# Will your dog REALLY protect you?



## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

This is the infamous question passed around. Many owners, especially of our breed, are under the impression that their dog would protect them.

I however, and many others, feel that it takes a certain temperament and to an extent a certain amount of training before a dog would truly "protect" it's owner. Other dogs will either pick flight out of fight or flight in fear, or in turn WILL attack the assailant but only out of a fear aggressive response triggering them to attack to protect themselves or their security bubble. One of the biggest reasons that I opt to pick a breeder over a rescue because I as a young single female living on my own am looking for a companion AND protection animal. 

A 6 year old did a very interesting video on the subject. Now of course, I would like to see this done in several different ways. Maybe a larger scale. And then actual owner's handling the dogs instead of a stranger as this could trigger a different attitude. Also, would the emotion the owner is giving off trigger a different response? Obviously this little girl isn't in TRUE fear, could a dog sense fear and respond differently? But I think in general it shows the fearful response the average pet dog would show to a true attacker. 

Your thoughts?


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

This has been previously posted.

I had a dog who stepped up to the defense plate several times and she's a simple pet.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

That video seems a little silly, like a commercial for their business.

My Aussie was ready to defend me once... never heard a growl like that from him before, I certainly wouldn't have messed with him!


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

KZoppa said:


> This has been previously posted.
> 
> I had a dog who stepped up to the defense plate several times and she's a simple pet.


Yeah, like I said it's just an interesting thought. I had a friend that tested this theory with her pit bull. She had some friends of her son "abduct" her in their van while walking down a dark street one night. Although her pit barked, she otherwise proceeded to just stand there while these strange men "forced" her into the van and even drove off a block. This was a dog that had also shown "protective" tendencies in the past, she had once barked at a group of strange drunken men that had approached the owner one other night while out on a walk. But when push really comes to shove, would even a barking dog truly attack and "protect"? Of course, this friend also thought up the theory "Maybe my fear would of otherwise motivated? Obviously when these men I knew were "abducting" me, I could only act angry or fearful, but I knew I was safe and maybe she sensed that?"

Zeke will bark at some people if there is an odd vibe about them, but in general he loves people. I don't know if he would truly attack someone to protect me or not. Luckily with our breed, them barking alone is usually enough to deter someone. But maybe we shouldn't depend on them as much as we do?

I KNEW Luther would, because he did in the past. Of course he was also fear aggressive and did have a history of biting people, so not exactly the best dog in general. But I do really miss the amount of devotion he showed to me. He would not leave my side while I slept. One morning my dad stormed into my room joking around "If you don't get up I'm going to hit you!" Luther proceeded to jump ON TOP of me and lay there growling at my father, whom he otherwise adored in general.


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## OffgridAlex (Dec 11, 2012)

I have seen this before and I remain sceptical (partly because the people producing it are trying to sell something)

While I will agree that if you want an attack dog or expect a lot of threats then a trained dog would be better I don't think you can write off the humble family pet as useless for defense. 

1) I suspect it is the handler as the 'attacker' in that video
2) it is not a real attack (if I can tell so can the dog)
3) we don't know that dogs particular temperament
4) Is the girl he dogs owner or has she just been asked to stand there with a random dog (what reason does it have to protect her)


Would I want a dog that would jump in and start ripping off limbs if it saw my son play fighting in the garden with a friend?

There is a lot more that a dog does to protect you than bite. Lets face it, if someone was nuts enough to try and kidnapp her while she is standing there with a German Shepherd then she is in serious trouble anyway. I hope that my dog never has to do more than growl and look mean in defense of my family


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## OffgridAlex (Dec 11, 2012)

Anubis_Star said:


> Yeah, like I said it's just an interesting thought. I had a friend that tested this theory with her pit bull. She had some friends of her son "abduct" her in their van while walking down a dark street one night. Although her pit barked, she otherwise proceeded to just stand there while these strange men "forced" her into the van and even drove off a block.
> .


Was the dog muzzled? You couldn't pay me enough to provoke a pitbull like that


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## Rua (Jan 2, 2012)

I would never expect Juno to protect me. There is an element to her personality that is very defensive and she is incredibly protective of her family. But to the extent of actually doing anything beyond hackles, barking and lunging, I don't know. I recognize that a lot of her reaction is driven by fear and it's not really controllable.

She did chase off two stray dogs that aggressively were barking at my children though.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

OffgridAlex said:


> 1) I suspect it is the handler as the 'attacker' in that video
> 2) it is not a real attack (if I can tell so can the dog)
> 3) we don't know that dogs particular temperament
> 4) Is the girl he dogs owner or has she just been asked to stand there with a random dog (what reason does it have to protect her)


I completely agree with these points. Like I said, I would be really interested to see this experiment in a different setting. Actual OWNER'S handling their own dogs, and maybe in a more realistic setting, like watching down a dark street. I still believe though that most dogs will NOT protect their owners outside of barking if it actually came down to it. 

BTW, my friend and her pit - her female was smaller, only 30lbs or so, but no she DID not muzzle her. Scary test, if you ask me lol. I always thought, if I knew someone with a bite suit, I might like to see what Zeke would do if he was home alone and someone tried to break into the house, or if someone "attacked" me while I was out with him. But I would never risk it with no protection for the attacker, and even a muzzled 95lb dog can do some damage with their body. ****, some protection companies train their dogs with basket muzzles on so they learn to use their FULL body, not just their bite, in an attack and take down.


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## OffgridAlex (Dec 11, 2012)

The way my dog reacts when I accidentally stood on on his foot - I don't think he would be very good in a fight anyway


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Here is the thread. It is a silly and non realistic set up. It was probably the parents idea to advertise the business. 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...g-video-will-my-untrained-dog-protect-me.html


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

That's one of the worst videos ever, I'm sorry. I can't have a legit discussion on this topic when that video is involved!!

As for my dog, I'm fairly certain he will "protect" me (if protect = bite). We've tested this more than once, double blind meaning *I* had no clue an attack on me was coming and had no way to unintentionally cue my dog.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Everyone is of course right, the setup in that video is horrible even if it may be stemming from a valid point.

I remember this video I saw a couple years ago as well, I think it's thought-provoking. If there's one thing our dogs may be willing to protect over us, it's their "territory", right?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

That one doesn't really work for me either. My dog is not a "family dog" really, he's a German Shepherd, bred and *trained* to protect. I can only speak for my own dog but he doesn't fit either video. I would never expect my family dog mixed breed rescue to attack someone, even a stranger coming into the house.


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

When our house was broken into in the middle of the night while we were all home my lab didn't even bark. I am sure he was all over the robbers, licking them and showing them where we keep the silver.


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## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

None of those videos work for me either.

GSDs can be intimidating in appearance and growling alone.
Sometimes that's enough of a deterrent against an assailant.

However, as far as the question posed: Will Your dog really protect you?

If you are talking about a dog who protects (protects=bites) because of the reasons you mentioned above and only while its on it's own territory...Then my answer is no.

If you're talking about a dog who has been truly 'trained to protect'...on or off it's own territory (_and will continue to bite or fight even if injured_)... Then my answer is yes.
This type of trained dog will fight to the death or until incapacitated.

For me, it's all about the training.

JMHO,
Kat


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

Lisl has already shown that she _might_ be capable of this behavior.

Several times on our socialization walks and business visits downtown she will sometimes walk quickly in front of me and growl and/or bark at a stranger inside one of these places.

She seems very selective in who she does this to, and it is only very occasionally this happens. She's never done it on the street except to a motorcycle the other day.

It's almost as though she might know this could be a bad person, or the smell isn't right to her, or some other reason. On most of these visits these people are strangers to me too. Maybe she knows something I don't.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

MichaelE said:


> Lisl has already shown that she _might_ be capable of this behavior.
> 
> Several times on our socialization walks and business visits downtown she will sometimes walk quickly in front of me and growl and/or bark at a stranger inside one of these places.
> 
> ...


Be careful here, sounds a lot more like a fear-reactive puppy then a protective dog. It's one thing when a well socialized adult reacts out of the ordinary with a specific person and another when a younger dog or puppy shows fear or is reactive. 

