When we got our rat terrier he was 7 lbs. Our German Shepherd would not let him go outside to pee by himself and insisted on escorting the young'un for about a year. We used to joke that he was worried about an owl swooping down and grabbing him. After the terrier was full grown the Shepherd would stand at the door and watch him when he went out. He did that for about six months. He finally decided the terrier is competent to pee without supervision.
That is hysterical. GSD’s like to guard whether the dog/cat or human needs guarding or not. If your dog is anything like mine, he would have gone THROUGH the door in case of trouble. LOL