If you love him the way he is, then there's nothing "bad" about his temperament even if if wouldn't necessarily be what many breeders are striving for. It sounds like you lucked out and got a really nice family dog from the shelter.

My Keefer is super people friendly too, and that's fine with me. I'm sure some people would consider him too friendly, but it's nice having a dog you can take anywhere and not worry about. When my MIL went into assisted living a couple of years ago, my husband started bringing Keef to visit her on Sundays when I'm at flyball practice with Halo. He now has many fans among the old folks, and he totally soaks up all the attention. :wub:

 

Doesn't sound too friendly to me. My german shepherd would have let a robber come in the house and take him. That's what I consider 'too friendly'.

 

Stella, my last gsd was not a friendly one. She did not like strangers, other dogs, we could go very few places.. Sort of sad. Fritz, my current boy, loves people, dogs, cats, car rides. I can take him anywhere, its such a joy!

 

My boy is good, too, with people of all ages although he is not always good with other dogs. The same sweetness that makes him so good with other people also makes him so loving toward me so I consider it a positive, not a fault.

 

Aww, Keefer sounds like a great guy! I bet he is a big favorite!

I definitely agree that it's nice to take our dog out and not worry too much. My husband and I feel lucky because we live in a large urban area and so it's good that our dog can be confident and friendly wherever we go.

I just had seen on various GSD sites about "too friendly" vs "aloof", so I wondered if that was a trait breeders were not looking for. I know _I_ love it though!

I guess it depends on the situation like you say--our guy is a great family pet, very loyal and easily trained, but maybe would not make a good law enforcement dog. He's a city pup for sure: dog parks, doggy daycare, walks, and backyard play. We don't do dog sports, but he seems to be fairly competent at the occasional herding activity (my dad has cows, so he helps grandpa at the ranch when we go home to visit).

I will definitely be doing some more research in the future, because whether it's a fault or not, I love the outgoing dogs of the GSD community.

 

I guess it depends on the situation like you say--our guy is a great family pet, very loyal and easily trained, but maybe would not make a good law enforcement dog. He's a city pup for sure: dog parks, doggy daycare, walks, and backyard play. We don't do dog sports, but he seems to be fairly competent at the occasional herding activity (my dad has cows, so he helps grandpa at the ranch when we go home to visit).

Exactly! Enjoy him for what he is rather than worrying about what he's not, because he sounds perfect for you.

I personally love affectionate, people oriented dogs. when it comes time to search for another dog, I would be clear on that point if it's something that's important to you too. A good breeder should be able to pick those puppies out among a litter.

And yes - Keefer is fabulous! He's so wonderful with old people, and they enjoy his visits so much. Before we got him, the breeder said he was outgoing, affectionate, and the first one to the food bowl. And she was absolutely right! When he was a puppy I'd sit on the floor with him and he'd climb right in my lap. when I brush him he leans into me, and he loves hugs, even from strangers. We've never had a dog who loves close physical contact as much as Keefer. Is he "correct" in temperament? No, probably not. But he's very, very easy to love.

 

Syaoransbear-- wow, that IS friendly! No, my Ben would not let someone come in the house and take him. But he would probably let someone walk away with him if he was tied outside a coffee shop (I _never_ do that, but have seen dogs tied outside of shops before).

Thank you everyone for your comments!

 

My big girl will bring a ball to anyone to throw for her. She has no dignity when it comes to finding someone to play fetch with her. Pup is her shadow outside, and has the same attitude. I can't imagine not being able to take them everywhere.

 

Rocky as a "wobbler" dog would have made an excellent service dog...except for the part where he uh does not like people!:blush:

Now my other two guys Boxer and Bull Mastiff/APBT/Lab mix, Halloween was the bestest time of the year for them! Mummies and Zombies and Ghost oh my!

 

Tchai couldn't care less about other humans, people actually get really offended when they get down on their knees and call him and he just ignores them :crazy:

However, he just loves other dogs! It's actually something we're working on as atm other dogs = 0 attention on me His parents are dog neutral and so I'm hoping he grows out of it with the help of some training.

 

Jaeger is actually quite similar in a lot of ways. Granted, he's dog reactive and has fence aggression, but otherwise he's very affectionate and much more cuddly than any other GSD I've seen. Atleast in his situation, I would say it's mainly due to him being a rescue and knowing how bad he could be living versus how he's being treated now.

 

I'm with Cassidy's Mom, it sounds like your boy is perfect for you. If he's what you want, then you guys found the right match.