I'm sure there is a lot of advice people can give you, but this isn't the thread for that. Start a new thread and you may hear lot of ideas on socialization and working with a puppy that shows reactivity


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## Maggies Dad (Aug 15, 2012)

Maggie loves people way too much I don't believe she will protect us just yet although when she gets older I think it might get better?

Being a veteran Law Enforcement I always carry concealed so my biggest worry is Maggie getting in the way of me protecting us.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Anubis_Star said:


> Obviously this little girl isn't in TRUE fear, could a dog sense fear and respond differently? But I think in general it shows the fearful response the average pet dog would show to a true attacker.
> 
> Your thoughts?
> 
> Will an untrained dog protect it's owner? www.BobsDogs.com - YouTube


My pet untrained dogs can and have protected me and my family more than once. Taking down a burglar who came over the back fence and attacking a rattlesnake.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Yes mine would. Bc they are genetically equipped to do so, and we train religiously for this scenerio


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Zefra - without a doubt. And I would probably feel bad for the "bad guy" as she may be little but is one feisty little bitch who relishes in the fight.

Stark - I think he would bark but I don't think he would follow through. If pressure was applied to him in any way, he would probably back down.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

I guess I should of added... obviously I believe a specifically bred and trained dog WILL protect. I'm asking about the average pet german shepherd (or any other dog) with no specific protection training. 

I like to think Zeke would but I honestly don't know... I would like to test it though one day lol.


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## 3dognite (May 28, 2003)

My GSD would (and has) protected my kids and myself. When my spouse came home from Iraq, Rebel was a very young 3 year old and Bob had been gone for 18 months. It took a few months before Reb was comfortable with him being around the kids and I.

And we have some funky neighbors who are rather, well, mean. And Rebel always stays between me and them, even if I'm trying to get in front of him, he places himself between me and the threat. So yeah, pretty sure he'd protect me.


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## skew12 (Aug 28, 2012)

there are exceptions to the rule. an untrained dog may step up and protect you and a trained dog may fail you. however both are unlikely. though i do believe if you have a desire for a dog to perform a specific act, you'd better train them properly for it. sure some dogs are "naturals" at certain things, but to rely on something as important as safety for your dog to instinctly take charge, it's a gamble i wouldn't take. 

that would be like buying a gun for self defense, never firing or practicing with it, never learning it's manual of arms, and just throwing it on the night stand expecting to be able to manipulate it properly in a high stress situation. yeaaaa good luck with that. very few people can pick up a gun and shoot under stress without training. 

also, i wouldn't rely on solely the looks of a GSD to get the job done. that may not be enough. just like the noise from the racking of a shotgun doesn't scare away every criminal. 

I'm not saying every GSD has to be protection trained, but that one shouldn't be your only line of defense. there should be layers of protection. not only built into your home, but also onto your person, whether thats in the form of OC spray, a knife, or a gun. things rarely go perfectly in a self defense situation.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

I absolutely despise that video! Asking a dog who doesn't know you to protect you from a fake threat? Plus you're taking working dogs seemingly bred well and putting them against seemingly poorly bred show lines? *Facepalm*

Hunter has protected me before. I live in a sketchy area and took him for a brief potty walk around 1 am. I turned to walk down a alleyway between two streets and a man followed behind me. Hunter kept looking back at him, alert and quiet. He asked me for the time, I ignored him, he went on to say "I know you have the time, (censored)." I got extremely nervous and he then started to speed up (almost at a jog), so I gave Hunter the command for the bark and hold (he has only done foundation protection work at this point) and he immediately turned around to face the guy, pulled forward on the leash and gave off this rapid fire, deep barking. It stopped the guy and made him turn and run. If I would have dropped the leash, I have no doubt Hunter would have chased him and possible bitten him. My young dog has a serious defense streak.

I think it helped that I gave my big German Shepherd a command and he confronted the guy - must have made the guy think he was PP or police or something. Obviously Hunter appeared aggressive and trained.


