Guarding Ijnstinct - Page 3

when the stranger arrives at home on the door. Or makes a threatening action. But when trained the same dog is protective

Is this supposition or does it actually happen?

I have never known a Shepherd not to defend, it's inherent as a rule. 

I did hear of a police dog going off quite happily with the guys that had beat up the officer, but I understand that the officer treated his dog very badly, so IMO the dog made a good choice!

Misbeeb:   Of course we corrected her!  lol  When she did that, her attitude had shifted from protective to fearful, probably because we had a hold of her and could tell we were tense.  She was put on her side and held there until she submitted.  Being unsure and barky at strangers is one thing, but biting is a no no!  She knew she'd done wrong.  She's never bitten anyone before, so she hasn't learned that bad behavior in order to keep people from approaching her.  She's usually just got a big mouth!  We went against our better judgement in forcing Zoe to accept a stranger's touch, but when one's mom is making a big deal about it...yeah, it's kind of frustrating.  I really don't think she was going to bite his mom, she was just trying to get away. 

If people approach us and want to pet her, I let them know that she is not accepting of strangers, and for them to stand still, and give her the "Cesar" treatment:  No Touch, No Talk, No Eye Contact.  My mom watches the show and behaved correctly upon meeting her for the first time last week, and didn't try to pet her or make a fuss, and Zoe calmed down within minutes, lying at my feet and going over to sniff my mom of her own volition.   She wasn't ready to be pet yet, but she reasoned that if mommy was okay with this woman, then she would be too. 

Mum of Zoe, Hmmmm... I've been told I've got a big mouth too! LOL

Keep up the good work!

Instinct is what tells the dog to protect it's territory and it's family or pack.  To be suspicious and to hold it's ground or even attack the threat.

A dog doesn't have to be trained to know fire is dangerous, or a predator is a threat or it's territory is to be protected form those who would claim it as their own.    Thats instinct.   Some individual's and different breed's have different amount's or level's of this natural instinct.  I believe it's both genetic and a learned behavior.

But how a dog react's to it's instinct's is learned.  Passed on thru it's mother or the behavior of the pack, taught by it's owner or trainer, or learned from experience.

Barking at a threat is the same, part instinct and part learned behavior.   

I believe a dog's instinct's tell it what threat's are real and how much of a threat there is.   Yet here too learning and experience come into play.    Dog's may not view a car going down the road a threat but they surely are and most dog's if not killed learn this by an experience with a car on the road.  This also can be taught without the danger of injury.

Your question's are a bit hard to get a grip on.

Moon's.

Then that makes two of us!  hehehe

Thanks, you do the same :D I love your avatar by the way..."Oooh squirrel!!!  Lemme at him!"

Some of the behavior will depend on what you reinforce.  For example, both of our GSDs are alert to people (and animals, mostly moose) walking by our house.  They don't bark if we are right there but watch out the windows.  If we are somewhere, like the basement, where we can't see out the windows the dogs do bark to alert us but stop when we arrive.  If I open the door, both dogs just stand and calmly watch the person which can be just as intimidating to a stranger as a barking dog because they are intent on following the stranger's every move.  When we aren't home, they bark at anyone who approaches the house - this we've heard as reports from neighbors.

My preference is for a dog that pays attention to what's going on but doesn't bark like an idiot at every person going by.  Both of my dogs adore children and happily accept petting from them.  They are more aloof with adults but not aggressive.  They will sit for petting after they've had some time to check the person out.  We've never encountered an adult behaving in a threatening manner so I'm not sure how they would react.

Neither of my dogs has had formal protection training, so this behavior comes from instinct.  The trainer we're working with right now has SchH titled dogs and PPD dogs - those dogs always know where everyone is at all times.  They don't react to people that their owners accept, but guard their owners (including the children) from strangers first by body positioning and then by barking.  The key, I think, is that the dogs wait to see if the owner accepts the person or not at the same time as reading the person's body language to determine if they are a threat.  Just my 2 cents.

Opal

If I understand this ,you put your dog down on its side till it submitted,was your visitor still there?  This seems alittle much as restraint and control allows confidence and security, if your the pack leader then he takes your lead .Submission in lue of protection is not in there nature, and will not build confidence . I have never seen a dog, big or small that will put up with submission ,there lifes are to gain rank in the pack and to protect the pack ,so submission is only put up with with the dominate, (you i hope) but be aware that you are setting up a challenge. Relate it to a teen boy and his father,not a good thing when they finally go at it. So Imo I would just remove, when your dog does what you dont like, but submission will come to ahead. I trust my dogs and sleep well at night.

So

Bancroft, I've never known a Shepherd like the one you describe. 

Did he live in a kennel?  Sometimes kennel dogs don't "care" so much.