What could have made our GSD's independent minded...??? - Page 3

I sometimes laugh when I take my dogs to the vet.  They hate it, know they could prevent it by becoming aggressive but they accept it.  They wait in the waiting room knowing that nothing good is going to come of this.  They come into the private examination room.  I sometimes think that with me standing there with them and the vet would cut off their head, they would look at me and ask "are you sure this is what you want to have done?"  Every day and in every way this breed has completely amazed me.  They can distinguish between friend and foe, you can take them to work with you and a half hour later they are on the schutzhund field, thereafter they kiss your babies, then they snuggle up in bed with you, in the a.m. they check out the squirrels and wake everyone in the household up.  If someone is missing they go look for them.  They are nursemaids and at the same time able to be very serious when it comes to protecting their property and their pack.  I just do not know what more one could ask of a good partner.  They certainly are an incredible breed.  I don't think you have to do anything to make them bond to you other than raising them consistently and socializing them to the environment in which they live.

Yup... thats probably it... socializing him to EVERYTHING... every living creature big or small... Make sure he understands what is a NO-NO...  and  Praise for things that he do correctly... Give correction for unwarranted behavior...  He is really intelligent that he can PROBABLY SURVIVE  in the Wilderness with the wolves...  But then and again ,  we're supposed to be his WOLF-PACK ...  Now any IDEAS in making him DEPENDENT on you other than  knowing when his STOMACH is growling...???

I like having a dog that is a bit independent and can problem-solve/think for himself.

Have you ever listened to some of the driving directions from a GPS device? When I am familiar with driving in a certain area, I continue to marvel at the stupid suggestions given by a damned GPS machine.

Frankly, I like having a dog that is capable of over-riding the GPS (me), of reasoning, and figuring out a "better way to build a mousetrap".

Yes, such a "free-thinking" dog may be bit of a challenge to train and often seems one step ahead of his trainer. However, the satisfaction of gradually establishing the necessary teamwork and a relationship of mutual respect is well worth dealing with some "creativity" on the dog's part.