[Atothek47]

hello guys
i have a 5 months puppy which is very friendly with me, friends and even strangers, i'm ok with everything but i want him to be worry about strangers plus i want him to protect himself and I when he get older, yeah i don't expect anything from him now but later...
today i have met a very good dogs trainer and i talked to him about my friendly Mars, he said for 5 months old german shepherd, he shouldn't be very friendly with strangers, he said i shouldn't let anybody to pet him or walk him except me or feed him, is that true? and my second question if my puppy is friendly when he's young, he will be same when he's old?
and a one more thing, i barley barley barley hear him barking, is that good? he's 5 months !
please help me in what to do with him, i want him as a protection dog for himself and I and vert be strong enough but not aggressive.

 

[GSDBESTK9]

He is only 5 months old, you need to socialize, socialize!!! The protective side won't come out till he is much older. I normally socialize my dogs till they are about 10 months old and then I back off. You don't want a dog that you can't bring around people because he is stranger aggressive. :nono:

 

[Emoore]

Do you want a dog that tries to protect you from your mother, boyfriend/girlfriend, or neighborhood kids? Do you want a dog that protects himself from the vet or the groomer? If you go on vacation, do you want a dog that won't take food from the staff at the boarding kennel or the housesitter?


This trainer is a nut. Any dog that's not socialized is a huge liability. Your dog needs to be able to be trusted around kids, old people, people in wheelchairs, the vet, the groomer, etc. A well-socialized dog is a dog that is able to distinguish a threat from grandma giving you a hug. A dog that isn't socialized will try to protect you from grandma and himself from the vet.

 

[Wolfiesmom]

My Chief was very friendly like that all his life. I socialized the heck out of him, like I am doing with Wolfie. I worried that he wouldn't protect me from strangers, and I was wrong. The first time he protected me, I was in shock. I couldn't believe he did this. A salesman came to the door. Chief was sitting behind me. I told him I wasn't interested. He kept talking, again I said thank you but no. Offering to leave a sample, he opened my screen door, and from behind me, Chief lunged right at him growling, teeth bared. Your dog will protect you even if he is a friendly guy.

 

[PaddyD]

Agree with Emoore. Let your puppy be a puppy. He will start to show protectiveness pretty soon and you will be surprised by the size of the bark that comes out of him. You are lucky to have a 'nice' dog. Don't worry, he won't let you down.

 

[Atothek47]

yeah i agree with you guys, this dogs as a puppy shows alot of love, he never let someone walk him away from me, he start pulling and grabbing stuff to stay near me, i run and he's always behind me, plus he leave whatever to come to me even he's best food and toys, but i'm worried first because he doesn't bark and lets everybody to play with him and for what the trainer said, 2nd because i don't keep him in my house, i keep him free on my roof or garden.

 

[Elaine]

A well adjusted, friendly dog will know the difference between an actual threat and just a situation that he's unfamiliar with so is scary. Socialize the dog as much as possilbe.

 

[Jason L]

I love friendly GSD puppies!!!! At his age he should be CRAZY FRIENDLY!!!

 

[ahazra]

I've a friend whose GSD was not well socialized. he too wanted to use his dog as a guard dog. But believe me, it was a nuisance. This dog would not tolerate any guests in the house as all. Guests would come to their house and wait in the car till their GSD was locked up in the garage before stepping out of the car. If that is what you want in your dog, then follow your current trainer' advise and be sure to buy some extra liability insurance for yourself (umbrella policy).

 

[Pattycakes]

You can never socialize your puppy too much. I agree with everyone else, the protective side in your puppy will come out as he matures.

As for the barking...my current GSD never barked until she was about 7-8 months old.

 

[codmaster]

yeah i agree with you guys, this dogs as a puppy shows alot of love, he never let someone walk him away from me, he start pulling and grabbing stuff to stay near me, i run and he's always behind me, plus he leave whatever to come to me even he's best food and toys, but i'm worried first because he doesn't bark and lets everybody to play with him and for what the trainer said, 2nd because i don't keep him in my house, i keep him free on my roof or garden.

One thing to consider - how will he (eventually) be able to protect you in the house if he is on the roof when visitors come?

 

[chicagojosh]

on the roof????

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Do you want a dog that tries to protect you from your mother, boyfriend/girlfriend, or neighborhood kids? Do you want a dog that protects himself from the vet or the groomer? If you go on vacation, do you want a dog that won't take food from the staff at the boarding kennel or the housesitter?


This trainer is a nut. Any dog that's not socialized is a huge liability. Your dog needs to be able to be trusted around kids, old people, people in wheelchairs, the vet, the groomer, etc. A well-socialized dog is a dog that is able to distinguish a threat from grandma giving you a hug. A dog that isn't socialized will try to protect you from grandma and himself from the vet.

Emoore is correct! Please take advice along those lines.

A happy and confident puppy stepping out to greet the world is what ALL of us want. Many of them become the more aloof adult dogs that GSD's may grow into. When they are older and really understanding that they don't ACTUALLY know everyone in the world so hold back the joyous greetings for their favorite people.

A confident adult dog is able to be calm and thinking so we can train them and they can make good decisions about not biting all our friends and relative just as a fear reaction that MAY happen if we do NOT socialize our puppies when we should.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, and go to another trainer. Your puppy sounds perfect.

I also agree with those saying you need to start keeping him in the house so he can learn house manners. Cause unless you live on your roof or your yard, the criminals just have to break into the front of the house to have at you and your valuables. A barking dog OUTSIDE isn't going to deter any real criminals. Specially cause most outdoor dogs bark at everthing so both the owners and neighbors learn to ignore them 100% of the time.

A real protection dog was a wonderfully socialized puppy. One that can be used as a deterent IN the house (or at least that's where I live and keep all my stuff!)

 

[tonkatuff81]

Some Excellent Advice

You have gotten plenty of good advice here.

I just want to add that you are blessed with a dog that shows signs of a great temperment. Keep the socialization going.

Rest assured that your pup would never let any harm come to you or yours. There is nothing that you can add to their instincts unless you want a dedicated personal protection dog rather than a pet.

And I hope that you never have the need to see "The Dark Side" of your pet.

 

[Zoeys mom]

How does your dog stay on your roof? Or outside all day safely for that matter? Is roof a slang term for something other than the top of your house I'm possibly ignorant to?

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

How does your dog stay on your roof? Or outside all day safely for that matter? Is roof a slang term for something other than the top of your house I'm possibly ignorant to?

It helps to look where people live when they post. This person is from Palestine. Think they have those nice huge flat roof they use as decks.

Here's a nice one! Vacanze in Israele: Sea View Roof Garden Duplex In Tel Aviv Jaffa