Hello, considering that we just went through the same thing with our GSD and our pup is now 16 mos., has his CGC, advanced obedience, now in his 3rd mo. of PPT, and plays with the cat but doesn't chase bunnies, just know that it can be done!

Working with a trainer can get really expensive but it is worth it as you will learn too and will use it every day. A good alternative is doing the puppy and basic obedience at Pet Smart. What others have mentioned above which goes first and foremost is socialization; you don't want to raise an unbalanced dog. Expose him to positive experiences with people, children, noises, objects, cars, bicycles, skateboards, anything and everything. Do not let him have any negative experiences.

It took our dog a good 6-8 mos before he finally accepted the cat as part of the pack. After he was a few months old and learned the command "No," we now use it when he is too rough with the cat or chasing him. In the mean time, let them work it out themselves. You do want to positively reinforce good behaviour and NOT punish bad behaviour. These are critical weeks for your pup that will stay with him the rest of his life.

You want him to be confident around other people, especially children. His protectiveness will develop when he gets to be a year+. You actually want the protectivness to be more command driven, not as an unpredicatble dog who barks and growls at everybody he sees.

A personal protection dog is a trained dog not a mean dog.

i was just going through all the posts and just read that she said 3 monthes. i agree she is not behind the power curve and i am sorry for posting that. i miss read it and thought she wrote 3 years.

heather if you really want to go through with this you need to start doing drive training. you can find a DVD ED put out that has all the info on this you will need. again i am sorry and i miss read what you wrote, i thought you wrote 3 years. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

hello heather; i read your post. you didn't say how much time you want to spend on training. that is the first consideration. if you have a GSD you have a natural protector. that attitude will vary greatly considering the pedigree; what your dog's bloodlines were developed to do. but even in that wide range, gsds are protective by nature. so if you are looking for a good pet that will deter unwanted aggression or invasion, then i would suggest giving your puppy lots of socialization, then some basic obedience, and let her natural protection drive develop from there. dogs will bark at strangers. dogs will protect their territory against invasion. training your dog to bite is where things change. this is when professional trainers and/or training clubs for schutzhund or personal protection become necessary. a trained biting dog is a big responsibility. you need to have the time to train this type of dog and the help to do so correctly. otherwise, it is much wiser to simply make sure that you have control of your dog through obedience, that she doesn't overreact or act inappropriately by giving her lots of experience with the world and the people in it, that she lives in, and then let her natural protective drive cause her to stance and react to strangers, or to people who don't behave normally. this is more than adequate deterrant for the average pet dog owner. either way, good luck with your dog. your friend in training. sandhi

Hi,
I am a stay at home Dog mom LOL so I have lots of time. I spend about 10 / 15 hours a day with the puppy. She is learing the basics sit stay and a few others. I was wondering if you or anyone knew if sleave work would be the wrong thing to do? I really have to admit I am worried she will attack me if I do this. I was reading s little about it but am leery. I don't want her biting anyone, only if someone was invading the home I would want her to attack intruders not wag her tail at them. so far she likes every stranger who comes in. I often have about 5 strangers come in about every 3 months I am in home sales.

I am getting the DVDs thanks!

 Quote:

I am getting the DVDs thanks!

The "Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months" DVD? That'd be a great first one! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> JMO!

http://www.leerburg.com/120.htm