[Lesley1905]

We've been bringing Brody to his puppy socialization class every weekend since we've had him at 8 weeks. He's now just over 5 months. The trainer that is there is always commenting on how easy going, playful and sweet he is. If another dog is too rough with him, he sits there and takes it. He does bark back after a while...I think he has an extremely long fuse lol. He's so happy all the time and just wants to play with eveyone. He's not skiddish by any means but doesnt really assert his power yet. Do you think as he gets older, he'll start being more assertive? She said usually around 8 months she notices GSD's start asserting their power. Every dog he comes into contact with he just wants to play! He's never been cautious with people either. He's only barked once at another person at night while we were walking. Just wanting to see when everyone elses dogs got out of the playful puppy mode. I'd rather him be friendly and outgoing like he is then have dog aggression issues so I'm not complaining by any means!

 

[Stosh]

Stosh is extremely easy going as well, especially with other dogs. He certainly isn't a push-over but is very stable, tolerant and non-reactive. He loves to play but is patient and plays at whatever level the other dog wants. He's 10 mos old now and I think that's just his personality. And the continuous training. Brody may be the same kind of guy

 

[Rerun]

Many shepherds don't mature until around 2 - 3 yrs old. Some hit mental maturity at 1 to 1 1/2 yrs, but in my experience most 8 month olds are still pretty puppish.

Some dogs will always be easy going with groups of other dogs, but I would not expect him to retain that "long fuse" with strange dogs indefinitely. I'd say it'll probably be past 8 months, but it's different for each dog. By around 1 1/2 yrs though most shepherds aren't big social butterflies with large groups of dogs.

 

[gsdraven]

There's no such thing as too nice!

I think as he matures you may see that he tolerates less of the nonsense.

Raven was just like you describe Brody as a pup. She was super friendly and very submissive with all dogs that she met. As she matured, she became less tolerate of inappropriate behavior from other dogs but she lets them know in an appropriate way and I got better at telling people what not to let their dog do and watching for trouble and ending things before there was any.

I would say I noticed a change in her just after a year. There are still some dogs that she drops to the ground for whenever she seems them and will play with for hours but those are more often dogs that she has known her whole life vs dogs she just met.

 

[Lesley1905]

If a dog is being too aggressive or annoying, he usually just walks away. He's definitely not a push over but just not aggressive. I figured after he matured more like you all said, he would probably change. He also plays differently with his big sister. He tries to be more dominant over her, sometimes I wish she would put him in his place. I guess its because he feels more comfortable with him He's a good boy and I'm happy that as of right now he is playing like a pup should and is not skiddish like some of the other pups! You guys are great for sharing all your experiences with your pups, I always know where to go if I ever have a question

 

[ZAYDA]

You have what many GSD owners wish they had. It is a lot easier to encourage a dog to be a little more shall I say aggressive than it is to stopping aggression. I don't know a GSD that doesn't bark when people come to the door even though they may hold the flashlight for the robbers. What I am saying is you are in a great position as a GSD owner in my opinion.

 

[Lesley1905]

You have what many GSD owners wish they had. It is a lot easier to encourage a dog to be a little more shall I say aggressive than it is to stopping aggression. I don't know a GSD that doesn't bark when people come to the door even though they may hold the flashlight for the robbers. What I am saying is you are in a great position as a GSD owner in my opinion.

Thank you That was a really nice comment! I'll love him no matter how he turns out...social butterfly or social desctruction lol. I'm sure once he gets more mature he'll be a little more "cautious".