aggression - Page 1

hi everybody, I have a 2.5 yrs old male gsd & he is not at all protective. He usually barks when there is someone outside the gate of my house, mostly strange people or cows & other animals. But once somebody opens the gate, he would just sniff the person & let him/her inside without barking. It's totally the opposite when he is tied onto a leash. Moreover, he is not at all protective about his food. Even when trying to take away meat or chicken from him, he would usually leave it once asked to, he does'nt growl not more than a bit. Is there something wrong with my dog or the training? What are the remedies?

Sounds like a good dog to me. Do you want your dog to be aggressive in non threatening situations and posessive over food?? To me that would be bad, I want all my dogs to be friendly unless they NEED to be. What kind of training are you doing? what are your goals with the training (SchH sport or personal protection)?

Hello, look, be informed about the temperament of the German Shepherd race http://www.gsdca.org/Noframes/standard/IllStan4.htm

There is nothing wrong with your dog. Many people spend alot of money trying to get their dogs to not be food aggressive. The last thing you want is a dog biting someone because they came into your fence line. Unless you like civil litigation. If the dog is not being threatened why would you want him to act aggressively? If your dog barks to alert you that there are strangers in the area, he is a good watch dog. If he bites someone because they are on your property, you have a problem. Kyle

I bet if someone came thru your gate who intended to hurt you or your family, it would be a whole different story...dogs are very smart...I have the same type of temperment on my gsd..and a stranger did come thru my gate when I was out tanning..my dog came out of his dog door (very quickly and quietly i might add) and got the guy!! So I wouldn't worry about it...

you're concerned about your dog because it is not food aggressive? be happy that your dog isn't food aggressive! sounds like a very good tempered and stable headed dog! As for protecting your home, again...be glad your dog isn't one of those huge liabilities that try to kill anyone passing within 20 feet of their fence. both of my shepherds are very sociable, I would never have a dog that wasn't friendly and safe with people. both of my dogs will allow people onto my property and into my home without problem (such as the guy who reads the gas meter who came by my home just yesterday) However, like Yeti said, dogs have very good instincts, and a dog that does have a stable, trustworthy temperament will know when it and it's family is being threatened or not, 4 yrs ago when I just had one shepherd (now 11) and living in an apartment someone opened the door while I was watching tv...my GSD, who had never challenged anyone at our front door before rushed too the front door barking and rammed her body into the door, shutting it (yes I heard the door being slammed shut). by the time I got to the front door and looked out the person was already gone. And just last summer I was taking my year old male for a walk in our quaint little town, we had already passed by several people and were approaching 2 young men standing in a doorway, my male became highly agitated, snarling and trying too pull his way over to the men in an aggressive manner, he had every single hair on his back standing up. the men quickly went into the door and my male would not stop looking over his shoulder when we passed. afterwards we passed other people on our walk and he was perfectly civil and friendly towards them, and this dog has always been a complete goofy mushball and has never shown any type of aggression towards any person before or since that incident (doesn't even bark when someone comes to my home) I personally view a dog that is friendly with people, civil and obedient in the home and in public and very very rarely shows aggression only when there seems too be a real threat to be the most valuable of all.

I think that you should be thrilled to have such a wonderful temperment in your dog. A German Shepherd was never meant to be an aggressive dog. To me there is a huge difference between a dog that aggressive to the point of being a liability and a dog that is just protective of his/her family.

I do not think there are any remedies -- sounds like nothing is wrong. You say the dog is not at all protective, has it ever been in a situation to be protective? If there is no threat there is no need for protection. A dog also should not be food aggressive. What type of training are you doing? Even a trained personal protection dog should be very social and friendly to people.

moderator -- where did my post go to ??

Your GSD sounds very clear in the head and is able to discern the situation...far better than humans. Don't forget, his olfactory senses are keen and he will be able to smell changes in a fearful or aggressive human. He's not reacting because there is no need to. My female, age 3, is so gentle at the beach, street, home etc. I can take her anywhere...but one time she was training and her hackles went up and she barked and started to show her teeth for what I thought was nothing...when I went to correct her, the trainer told me to leave her be as the man she had a problem with was a very nasty person. He sounds like a gem, enjoy him. If you are using him for Sch and want his drive up than look at the Leerburg site for Bernard Flinks video. Good Luck!