Hey everyone... back after some time away from the computer. I have a problem.

I have a cousin who comes over to do yard work for me sometimes. Well yesterday he was over and while getting him something to drink he stole our $700 digital camera/camcorder. Very upset after we realized it was him who took it and possibly our others that came up missing in the past we called the police... of course nothing they could do without a witness.

My worries are that Kane (15 month GSD) knows him and greets him with tail wagging ready to be petted. Now Im worried that if he tries to break in or get in the yard he will have no fear because he knows Kane wont hurt him. Any advice here?

Kane is protective of his yard to strangers and protective of me in a sense. Like when I go in his side of the yard he will pace the fence and pick a fight with the neighbor dogs. Only when I come in though. Not sure if thats being protective. Anyway is there anything I can do to get him to bark at EVERYONE who comes close to the fence? Thanks for any advice.

offer to clean his house up <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I honestly don't know how to train a protection/guard dog. I would suggest strong locks and an alarm system.

No other advice? Is 15 months too young for someone to approch the gate and "pretend" to be a bad guy? I know you cant put a dog in defense too young. I dont want or need to him to attack or bite at this stage just want him to bark like a tough guy. He may just be too young. He is primarly outside and when I do bring him in the house he doesnt even bark when the mailman passes by the door. Again thanks everyone

Is it possible that your cousin's so dumb that he pawned the camera with his own ID? (which would make it easy to charge him) Start calling around.
It would be even better if he used stolen ID <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Good luck with the scumbag. If it were my problem, I'd be the one dealing with it (rather than letting my dog have all the fun) LOL, lol.

But seriously, Kane's still a puppy. In a few months I think you'll see a change in him, so I wouldn't encourage any aggression in him at this stage. If you decide to anyhow, remember that the dog's sense of smell is tremendous, so anyone playing the 'bad guy' will BE the bad guy(banging on the fence to rile him up, etc.)It might be detrimental to how he acts around that person forever. Be careful what you wish for, lol.

Unfortunately, all dogs mature at different rates, so it'll take some observation of the dog first hand to really tell if he's old enough to do any defensive training - and his genetics play a big role here, needless to say. From your description, he doesn't sound ready.

A dog "fence fighting" with other dogs has nothing to do with the dog defending you, that's strictly territorial aggression and most of us strive to avoid that behavior, as dogs sometimes injure themselves doing this. Plus, it's annoying and pretty much a useless behavior <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> .

Dennis pretty much has given the perfect answer to this problem - strong locks and an alarm system.

Well you are right about that. Our garage door was broken due to the car going through it and at some point he came back at stole a big case of CD's.

What are some signs to look for when he starts mentally maturing?

"What are some signs to look for when he starts mentally maturing?"

Well, I'm just guessing, but maybe your cousin will see the error of his ways as he matures mentally. Then you might be able to get your stuff back!

or are you asking about the dog mentally maturing? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yeah sorry I should have been more specific. Im wondering what signs to look for in Kane to know when hes starting to mentally mature.

Unfortunatly my thief cousin is beyond ever getting to that point.