Quote: mike arnold

... With a no nonsense tone of voice assert to the approaching or any directly approaching person that you do not allow your dog to interact with others. Short, sweet, to the point, and your being in control will transfer to the dog.

Yes. With a dog I had like this, one of my biggest revelations was that I did want to say to strangers that my dog was not friendly; I wanted to say that I did not allow interaction. "Sorry (smile); my dog is in training. No touching." as I moved between.

I found that a lot of people fancy themselves as dog whisperers who the dog WILL like, because "Oh, that's OK; all dogs like me!" or "Don't worry; I know dogs."

So short and straight statements about me were better, with no elaborating. Any details just give room for discussion.

Like others, I found that she became friendlier over time, and I'm sure that it was because she relaxed when she perceived that I had it covered.

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: mike arnold

... With a no nonsense tone of voice assert to the approaching or any directly approaching person that you do not allow your dog to interact with others. Short, sweet, to the point, and your being in control will transfer to the dog.

Yes. With a dog I had like this, one of my biggest revelations was that I did want to say to strangers that my dog was not friendly; I wanted to say that I did not allow interaction. "Sorry (smile); my dog is in training. No touching." as I moved between.

One thing I wanted to point out, going along with this: If you tell them he isn't friendly, and they pull the "oh ALL dogs like me" or whatever, and continue to approach, there can be a big problem if he DOES do something. While I would be the first to say, "HEY, I told you no!" if the dog moved in to act defensively, or started to lunge or whatever, but a judge wouldn't necessarily see it that way if something WERE to happen. You tell the person he isn't friendly, and they end up getting bit from their own stupidity, they can turn it around on you that you KNEW you had an aggressive dog, etc etc. Avoiding the whole thing by a simple "He's in training" helps avoid this altogether.
There are some areas where, if you have a "beware of dog" sign, and someone is bit by your dog, you can be held responsible for it no matter if they were on your property or not because you "knew" you had an aggressive dog, thus the sign.
It's pretty backwards, but...
Bottom line, no reason to give someone ammo against your dog by having you identify it as not friendly in any way... just leave it at the "in training" with a polite smile.

I want to thank all of you that have taken the time to post. I learned that I may not being paying as good of attention to Chief's body language as I should, and that just because he isn't friendly doesn't necessarily mean that he is unstable.

The reason I have such concern is because I was a dope, and bought a GSD from a backyard breeder. (I know, I know slap me later) At the time I justified the purchase by convincing myself that someone was going to buy him, and if that someone was me, at least I could ensure he had a loving home. Both of his parents were on site, and the male was very outgoing. The mother not as much, but I thought that might have something to do with the fact that I was handling her pups.

When I saw his behavior toward people I began to fear that I might have gotten a dog that had issues that were due to breading, and not just his personality. I guess I am a little paranoid.

I still have no idea how Chief would treat a dog beside mine. I never let him get close to other dogs except my wife's lab. I have always body blocked loose dogs, I guess now I have to body block loose people. lol.

Anyways, Thanks again. I will keep a close eye on the situation, and I will take a more assertive attitude toward those people that want to pet Chief. I will show him that I have the situation under control, and if he doesn't want to be petted I will be the one to stop it, not him.

Mr. Feathers,

I think I mentioned in my little post that it is a good thing to move to position yourself between the person and your dog, or, for that matter, any distraction you want to be in control of.

I agree that in some places the fixing of a warning sign can become a part of litigation if the dog is involved in a problem on your property. Then too, no trespassing signs don't stop trespassers all the time, so risk is risk is risk.

I have found that if I am emphatic in word and posture that I don't want an interaction, there is not an interaction. The dog can be in training and such notification may be a kinder approach to warning off of a person but the reality is I do not want a stranger interacting with my mutts. Period.

And my approach is polite and firm in the first instance but quickly changes to direct and emphatic in the second, and truly descriptive and obnoxious in the third - and the dogs are behind me.

I generally agree with your post but I confess I am unlikely to offer a polite smile to some dumb head who ignores my first instance note. Some people are so dense as to require quite specific information delivered with a no-nonsense attitude, and I have no problem dealing with such dolts.

And besides, my dogs sense my attitude in those infrequent occasions, and don't act out. They must sense I am handling the situation that might be making them uncomfortable.

Being polite is a wonderful gift to offer but some people are just dumber than rocks.

I wonder... Did I have too much or not enough coffee? Probably just my normal demeanor. Mea culpa.

You'd be suprised how well just holding your hand up in the universal "halt" gesture, stepping in front of the dog, and saying, "Please don't pet my dog", works.

I don't really care what people think about me, or my dog. I know why I do the things I do, and I know they work.
Then again, my motto has pretty much always been, "F U, I have enough friends".

E-zack-lee!

My dogs. My responsibility. My rules. My attitude.

Okay guys,
I understand the point of, "hey I don't want and my dog doesn't like people making of him". I understand that and generally subscribe to that philosophy myself.
However, if I were in the op'ers place though, I would like to know and understand where the dog is coming from in his responses enre to people. What the root cause is may very well determine how I would or what I could continue on with in his training.
Am I wrong in this line of reasoning?

If I'm not learning, I'm not paying attention.
Randy

 Quote:

What the root cause is may very well determine how I would or what I could continue on with in his training.
Am I wrong in this line of reasoning?

Nobody on this forum or any other will ever be able to diagnose that. Someone would have to see the dog. Regardless of the cause, the solution is along the same lines based on what was said, but as for the definitive cause or psychology behind that, it can only be given first hand by someone competent in reading dogs. Especially when the dog is owned by someone inexperienced, they will never catch all of, and most likely totally misread, the body language of the dog. It would be pure speculation at best.

Yes of course Mike, I couldn't say it better.
What a team!

Hey wanta see my Dr. Phil impression!!!???


Randy

Maybe it's just me or maybe this sounds a little strange but I wouldn't mind the growling as long he does not growl at the family members that live in my home.
My 1rst GSD did exactly the same with strangers. His behaviour had a nice side effect, less visits from my mother in law (joke!).
But seriously, I am no expert so I cannot tell you which direction to take with the training of your dog, but I think it would be safe for me to say you should continue with the training as featured in the BDFG dvd. After all this training is done with the dog in prey drive, not in defense drive which could increase his agressiveness towards other people. This training will make the bond between you and your dog stronger and cause your dog to respect you more, and it will improve your dog's drive, focus and his grip . Trust me I know this from experience (although I am still working on my dog's grip :blush.