Q: How to make my German shepherd aggressive to strangers?
In the neighborhood I live in there is always a possibility of people trying to enter my home. I have a one year 9-month-old German Shepherd and want him to be more aggressive towards strangers. What do I do?
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Answers and Views:
Answer by Vince
If you want Your dog to be more protective then don’t let anybody play, feed or pet your dog other then yourself. You should be the only one showing the dog any love and then the dog will naturally become protective of you. if you have family members or friends coming over then allow them to say hi to the dog just to acknowledge that they are there and your ok with it but that is it. Do not let them play with your dog or anything else that will show love toward your pup. You should be the ONLY ONE TO DO SO!!
Answer by baree33090
Why would you want your dog to be a liability?!
It should be enough that he's a large, intimidating-looking breed. Do not try to train him to be stranger-aggressive. At most, if you want him to protect your home, the only thing I would recommend is teaching him to bark when he hears someone coming.
Answer by sohaib
For God's sake don't tell the man what he should or should not do. It's his Dog and his neighborhood and he knows better than us if he wants an aggressive or a playful dog. To make him aggressive keep him away from people. The least people he will see the more aggressive he will become towards strangers.
Answer by Franky
I had one German Shepherd that I let people come around and he was just naturally aggressive after he turned two years old., that dog couldn't go near anybody without biting. He was a great watchdog a great sense of security and I kept him controlled I miss him very much. Now I have a new dog full bred German Shepherd and he's very happy go lucky that doesn't mean by the age of two he's not going to start changing just like the other one did they are natural protective dogs they will protect the families that they love and they will protect the property that they live on.
Answer by Bre
It's up to the type of living situation that you are in. GSD dogs are very loyal and protective when it comes to their owner(s). If you need a more protective GSD for your neighborhood and you don't have children, then don't acclamate him around other people. Keep "you" as his one and only master and he will be very protective of you and his home all the time. If you have children, the children are going to be bringing home their friends, and kids love dogs, so your GSD is going to be more of a people person. It's hard to tell a child not to play with a dog. Everyone has to decide what the use of their GSD is for; either a guard dog or a family dog. But, either way, the GSD will protect his family and home when there is a threat. I used to ask my fiancé how our GSD would know if there was a bad person around or someone here that shouldn't be, since he is so loveable around people all the time, and he told me that dogs just know. They have a sixth sense that we can't see or hear. So, if you ever have someone come around, even someone you know or think you trust, and your GSD goes crazy with barking and growling at that person, it's usually because your dog can sense something bad that we can't. Trust your dog!
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Answer by sheori
We have never ever tried to make our German shepherd aggressive. He is one of the sweatiest nicest dogs you will meet. He's great with kids and any person who comes to visit (even the UPS man who knows our dog now and gives him a treat and lets him in the truck to say hi). He loves many many people, but since he is truly part of our family (and we don't try to make him mean), he is very devoted to us.
There have been a couple times when a person has come to our house who was not supposed to be there. We heard from our neighbors one day that he bit a person who was peaking in our windows. We never had a problem like that again. He also once growled at a man I was afraid of when I was home alone and little. The man got the message and left.
Please don't try to make your dog nasty. He should know if you need help, and act to protect his family, not out of anger or fear because you tried to make him nasty. It's a very bad idea. Making a dog aggressive to strangers usually involves cruelty or mistreating your dog.
Answer by tommy
People, please shut the hell up! You don't know where this person lives or how his neighborhood is. It's his dog! Damn some of you act like you are so damn perfect you prob. have a thousand skeletons in your closet! I say train him to bite the butt hole out of anybody who is trying to break into your home!
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
maxmom says
Not all GSD's should be trained to be guard dogs. If that is what you want, hire professional trainers. Be prepared to pay extra in homeowners insurance.
If you train to make it aggressive without proper training it will be aggressive to all.
Most dogs are already territorial about their houses.
Tivona W says
Please don't try and make him more aggressive! I get what you're trying to do, and i've been thinking about this same thing, too, because i'm scared of people coming in my house and stuff, robbing, or whatever. I think if you gave him a "speak" command, but make the command queu "attack!" or something then when a stranger breaks in, you'll tell him to attack and he'll start barking , and the intruder will only *think* he's gonna be attacked, but really it's just your friendly dog who wouldnt hurt people.
maybe you could find a way to make the speak signal the sound of breaking glass, in case someone broke in through a window or something.
but, i figure that just with the fact that you HAVE a german shepherd, no one will want to break into your house. but just to be sure, you could teach your dog these special tricks to make criminals even more scared. but visitors you invite, and your family and friends, will still be safe, because your dog does not actually attack people.
♥life is grea says
the only german shepard that should be people aggressive is a police dog trained by a Professional to stop criminals in there tracks
Erica Lynn says
You wait and let him grow up. Shepherds grow into their protection instincts as they mature. He's just a puppy right now and should not be showing much, if any, aggression. Trying to teach him to be aggressive is just asking for trouble. If he's acting fearful, you need to get him out for more socialization. If he's just being friendly, just wait it out until his protection instinct kicks in. It usually starts showing up somewhere between 9 and 18 months depending on the lines. I don't know what lines your dog comes from to even begin to guess when to expect that particular change. Where did you get him? If you bought from a breeder, what's the kennel name and do you have his parents' names?
FYI – Shepherds should only show aggression if they feel their home or family is being threatened. A shepherd with a solid temperament should be able to be called off whether they perceive a threat or not. If there is no threat, they should be calm and aloof, not aggressive, timid, or overly-friendly. This applies to adults, not nine month old puppies.
Coopers Mom says
Its people like you that contribute to GSD's bad rep!
Bosco says
Well agressive towards strangers is quite a bad idea.
Because if a dog bites someone, your dog is going to be put down by the shelter.
Get a professional guard dog trainer..