Hi, i'm new on the site and excited to have found it cause I'm a first time dog owner and have much to learn! I have a 5 month old male GSD, Seth. I don't have too much knowledge regarding weak/strong nerves, etc, but according to all the research I've been doing he has very good temparment. He's happy, playful and friendly towards both, people and dogs. He rarely barks, welcomes new people happily into our home and according to my vet, this dog doesn't have a mean bone in him. He gets a little intimidated by older dogs, but only if they show aggression, though still initiates play. He trains well and is very eager. The question I have is, I love that Seth's so friendly but I'd like to see some protective instincts in this puppy. I feel like if someone came with an axe at me, the dog would run up and lick him instead. I know he's still young and protectiveness comes out at different times in different dogs, but will the fact that he's so friendly mean that he won't be a good protection dog?

This is a puppy, a little kid.The fact that he is showing alot of confidence is a good thing. Becareful with letting the pup around other dogs, supervise and dont have anymore incidents where he is being dominated by older dogs.You shouldnt have let that happen.Be very picky about wich dogs you let the pup interact with.Dont worry about the protective nature of your dog until it is mature, probably 2.5 to 3 years old. In the mean time youre just gonna have to fend for yourself.

A 5 month old puppy should never be expected to protect you or act aggressively towards anyone. If he did, I'd suspect he had weak nerves.( that would mean he'd never be a good pet let alone a possible protection dog).Most young pups that show that kind of exagerated reaction are really showing you that they are afraid of whatever they are meeting.Forget about protection right now. Instead,keep giving the pup positive experiences with as many different people and places as you can.You can also begin teaching him obedience atHOME.That teaching should be motivational, or inducive,no corrections yet!There are many books that can explain techniques on how to get the dog in various obedience positions by motivating him with treats(very small pieces of cheese perhaps).Once he is responding reliably to a given word such as sit,And a treat has been given immediatly after his bottom is on the ground,start to give the treat after the second or third time.Then the fifth time...At this point the reward becomes random.Don't join an obedience club before he has learned all the basic commands at home using the motivational methods mentioned.They will probably want to start giving him corrections "jerks on a collar"and before he has learned what you want, thats a big mistake.I also agree that its your job to keep other dogs from intimidating him.Thats a great way to create a dog who becomes very dog aggressive.Please also remember that he is a very young boy.He won't show his protectiveness until he's mature.(as stated before,2-3 years old)Best of luck!
Ken Mathews <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Thanks alot to both of you! I'm so very new at this its not even funny but I got lucky with the puppy cause he's such a happy little man and incredibly easy to train. I've been gettin all sorts of different info from all kinds of sources, hard to keep all the facts straight so I'm glad to have come across a site where people actually seem to know what they're talking about <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />