Will your working line GSD protect you - Page 4

Poodles are not trusting of strangers, I used to have one too.

More than a GSD can be wary of strangers, point is though, if they do not have that defense drive (plus fight drive) they will not consider anything a danger nor challenge it. 

Prey will get them to chase and bite even, but that doesn't mean they will do diddly squat while you are getting knifed to death in front of them.

When it comes to Police K-9's high prey is essential.  Defense drive or civil aggression is also important.  I like dogs that are loaded in prey, but have natural aggression and good defense.  These are the dogs that will work all day, bring speed to an apprehension and then switch to a fight drive.  Too much defense can be a problem, just as over the top prey can be a problem.  For me a dog that is high prey / high defense, clear headed, confident and likes to fight is ideal.  This is the dog I want for Police work, for sport or what ever else I choose to do.  I prefer slightly higher prey than defense.  These dogs will protect their handler, but will defend themselves or just fight because the right opportunity presents itself.  Bonding with a dog is important, of course.  But there are strong dogs that will fight an adversary just to fight that adversary.  They are not defending their handler, just looking to fight.  There is a difference.  I am strongly bonded with my Police K-9 and I know he loves me.  I would not be so foolish to think him going after someone is purely to protect me.  He knows I can handle myself, he just wants in on the action.  Dogs are not as altruistic as we may think.  When it comes down to it, often he just wants to fight. 

"In on the action", I can see it, LOL

I think my dog would bite out of jealousy. Not sure about a knife weilding adversary. He'd probably say WTF? Just because we don't really have much experience with knife wielding adversaries.

in the last 25 years when entering someones property , ive been attacked and bitten by dachshund(twice) , miniature poodle and jack russel terrier , never by a german shepherd or malinois , makes one wonder

Little dog complex.  Similar to Napolean complex or "little man complex."  The tough ones have nothing to prove. 

LOL I sold a dog for guarding to a horsestable , he said to me , first I bought two showlineshepherds , when someone came up the driveway they were somewhere behind the barn , I found them a good home and took a malinois
now when someone came up the driveway , he bit their tires till the car stopped  also bit the tyre of the wheelbarrel , and barked all day , I found him a good home

now he has an  Ajax offspring from me , low preydrive , high defence , and is happy as can be

"They are not defending their handler, just looking to fight.  There is a difference. "

Right! 

I'll bet the ones that are fighting to defend the owner and not themselves are few and far between too.

 Duke, it,s all in the dogs preception of the threat.

  I like several things you said Jim like "there are some dogs that just like to fight" this is very true it doesnt make them mean or defensive they just like the action and there tuned possible by the genetics to be of this way. I don,t like to see alot of defense in a dog because it tell,s me there preception of threat is very low(in my opinion) It really depends on what everyones description in there own minds of what drive is. I like strong natural aggression. I like to see a dog that not only wants to stop threat that is being applied to it(defense) but after the threat is gone wants to chase it down and kill it and eat it and not share it with anyone. 

 To much prey drive can lead the dog to being unable to focus which is also very bad.  I like the dog to precieve the "man" as the threat or object even in Schutzhund the sleeve,ball, jute, is all just a path to the man the man makes the fight not the object. I think thats where you get the idea of the dog chasing the purse.  

 This is a good discussion.


     

With my first GSD I would say "Yes" but now I completely agree with Duke's posts.

"the German Shepherd that could not give a crap about bring a ball back fifty times but sure would go through fire and broken glass, take a bullet and still keep coming to protect the one they are bonded with.  There are dogs like that and they are one in  a million and getting more rare all the time." 

Got one of those.....! Wish she would have reproduced herself....not so sure of my other dogs....maybe Beckett would defend, he certainly is a deterent; Wolfie would if he really thought there was a threat. My pups....both totally laid back, probably show you where the electronics & silverware was, LOL! But I think this attitude was mostly because we had Kali, & she was completely, naturally dominant & in control. She was on duty 24/7, & her 2 girls that we have still think of her as the leader. Will one of them, or Beckett, step up once she's gone to the bridge? I don't know. Probably not, as they've spent their whole lives depending on her. And she's for real. Even debilitated as she is right now, she's still got that attitude.
And she always has been suspiscious of everyone. If we said it was OK, then she would relax, but still watched like a hawk. And she had a sense of humor. We had a guy here that was trying to buy a vehicle from us, we didn't really trust him, Kali REALLY didn't trust him, but since we told her to, she just platzed there & watched him. But when he got ready to leave, (he was a little annoyed we wouldn't drop the price as low as he wanted) Kali got up & calmly walked over & LIFTED her leg on him! Just a squirt or 2, but I thought that was funny. She's been known to hump some one she wasn't allowed to bite, too. Totally dominant female. jackie harris   BTW-she's GSL!