aggression and suspicion in the gsd - Page 6

Sharpness in relation to working dogs as I understand and is generally described by most is the dogs threshold to act in a hostile manner to a perceived threat, hostile meaning aggressive. A sharp dog would be in that case, a dog that lights up in aggression fast with little provocation. As an example, if someone walks out of an alley way and appears suddenly in front of handler and dog, a sharp dog will light up in aggression. If someone runs across the road heading directly towards handler and dog, a sharp dog will light up in aggression instinctively with that type of stimulus.

If you dropped the leash in this model with a sharp civil dog, the dog would instictively engage and bite the subject.

 

ALPHAPUP AND ROXY:

Im glad you guys have brought up the SHARP diccusion.
we had a helper/trainer from the U.S., he came to B.C. for a training session. We worked with my dog and other dogs too.
We had figure out what i need to do to make it better. it wont make my dog friendly as hell to anyone. but it shows him that it is ok. people and other objects/animals are ok.
they are not scray etc.

We talked for abit, did alot of training in protection and playing bitework etc.

he did great for 8 months. they said they expected less from him, since of his age.
but him and his wife was really impressed. i have steped up my training with my puppy. both in commands, and play time.
trying to make it clear for him, what i want him to do. not black and white.

but he said my dog is really sharp, he has a high defensive drive for a young puppy.
but his prey is also great too. i am acepting that my puppy isnt going to be the dog i really want.
but that said, i am happy with the way things are going. plus it helps when someone that has been doing this for 30 years says. he will be easy to title.
it raelly boost up me the handler and that always boost up the dogs confidence and mine as well.

he also showed me how to just keep my emotions when walking by people in the safe zone. if that makes sense to you.
just dont even know they are there.

done it today. and wow. he didnt even notice. i just walked right by. he look alot more self assure of himself.

just wanted to share, how hes coming alot.

-Nick

I have a female WG Working lines.  She is confident, neither aggressive nor suspicious. She is 100% reliable in all situations.  Sound in mind and character.  This is a true account of what happened to us today.  (She has pups 2 and a half weeks old).

This is a true horrible situation that just happened to me and to Nadja. Took her to the park for a little tug play and ob to give her a break from puppy sitting. Doing hier and fuss etc. and we get pounced on by two young bull dog types and I tell her "Platz"!" She does, and I also tell her "Leave it!" when the two young dogs won't leave and are all over her. I yell to the owners, at least 300 yards away to "GET YOUR DOGS!" Of course, they have no control and their dogs don't have any idea what they are being told to do nor why their owners are yelling. So I take my leash and snap one of them, which is on top of N, on the nose and yell at it to get out of here. The big guy (very big guy) owner then starts running at me with arms waving that I hit his dog and he's going to teach me a lesson. I get scared and tell N (still in a platz), to "break" and put the leash on my hip and tell her "watch him." She takes up protection position and the bark and guard and it's just like the courage test only for real! The guy stops in his tracks and picks up his dogs and high tails it out of there. I have never had such a scary incident with my dogs. But I was aboslutely prepared to keep my girl safe, even if I had to step in.   And 

i have been in incidents like that aas well with my 15 month old she wont back down from a charging man with or without a stick while she is at the end of leash barking but what she would do if the man attacked her or me is a whole diff story. If the dog hasnt trained for it no idea what will happen.

Rex,

I really dont like the SL due to what I have seen of them, most of them anyways.  But if the dog handeled two groun adult men, is difficult to say any thing bad about that.  Sounds like a rough begining end good end result for a PP dog, quite effective for your situation.

I have a 15 month old working line dog we are training in sport and there is no comparison in terms of drive and temperament stability between the two, but the showline dog has an unusual temperament and difficult to understand from what you would expect of a showline dog. The lines have been used in security and police work and the breeder of this dog guaranteed the males in these lines will have strong territorial aggression, she was correct in every way describing from a pup how he will turn out.

It's more consistant with social aggression, however many experienced dogmen have discounted this trait would occur in a showline dog and have essentially regarded his reactivity as fear aggression although the body language of the dog doesn't display a typical fear response and looks to be reacting with confidence???. 

rexy how do you expect your 15 month old to change from now until 2? do you expect much temperment changes?

Destiny4u, I am not sure to be honest what changes his temperament will take until 2 years old? He's been fairly consistant in temperament since 12 months.

nick ... this is the point .. whether working with someone , or just having your own dog .. to be able to understand and recognize the dog .. some dogs are innately predisposed to handle  situations by aggressing /asserting themselves .. sometimes that  doesn't have to manifest itself in  aggressive biting- they just are extremely reactive  .. some dogs have an  innate instict is to have an exaggerated /intensified reaction . this is why i don't lgenerally   use the word sharp .. but for someone like yourself knowing your dog .. that is what makes us be able to channel our dogs , guide them and teach expectations in life. 
      DESTINY : temperament never never , ever changes , character and other attributes can be affected ., like you increase condidence -- but temp. , that is the genetics of the dog .. like saying can the color of the yes change .
         Kaoboy -- thanks ...
               i can see .. some people don't understand , sharpness does not have to be one direction ->[ to the right]  aggression / biting /everly reactive to fight [ + reation ]  .............. i get the gist .. many here miss my  point : Sharpness  , <----- , can go into the opposite direction- th left  , just the dog chooses to flee , that is , it flees like lighteneing , an intensified , exagerated respone :   a dog running away like a bullet for something non-threatening , a normal environment ; that is SHARPNESS also [ the,  -  side ] .. ?? you want to call Sharpness ' an intesified exagerrated behavioral response ?? . I do !!           Star Wars analogy , the light side of the force vs, the dark side of the force . i know , you folks that do sports only talk about sharpness as it correlates to aggression / civil ..  So rhetorically for you folks : does a dog aggress abruptly  because it is fearful, insecure , unsure ,  or because it is dominant , assertive , a confident controler ??  so i am asking .. does sharpness cover all of these types of canine behaviors /or canines ??  yes some , dogs can react to aggress , be civil ... be strong .             but my point in the posts .. we better understand the why and how of our dogs amke-up and behaviors rahter than genralized terms !!.. i have seen dogs called sharp that were  normal genetics and others called sharp but they were really temp flawed .. CAN we  read the dog and tell the difference ?/ Can you tell a dog that has not been socialized properly  or a dog that is just [ as the standard calls for freindly but aloof ] just indifferent ? so again , great  nick you understand your dog ...that is why you will handle ypour dog well !!  because with trying to use terms we can really really get mixed up !!