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## FrankieC (Aug 15, 2012)

Some have posted they are not sure if their GSD would step up. I felt the same about my Riley... the love everyone and everything GSD. One day, the chips were down and he had totally had my back! Don't count them out.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Would my dog protect me? Well, I think he would bark and show some good defense against a bad guy.

BUT, if the bad guy came at him and started hitting, kicking, punching?? Nope. I don't believe ANY dog would stay and fight unless trained to do so.


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## RowdyDogs (Nov 12, 2012)

I think it's very difficult to judge whether an individual untrained dog will protect you unless it is in that situation. If we're talking just barking and maybe even biting someone who breaks in but then is backing off, then I think that most dogs will. However, I think the key comes if the aggressor fights back--a lot of untrained dogs will back off then.

One of mine, who is a total pet, I know would protect me because he has. He bit an ex of mine who tried to hit me during an argument, and wouldn't back off even when the guy was hitting him trying to get him off (and yes, that was the night the guy became an ex!). This dog is the nicest, friendliest dog you've ever met, too--he's the kind who loves strangers and all that.

Hector, my GSD, I think would protect me, though I'm not sure. We were running one night and some kids (like high school kids) jumped out trying to scare me. Hector lunged and tried to bite the closest one, and would have succeeded if the kid was a tiny bit slower running off or if my leash was a little longer. Since he reacted aggressively to that aggression, I suspect he'd be likely to protect me--but that could be wishful thinking and he might have just been startled! As a side note, it was a very dark area and I'm pretty sure they were high (I smelled marijuana in the air), so I don't think they realized I had a dog with me. I even heard one of them say, "Where the &@#% did that dog come from?!" as they ran off. LOL

The other two are reactive and are my "dangerous" dogs, as in the most likely to bite someone--but they're also the ones I think are not likely to actually protect me, because their bitey-ness comes from fear and they'd prefer to run away rather than bite--they only are aggressive if they don't have retreat as an option. So I might be safe if I have them leashed to me, but otherwise I wouldn't count on it. 

Anyway, the protective benefit of dogs is as a deterrent IMO. Most criminals are looking for an easy, relatively low-risk victim, and the mere presence of a GSD is going to scare them off. I really have no fear when I'm out with my dogs, or even leaving them home alone. Heck, once before I got my GSD and I just had 3 blue heelers (one of whom was a foster and was only about 3 months old), there was a crime spree in my usually very safe neighborhood. Both my neighbors' houses were broken into and several other houses on the block were as well. The ones that weren't all had indoor dogs. Didn't matter if it was a couple of yappy Chihuahuas, a pit bull, or an elderly and half-blind Labrador (those are the 3 houses whose dogs I knew LOL), they were left alone. I thought it was a very useful illustration.


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

I don't expect my dog's to protect me, but I will protect them no matter what.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Loneforce said:


> I don't expect my dog's to protect me, but I will protect them no matter what.


Same here. My dogs are my early warning system. They give me enough time to get to my shotgun.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

Loneforce said:


> I don't expect my dog's to protect me, but I will protect them no matter what.


OH, if I had to use my dogs, it would be more of like... a gang fight. I'd be right there in the mix pounding on the assailant. Might even growl too


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

hunterisgreat said:


> OH, if I had to use my dogs, it would be more of like... a gang fight. I'd be right there in the mix pounding on the assailant. Might even growl too


You better believe it!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

My dogs aren't utilized as defense tools. I've made sure that I have the proper tools for personal defense. 

But, I've no reason to believe if I were attacked and was fighting the attacker, my dogs would join in. Would they create a direct bite to the jugular and take the attacker down? No. That's silly. Would they, in their excitement bite me? I'm thinking that would happen. 

If I were to turn and run from an attacker, would my dogs hold them off long enough for me to make my get away? No, they'd run with me. They look to me for direction. 

My first GSD was a show line dog. I was in my early teens. She loved everyone. Never met a stranger. Never even showed fear aggression. Social butterfly from the get go. She hated water. I was attacked by a stranger in a swimming pool. He was attempting to rape me. The dog jumped into the swimming pool & bit the man in the face. Why? I wasn't able to scream or shout (he held me under the water). How could she have known? What was her trigger? My friend was there and she jumped in to help me. The dog jumped in first. Why? It has to be because of the relationship established with the dog and genetics.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

My dogs will, and have. 

