Anne,
Thank you I didn't think that he would but you hear so many conflicting opinions on this.He is showing signs of protectiveness. He has had nothing but continued basic manners and alot of socialization to places, people, and new things nearly everyday.

Patricia
Just reading about your situation makes me nervous. There are several things you can do.

Baggier rather than tight/revealing clothes will probably help.

Cultivate an aloof attitude.

At night wear a head lamp and shine it in the eyes of anyone you walk by or anyone who approaches you. You can see them plus it will blind them to some degree.

Start carrying a walking stick, a poke or jab will be better in a self-defense situation than a wide swing. A high quality collapsible baton would also be a good weapon but until you deploy it it's not as visible/deterrent as your big stick.

Take a good self-defense coarse.

There was a recent thread on another forum I visit, see post #12.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4532147&highlight=remove#post4532147

I've already practiced some of this with my kids (they are NOT allowed to use it on each other).

BTW: My friends and I are going to get together and practice the ear, nose and lip stuff. We need a volunteer. Anyone??? :laugh:

Look up Dr Ruthless on YouTube.

Thank you everyone you all have been very helpful. I did check the forum you sent Debbie and it was very helpful as well,
Thank again.

I run my dogs early morning, then in the dark after work and have wondered the same thing. Would they protect me? I feel fairly safe in the areas I take them and the crime rate is very low. They are not trained in protection work, nor do I really expect that from them. If I am in a dangerous area I carry bear spray that I could easily grab. Many people often wonder, if their dog would protect them if they were threatened. I guess if you have to ask you probably already know the answer. The dogs presence alone (at least big dogs) provides a deterrant, but unless trained, the dog probably won't fight a determined attacker. Honestly, though, you never know... hopefully will never have to test it out. I guess it might make sense to train my dogs- and maybe yours - in the very basics of barking on command, and staying very close around strangers. That'll probably take care of 99% of ill intentioned people, especially if using a german shepherd or other 'police' type dog. Yup, bear spray is great for protection, much better than just mace. Haven't had to test it out, but if it works on a grizzly bear it will work on a person. I would, however, recommend going to a training class on the stuff to get a chance to aim and spray. It'll not only teach you how to use the cannister properly, but also give you an idea of how strong it is. Don't stand downwind!

I have known of several GSDs who with no training instinctively tried to protect their owners in a crisis. "Tried" is the operative word. The attempt is enough against most humans; but for someone armed and determined, it might not be enough. (And as said above, the presence of a klarge dog is often enough deterent alone.) The instince to protect does not come with the knowledge and experience to do so effectively. And an untrained dog might take too long to realize that something more than an alert to a stranger is needed.

Protection against other animals seems to come with a degree of instinctive knowledge of how to respond.

Hey Joy, I'm curious. What did these dogs who were instinctively trying actually do?

Steve I think we misunderstand,
what Joy means, is that she's read of several GSD's who without the benefit of previous training protected their handlers.

Otherwise she's an extremely bad luck talisman to be around.

Well if this helps I drove around for about five years with my K9's name on the side of my patrol car. As a guy when I was out and about at night I would talk to people (ladies too) I never thought in any way I was makeing them feel unsafe, yes I would ask there dog's names to...lol. YOu should always be safe but being rude is just as likly to get you into as much trouble to. I saw some good tips from other posters on here to about how to be safe. I would say us some mace. In my law Enforcement I found nothing more efective.

I get asked stuff when walking with dogs. Mostly it is old ladies and kids when out with dachshunds and adult men when with the doberman. The latter usually open with "does she bite" and I reply "If you are asking for it." Fortunately the dobermans have so bad reputation around here that I feel safe when I am out with her. I guess she might try to do something if a person actually attacked me but I am not sure it would work as intentioned- a barking dog jumping around might not be very intimidating if you have been bold enough to attack the person holding the dog and I am not sure she would do much more...

I've got to say the only 'protective instinct' anybody ever sees in an untrained dog is for it's own safety.
And for trained dogs, they don't protect because of some vague thing called 'protective instinct'.

We've all read enough Lassie stories. They're just stories gang.
Jaan has it right, the dog will likely want to play the game too.