GSDs and guarding Discussions

Do your GSDs have a strong guarding/protection instinct?

Just interested as I have had four GSDs over the past few years and all have had quite a strong guarding instinct over property and person.

However, my working line dog is exceptionally sociable and shows very little guarding instinct compared to the others. He has recently learned to bark when within the perimeter of the garden when walkers go by our cottage on to the hill track, purely by copying the other noisy beggars However, he doesn't bark at people passing by the pick-up when he is in the back, he lets people into the house with a friendly wag of his tail and a sniff (with no barking) and even when a couple walked into our holiday cottage garden by accident he just trotted over with me to say hello - no bounding over barking as some of my others would have done

So, how guardy are your GSDs and do you like them to be more protective/territorial or more sociable.

I prefer Zak's outlook on life - however, it would be nice to think he would protect me if I were threatened (but unless a dog is trained in protection then I suppose we never really know what they will or won't do).

My dog has a very strong guarding and protective instinct.

He is extremely social but you would not want to try and get in the house or the car particularly when I am not there.

Somewhat. They used to be overly guardy of the old house - to the point where a car left running outside in the private lane would have them alert/barking until it left (a pain when we had about 4 police cars and tons of police officers down there one night hunting out two men who'd abandoned a stolen car and ran off onto the farm - I ended up having to sleep on the sofa to keep telling them to shut up everytime the police went past shouting or moved the cars a bit ).
However, it was a private road so something like that was very unusual, which I think contributed to their behaviour. In the new house, background noise is near constant and they soon adjusted to it, stopped barking at car doors shutting, voices as people walked past the house, etc.. Half our garden is currently open at the back (dogs don't have access but can see through the dividing fence) with the neighbour doing lots of building work and the dogs have quickly got used to seeing people in the back half of the garden (we're letting the neighbours use it for access), something which would have had them going nuts in the past.
They're not too guardy of me out on walks, I never worry about people approaching us or passing by in narrow spaces (as long as they're dog-free!) but I imagine that if I was ever in trouble they would probably react quite differently!
Drives OH nuts that they want to follow me around the house all the time though I do tend to discourage this (being of Kiki's separation issues, and the fact that it can get on my nerves sometimes!) and they don't do it all the time, but sometimes even just shifting my weight on the sofa can have them shooting their heads up from their beds to check I'm not going anywhere!

Ranger barks his head off at anyone walking up the path, knocking on the door, entering the house etc. Even if he has known them for ages. Apart from hubby, the kids and I .

If we are out and about he is very wary of strangers approaching him and will keep back, although not bark or growl, until he is reassured that they are 'safe'. I honestly don't know how he'd react if someone threatened any of us, especially my youngest who he is VERY protective of. But I don't think it'd be pretty!

I had a dpg like Zac in outlook though from show lines. Never barked at people very friendly but one evening as I was walking him a man jumped out of the hedge & he came between us & I heard him growl for the first time in his life.
My current bitch Hannah when I first had her only guarded her cage in the car but she has learnt to bark at the door bell from the dog I had & living alone I do encourage it but as soon as I open the door she stops & greets them in a friendly way which is just what I want.

One of mine wasn`t at all. She loved everyone. She was, however, hand-reared then didn`t have the best start in life (daft owner).
The rest have been, to various degrees.

I'm glad you say this about Zak as one thing we could not do here is have a dog that won't let people come or go - there are cars and people coming and going all day here, to the point that none of mine even lift their heads at the sounds of a car or someone opening the door (but of course they aren't guardy breeds anyway so prob irrelevant).

Although then SB says Arrow is very guardy. I wonder how built in it is, and how much of it is learned behaviour?

Duke the Gsd my folks owned when i was growing up would guard my mum more than anyone or anything,,

Mine had no clue about guarding ..... But my Labrador was protective! They read the wrong handbooks

I think if you start off with a sociable pup from sociable parents etc and you have people coming and going from a young age, then your pup would soon learn what behaviour is required of him, and you could even nip any unwanted guarding behaviour in the bud.

All my GSDs have been sociable until they have reached the 12 month mark and then their guarding instincts have kicked in. Yogi and Flame will bark ferociously at the fence, but will let visitors in and out without molesting them - however, the barking is enough to put anyone but the invited off coming in You wouldn't want them if you were trying to run a business from home which warranted people coming and going regularly.

Personally, I don't mind a warning bark - but I do much prefer Zak's laid back attitude and also the fact he doesn't go ballistic in the back of the pick-up if I leave it parked up and people walk past.

Unfortunately this type of behaviour is not uncommon, in that we had had a number of dogs in rescue over the years that had become too protective of a member of the family or the home, and it had ended up with an innocent person being bitten :-(

Jake doesn't bark at anything much in the garden. Ailsa will kick off at the fence if a truck or bike goes by quickly but usually he won't bother. Anyone could walk in the gate and into the house and they would meet and greet them, not effusively but casually. They don't guard the car or camper.
If a dog, horse, goat or sheep goes by they both go ballistic. They aren't too keen on the Goat lady to be honest but maybe it's the smell...