No real bites.. lots in training. However, I did have a man come at me when I was walking Duke. I felt nervous once I saw the man acting strange (it was super late at night after I got home from work), I told Duke to watch the man. He did so... the man came at me and Duke lunged forward at him. If he came any closer, I do believe that would have been the mans arm instead of air. The guy ran off.

Back when I only had Zira, we were renting out a room. After a lot of issues with piece of scum, we evicted him. Several weeks later, I was at home alone with Zira next to me on the couch watching TV. I heard the garage open, and then the door from the garage was forced open... I was very scared, thought someone was breaking in.... it was our old roommate (who we believe was trying to break in to steal some stuff from us). Zira flew at him with her jaws open. Thankfully, she has a good recall. I called her back and called the cops. 

My dogs are not just here to protect, they are first and foremost our companions and pets. However, when it comes down to it.... I do feel they will absolutely do what they need to do to keep us safe.

Duke's trained, Zira is not. Storm is in training for personal protection. She will be a beast when she's full grown... I doubt anyone will make it into this house with my 3! lol


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

I had a chow that had absolutely no training. When a nutty lady tried to grab my little sister, Nicco bit her hard enough to break the skin. I am not sure about Fiona. She is training to be a SD, so unlikely to be protective. Have not been in a situation where I need protection yet. I am a large female and if you did not know I was disabled, I look like I could flatten you.


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## RowdyDogs (Nov 12, 2012)

hunterisgreat said:


> OH, if I had to use my dogs, it would be more of like... a gang fight. I'd be right there in the mix pounding on the assailant. Might even growl too


LOL same here! When my dog attacked my ex, I had a moment of shock where I just froze, because I never thought he would hit me (or I wouldn't have been dating him in the first place!) or that my dog would bite someone and it took me a minute to process the sight of my 35-pound dog hanging on my boyfriend's arm as the 6'4" guy punched the dog in the face and neck trying to get him to let go--but then I was on my feet, simultaneously dialing 911 and trying to protect my dog!

FWIW, it's a cool story in a way, but I hope I never have a dog have to protect me again. We had to go through a whole investigation with my ex alleging that my dog just randomly attacked him and trying to get the dog put down or to sue me and my landlord (for allowing me to keep the dog). It was only when it came to light that he had a previous domestic violence conviction (which I did not know about prior to the investigation, this was pre-ubiquitous internet) and when two of my neighbors (apartment with thin walls) testified that he had verbally threatened me and they believed he was going to hit me (one had actually even called the police before I did) that he backed down. The bite was ruled a justified bite and we suffered no long-term consequences for it, but my goodness it was probably one of the most stressful times in my life. I spent most of it sure that I was going to have to euthanize my dog for doing nothing but protecting me from a bully who meant to hurt me.

I just write that because sometimes I read posts (not necessarily any in this thread) where people seem to glorify those situations or whatever, but it's really not a good position to be in at all. The video in the OP bothered me because of this--I think it's cruel to the dogs to "test" this kind of thing (except as is done in structured protection training with a dog who is mentally prepared for it, not a dog who is scared and defending himself/his owner), and I think it's weird to even spend much time thinking about. I think about how my dogs would react when threads like this come up, but normally I just figure that the very fact I have a GSD (or any other dog, really!) is enough to scare off any random person who might mean me harm.



Cheyanna said:


> She is training to be a SD, so unlikely to be protective.


