Jennifer
Everybody makes mistakes, you are wise enough to recognise it and learn from it, and you are making wonderful progress with your dogs. And you even had a good walk at the end of the day.

 Quote: Jennifer Mullen

i took the dogs for a walk when we got home, and there was a bunch of kids with a lab (of course) barking and straining at the leash and freaking out and they were all laughing at their dog freaking out at mine. luc and teagan stayed calm, but i was a bit worried about teagan - she doesn't have the personality to be trifled with - but i thought 'give her the benefit of the doubt'. well - yeah, she never barked, but the second we got level with the lab, she turned and WENT for him. the kid with the dog stopped mid-laugh and screamed (which, immaturely, i found humorous). teagan didn't get closer than 2 feet, as i had her leash fairly tight. apparently a non-vocal GSD in 'don't mess with me' mode is fairly intimidating. the lab shut up, anyways.

I will join you with a bit of immature glee. I can't help but laugh every time I read it. Bad me :laugh:
I wonder if the kid with the Lab learned anything.

wow, i don't know if i've ever mentioned it, but you guys are amazing!

sarah, that sounds almost exactly like luc.

i kept our walk tonight short (they got plenty of exercise earlier today), thinking it'd be good to limit his exposure to the cold. i was going to do a 25k run w/him tomorrow, but maybe that's not a good idea - but i can't imagine running w/out him.

(also, our walk tonight was short b/c when we were in the back of the park and the dogs were sniffing around, some guy entered the park w/his hat pulled low and a mask on. one of those cheapo-painting/chemical masks. i've seen people wear them in smog, but it's late at night november, and it's not like it's so cold you'd need a mask, so i was standing there wondering 'ummmm.....WTF' while one seriously creepy dude wandered towards me. the dogs completely ignored him, but just as he was passing me, he slowed down and openly watched us. i thought 'maybe he likes dogs' but dudes in parks late at night wearing masks are creepy, bottom line. but both dogs turned around at exactly the same time, and ran towards him w/'german shepherd ears on', not being aggressive, just extremely alert. he moved away....i didn't get the dogs to protect me, and i think it's really terrible to think or expect a dog will if it's not trained to do so, but i was happy they were being so alert.

 Quote: jennifer mullen

but both dogs turned around at exactly the same time, and ran towards him w/'german shepherd ears on', not being aggressive, just extremely alert. he moved away....i didn't get the dogs to protect me, and i think it's really terrible to think or expect a dog will if it's not trained to do so, but i was happy they were being so alert.

How scary, Jennifer. I'm sure all the women on this board can relate to the fear that accompanies an experience such as this. One of the reasons that I have chosen to train for protection. Still, I wonder had the guy done anything to hurt you if they wouldn't have pounced on the guy like a bad day at football camp. It was totally normal for them to be curious about the guy and from what I have been told not neccesarily to show aggression because theres "a guy in the park". Had that same guy attacked you, you might have seen a different side of your dogs, you just never know. One of the reasons that I am looking forward to teaching Levi the "watch" command. I've taught my lab to bark at will anytime I want just by saying "What's that??! in a whispery voice. Who knows if he would ever bite sonmeone, you never can tell w/any dog until that very moment arrives, however just getting a good bark and stare out of them is enough to make most people have to go home and change their drawers. The bond you have with them grows every day and that speaks volumes. Teagan most likely will be the more protective of them both at some point in time. Females are very protective of their families. In a few years I intend to purchase another gsd, most definitely a female.

You have a good thing going w/those two, keep up the good work!

i was impressed they acted at the same time....it looked like they knew what they were doing

luc is wagging his tail normally now, though he's still holding it funny. i seem to have a cold-intolerant GSD.

 Quote: robbinmann

I've taught my lab to bark at will anytime I want just by saying "What's that??! in a whispery voice.

Yep, I did the exact same thing...not even intentionally but I'm so happy he'll do it on command.

Jennifer, I had a similar experience a month ago in the state park near my home. We were walking deep in the park and suddenly this guy is there on the trail behind us with his dog. Some kind of squatter who just materialized out of the woods in the middle of nowhere.

Scared the frickin' hell out of me. I have no idea what my dog would have done if this guy had jumped me but man, I was so grateful he was there in all of his big black glory.

Jennifer, I also wouldn't worry too much about thid incident. Dogs are very forgiving.

 Quote:

I've taught my lab to bark at will anytime I want just by saying "What's that??! in a whispery voice.

I'm working on this with my dog, so far he just alerts, gets excited and looks around. It's a start.

Not too long ago I was walking my dog in a park with a lake. Suddenly two hispanic fishermen popped out of the bushes about 8 feet in front of us. My dog freaked, all his hair stood up, barking fiercely and pulling in their direction. Scared the poop out of them. I didn't correct him, as I was a little scared too, and I do want him to protect me, but told him it was OK. He stopped barking, but never took his eyes off them and low growled as they sidled around us. I wonder if he would have really bitten one if they had come after me, I think yes. It's good to know he has my back.