A funny story about Jeager. Me and him, and a lady with a jrt bitch, called Katie. We were on the green letting the Dogs run around. It was a cold winter night, very dark, and pooring with rain. This bloke walked by, dressed in all the water proof gear with a hat. Katie, the Jack Russell, was obviously spooked. She ran toward this bloke and barked and barked. He shouted some abuse, and threw a foot toward her. She ran back to us. Full of excitement and looking well pleased. The bloke was over 30 or 40 yards away, so i let Jeager off the lead to play with Katie, again. He looked toward this bloke, and just ran toward him. Jeager jumped up and grabbed the shoulder of blokes coat. He gave it a good shake, not too hard though. I whistled him, and he came straight back! The bloke just kept going. (Thank God!) I said to Katies mum, "don't worry, he was only snuggling" She said, " That wasn't a snuggle, it was a mauling!" It was funny. No harm done, and Jeager was just looking after his little friend!

No not yet! ;-)

However I intend to discourage any sort of guardy behaviour. She won't see it in Ollie who is quite chilled about most things, but I know how he would react if he felt I was being threatened as he has twice had the chance to show me. On both occasions he left the men concerned in no doubt about what would happen next.

Zak is such a brilliant role model, it's a shame you can't loan him out.

Well, as Cuba is closely related to Zak she is exactly the same I know she is only 7mths old and she may change, but I dont think she will.

It must be lovely to see how well a close relative has turned out.

My GSD is pretty protective of the house and garden but she isn't OTT about it. Ditto my GSD x. When my sister visits every couple of weeks she just lets herself in and the dogs couldn't care less. Granted she's not a stranger.

I find Gracie is pretty watchful of any people we see when we walk at night, where she'd pay them no attention at all during the day (as long as they don't have a dog...)
Neither have ever shown any signs of being protective of me but then they've never had a reason.

One night a month or so ago some drunk lads stole a drain cover from our front garden Wild. I was upstairs in bed but awake at the time, both the dogs with me. I could hear them coming up the street making a racket as drunk people tend to do, dogs were alert but no barking. Then there was this almighty noise (which turned out to be them removing the drain cover) and both the dogs went ape****. Must have been audible to the whole street through the open window Hopefully the neighbours didn't mind as it might stop someone from nicking their car one day...

Mine is a nightmare!!!! Where we used to live, it was easy to keep her away from delivery men, because I had a driveway out to the big gates, so I could shut her in the kitchen and go out and deal with them. She never actually saw them, nor anyone walking past, because of the high fences, even though we were on a corner and joe public were walking past all the fencelines, she never saw them. As a puppy, I would ask ALL delivery men to come and say hello to her, but that all seems to have gone out the window now, coz she's an absolute nightmare!

Where we lived now, it's the total opposite. She can sit out the front on the terrace, and see who is approaching our driveway, or the neighbours coming and going, people walking up the road beyond with their dogs etc. Over the past 8 months, I have been on her case, she now lets the neighbours come and go as they please when she's out there, people can walk up and down the road with their dogs and she stays quiet (ish), but I step on her immediately by giving her the ball and she's happy. What she's not happy about is anyone actually coming UP our driveway, and then up our steps How very dare they!!! I have to say though, she is much, much better if they are to come indoors and she can meet them, even though that's a pain initially, but she's happy to get her ball and let them be indoors. What she's not happy about is if I'm out there on my own with them, how could I possibly deal with any tradesman/delivery men without her??!! I keep telling her I'm more than capable but still she no risten!

The neighbours keep telling me I should let her carry on, it's good that she's so protective of me, so I tend to let her get on with it, but I really would like it if she'd actually listen to me when I ask for quiet, but it's not to be with this one.

I once had 2 gsd's who would go hurfing to the gate if somebody rang the bell at that other house, anyone would have thought they'd savage anyone who dared open them, BUT, having said that, one day I was waiting for the doctor to call for mum, I heard the bell, but by the time I went to get out there, around the corner, walked the doctor, with one of my dogs either side of him wagging their tails, escorting him in, with him gently patting their heads That would be Georgie and Cassie as you remember them.

I think I'd like your Zak thanks!!!!

On the other hand, if we are OUT anywhere, she is the sweetest, friendliest dog to humans ever!

Thanks for all the replies. It is really interesting hearing about the different variations of a specific behaviour within a single breed.

GSDs have the reputation for being good guards, vocal and protective, so I suppose all of us who choose to own this breed should be expecting a certain amount or level of this behaviour. Also, what one person finds acceptable, another wouldn't. We all want different things out of our dogs.

It is also nice for me to find out how Cuba is getting on - MORE PICS JEANETTE! ;-) - and to find out whether she shares some of the same attributes as Zak