Choosing Perfect Family & Guard Dog

superbeast said:
I wouldnt want any dog around if i thought it would bite.
but i have two very large dogs. Saint Bernard and a st bernard cross with great pyrenese they hear everything and alert you, plus large to intimidate, but are useless during a break in. Been there. Done that. Lol , but if someone tried to hurt my wife or kid, i think they would protect them for sure. .
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wise words - if you want a dog to bite you have to train them to bite on command and be able to recognize danger. If you aren't a trainer, then don't try to teach your dog to bite.

Otherwise you will have a dog with 'stranger danger' and attack at the wrong time. None of my dogs were ever allowed to bite - they are allowed to show their teeth and growl as a warning they are uncomfortable with what someone or another dog is doing. It isn't fair to stop a dog from expressing itself when they are scared or angry. If you do, you may end up with a dog that keeps it in and then finally explodes and kills another dog or attacks a person.
 
Goldenrod said:
wise words - if you want a dog to bite you have to train them to bite on command and be able to recognize danger. If you aren't a trainer, then don't try to teach your dog to bite.

Otherwise you will have a dog with 'stranger danger' and attack at the wrong time. None of my dogs were ever allowed to bite - they are allowed to show their teeth and growl as a warning they are uncomfortable with what someone or another dog is doing. It isn't fair to stop a dog from expressing itself when they are scared or angry. If you do, you may end up with a dog that keeps it in and then finally explodes and kills another dog or attacks a person.
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I should add in retrospect I am referring to your dogs growling or showing their teeth to other dogs or strangers. If you have dogs, you must have come across the stupid people who run up and try to hug your dog without a proper greeting. Many people tried this with my Bouvier while socializing him and I am sure many needed a change of underwear as he told them very clearly to stay away from us, he doesn't know them. He would never bite but his warning is enough to keep people away. If you walk up slowly and let him sniff you and sees we are talking he will accept you.
Your dog should knows its place which is at the bottom of the pack - no growling / showing their teeth to the family, no resource guarding, or using their size to push you around. No, I don't hit my dogs but I would put them on their side and hold them until the unwanted behavior stopped. If you train your dogs daily, it is highly unlikely you will ever see this type of behavior anyway.

Hope that makes sense - just trying to make the point that growling and showing teeth is the only way a dog can warn you. If some stranger ran up to you and hugged you or grabbed you, what would you do?
 
I just brought home an 8wk old German Shepherd. Love the dark colour and looks to be a big boy.
We arrived home about 90 minutes ago and I’m having some issues.

He already pee’d on the floor despite me taking him out for about 10 minutes at a time. He just stays by my side outside. Inside he stays clingy and attached to my 6 yr old daughter and me. I tried many times to put him in the crate but he howls barks and cries. I came downstairs to let him out of the crate and to stay next to him so I can watch in case he has to shit or pee. I’ll take him out 60-90 minutes from the last time he pee’d also

Is this attachment and clingyness going to go away is it more of a sogn of how the dog will be in a few months? He’s going to be an outside dog living in an oversized insulated and heated dog home but is he going to be barking like this then too? My neighbours will go mad.

He just had some water a few minutes ago but refuses to eat, not even 3 different variety of treats. Doesnt play with toys either. Just shaking like a leaf and too damn clingy
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
I just brought home an 8wk old German Shepherd. Love the dark colour and looks to be a big boy.
We arrived home about 90 minutes ago and I’m having some issues.

He already pee’d on the floor despite me taking him out for about 10 minutes at a time. He just stays by my side outside. Inside he stays clingy and attached to my 6 yr old daughter and me. I tried many times to put him in the crate but he howls barks and cries. I came downstairs to let him out of the crate and to stay next to him so I can watch in case he has to shit or pee. I’ll take him out 60-90 minutes from the last time he pee’d also

Is this attachment and clingyness going to go away is it more of a sogn of how the dog will be in a few months? He’s going to be an outside dog living in an oversized insulated and heated dog home but is he going to be barking like this then too? My neighbours will go mad.

He just had some water a few minutes ago but refuses to eat, not even 3 different variety of treats. Doesnt play with toys either. Just shaking like a leaf and too damn clingy
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Your dog will be whatever you want and put into the animal. You ripped a baby from its family (I assume) so its completely normal to cry and be clingy. No, it does not mean it will the kind of dog you will have forever but there are confident dogs and there are scared dogs and a lot depends on you now.
If you hoped to buy a dog and it would be perfect from day 1 and never make a mistake in the house and be everything you wanted, you would be very lucky. It is completely normal for some dogs to attach themselves to a person or people but if you help your pup as he/she matures they will become more independent.

I can't tell you how many dogs I brought home - some pure breeds and some mix rescues and some could be taken out every hour (which you have to when they are young) but they were never taught about using the bathroom in the house so they still had lots of mistakes. I corrected them verbally and immediately took them out and inevitably they all learned the outside is their bathroom / the house is not.

All dogs, unless they are crate trained, cry for days and sometimes weeks and in some cases months for hours when you put them in the crate. The crate can be a safe place for them - feed them in it, pet them in it, and over time all you have to do is say bed and most dogs will go to their crate - never use it as punishment. Eventually, they stop.

Many dogs won't eat until they are comfortable no matter what you put in front of them. My Bouvier is now a protection dog but I spent 100's of hours training him. When he was younger and wasn't sure of the world, I would take him to busy parking lots and walk him around people, cars, carts, etc. and after a 30 minute walk we would go back to the vehicle for his supper or his favorite snack - baked liver. He wouldn't eat anything the first week. Over time he would howl in excitement when he knew we were going to a parking lot to see strangers and get snacks.

My point is you are expecting too much, some dogs don't play with toys ever, some dogs take days to weeks before they start. You sound like your angry the dog is shaking and scared - again, pretty normal. You have only been with the dog for 90 minutes.

I love German Shepherds as they are wonderful working dogs but as they all come with different personalities but can be what you want them to be with the proper leadership.

I can give you some tips if you want but please lower your expectations or maybe I'm misreading your message. Have you owned many dogs before or been to puppy classes? Did you but the dog to be a working animal or as a family pet?

Good luck with your dog. As I mentioned if you want help I am happy to offer it but everything you described above is completely normal.
 
As long as it’s normal behaviour I’m okay with it. I was worried he’d be one of those dogs who hide from their own shadow. buddy of mine had a dog that was submissive as hell and just a big pussy in general, didn’t want that as it would defeat the whole purpose. I bought him to be a guard dog and since I have kids to be loyal and protective of my kids as well, not really as a family pet. Last night I stayed up with him ‘til 6am and then left him in the garage to give him some roaming space and in case he has to use the bathroom.

If I’m doing anything wrong here let me know pls: -take him outside every 2hrs and stay out for approximately 15 minutes at a time (he just follows me sits at my feet lol)
- ignore his cries in the crate
- feed him a cup full and water in the morning and in the evening

He doesn’t go far from me when outside and comes when I say come, should I still leash him?
 
at minimum go to a puppy class and if there isn't any due to Covid, find a private person who has experience and has outside classes so your dog can get used other people and other dogs.
No dog is a pussy but some are more timid (just like people) and need help getting their confidence. Dogs have a past, just like people and some of my abused rescues made the best protection dogs I ever owned. I'm not talking about encouraging aggression as that is a recipe for someone or another dog getting killed and your dog being euthanized.
I was trained to train others and dogs for protection. My 120 or 130 lbs Bouvier came to us as a scared little guy who hid behind me or a family member. Now, you enter my house unwanted you will be calling 911 - I won't. He can tell friend from foe and does not bite unless he has to protect the property or us - 100's of hours of working with my dogs. I enjoy it so it isn't work to me, it creates a bond that can't be broken.

I can walk through a crowded beach with him off leash and he never leaves my side and shows no aggression to another person unless they attack us. He is now balanced and a balanced dog is a happy dog. A dog on edge thinking stranger danger lives in chronic stress and it isn't healthy. People need to help balance their dogs.

Few rules I have - never give a command unless you can make your dog do it.
Never hit your animals - I'm strict and will put them on their side until they submit if I am working with an aggressive dog but I never hit a dog.
Provide leadership - kids too, hand feed your dog for its early months, walk them daily and half the walk must be a structured walk - they walk behind me or beside me, never in front of me. 1/2 the walk I let them be a dog and have fun and play with them.
I go out the door first and they don't go through the door until I give them the command - otherwise someday when they are large they will see a cat or be all hyped up and blast past you.
It only take 15 minutes a day to train a dog to be 100% obedient. If you don't use it you lose it - making dinner ask your dog to sit and watch. Outside cutting the grass, tell your dog down and they can be outside in a down the whole time until you release them. These are somewhat advanced obedience protocols and it can take months to a year to get there. You can teach your dog down and then ask them to do it outside for an hour - it is too much. You build up to it.
Decide early want you want from your dog so you can comfortably live together and be consistent and that means everyone in the house.

Hope all is well - take care
 
While growing up we had Doberman pinchers. They were show dogs.
They were great dogs, mellow enough to be happy to be indoor dogs, but protective to our family. The females loved to play, we were young and we had a rubber pull toy and the femalemwould drag me and my brother around the yard. Our dogs were taught to go to the bathroom in one area of the yard that had gravel, and she would drag us into this area so we would let go and have to chase her around to grab the toy in her mouth again.
‘Not once were we ever in a situation where we had to worry about being bit.
Shit one time my sister (who was about 6 maybe 8) placed her chair leg on purpose on our males balls and sat down. The male knocked her off with his front paw, and gave a bit of a growl. Now I know they should never growl, but the dog handled it very well IMO. My father was going to disciple the dog for growling and my brother and I wouldn’t allow him, because well she put her chair on his balls. Before this and afterwards she would lay on him, hugging him, more or less molesting the poor dog and only the one time he got upset. All other times he would lay there and allow her to do what she wanted.
Our male was a large Doberman, around 120 lbs. we had bulked him up with hamburger footballs and vitamins and jogged him behind our vehicle with a weighted pack to increase his muscularity.

We were lucky and the ones we had were very intelligent, especially the male.

My uncle (moms brother) lived with us for a year or so. After living with us for a few months one day he thought he would be funny and pick my mom up and throw her on his shoulder, she screamed, our male instantly grabbed him by the arm (without hurting him) and my uncle immediately put my mother down. The dog stood down without needing direction and surveyed the situation. The dog could have easily hurt my uncle but instead gave a warning. My uncle never did that again and him and the dog were fine together afterwards.

I loved that dog, we got him when I was five. He would sleep under the covers and kept me warm in the winter, I slept in the basement. He would also crawl into bed and snuggle my mom after my dad would go to work, surprised her a few times where she thought he was my dad. I missed that dog for years, he got a brain tumour at 12. I will never have another dog because I’ll never have a dog like him again.

There was another time when our babysitter had an asthma attack and her dad came over flying in the door and the dogs stopped him in his tracks at the front door because they didnt recognize him. Once we called the dogs off he was allowed in.

These dogs had zero training, but for them it was instinctive. They never hurt anyone, but no one that wasn’t given permission that was unknown by the dogs was not allowed in the house.

Lol, I remember as a kid when a door to door salesman would drop by, me and my brother would pretend we couldn’t hold the dog back, telling the guy to leave quickly, lol. They would shit their pants and leave., well because a big Doberman barking is scary.

Oh and as a side note, we got to watch the male being studded out. He had won his championship in a year.
 
Pitbuls or any bully bread, my girls scarey when she needs to be and friendly and loving with family. I never trained her to be aggressive though I never wanted her to bite someone and get put to sleep I like to tell her to pipe down when people come its not her job to protect me its my job to protect her. House alarms and cameras are where it's at. A grumpy tough dog can be scary around women and kids my dog never hurt a fly now she's retired and still loving but for some reason she wants to kill every other dog around. The last dog she bit I didn't think was going to make it. Really bad neck would that wouldn't stop squirting he started it but I felt bad and scared for him. I think it's Menopause or something hormonal but yea be very very careful of tough dogs, who are trained to be aggressive. Don't forget this is canada if your dog attacks someone even breaking in they can still see you. Lol
 
Sorbate said:
While growing up we had Doberman pinchers. They were show dogs.
They were great dogs, mellow enough to be happy to be indoor dogs, but protective to our family. The females loved to play, we were young and we had a rubber pull toy and the femalemwould drag me and my brother around the yard. Our dogs were taught to go to the bathroom in one area of the yard that had gravel, and she would drag us into this area so we would let go and have to chase her around to grab the toy in her mouth again.
‘Not once were we ever in a situation where we had to worry about being bit.
Shit one time my sister (who was about 6 maybe 8) placed her chair leg on purpose on our males balls and sat down. The male knocked her off with his front paw, and gave a bit of a growl. Now I know they should never growl, but the dog handled it very well IMO. My father was going to disciple the dog for growling and my brother and I wouldn’t allow him, because well she put her chair on his balls. Before this and afterwards she would lay on him, hugging him, more or less molesting the poor dog and only the one time he got upset. All other times he would lay there and allow her to do what she wanted.
Our male was a large Doberman, around 120 lbs. we had bulked him up with hamburger footballs and vitamins and jogged him behind our vehicle with a weighted pack to increase his muscularity.

We were lucky and the ones we had were very intelligent, especially the male.

