So you want Rocky to exhibit the same behavior as the Dalmatian..correct?

SuperG

 

The Dalmatian was a jerk! Absolutely NOT.

I want Rocky to be gentleman. Well socialized, confident, loyal, courageous and all that jazz. All the good things that I've read so much about the GSD that led me to bring this dog into my family's life.

However, when a gentleman is a disrespected, he should also know when to smack jerks in the face and give them what they deserve.

My question to all the more experienced owner is if these GSDs will develop courage and confidence through time. I'm sure it will but will be a dramatic evolution, or will genes be the more dramatic effect?

 

I'm struggling to determine if you're serious and very unfamiliar with how to interact with and train dogs, or if this post was an enormous effort made on the part of a troll.

In the case of the former....

If you see an off leash dog that is acting in an unfriendly manner do not take your pup towards it. At 6 months he still needs you protect him. And no matter what his age is in the future, for your dog's and your own safety do not force an approach with an unknown and unfriendly dog, especially off leash.

Otherwise, if your dog is of a more submissive nature then there's no guaranteed way to make him dominant. You can do confidence building exercises, but chances are if he's a beta dog he'll always prefer to allow another dog to take charge. And there's nothing wrong with that. Putting your dog in situations as a pup where he is getting beat up by other dogs will do nothing but cause him to fear other dogs more.

If you are genuine in your inquiry, please take a significant amount of time to do A LOT of research on this forum and read up much more on GSDs and their behavior, genetics, training, and care.

 

Okay. Wow. Give me a minute.

So you saw a dog that A) you didn't know, B) your dog was not familiar with, C) you were not familiar with, and D) WAS OFF ITS LEASH and you decide to APPROACH it? That was your first mistake there. There is no defensible reason for you to ever put yourself or your dog in potential harm by approaching a dog that you DO NOT KNOW, no matter how "friendly" looking it is.

This entire situation of yours could have been solved by recognizing that the dog was both unfamiliar, off-leash, and from the sounds of your story, not under direct control by any other person. And even if it was under the control of another person, you should always ASK first before using their dog as a socialization exercise.

Furthermore, your puppy did exactly what I would expect any young puppy in a relatively new environment to do. It finds itself in an encounter faced with what seems to be an aggressive display from an older dog. To avoid severe bodily harm, he showed appeasement behavior (rolling over, putting himself lower than the other dog) to try to defuse the other dog's aggression and avoid injury or attack.

Finally, while the baton is a decent measure of defense if the dog decides to attack you, walking forward into a dog that is starting to back down is only putting further tension on that dog and encouraging it to pop back and bite the bejeezus out of you. Honestly, I feel like you had a huge stroke of dumb luck that the dalmation didn't take your steps forward to "show it who's boss" as a further challenge or aggressive movement. Or at least not enough of one to bite you like he was probably going to do otherwise.

As far as protection instinct in Shepherds, there are others who are more experienced in this than I am. My last shepherd had epilepsy, and my current is my first schutzhund bloodline shepherd and he has not matured yet. If they are in any way similar to rottweilers in terms of protection it is something that MAY develop in maturity, but not by putting the dog in situations where it feels like it has no control.

PLEASE manage your dog's situation more carefully. Especially if it is new to you, you are still building a relationship with your dog and you don't want to teach it that you can't keep it safe. Interactions with other dogs should be CONTROLLED at BOTH ends of the interaction, especially with dogs that you do not know.

 

PLEASE manage your dog's situation more carefully. Especially if it is new to you, you are still building a relationship with your dog and you don't want to teach it that you can't keep it safe. Interactions with other dogs should be CONTROLLED at BOTH ends of the interaction, especially with dogs that you do not know.

Point very well taken. I actually did NOT approach the Dalmatian, we were walking and I continued in that direction. I guess the most prudent approach would have been to walk the other direction.

A misstep of mine that won't be repeated, thank you for your positive and encouraging post.

Am willing to learn, I have researched a lot, apparently not enough.

 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...om/forum/general-puppy-stuff/400690-rethinking-popular-early-socialization.html ---- read this thread regarding socialization

Your pup is 6 months old - a puppy - *if* he has protective instincts, it will begin to appear in another 6 months or so. At this time, it is his job to be a puppy, your job is to protect him from strange off leash dogs.

For safer exposure to other dogs, join a training class or a local club. You want controlled meetings with stable dogs for your pup.

 

At this time, it is his job to be a puppy, your job is to protect him from strange off leash dogs.

For safer exposure to other dogs, join a training class or a local club. You want controlled meetings with stable dogs for your pup.

This! Absolutely! The only way you can make sure your dog turns into a gentleman is to do lots of training with him. Start with basic obedience and work your way up from there. A well trained dog is the only dog that can be expected to act appropriately in public. The Dalmatian is likely the pet of someone who didn't take time to train their dog.

For now, protect your pup and get started on obedience training.

 

I think that to expect a 6 month old pup to stand up to an adult dog is expecting too much. Your dog looks to you to protect him, he is too young to have the confidence to be fearless.

I also have some experience with Dalmatians and I think the film 101 Dalmatians has a lot to answer for! They are powerful dogs that can be aggressive without socialization, and a lot of owners get their sweet puppies without realizing this about the breed. I have had a male Dalmatian, he was friendly with people he knew, but he was a much more fearsome guard dog than the Doberman and the GSD I have now, and God help ANY dog that tried to take him on. My dal wore a muzzle when he was off the lead, partly because children who had seen the Disney films would run up to him and be all over him, he never bit one, but it made me nervous and I was not prepared to take any chances with him...Some parents out there need educating, but that's a whole different subject!

