Hi,i have a 7 month old german shepard and i want to know if i have to go to a pro to teach him to protect me and my home or if he will just do this on his own? I live on Long Island and i dont know if there are any clubs or trainers that can help me.Can i do it myself?

How serious of a protection dog do you need? It all depends on what you need and whether the dog has the genetic make up do be a serious personal protection dog. By nature, GSD's are natrually protective of family and home, this is as long as they are of sound temperament. Did you get your pup from a reputable breeder? This could make a big difference. At 7 months of age, your dog should of started to display some watchdog tendancies, like barking at strangers. Is the dog from American or German bloodlines? All these factors determine what this dog is made of and capable of. If all you need is a good watchdog who will scare off intruders, then as long as your dog has good nerves you should be fine. If you need more than just a watchdog, then these other questions need to be addressed.

Actually, barking at strangers too early would make me suspect thin nerves. The European lines tend to mature very slowly,a pup who shows suspicion of strangers too early is not necessarily a good candidate for protection. Personally, I look for intense ball/play drive and great confidence w/humans in a pup.
But, you are absolutely correct, the pup must have the genetic equipment to do protection work and the owner needs to be clear on exactly what kind of protection he wants/needs. I get this all the time from pet dog owners who *think* they want *attack* training, but when you really discuss it, they need a dog that alarm barks, not a fully bite trained PPD.

Joy,

You make a good point. My Lab started barking at strangers around 6 months of age. She is 18 months now and she has weak nerves. I just suspected that a breed that can sometimes be naturually suspicious of strangers such as the GSD, may exibit these traits around this age without necessarily meaning that he has weak nerves. I have ownwd a couple of Shepards who did this and ended up having no problems with nerves. However your experience and knowlege far exceeds mine, so your point is well taken.

Rich,

In my first post I stated that the dog needed to have good nerves to be a good watchdog. Well actually, dogs with weak nerves are so spooked by everything they hear that they often are great alarm barkers. Of course when the chips are down they will fold, and the cons of owning a dog with weak nerves far outweigh the pros. Just wanted to correct my earlier post.

According to all the paperwork i have,my dog does have german bloodlines.He doesnt bark at strangers,but when he hears something outside he will go and jump up on the window sill and look around. If someone comes in the yard or to the door,he will not bark.When i take him for walks he doesnt try to go after anybody.Actually he is very friendly.I really dont want him to bite everyone hes sees so i wont have to have him put down or get sued,but i dont want strangers to be able to just come to my door or my yard without him not doing anything.I dont know if thats possible,thats why i am asking you guys.I also want to ask about a problem i am having getting him to eat. I have been feeding him raw food like it said in the natural nutrition book i got from this web site but he is being very fussy.He doesnt want to eat anything but chicken livers and turkey necks.I dont think he is eating enough.I also give him vitamin C,E,and fish oil pills everyday. He weighs 55 lbs. He doesnt want the commerical dog either. He does want to eat my cats food.

At 7 mos, he is just a baby, don't expect him to be a reliable guard dog. Also, have you been doing any type of training w/him, ie obed? Too much pressure early on can leave you w/a dog who fully expects *you* to protect *him*.
Yes, early barking *can* be a sign of thin nerves, you kinda have to see it to get a feel for it, ie a 3-4 mo pup that barks, hackels, etc at something non threatening is one to worry about. They go thru so much crazy stuff from about 5 mos on, I've given up trying to make predictions after that age. They can really fool you, they'll bark at weird stuff one day, ignore it the next, almost as if they are experimenting w/different behaviors. And, w/GSDs, one thing I have noticed is that the males are all bonkers at 10 mos. Anyone else notice this?

I am closing this thread - it's too far off topic.