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Protection or Fear Aggression?

2K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Mikelia 
#1 ·
I'm curious regarding a specific behavior my 4 year old GSD displayed last weekend. If it makes a difference, Hondo has never been a social butterfly. He is not aggressive, but he isn't friendly either. When someone comes to the house, he'll bark, but quiet when I tell him. He'll greet and walk away. He doesn't need to be anyone's friend.

I was out of town. My husband was building a deck at our pond. He had Hondo with him. They were behind the house. We have a long driveway that goes from the road, past the house, through a gate and to the barn. While at the pond, you can't see the drive way until it's past the gate (to the barn).

Hubby was on the tractor when he saw Hondo jump up and take off running towards the house. He then noticed a friend of his (been to the house twice) had walked through the gate (that was open) and was walking towards the pond. Apparently, when he saw Hondo running towards him, he turned back and took off running with the intention to make it back to his truck.

Hondo caught him just as he made it back to the gate. He said he knew he'd never make it to his truck, so he turned, faced Hondo and said, "Hondo! It's me! Hondo!" He was standing on one side of where the gate would be and Hondo was standing on the other side, barking at him. But Hondo never passed the imaginary barrier of the gate. They were less than two feet apart.

At this time, Hubby had jumped off the tractor and was running towards the gate. He didn't turn the tractor off, so (he thinks) Hondo might not of heard him calling his name (at first).

The friend saw Mike coming up and took a step towards the imaginary barrier (gate) and Hondo moved towards him, still barking. He said that he felt at that point, Hondo was warning him not to pass that barrier. He said Hondo's face was now inches from his groin area (he said that was when he was scared!).

Hubby called to Hondo again, but Hondo wouldn't budge until Hubby made it to them. (I asked hubby when he called Hondo what command did he use and hubby said he was just calling his name. He should have used "Enough!" but I really don't know if that would have done the trick for Hubby.)

The friend and Hubby worked together on the deck all afternoon. Hondo behaved as he normally would, pretty much ignoring the friend. He just layed in the shade of a tree watching them work.

I'm curious, because it seems as though Hondo created an imaginary barrier of where the gate would be, was he thinking he was protecting Hubby? Perhaps, if the friend passed the gate then he'd become a threat? Was it like a line drawn in the sand in Hondo's head?

I would think if the 'barrier' was a safety line for Hondo and he was reacting out of fear aggression, then when the friend stepped forward, Hondo would have backed up instead of moving forward. Or maybe even bitten. Hondo's never shown fear aggression, but he's never had a real chance to test his threshold.
 
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#2 ·
If he's never shown fear aggression, I'd say he was protecting his property.
 
#3 ·
I'm not going to guess, but I will say that all my GSDs have respected gates, and even if the gates are open they still know that this is a boundary of sorts. I've had my dogs barking on one side of an open gate before - or at the edge of a property line. I look at this as a territorial behavior, protecting the property, and I wouldn't expect mine to bite just because they were barking. I think there'd be lots of lunging and jumping, with some growling, before a bite came into it. From what I've seen with my dogs though - since I don't know Hondo.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like property protection. I really appreciate your story as Molly has an imaginary line at our office. She just made this up in her own head also, we did not teach her to be protective. At the office we have a half dutch door that customers can come up to, if they try to bend or stretch too far over it, Molly growls. The only people who can walk past her are my BIL and a couple police officers that have grown up with GSDs, are very familiar with them and have no fear. We can bring other friends in and let Molly know its OK, but then they can't leave past the imaginary line on their own. Its a process to let them out.

Hondo seems like such an intelligent dog, between this story and the one when your sister was visiting. Hope your husband and his friend weren't too shaken up.
 
#6 ·
Sounds like property protection. I really appreciate your story as Molly has an imaginary line at our office.
I think it surpised me that he had the 'line' in his head. I didn't think they looked at things in that way. I know someone can walk down the road and he won't bark. Turn and walk down my drive and he'll bark. But I thought that was more like a 'direct' approach and not an actual property line.

Just when you think you've got things figured out, they throw in something new......

Hubby was more worried about me than he was Hondo. Our 'rules' include the dogs are not to be out when he is on the tractor. Too many things can happen. But you know what happens when the adults are away...the children will play....
 
#14 ·
I agree about the boundary protection.

It reminds me of a story...

A client of mine had a GSD years ago. He also had some beef cattle. One day he and his wife left to run some errands. Somehow the gate to the cattle pasture either was left open, got pushed open by one of the cows but either way they found quite the sight when they arrived home.

There was their GSD guarding the now open gate, he would not allow the cattle to leave their pasture. He just stood there in front of the opening holding some of the more curious cows at bay.
 
#15 ·
Mind has done the same thing with the front door. A friend who he has never seen before just opened the front door and tried to walk in. He was barking fiercely but I just thought he was being annoying. He didn't stop so I got up to look and the lady tried to walk past him but he wouldn't budge from the door way. Just barked and barked. Wasn't aggressive but also didn't take a single step back.
 
#16 ·
The gate marks the line at his property. I see no fear aggression in this, Hondo guarded his property line and when your husband showed up the dog was fine to let him take over. It doesn't matter what your husband said to him, once the dog knows if he's there and husband's got this, Hondo went back about his business of not caring.

The tractor does have a bit to do with it, Hondo knows if he's driving that, he's distracted. All in a dogs day at work!

Otto is always cordial with people in my house. In my yard or in my car, he's very territorial. It freaks people out because this same person who has been in my house many times and greeted by my gregarious dog, he's not going to let them stick their head in my car or walk through that gate without my telling him it's all good.
 
#17 ·
I think the 'boundry' took me by surprise. I understand in the house...I understand around the person or vehicle...I just didn't think that a dog would see things as lineage or boundries.

My dogs are corrected when they leave our property. But everything is marked by fence lines. So if they go through the fence (wooden) they are corrected. Therefore, they might chase a bird to the fence, but rarely continue the chase past the fence. There is a physical boundry.

I am proud of Hondo. He is a good boy. I am very pleased that he showed self control, I kinda expected it from him, but it's not the sort of thing I can run out and test. Hope for the best behavior and train to control the worse. It just surprises me that Hondo would create his own boundry (using where the gate would be).
 
#18 ·
What a good boy! GSDs are boundary dogs, look at the hgh herding. I think they fully understand their boundaries and where things are supposed to be/not supposed to be. These dogs are just so smart :)
Currently I have dog treats on the counter that my cats want to steal and Eli (who is fully aware the cats get in trouble for jumping on the counter) is laying against the counter keeping the cats at bay. When we visit the in laws farm there are horses and the border collie x tries to herd them from the outside of their pen. Eli stands in the gateway and 'makes sure' none of the horses escape. He did this the very first time he ever saw livestock. Eli is a social butterfly and a few months ago we had a friend visiting, he was standing on the deck. I had to run in to get something and then heard barking. I ran back out to find Eli had positioned himself between the door and our friend and wouldn't let him move closer. Once I was with him he was friends again.
These dogs are amazing, never underestimate their intelligence lol.
 
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