My uncle (moms brother) lived with us for a year or so. After living with us for a few months one day he thought he would be funny and pick my mom up and throw her on his shoulder, she screamed, our male instantly grabbed him by the arm (without hurting him) and my uncle immediately put my mother down. The dog stood down without needing direction and surveyed the situation. The dog could have easily hurt my uncle but instead gave a warning. My uncle never did that again and him and the dog were fine together afterwards.

I loved that dog, we got him when I was five. He would sleep under the covers and kept me warm in the winter, I slept in the basement. He would also crawl into bed and snuggle my mom after my dad would go to work, surprised her a few times where she thought he was my dad. I missed that dog for years, he got a brain tumour at 12. I will never have another dog because I’ll never have a dog like him again.

There was another time when our babysitter had an asthma attack and her dad came over flying in the door and the dogs stopped him in his tracks at the front door because they didnt recognize him. Once we called the dogs off he was allowed in.

These dogs had zero training, but for them it was instinctive. They never hurt anyone, but no one that wasn’t given permission that was unknown by the dogs was not allowed in the house.

Lol, I remember as a kid when a door to door salesman would drop by, me and my brother would pretend we couldn’t hold the dog back, telling the guy to leave quickly, lol. They would shit their pants and leave., well because a big Doberman barking is scary.

Oh and as a side note, we got to watch the male being studded out. He had won his championship in a year.
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That’s awesome man those childhood memories can never be replaced. I was attached to our neighbour’s Doberman when I was 7 and always miss him so I can’t imagine how much you miss yours growing up with him.
 
I just got an 8 wk old Bully Kutta x Tibetan Mastiff. I always knew cropping ears in Ontario was still legal but had no idea almost every clinic stopped cropping ears for no fucking reason. Suddenly they’re all about ethics, they were cropping ears forever until Canada banned them in other provinces. I think I have a very short window of about 2-3wks to get his ears cropped. So if anyone can recommend a clinic or vet that does the procedure in Ontario I’m all ears
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
I just got an 8 wk old Bully Kutta x Tibetan Mastiff. I always knew cropping ears in Ontario was still legal but had no idea almost every clinic stopped cropping ears for no fucking reason. Suddenly they’re all about ethics, they were cropping ears forever until Canada banned them in other provinces. I think I have a very short window of about 2-3wks to get his ears cropped. So if anyone can recommend a clinic or vet that does the procedure in Ontario I’m all ears
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You know our dobermans were cropped and it didn’t damage them.
Its like declawing cats, everyone screams horror stories, but I’ve had 9 declawed cats and not one had issues.
My one part time outdoor cat which is a big maincoon is front declawed and he had zero issues killing birds, chipmunks, rabbits, and dominating the other cats in the neighbourhood, he adapted. Used his back claws and his thick fur to fight the other cats, and I watched him run down prey and bat it around until it was immobilized thru his speed. Still to this day after 15 years he jumps, runs and plays with zero issues.
‘I had arguments about this where people say I am maiming my cat to fit what I want and I say, well fixing your cat and destroying it’s endocrine system is not overly healthy, (considering we use gear to keep our hormones as we age because we inderstand the negative effects of losing hermones), so I guess you draw the line there.
 
OmegaBravo7 said:
Goldenrod and anyone else, know of any vet clinic that crops ears on dogs in Ontario?
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Morning @OmegaBravo7 - no I don't know any Vetrinarians that perform the tail and ear surgeries. Do you know why it is considered unethical or 'wrong' to cut a dog's ears and tail off?
Why do you want to crop your dog's ears?
 
Goldenrod said:
Morning @OmegaBravo7 - no I don't know any Vetrinarians that perform the tail and ear surgeries. Do you know why it is considered unethical or 'wrong' to cut a dog's ears and tail off?
Why do you want to crop your dog's ears?
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Because I don’t want a mastiff with flappy ears. My previous vet recommended a reputable clinic up north in Ontario that does ear cropping for doberman and mastiffs only, lucky me, appointment booked 😎

NovaScotiaMan said:
Cider the corso
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What a beauty! what are his stats
 
I’d say pitbull mine had a nasty scary bark. But he’s the biggest baby around. I he’s eight and never shown agression towards a human, make me wonder what he would do if I was attacked (I’d imagine he’d protect me).

But if any dog comes at me in any aggressive manner he better be ready to be submitted in a flash. See him grab a mastif by the neck and pin him to the ground when the other dog got away from his owner and ran at us. I was impressed the other owner was impressed, Thankfully no one go seriously injured (dogs included).

in the house how ever the cats are the dominent ones lol.
 
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