Kids are fun! My wife was a Spanish and French teacher early in her career. We decided to use some non English words for commands, but German is really unpronounceable mostly, for a neophyte like me.
Anyway, when she was talking about a release command from STAY I blurted out Sig Sauer. Thinking she would put the kabosh on that, but she didn't. So now, when you are 100 feet away you have to yell out Sig Sauer when you want her to come. Most people don't know what that is, just think it must be German! Release from a stay at side is Vetta, pronounced Betta, for go in Spanish, I think. Fortunately, I don't have to know what they mean in the original language, only our dog language.
So, if I get a bunch of kids I'm starting to do distraction exercises. I put a Charlie Bear on my shoe, make her sit 6-8 feet away, and tell the kids to tell her to get it. Of course they shout out go, ok, you can have it, some foreign words if they know some. It's quite comical sometimes! No one has said the magic word yet, they usually ask what it is, but I say I can't repeat it. Top Secret!!!
When I release her from stay I go though various similar sounding words such as Sydney, cimmaron, Cheyenne, Sigourney Weaver, Sigmund Freud, and such. Anything starting with S or Sig. She rarely breaks on anything, but will sometimes move on the Sig words.
My next step is to tell someone the word and see if she will break on their command, or only mine, which is what I want. I don't let anyone feed her, or allow her to run up to people. They can pet her, but they have to ask, and come to her. She is pretty indifferent to people, so that helps. No idea if that is just the way she is, or if it is connected to the training. It's actually lots of fun, she is getting way more spoiled treatment
than our kids ever did.
The dog seems to be a conversation starter. Most people are petting the dog for a while before they notice the firearm. When I walk, it appears that the majority are looking at the dog instead of me. About the only thing that gets me really unglued is if an adult walks up and starts petting without asking. Kids I cut a little slack with, but mention it would be a good idea to ask since you never know if a dog is friendly, or in training. People seem to like German Shepherds, but be just a little intimidated by them, if they've never been around one. This one doesn't have a vicious bone in her body, although she might lick you to death.
I do get asked about being LE fairly regularly. I'm 57, have a beard, but clean cut and neatly groomed usually. I will put on clean clothes before a walk, if I'm going armed. I don't think I look anything like a police officer. I suppose a short leashed GSD and a man with a gun might make people jump to that conclusion. It has not been a problem, no one has left because of it, that I am aware of. People just don't seemed to be bothered by it up here. It's really a non event, I'd say maybe 5 percent of my encounters brings up any mention of a firearm.
Everybody needs a good dog!!! Haha