My girl is very social with other dogs. I cannot take her to a pet store without her deciding she is the welcome wagon for all the other dogs. Luckily she's also very gentle with small dogs, and other owners have commented on how friendly and well socialized she seems to be with other dogs.

I have noticed some of the aloofness starting to come in when we encounter adults we don't know. Once she knows you're a friend (family member, friend, nice person at the liquor store or pet store who enjoys giving treats, friendly person we regularly see around the neighborhood), she's all love, but otherwise she reserves her unabashed friendliness for little kids. She adores little kids. She probably creeps parents out because she stares at their kids and wags her tail with such hopefulness.

I don't think that friendliness is a bad thing. It will be a very good thing if I'm able to get her certified for therapy work; it will serve her well if she's friendly and sociable with children and with adults who are familiar. I don't worry about her being too friendly with an inappropriate party; she's shown me her protective side, so I don't think that's a problem.

 

If you like your dog's temperament and it fits your lifestyle, then he's not "bad". If you are not raising and training him as a breeding prospect, then they only thing that matters is whether YOU like how he behaves.

 

I'm definitely not training/raising him as a breeding prospect or for sports. He was neutered as a requirement of the animal shelter adoption and of course as a family pet we never expected to breed him at all. Glad to hear there are so many friendlies out there! I love to read their stories!

I will definitely keep that temperament question in mind when I decide to make a family addition, because my husband and I will probably get an additional dog in the next year or so.

Thanks again everyone!

 

As I reflect on this conversation, it occurs to me that all this is coming from that interaction I had with that dog trainer who told me that he had gotten rid of his female GSD for being too friendly. To be clear, he wasn't _my_ trainer, just a guy who brings the dogs he is training to the neighborhood dog park that I frequent.

He was very interested in Ben, seemed attracted by his size and his large head (Ben is an 'average-large' sized GSD). But when I said that Ben loved everyone he commented that he'd had to get rid of his girl GSD because she was "too friendly". Maybe she was, for his purposes?

At any rate, I went looking around online and found out the "breed standard" calls for being aloof or "discerning" and then wondered if it would be difficult to find an additional dog with a personality like my boy's sunny disposition since breeders probably consider it a "fault". Seems like it won't be too difficult to find from the responses I got, which makes me very happy.

I have so much respect for working-line GSDs and K9 dogs. I am sure they have to be a lot more serious and ready for action than my easygoing boy. And yes, everybody is so right--he is the correct fit for my family and lifestyle, so probably I shouldn't have worried about what that trainer said. But at least I learned a bit more about the breed!

 

I have so much respect for working-line GSDs and K9 dogs. I am sure they have to be a lot more serious and ready for action than my easygoing boy.

Halo is a working line girl, and she's definitely more serious and intense than Keefer is, but she can still be quite kissy with people. Unless there's a ball around. And then she couldn't care less about the people. Or other dogs, for that matter.

Aww the "mythical" people friendly GSD!

To this day I have still not seen one??

Really? Come visit the Bay Area. Keefer would LOVE to meet you! Or anyone, really. :wub:

 

Aww the "mythical" people friendly GSD!

To this day I have still not seen one?? With my WL OS GSD, I had to do a lot of work to get him from )actively hostile to uh..."everyone") save immediate family! "Aloof" was the goal, got it done but he can't be trusted around kids and he's safe with company at home under supervision! He's safe on walks because he ignores "everyone."

Much different then my past "people" friendly Boxer and BullMastiff/APBT/lab those dogs loved "everybody." My GSD was a shock to the system on a lot of levels! Temperament is key.

 

Aww the "mythical" people friendly GSD!

To this day I have still not seen one?? With my WL OS GSD, I had to do a lot of work to get him from )actively hostile to uh..."everyone") save immediate family! "Aloof" was the goal, got it done but he can't be trusted around kids and he's safe with company at home under supervision! He's safe on walks because he ignores "everyone."

Much different then my past "people" friendly Boxer and BullMastiff/APBT/lab those dogs loved "everybody." My GSD was a shock to the system on a lot of levels! Temperament is key.

Oh right. I forgot my dog was a purple sparkly unicorn dressed as a leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

 

My first GSD was police trained and I got him at 18months. He was very friendly immediately with us and my other dogs. We didn't have him long and I was young but I don't remember him having any problems with strangers. However my current GSD(17months) is okay with people but he doesn't really approach people too much but he loves kids. If you come on the property though you'd think he was gonna rip your throat out until I assure him it's ok then 99% of the time he is ok. Perfect on walks though, he pays no attention to other dogs or people even if they're barking and going crazy.

