Is it possible for a dog to be a house dog (sleep in house, play with children, etc ...) and also train and possibly compete in Schutzhund events?

Also, is it possible to train a dog to provide personal protection but also be a family dog?

yes

Thank you for the reply.

How do you deal with biting? I have a 6 month old male German Shepherd who loves to "wrestle" with my children and myself. He loves to chase them around the house and yard and though they enjoy it his teeth are sharp and it often hurts.

How do I prevent him from "nipping" the children without discouraging and drive for protection or Schutzhund work?

at werk back this evening

Inappropriate nipping the kids has NOTHING to do with the ability or drive to do sport work etc.

Give the pup something appropriate to bite (rag or tug) & redirect him to it when you are playing with him.

You are creating your own problems with allowing this behavior. The kids & the dog needs to be taught what is appropriate behavior when together. The pup putting his teeth on the kids or you is not allowed. Yes, dogs play with their mouths, but it is up to you to let them know what kind of play is allowed. Nipping kids is a BIG NO NO in my book under ANY circumstatces. Teach them to toss a ball or other toy for the dog. Make the play constructive. That way they get to interact with the dog in a safe way.

Put a line on the pup & control him. If he is on a leash he can't chase the kids. Allowing the dog to view the kids as a prey item (yes, their running is triggering his prey drive) will lead to many BIG problems later when the dog is bigger, stronger & has bigger teeth.

ETA...I would never allow the dog & kids to be together without adult supervision at ALL times. I can't begin to tell you the things that have happend to friends kids that have been left alone with the family dog, while mom takes a shower or runs down to the laundry etc etc. It only takes a second to change your life or one of you kids lives. Not a risk that I would be willing to take. I would not leave a dog alone with any child especially one younger then at least the age 12. Even then it would be for only a very brief period. JMO of course.

Huge source of info.... http://leerburg.com/qadogkids.htm

I agree with everything Anne said. The puppy has to be under control, and not allowed to rehearse bad behaviour with the kids. Continue to redirect the dog to desired behaviour, such as ball chasing or tugging on a toy, or put the dog away for a bit if he is overstimulated and unable to calm down. He should be able to ignore the kids, and not light up every time they move. Also, once he's done teething, he should calm down with the non-stop biting behaviour.

I don't have any kids, but I bring my pup to my parents' house a few times a week, and my sister has a 1 1/2 year old son there. Panzer has learned to pretty much ignore him, but as Anne said, I would never ever leave them unsupervised.

So, yeah, it should be possible for you to have a Sch competition dog that can live in the house and around kids. It just takes some training to teach the dog what is and isn't acceptable.

 Quote: anne jones

You are creating you own problems with allowing this behavior.

I am not allowing the behavior. I am trying to figure out how to correct it without destroying the ability to train the dog for protection in the future. Currently I tell the dog "No Bite" and if he persists I give his cheek a little pinch. He seems to get the point but I am concerned on how this will effect future endeavor to train him to bite on command.

Anyone have any advice on HOW to actually properly correct this behavior?

You ARE allowing it.

What Anne was saying wouldn't be allowing it because if the kid is 5 feet away, 4 feet of leash won't allow it to happen. Then, instead of the kids being the toy, have a ball, tug, frisbee, etc. for it to play with.

It isn't so much correcting the problem as never letting it become a problem. Chasing and chewing on kids shouldn't be an option period, but have a tug or ball available as an option.

REDIRECT REDIRECT REDIRECT the pup. Do NOT correct a puppy. Pinching his check IS correcting.

Obedience is the key to training dogs for sport work. Thru obedience you teach the dog what, when & where it can & cannot bite. PERIOD!

Teaching the dog obedience is the first level to teaching a sport dog (or PPD) The handler decides when the dog bites & who it bites. Not the dog.

Crate the dog for a timeout if he is too ramped up, like Tabatha mentioned.

You are not going to ruin your dog by controling it's actions.

 Quote: Anne Jones

Teaching the dog obedience is the first level to teaching a sport dog (or PPD) The handler decides when the dog bites & who it bites. Not the dog.

Yes, I understand. What I was looking for was a suggestion on how to correct or change it.