As for whether you did the right thing, I am thankful to have never been in your position, and it sounds as though you are lucky that neither you or either dog was hurt...

 

My training method is simple.....a young pup having a bad experience is the last thing I want while the pup is still malleable and inexperienced. Once a younger dog has an experience of a certain magnitude of negativity, you are now fighting an uphill battle...plain and simple. As others have stated...an inexperienced pup needs the protection of it's supposed "leader" and a well founded introduction and guidance through the maturing process. Personally, I would rather "tone" overzealous behavior down than try and create "confident" behavior which has been squashed via a negative experience.

Your reaction to my comments has nothing to do with the situation at hand....I posted a reply...my reply is as serious as the nature of the situation you described....I only care about the dog....does that make sense ??

SuperG

 

i think the thing that irked people isnt what you did but your way of thinking. of wanting your dog to be a "boss" and put other dogs in their place. everyone makes mistakes except super g. i remember letting two dogs run up and roll my dog and was all over him. my pup literally pee'd all over himself. hindsight is always 20/20

 

everyone makes mistakes except super g.

No...I remember this one time when I was wrong....I thought I was incorrect but actually I was right....

SuperG

 

MeAko,
While maybe not as positive as you were looking for, I can assure you that SuperG is only trying to give you sound advice. Socialization is a critical portion of puppyhood and any unpleasant tones you may have read into his post most likely come from the fact that many of us recognize that the German Shepherd is not a beginner dog, nor a responsibility to be taken lightly, therefore we tend to hope that people who are owning them, especially for the first time do some serious research, not only into the traits and physical and mental requirements of the breed, but also try to get a good understanding of important aspects of dog raising such as socialization. Any flak you may receive on this thread probably comes from the fact that many of the decisions in this situation were rookie mistakes with any dog breed. But that's also exactly what they are - mistakes, mistakes that can be learned from. So now you can learn from them, do a lot of research, and grow in your knowledge and experience to the benefit of your dog.

 

I am most disturbed about the fact that you put not only your dog but the other dog in a bad position. Then you would have gone as far as killing the other dog because he attacked? Dalmatians got the drive, energy, and stamina to hold there own. They aren't cooky, they are a muscular strong breed that IMO aren't to far behind GSD's when it comes to intensity. I just hope you learned a lesson about approaching strange dogs, because that dog could have seriously hurt your dog.

 

:thumbup:

A well bred Dalmatian is not cooky but some Dals from bybs are aggressive, they are very strong and very muscular. My 8 month old male Dal puppy is 35 pounds less than my male GSD and he definitely holds his own against him. They are a guarding breed.

 

WOW! Well I was just called a meanie on the Boxer board for suggesting to people that they should protect their dog! Well you clearly did that! But it kinda sounds like you also put yourself and your in a bad spot?

Think I have a more balanced approach: This is not directed at you! It's what I did and my conclusions!*

Dog trainers and behaviorists love pet stores and dog park dogs, that's where most of there business comes from.

Next batch is the early socialization folks, that want to cram people into their dogs faces. Right dog with sound nerves, no problem! Wrong dog same approach...the dog is now scared of certain (whoever) people or floppy hats or wheel chairs, etc,etc. This approach with the wrong dog and you can create a fearful and submissive dogie.

The approach I chose was, I protected my dog, he did not have to chose who's good and who is bad or deal with "I though my dog was friendly folks or strange dogs. He learned to view people and other dogs as furniture, He understand what normal human interaction looks like.

He's safe in public and can be around other dogs without loosing it. He's not a dog park dog. Not worth the hassle for me.

Leerburg | Who Pets Your Puppy or Dog
Leerburg | Dog Parks: Why They Are A Bad Idea

And here:rethinking "popular" early socialization

No brilliant insight on my part. I had a people aggressive young dog. It was my believe that cramming a bunch of people in his face wasn't the answer? In my case with my dog I was right.*

Not saying your planned approach is wrong, just showing their is another approach to having a happy well adjusted dog!*

 

WOW! Well I was just called a meanie on the Boxer board for suggesting to people that they should protect their dog!

So what do Boxer people think you should do? Let your dog get into a fight?

 

Thanks to all the positive and encouraging posts. Just like teaching bite inhibition, Socialization as it turns out is a lot more tricky than just letting him meet and greet as many people/animals and situations as possible.

I'm gonna do real good with Rocky guys, will learn solidly from this and move on. Here's him with my 3 year old sharing a good laugh

 

They look so cute together.

Since there is a 3 yr old involved as well - here is another page you want to dig into Family Paws-New parent classes dog and baby

 

Nice pic of the pup and your child.....it will be a wonderful relationship as the two grow up together...best of buddies looking out for each other.

One thought and I apologize if you feel like I am piling on but for the welfare of the dog and those that love him....I noticed a choker on him in the picture... perhaps you just finished a training session or walk and that is why it is on or the dog is always monitored when it is on. If not, leaving an unrestricted choke collar on any dog can end up resulting in a nightmare...if the tag end were to ever get caught on anything, such as a high spot on a fence if the dog is a jumper...it's a really bad day. I've always been a stickler about this ever since a friend's dog got the loose end of a choker wedged in between 2 pieces of wooden fencing, the dog survived luckily due to someone noticing the dog struggling in it's kennel.

SuperG

 

Good catch!
These seem to be popular I never used one in the past but I did have dogs that could ditch collars at will. Proper use of any tool is always advised!
Martingale Collars - 2 Hounds Design