Just curious.
How do you tell the difference between a dog being protective and a dog being fearful?
How do you tell the difference between a dog being protective and a dog being fearful?
Yeah... exactly what i meant.I'll try again, maybe it should just read "99% of the time, dogs reacting aggressively is a fear based reaction as opposite to being protective".
Okay, I understand now Shadow's Mum.
Here's my relatively uninformed opinion on protectiveness versus fear...
>>>> Actually, I don't even think I can dare comment since I have never seen either of my dogs act in a way I felt was protective. I don't know what protectiveness looks like, to be completely honest.<<<<
Why do you say that? A dog may be protective but misunderstand a threat... For example a dog trained to alert bark and protect, whose owners live in a rural area but move the city where the houses are much closer together and the sidewalk is very close to the house may bark because they believe the people are trespassing on the property.And as others said, the threat has to be real. A dog that barks at every passerby or random people approaching a vehicule, or every noise is reacting out of fear, because those are daily occurances that have never posed a threat.
I think yes, it is possible for a dog to want to be protective, but feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure. But an experienced person can read the unsureness. The wanting to be protective and being somewhat fearful is why police dogs, Schutzhund dogs, and PPD need training and are raised differently than an average pet dog were the focus for the future working dog is on building confidence, while the focus for the average pet dog is on good manners.Is it possible for a GSD to be fearful and protective at the same time but not sure how to manage their emotions?
This is where breeding for nerve strenght and temperament comes in. I think that fear in puppies is normal from an evolutionary view point, but through good breeding, it can and should be bred out of them. You see the solid litters from solid parents, puppies that are fearless and ready to take on the world, never backing away from anything, but moving forward to investigate and explore. Pups may still go through some fear stages, but they get through them and continue on with no ill effect. The GSD is SUPPOSSED to be a fearless breed, and this is what breeders should all strive for.Also is fear part of most dogs nature until they mature or is it something to breed out of top quality dogs?
Just out of curiosity - where did you get this idea that a dog barks or growls out of fear almost all the time. What about all the times that a dog barks out of pure excitment or a simple alert action? Absolutely no fear involved there!Just my opinions...
The vast majority of the time when a dog barks or growls at someone and it hasn't been specifically trained for it is fear-based. A dog with its tail held high is being dominate (which is a form of fear in the sense he's trying to establish that he's bigger and badder than the other dog). Fear doesn't have to mean the dog is tucked tail and peeing itself..............
The other day I was outside and a homeless guy selling magazine subscriptions was walking door to door, through the yards. K2 sat quietly and stared at the guy. I was apprehensive because I hate talking to salesmen and I don't like people walking into my yard. K2 remained silent until the guy got within about 5 feet and he lunged and made his "big boy bark" while snapping at the guy. I pulled him back and took him inside, so everything was alright, but you're telling me that his reaction was fear?
Without seeing your dog in that situation, no one on a message board can say if the reaction was fear or not. How old is your dog?There's more to it than this but very simplified:
A fearful dog is reacting to a non threatening situation or thing.
A protective dog reacts to an actual threat. (this can include a perceived threat by you if you are actually scared).