This is true! I tried socializing my herder with everyone, until he slightly nipped and moved away from people he doesn't know. I then realized he is acting exactly what I need, neutral in public, but not fluffy Jones and open to everyone. A personal protection canine should be like a personal bodyguard. Simple, quiet, alert and focused. Oversocialization is extremely overated in the dog world. Moderate exposure in appropriate age and emotion is relevant for an intelligent creature.
My working line GSD is 7 months now and had the same issue with dog reactivity when she was younger. We used positive reinforcement but it wasn't helping. Then I tried a few leash pops (on flat collar) and she got the message right away. Your video is so true!
Why not use a prong collar? If you know what you’re doing that is.. She’s still growing/maturing you have a very strong breed and I hope you have experience.
@@thesilentvertigo2901 I hope you’re getting your WL GSD involved in IPO/Schutzhund/protection work. A WL GSD really shouldn’t be just a pet that’s not what they were bred for. But I’m sure you know that right? I hope you’re not just trying to make her a couch potato & you’re going to work her up to her potential.
My Thai ridgeback I have walking to heel recall off leash is very slow, But I find she lunges at dogs on walks in the park😡 I pop her choke but she just manages to get up on her back legs in a split second 😡 I'm finding this hard to stop still 😭
@@eunice8116 I'm old school , some children never needed a swat . But some insisted on doing things like putting things in elecrical sockets. Even after being told" no." { Mind you we didnt have "child proofing " in those days. } So a pop on the fanny was dicipline. And our children lived. Same with a pup, some are more headstrong than others. But our goal is for them to live long and happy lives. We have to adjust for the more headstrong ,and be mindfull of the gentle.
Sound advice. So many people buy GSDs because they want a "protection" dog then they get upset when he does his job. Don't get a shepard if you dont fully understand the breed and can spend the time training them or finding an experienced shepard trainer.
Family is having trouble with their reactive gsd.. don't train him, wasn't exposed to anything, not enough work/stimulation, poor boundaries or follow through.. a gsd is a like a PT job
So, I've got this video on this morning, volume up. I'm listening while doing a few things around my house. I walk back into the livingroom and Buddy, my 3yoGSD, is standing in front of the TV intently watching and listening. 😂 He didn't even turn to check on me entering the room. You caught his attention, Haz. Looked like he was taking mental notes too. 👍🏻 (I did snap a quick photo, but can't post here. As you all can imagine, it's pretty cute.)
Quality advice. I have working German Shepard she is like this. And spending time walking in public and different places helps her lots. And yes she still barks at strangers to our house
(Quote) "By far, this drive causes more confusion than any other. Defense drive refers to the dog's instinct to defend himself. It is part of the self preservation instinct. Thus, a complete absence of any defense drive in the GSD would be faulty temperament. Though we would expect to see very little defense drive in a Lab. That breed isn't supposed to have a great deal of suspicion toward humans. Whether this drive is problematic depends both on the strength of the drive and the threshold at which the drive kicks in. We will talk in depth about thresholds in the next section. When a dog is in defense drive, he is displaying aggressive behaviors. Barking, lunging, snapping, snarling and growling are part of the constellation. The dog's hackles may be up. Understand that the dog feels that he must fight for his life. A dog in defense drive is under extreme stress. He may be feeling extremely ambivalent, and you'll see ears swiveling back and forth, the dog may bark and back up, then move forward again. This is why good trainers never, ever introduce elements of defense into protection training until the dog has sufficient emotional maturity and self confidence to be able to manage his stress. Defensive behavior is not fun for the dog. Unfortunately, it seems to be really fun for far too many owners. It's easy to understand why so many people mistake a defensive display with genuine protection. Remember, the dog who is in defense feels threatened. All of the lunging, snarling and other displays have one common goal: to drive the threat back. That's why a defensive display has such forwardness to it, the dog wants to push the threat away. The best analogy I've heard so far was to compare the dog in defense drive to a solitary wolf being confronted by a grizzly bear (I believe this analogy was written by Donn Yarnell). The lone wolf knows he cannot win this fight and feels that he is not free to flee. So, he puts on a big show, hoping to drive the bear off. In fact, if the dog felt that flight was an option, he absolutely would flee. It's very important that owners of defensive dogs understand this. Too often, people incorrectly assume that the dog won't bite unless he is cornered. That's not true. All that matters is the dog's perception of the situation. If he feels that he cannot escape because he is on lead or even because he could lose face, the dog could very well bite. Is there anything positive about defense drive? Yes!! It's essential for a good protection dog. Why? Because defense drive is always accessible. It's not subject to exhaustion or boredom. Defense is what puts the seriousness into protection work. Again, it's all a matter of degree and threshold. Assuming the dog has good, strong nerves and a reasonably high threshold, a dog with strong defense drive can be a good working dog. Keep in mind the next time someone tells you that his growling, lunging dog is "protective", that protection, by it's very definition, requires the presence of a legitimate, identifiable threat. If the dog is carrying on defensively toward a non-threatening person or object, that's not protection, that's a spook dog."
