GSD true to the end........... - Page 1

A friend of mine adopted an older Schutzhund female as she was retiring several years ago. She loved this dog, and her transition from kennel life to a life inside a home was smooth and super quick. When we got together, her eyes would always brighten up as she wold talk of her dog. This dog was one of the best cared for dogs I knew.

In late November, Jewel sustained serious internal injuries to her gut while defending our home. Intruders came over the fence.  I was not at home, or Glock would have been there to aid her in that battle. Fence was broken and blood and clothing on the ground told the storry. She died a few weeks later from the injuries, vet tried, but culdnt' do much, she was 13. My friend will be looking for another retiring female soon, but not now, as she is morning.


Often people ask if their dog will protect them or not. And its always hard to know until the situation actually happens...In this case, an old retired schutzhund dog did just that, protected my friend's mother who was inside the house at the time.

Hail to Jewel, ever valiant.  My condolences to your friend in her loss of such a phenomenal dog, and more importantly a phenomenal family member whose absence in their life now leaves a gap that can never be refilled by any other dog.

And kudos to the person who trained Jewel in her younger years, AND to the breeder who brought this true 'gem' into the world.  If they don't object, you should share their names with us, too, so they, too get the recognition they deserve for their roles in your friend having such an outstanding senior girl protecting your home and your friend's mother.  Without the genetics, and without training that didn't break the dog down, Jewel's courage was unlikely to have been there when it was needed.

My condolences to you, too, SitasMom, as I'm sure your heart is hurting over Jewel's passing as well.

A bittersweet story indeed. RIP good girl...

Ditto Hexe, well said

It's not necessarily the training, it's the dog's heart. I've seen too many trained dogs that couldn't do squat when the real deal came down. On the flip side, my girlfriend was protected twice from thugs by her untrained dogs when I wasn't with her to take care of the problem. Neither dog has had any protection training and one isn't even a German Shepherd, just a little terrier mix. The terrier flew at a guy that weighed ten times more than he did when the thug went to take down my girlfriend. Scared the crap out of the guy and he took off. The Shepherd stopped a carjacking cold even though he flunked out of police dog school before he barely got started. Then there’s the lady I know whose little bitty poodle defended her from a thug who put a knife to her throat. No training, and the dog went right for the knife arm. He latched on like a Pitbull and the thug had to slam him up against a building again and again before he could bash him off and run away. The poodle was bruised up real bad but otherwise OK.

I'm not knocking training, I'm a trainer myself, but the older I get the more I understand that the dog's heart matters the most. The training is great for proofing and testing and teaching skills, but if the dog doesn't have heart, the training won't do squat.

Bravo, Jewel, for your brave and true heart! The stars shine brighter now that you've joined them. May your owner find another like you to be with her until you're together again. You are truly a jewel, and your like will be hard to find. Only advice I can give, is find a dog with the look of eagles. No one can describe it, but any real dog person knows it in a heartbeat when they see it. SitasMom, for sure you’ll know how to find the right dog when the time comes.
 
Damn shame the old lady didn’t have a Glock and know how to use it.
 

find a dog with the look of eagles. No one can describe it, but any real dog person knows it in a heartbeat when they see it. 

A number of years ago, people were sharing similar stories on this board, and I read one that's always stuck in my mind. Back in the old days, when dogs were left free to protect the property, a family's GSD saw a burglar breaking into the neighbour's house. The guy was part way through the window, and the GSD ran over and grabbed him by the ankles. His screams brought attention from other neighbours, who called the cops.

The dog kept the burglar cornered until the police arrived to arrest him.

No protection training, just a good dog doing what he was supposed to do.

Sunsilver,

That is the best I heard about guarding dogs. To protect a neighbor's property is the peak of nobility, no wonder GSD is described as a noble dog 

JonRob, I wasn't crediting the training for the dog's instinctive response--I was crediting those who had trained her in the sport for not breaking her innate courage down during that training...which sadly can and DOES happen in the pursuit of points and podium.  Clearly, whoever trained her for her Schutzhund titles was not one of those individuals, and there are several sad but grateful people who owe him or her their thanks for that fact. 

That is a very moving story.  Having said that, I doubt the case of "Often people ask if their dog will protect them or not" is applicable in this case, since the dog was in her own territory and even the most cowardly dog will defend its own ground from outside intrusion.

Protecting its person when outside their "territory" is a totally different thing and is of course something that every owner wonders about, till it actually happens.