May 19, 2011
My SchH III female won’t bark when someone is at the door. What can I do?
Full Question:
I have just purchased an adult GSD who has earned her Schutzhund III title ten times. She also has earned FH title. In addition she has been surveyed with result "KKL1."She is truly a very well behave dog, very great temperament. The only problem is since her first day with me, I never heard her bark, not even once. When somebody came and knocked the door of my house, she just laid down on the floor as if she didn't care. When I look at her report card on her Schutzhund test, the last time she took her Schutzhund test was on 1998. Could the time lapsed since her last Schutzhund test make her lose her protection instinct? Can you suggest something or any videos that I can purchase to help her so that she can return to her protection instinct...? I just want her to be more sensitive and bark when someone come to my house.
Sincerely,
Sid
Cindy's Answer:
It sounds like you have a very nice female.
People new to dog training and the sports, do not understand that Schutzhund is a sport. It is not training for personal protection.
Your dog has very good nerves. Dogs with good nerves who have never had specialized PP training will often not look at strangers as a threat. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. A dog with weak nerves is a sharp dog, one that barks quickly at sounds outside etc. A dog with good nerves is not bothered with strange sounds.
This does not mean that a dog with good nerves can not be trained as a personal protection dog or a police dog (although I am not a fan of females as police dogs). They can be trained for the work. Once they understand the task they make very solid safe personal protection dogs.
I would recommend that you take some time and read the list of training articles on my web site. There are articles there on SHARP dogs.
I would also recommend that you get my training video The First Steps of Defense. This is the kind of work that needs to be done in the beginning with your bitch. How far you take it will depend on your needs, the skill of the people helping you, the quality of your dog and your ability to handle a dog.
People new to dog training and the sports, do not understand that Schutzhund is a sport. It is not training for personal protection.
Your dog has very good nerves. Dogs with good nerves who have never had specialized PP training will often not look at strangers as a threat. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. A dog with weak nerves is a sharp dog, one that barks quickly at sounds outside etc. A dog with good nerves is not bothered with strange sounds.
This does not mean that a dog with good nerves can not be trained as a personal protection dog or a police dog (although I am not a fan of females as police dogs). They can be trained for the work. Once they understand the task they make very solid safe personal protection dogs.
I would recommend that you take some time and read the list of training articles on my web site. There are articles there on SHARP dogs.
I would also recommend that you get my training video The First Steps of Defense. This is the kind of work that needs to be done in the beginning with your bitch. How far you take it will depend on your needs, the skill of the people helping you, the quality of your dog and your ability to handle a dog.
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