Exactly what I needed to hear , thanks. My pup is 4 months , he is very friendly…too friendly so I don’t let him go strange ppl thinking we’re all friends.
Addicted to all your videos as I just found your channel Tuesday. High quality content that’s very helpful since my husband and I just decided to have a German Shepherd. 👍🏽
Right on track with what I’m experiencing with my pup too. 4mo we could walk downtown and he didn’t have a care in the world. One month later and he’s barking at the trash bin across the street outside our house. Insecurity aspect makes sense and teaching them appropriate way to cope has been most effective in recovering his original disposition.
Awesome feedback and as always, super helpful information. We have a 10 month old WLGSD going through significant stranger reactivity. This reassures me with the measures that we are taking with him! Thanks so much.
Hooray! There's hope for my GSD she's definitely a one family dog. I've worked really hard with her on neutrality around other dogs and strangers but I let people know; she's not comfortable around strange men, sorry. My GSD is about 20 months now and we got her at 3.5 months. She's come a long way and I'm so proud of her. ❤
Always great work, watching this for the 100th time! Going through insecurities with my puppy, so it is great to know that it isn't something I did wrong and instead my pup is just growing up!! Working hard to raise a dog of good social standings.
Omg yes.. my gsd I had growing up was chill and I could pass people, could bring people in, could stop to talk to people upclose. No barking, pulling, alert but aloof. Sometimes people would ask to pet him and that was a solid no, will bite even though you're standing 2ft away and he's totally not even paying attention to you. The most he ever gave strangers was a quick sniff and a measly tail wag.. No touchy.. even with dogs he was aloof.. though he liked little dogs. My gentle giant.. I was all the friend he needed
Thank you very much for that feedback. I’m new in the dog world and in fact have had to work through a fear of them. You prepared me very well for possible behaviors of this breed. We still think this is the breed for us and thank you for your objective advice in having a well trained GS. Blessings!
I had a shepherd as a kid and he bit a neighbor who randomly walked into our house XD We had to rehome him and I cried. But honestly it makes sense, she didn't even knock XD She just opened the door ! XD So yeah definitely what I want. If they can protect and be around who they grow up with then yes yessss XD
Our shepherd is 4 months old and she seems social, we got her to be protective for our 5 year old daughter to grow up with, hope Max will make the turn to protect any leads are great full!
I got my female Shepherd at 4 months, behavior change as far as suspicion of strangers occurred some time around 9 months to a little over a year. I don't know how typical that is, I assume not uncommon.
Great video! If someone is an extroverted social butterfly and expects their dog to be the same way.. get a golden or a lab. Don’t get a German Shepherd.
You are exactly right! I have 6 month GSD she was very reactive to my neighbors coming out of the house and bark bark. So them put her on a leash corrected the behavior and now if she starts I just say quiet and she stops. No not doing it at all. When ppl come through my got I don’t stop her and she still does her job!!
And just look at Gage now! 🥰 Look what patience, consistency, being disciplined & attentive manifest into- a consistently attentive, patient disciplined dog! Imagine that!
I have two opposite GSDs - one loves everyone, who is 1/2 working line 1/2 show line. He is a complete love. I have another working line girl who will take off your face. This is an excellent description of GSDs. The handler here is very good and I enjoy watching the owner work. Nice job.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I completely concur. I have a 4-month old male Doberman pinscher. I take him absolutely EVERYWHERE with me and watch his reactions to everything and everyone. He's a Doberman through and through and when he over-reacts to someone or something, he gets a FIRM correction. As a counter to that, my trainer doesn't agree with the "firm correction" theory but then again, she trains Border Collies and Aussies for agility. Granted, I intend to put my Doberman in agility one day, but I have informed her that the guard/protection/high drive breeds need to be dealt with a bit differently than a BC or AS. Thanks for putting up these videos. I get confirmation that I am on the right track with my dogs.
My first baby was a dobie. He was my very best friend. I still miss him and it's been 15 years since he passed. Best wishes to you and your best friend. Have a blast together.
Yes, u r absolutely right! I have a white GSD that I rescued, and the stranger giving treats does NOT work. Gave treats to my brother who came over, she took them from him, and still tried to bite him! But recently got a prong collar and started today using it as to ur suggestions. Wow!! What a difference already! U r so right about ur training tips. Thank u so much!!
I want to thank you for your valuable insight about dogs it is helped me and my kids to socialise and care for our dog. I thoroughly enjoy your talks while interacting with the dog. Hilton from South Africa
Thank you Excellent educational tip. I have a four month old shepherd that I’m starting to train and I’m having the same overreaction when the dog sees another dog. And I will use this correction approach. Thank you again.
Amazing. I wanted to reach out to ask if you would do a phone consult with me for my 18 month working line GSD. You answered so many of my questions here. Timing of this video!!! So grateful. So cool to see one of Onyx' progeny and how you handle him.