I'm sure Luc and Teagan would defend you to the best of thier ability, which could a lot, if you needed it. Dogs are good that way.

 Quote: Richard Pryor

Relax, they won't even remember the incident tomorrow.

haha, i love this. so funny.

Im living here at Edmonton, Alberta. My boy is staying outside all the time in the backyard, even it's -20 plus wind, he just loves to stay outside. He's more like a husky. haha. That's probly why he's getting more fluffy.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

Scared the frickin' hell out of me. I have no idea what my dog would have done if this guy had jumped me but man, I was so grateful he was there in all of his big black glory.

I have a friend who used to own a little female mixed breed mutt (probably lab/beagle something or other) that was the sweetest, houndiest little thing you could ever ask for. She was hiking one day with the dog off leash, maybe 20 feet or so sniffing off the trail, and she passed a man going in the opposite direction - they brushed shoulders and kept walking, but this guy turned around moments later and came at her from behind, grabbing her backpack and swinging her off the trail. She had a moment of intense panic (she's not a large woman and she was wearing a pack) when out of seemingly nowhere her dog flew towards this guy, lunged up and latched onto his hand - HARD. He immediately let go and it gave my friend enough time to run away down the trail. Her dog released, gave the guy a good barking/snarling at, then turned and ran after her owner...

Perhaps this is naive, but I'm a believer that a good bond with a dog CAN give you some security, even if you never train them, or don't really think they're capable of it. Of course, if you're readily anticipating regular threats, having a trained and prepared dog that is of a protective breed/nature is worlds better than taking a chance on your miniature poodle... but part of me thinks they all just know when they're needed, and they're thankfully selfless in a way a lot of people can only dream of being. I have no doubt that Jennifer's 2 GSDs would attempt to neutralize an obvious threat if the sh*t really hit the fan...

Jennifer,
As for your lapse in better judgement , Yuko said it best - we've all been there. Quite honestly, it happens, and chances are, it will happen again - that's the nature of mistakes! The key is that you learn from it (which you obviously have, and then some). You have one amazing dog in Luc, and are working on Teagan to be the same. But for everything you've tought him, he's teaching you as well - this was just one of those times when the language barrier between a dog and a human broke down, and a miscommunication resulted in a scuffle... having the advantage in weight (and opposable thumbs), you happened to come out on top (even if your domination over Luc was misguided...) it could have been worse, but all in all, you'll both probably be right as rain in a few days, if not sooner.

Chin up, take it in stride, and just try to turn this experience into a training tool, for YOURSELF, so that NEXT time you'll be fully prepared to keep your cool.

Cheers,
~Natalya

well, luc's spent most of the day sitting on or at my feet....he's definitely forgotten it.

....i, on the otherhand, have a rather sore finger (the cut is small, but it bled a fair bit), so everytime i use my hand i mutter to myself , but yup, this can be a learning experience.

with the creepy guy - and he had to know he was creepy, i mean - he was wearing a mask in a park close to midnight - normally i am not at all intimidated but while i don't think i showed it, he did scare me - while i see it as my job to protect my dogs (especially luc), not theirs to protect me, i was really glad i have GSDs, instead of of shitz tzu or something....and i have to admit, if they had growled or been aggressive - any other time, i would correct, but i wouldn't have if they'd done it then. i was so pleased they ran at him, to be honest, b/c he moved off and we were able to leave the park normally, not showing fear, rather than running like i wanted to. i honestly think their size and alertness made them a possible threat in that guy's eyes, and that i owe them a nice steak dinner tonight for being that

(it's funny, when i got luc, a friend said 'i've noticed women get large dogs, to protect them' and i was SOOO insulted, as i got a large dog so he could run and backpack w/me....but point taken last night, like i said, i was glad my dogs are GSDs and not some little toy breed. that this happened, and other stuff that has been happening in my neighbourhood, do make me think that even doing something like training them to bark wouldn't be a bad idea. but i'm nervous of essentially trading/relying on them appearing intimidating as GSDs, b/c if i use them as a bluff and someone takes the bluff, they could get hurt (especially as non-trained dogs).)

i'll definitely be taking luc to the vet. i don't think it is normal for a GSD to have that much trouble w/the cold. i'm sure the baldness on his underside plays a role, and i'm going to be upping his fat intake - debbie had some good suggestions for that in another thread, i have to figure out if you can buy lard in the supermarket, but i'm starting him on more oils for right now - but i wonder if something is going on, though he seems healthy. i was supposed to be taking a 3-day backpack out in february for the outdoor club, i'll either get someone else to lead it or just take teagan, my mom would take luc for a few days, but i'd hate to leave him behind. i think he'll be okay on day hikes in the meantime though.