[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Glenn Beck's dog Uno
- From: Stephen Reierstad <gersheps@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Showgsd-l <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 13:56:39 -0500
The video was very interesting, especially the segment about the Training that
Uno went through. I'm still scratching my head over the fact that the "target"
in the clip didn't have the protective gear on. Not very safe, IMO; if the
dog had gotten too close, it could have been a serious injury.
I often wonder if it is always necessary to train a GSD as a protection dog.
Case in point: My late GSD Tacoma had a natural protection/attack instinct that
didn't need development. He came from German Working Lines, and he didn't have
any Schutzhund or other protection training. One night I had to take a friend
to the ER of a hospital in a nearby city, and I took Tacoma along for
protection. After I had dropped the friend off, I took Tacoma out of the van
in the Parking lot for a break before we drove home. An aggressive drunk came
toward me demanding Money, and before I could even react, Tacoma hit the end of
the lead so hard it hyperextended my elbow. He wanted that guy for Dinner.
The drunk slipped on the ice in the parking lot trying to get away and fell
down, breaking an ankle. He laid on the ground screaming "Don't let that dog
loose." Two security guards had seen the action on their screens, called 911,
and came out to secure the area. When the guards showed up, Tacoma looked at
them briefly, then went back to watching the drunk. I had trained Tacoma in
German, and as soon as the guards showed up, I gave him the "aus" command, then
"sitz-bleib", and he sat and waited, still watching the drunk, who was now
threatening to "sue" me for letting Tacoma "attack" him. The Police showed up,
arrested the drunk ( who thanked them for protecting him against the "vicious"
dog and his "bloodthirsty owner" (sic). They had a good laugh over that one.
Without training, Tacoma recognised the threat, responded, and then calmed down
when he realised the drunk was no longer a threat. But he kept on watching
him. He also distinguished between the Good Guys (guards and police) and the
bad guy (the drunk) and knew who he had to pay attention to. He immediately
obeyed my commands, and he calmly got back into the van while the Police and
Security Guards got my statement. In other words, Tacoma instinctively knew
what to do at each point in the situation, with no training in such a
situation. Why spend $$ on training when these GSDs already seem to know what
to do? I'm sure that any GSD would have done the same thing.
Steve Reierstad
Remember: Pillage first, THEN burn!
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