 

I used to think that all GSD's were friendly except the ones that were protection trained. I grew up at the beach in SoCal and all the beach dogs were just as friendly as could be. They all had balls or frizbees in their mouths ready to go.

Little did I know that we were just Pez Dispensers to them. Could have been robots throwing the stuff, they would not have cared less.... And there was no Santa or Easter Bunny either

 

That's really interesting, smg92. I would have thought the former K9 would be the less outgoing one. Also, Stonevintage, maybe that's why Ben loves people too! He gets affection and random treats a lot of places we go (local pet stores, restaurants, etc). Maybe he just assumes everyone will give him something nice when we are out. LOL

 

Yeah he went to my aunts farm but he never was aggressive and pretty friendly that I remember however he did help the police catch a meth maker. Mines been well socialized he just doesn't like many people outside his family.

 

Aloof doesn't mean dislike to me. Gus does not care about strangers. They can pet him without issue, he just totally ignores their presence. Nothing warm and fuzzy for people he doesn't know. He won't run to or give kisses to strangers he simply ignores. His dimeanor changes with strangers when at home.

 

I'd consider you lucky! Unless of course you are a nomad and rely on your dog to protect your worldly possessions and guard your temporary home and flock.. Then you're SOL. :/

My Kita is a pup still, and she's fear-reactive. I take her for daily walks to socialize but she's got a long way to go. There have been quite a few bad experiences with other dogs, whose owners say "Oh, they are so friendly", and then perhaps the dog senses a weakness or fear in mine and lunges to kill. I've repeatedly had to yank her away or put myself in front of a dog and tell the owner they need to leave. Oddly enough much of her fear is leash based. She tends to be at an elevated state in the home, and the few times i've taken her to my grams she's barked and growled. I sort of wish she'd be a carefree happy pup who bounded in with gobs of confidence, but it was lacking when we rescued her and while better, it's still lacking now. :C

 

Katze--we didn't have our Ben as a puppy, so we never went through the fear stages. He was already 9 mos old or so when we got him; there were health issues (malnourished, emaciated, skin/ear infections) that we dealt with but he didn't seem unsocialized once we got him healthy. I think it will be interesting to see how raising a GSD from a puppy will differ when we get our additional dog. Have you tried taking your puppy on some doggy play dates with dogs you know and trust? I think introductions on-leash tends to make nervous dogs more nervous. (Just what I have noticed.)


Also, to the larger conversation topic--I also agree that aloof doesn't mean dislike. I have definitely met a lot of shepherds who are not interested in me and don't court or accept as much attention as Ben does. On the whole I much prefer his personality because we live in a dog-centric environment where people see him and just want to hug him.

I was just looking for more experiences with either "friendly" or "aloof" temperaments. It seems like even though overly-friendly might actually be considered a 'fault', it's not uncommon and there are a lot of dogs that would work great for my situation. This is a great thread for learning (for me anyway). Like I said, we're definitely going to add to our GSD family in the near future and we're figuring out what to look for.

 

Your dog sounds great to me; he's protective of his house, but outside of there he is friendly and nice. My dog is the same, to an extent. He is not tail wagging excited when he meets new people out and about, but he is polite and accepts pets.

 

My guy is still young - 11 mos in a few days - and he's a big goof. He doesn't solicit attention, and he'll happily accept a pet or two and move on. But when he gets the go ahead, he's ALL over people. I'm wondering how that will change as he matures.

My 6.5 yr old female is even friendlier. If allowed, she will go up to people for pets and she gets really excited and happy if they pet her. She is selective about who she goes up to, though.

 

Everything dogs have in thmselves is inherited "material" out of which the handler molds a character with certain behaviours. Attitude towards people and environments forms in dogs from birth intil they are 5-6 months old. It was the breeder you bought your dog as a puppy who initially made him friendly to visitors, the sheer number of visitors fondling and touching him when he was little made him fear-free. His mother barked at visitors in her own territory then - he barks now becouse he is copying her since that time. Later it was you the matter why your dog started to display himself as friendly to the majority of strangers. Dogs copy their owners as all puppies copy behaviour of their parents. It would mean that your own disposition to people in the street is completely free from any fear of people. At home you might worry about something (maybe you are waiting for some other visitor, or you are simply excited) and your dog picks it from you like he tried to copy his mother. He would be a different dog, if his mother was a trained PPD, and if you were a nervous self-protective individual suspicious of other people true nature.