I would like to believe he would protect me at all costs, but am I possitive, NO!   I   100% agree with moons

lol ur trainer really said good boy? Hey trainer my gsd ripped out the throat of the pool boy today! wow good boy!


sounds like your dog was protecting your van and the grocery boy suprised him u need to be on top of that stuff good dogs will defend ur cars/vans


i wanted to comment on some lines i think would produce strong natural protectors people can correct me if i am wrong but i think tom, ufo, mink, and the tinkerhooks would all produce naturally protective strong lines so if someone were looking for a wg dog that would protect w/o training id imagine those would be the lines to look at but thats JMHO They seem to have strong aggression and courage.

I have a showline male that at 7 months old had no personal protection training.  He is always very playful with everybody and just a happy dog in all situations.  I raised him from 8 weeks old.  One day the man I was dating came over with a few too many drinks in him, a way I had never seen him before.  He started yelling at me and my 7 month old SL Gsd stepped right in front of me, barking at him.  The guy laughed, saying that he was too friendly to do anything for real and he tried to hit me.  The dog jumped up and bit the arm that tried to hit me and knocked the man back.  Needless to say after I saw this I was out of that relationship.  Will an untrained dog protect you?  I believe it depends on the dog and the bond you have with that dog.  A year later we were out and a kid decided to hit him with a baseball bat because he stole the kid's ball.  The dog didn't do anything, just kept trotting around with the ball playing chase with the boy.  This is after he had protection training. He reacts only when he needs to, and he's done that before any training.  He is a solid nerve dog and I can trust him with anyone in any situation.  His prey drive may suck, but I'd count on him in any dark alley a lot more than I would any of the working line shepherds I've had that were all prey drive, or good defense but no bond.  I guess I haven't found the right bloodlines in the working lines yet.

Evo (The dog in my avatar) fearless, very dominant, thinks he's indestructable.  Yes he is sleeve trained, but would he protect me... in truth I haven't a clue, he's never even remotely been in a  situation where he's even had to think about it. 
I know he can throw a look that will make the bravest of hearts miss a beat, which is usually enough for them to stop staring at him and cross the road...but if the %$£" hit the fan... not a clue!  He has a sharp civil full brother that is extremely handler protective and has bitten on more than one occasion and has to be managed accordingly.
His mother would have, and she would be bloody evil doing it, but she also had self restraint when needed, on more than one occasion, someone has walked into my house without knocking and got pinned up against the wall in a hold and bark (That was never trained!).   She was never trained much on a sleeve, because if you pee'd her off, she'd spit it out and come under it.

My ACD male will protect me, he's already shown that side of himself, he's a very confident in his own skin type, that takes the world as he finds it with a smile on his face, he's not a dominant dog having been neutered at 8mths (he was a rescue) but he has solid enough nerve and enough 'balls' to back himself up.  (He'd probably do really well at schutzhund apart from the fact he's a lardy arse!) 
My ACD bitch is windy as hell damn those dingo genes and  would leg it - She would only bite as a last resort to protect herself.  I wait to be suprised!!!

A great read. To answer the original question, my answer is yes, but they are few and far between.

Preston, I love your posts on "gangster" dogs. They are still out there, in the showlines. I think breeders are not identifying them, as they are ending up in (of all godforsaken places) unsuspecting pet homes. I've seen a handful. I bred one myself, incidentally, a brother to my Anni. It was clear from about 4-5 weeks what a little bastard he was. He loved terrorizing his siblings, his mother, I believe, knew him for what he was and regularly sent him flying. I'll have to PM you about that little sucker, you'll enjoy it.

This line you posted caught my eye: They referred to them as "gangster dogs" because they viewed them as "criminals" that were bullies at heart.  I work with a Taboo Nordteich daughter who this describes to a T. I call her the heat seeking missile. She can, and has, nailed people intruding on her space with no bite training whatsoever. One instance was rather serious. Make no mistake, she is not unstable. She just loves an excuse to get mean. I've worked with her from a puppy and I love her to pieces, I'd take her home in a heartbeat.

what it boils down to, I think, is that an untrained dog may "protect" you or its home, but training a dog puts some control on it. You can send a dog or call him off when YOU deem it necessary, and take that decision away from the dog.

The gal in my sig was a rescue, picked up from the streets of Scarborough, Ontario after her owners dumped her. God knows how she was bred, but a former German K9 police officer said that in his opinion, she was purebred, and looked like the dogs he'd worked with in Germany after the war.

One night, she was walking by my side, at heel, and off leash. Suddenly, she broke her heel and went tearing back down the street.  At first, I was pissed at her for breaking the heel, but then I saw my husband standing in the middle of the street with his bicycle.

It turns out, he'd been planning to follow me on our walk on his bike, as he frequently did, when a large dog came out of the garage of a new home that was under construction, and tried to attack him. He jumped off the bike, and put it between himself and the dog. He also called for Tasha, who came running.

When she arrived, she bared her teeth, raised her hackles and backed that dog right off the road into the garage of the unfinished home. He was a GSD mix, and bigger and heavier than she was.

She got a nice piece of steak for rescuing him!

Some of these post i have seen are rediculous unless you have just owned some sort of backyard bred dog . I have had  GSD's for 40 years and they were not all worling line or showline....they were just good GSDs. I have never had one of my dogs that coward down to a situation. And all have had their moments....trust me.  I can tell you stories that go well beyond just protecting the owner but protecting the neighborhood, guests and much more.  I can tell you about a story where a neighbors child was being forced into a vehicle by a stranger and my dog broke through a pane glass window and subdued the intruder. I can tell you some great stories about some of the GSD's i have had. I am hard pressed to believe that if raised properly they would NOT bite someone if the right situation presented itself.