🥺🥺I can't tell you how happy I am to see this video my dog is not a fan of strangers men in particular shes a one fam dog no outsiders.... she walks fine but doesn't like strangers approaching her..I thought this was a bad thing tysm for this vid❤
W my young shepherds, I have found if they have plenty of off leash exercise (which they really need) before going on a lease walk they do not need the pinch collar. Sadly a lot of people misuse them.
This is such a eloquent and non-offensive way to talk about owning/training a guarding dog with strangers who own other types of dogs. Many people I know with dogs don't even know what a prong collar is. Question from me is, while I have my GSD lab cross who is 7 months old on a prong collar for a walk, runs into a familiar friend/dog? He is 75% GSD and has shown plenty of signs where he is friendly as well as guarding in character. While I believe I always have a choice to either interact or don't interact with them, I find it really hard when my dog recognizes them and already starts showing signs of excitement and anxiety to yelp and bark at them from a mid length distance (5-10 ft away). He lunges to the point of giving himself pain from the prong before I could even say no or snap him back. He will go at it again and again until I have to eventually "give up" and unclip the prong portion and use my backup harness so that they can interact. Yes, most of the time, I lose that battle. With other strangers dogs, I can divert his attention just fine with my training regimen. He often "looks" and even lays down to look, but I can manage to pull him away. But the problem is with regards to fellow friend doggies. Any tips would be appreciated.
I wish I watched this when I got my dog at 4 months exhibiting this behavior. I had to trudge through so many unnecessary and ineffective strategies that barely made a dent in his sociability. Most effective thing was respecting his space, telling everyone to ignore him, and most of all, changing my own mindset to accept this part of his personality instead of trying to change it. Your content is so unique and has benefited me and my dog tremendously. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise.
I love your technique it’s true with gsds! I had a gas acd mix and he had the exact same personality. He was suspicious of strangers but in public he was neutral but never truly trusted people, thanks again for the great vid.
Thank you so much for this video. I was having difficulty with my 10 months old male ddr in socialisation. He would bark anything that he sees. And he stop listening to me if he is focused in the prey. And he is totally different from my previous GSD show line. However,I’m very much relieved after watching this video. Looking forward for more videos like this. Cheers :)
Love you videos, we have two GSD one who’s hard word but our other working line is 7 months old and just great but loves to bark at other dogs, so I’m going to definitely try this. Thanks
Can't believe this my lovely girl is so alike I pass a couple of GSD and they are so chilled they walk don't look or interact in any way my girl is into every thing always on a mission I don't let her be petted I give her treats as we walk when she gives me good manners which is most of the time
Interesting! My 2.5 yr old GSD IS socially neutral with strange adults. I gave people treats all the time to give him on walks as a puppy. But he's only friendly with a couple neighbors who played with him a fair amount, and he's not overly affectionate with them either. He'll allow a stranger to pet him a moment, but he acts like he doesn't care less, doesn't seek attention from strangers. He's super affectionate with me. The one group where this strategy actually WORKED was with kids. I love kids, too, and was terrified he might behave aggressively at some point with a kid. So WHENEVER a kid wanted to interact, I would give them treats, but I would also stop everything and spend a little time explaining about GSDs, answer questions, show them commands & hand signals, and have them give treats when he followed commands. When possible, I would let them throw balls, more actively play with him. He's much friendlier with kids than adults (which is EXACTLY what I wanted). Over the summer, I had a group of 7-9 year olds coming almost daily to my back gate asking if I could bring him to the playground to play! He's not super affectionate or attention seeking with children either, but they often get licks and he's MUCH more tolerant of attention with strange kids than adults, and will allow them to pet, touch him as much as they want. I feel like I did the right thing with socializing him toward children. He'll be 3 in July, if he continues this behavior until then, I think we're pretty good, and good behavior around kids has been a big priority for me (I would be devastated if he ever nipped a child, and devastated if an adult called animal control because he reacted badly around a child). Kids have run circles around him, can ride bikes and skateboards around him, and he's chill. Of course, I will continue to monitor him around kids, but I think we're good.
This was super helpful! I have a 17 week Old High drive IGP German Shepherd puppy ( my next working dog)this short video answered many of my questions! I really really appreciated your knowledge ,where are you located?
I think you're right..... As long as the dog knows, you're the one feeding him... Its very important to keep the dogs emotional response like our's...Don't over react....asses the situation. 'Oh look.. some people walking...cool."... For me, it was some people encroaching very close, and in front of the dog at a crosswalk, he really didn't like that(Big Rottie on a courtesy walk...he was sitting at my feet....Cheers, Blessings Eh!
You are exactly right. I have an East German Shepard that is very suspicious and will bark at anyone within view. I give him feedback on a walk and he is getting better. 6 months 70 lbs and excellent guarding instincts
All the reasons why I have a GSD. She doesn't react to people as long as they don't approach, she loves her family and the people she knows well, there are certain people she reacts to, I'd trust her over them on every day that ends in y and we have issues with some dog reactivity that has gotten better too (mostly little dogs grind her gears) but I got her exactly because I didn't want a friendly dog. If people ask to pet her, I just say no, no one gets to pet her or my GSD/IWH mix pup. Thank you for this video.