My dog who bit my ex is actually a SD. I sometimes think that his feeling of responsibility for me is part of why he did bite when I was actually attacked (and as I said, he's super friendly to everyone who isn't threatening me!). But, he's also a scrappy little beast with a strong sense of right and wrong--we often joke that he's the dog police. My GSD, Hector, was attacked by a neighbor's roaming Great Pyrenees maybe 6-8 months ago. The GP had Hector pinned on his back and was still biting him as Hector screamed, so Scooter jumped in and kept the other dog occupied by biting him and then retreating too quickly for the GP to catch him until I could get the other dogs in the house, then Scooter ran to me and went inside too and I called the neighbor. Poor Hector had some significant wounds on his neck and chest (which my very apologetic neighbor paid for treatment of), Scooter was unharmed, and the GP had a few scratches but no serious bites. I think that dog would have killed Hector if Scooter hadn't stepped in. Sometimes I think that dog is just a superhero in dog form. LOL

(and yes I know dog fights have nothing to do with human aggression--but this dog does have a history of stepping in to protect vulnerable people, dogs and even chickens!)


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Loneforce said:


> I don't expect my dog's to protect me, but I will protect them no matter what.



:thumbup:

I've always joked, someone EVER so much as touches a hair on my dog, they shouldn't worry about HIM biting them. It's me they should worry about 

Very interesting stories from everyone, of their dogs stepping up to the plate


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

I would say any dog would protect its owner if the owner was being attacked. Especially larger dogs, guardian breeds, herders etc.

My dogs have shown that they will protect me. I don't know how far they will go but i do see there drive change when there is a more serious atmosphere around certain people or situations.

My Boxer Lab mix is really friendly and goofy enough but he gets this intense look if somebody drunk stops to talk to me or if he senses any danger. When he was young he wanted to attack some guy who was shouting at us. I've hardened him up with some bite training but he showed more defense when younger with no training. Now he is solid and i know he got my back covered but with out any fear of being aggressive for no reason.

My Bullmastiif lab mix has shown good protecting instinct too. I'd regard her as having a high defense drive. When she doesn't trust strangers she'll stand by my side and give them a growl. I know she has a demon inside her awaiting any attacker. She has no training except obedience. She can be on the aggressive side with people but I've trained her not to be aggressive.

I know other dogs (lab crosses) and they will step up to protect there owners and they have no training what so ever.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

I have not read through the responses here yet but my daughter had me watch this video with her the other night on youtube and it drove me INSANE watching it. The dogs in the beginning were responding to what looked like a SchH set up and reacted accordingly. The first dog who was a year old was not acting defensively it was more prey/play so it wasn't "protecting" her. The last dogs who were untrained were already fearful in their nature so using confident vs not confident/fearful dogs does NOT give you a controlled study plus the untrained dogs he stood up and walked over to them normally where as with the trained dogs he was suspicious at a distance working them up. HUGE difference. Just too many inaccuracies to make it a simple trained vs untrained but to those who don't know any better they are going to oooh and ahh over it all. I about lost it and then saw this person has comments disabled on youtube so I'm assuming others who train in protection sports probably were bombarding the video with tons of comments about it and he decided to shut it off so no one could comment on it. I had some people who say they were all GSD's so those "trained" ones probably knew her and thats why they responded which drove me insane also because I doubt it was that at all. While I don't believe every untrained dog will respond I do believe there are some that will the same as not all dogs can be trained in protection work because they don't have the temperament for it. I do however think a well balanced confident dog would probably try something to protect their family in a real threat but not all dogs have the temperament. A dog who cowers when someone approaches them is not a dog who will defend their home and family and even if the dog attacks it will most likely be out of fear and not true protection anyways. Not a simple question of trained vs untrained as they are trying to make people believe.


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## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i assume we are talking about our dogs protecting us against a bad person not another animal.

my female would definitely bark and carry on if someone were to try and assalt us. not sure how far she would go as far as bitting. i do believe training is needed for protection in that area unless you have a fear aggressive dog that is protecting itself. as far as other animals all bets are off, because she would fight them off.

my male is fear aggressive, so not sure what he would do, at first he might try to protect himself, but if the person got real aggressive i think he would retreat. as far as an animal attack, same thing he would go forward in a threat, but if he sensed the animal was to aggressive he would retreat.


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## Sitz&Platz (Oct 20, 2012)

My lab Sam "defended" me many times, and Labradors are definitely not known to excel as protection dogs. I think it really depends on the dog's temperament and the dog/owner bond. Sam was very sweet tempered around humans and dogs, but at the same time very protective of our house, me and my small dog as well.


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## julie87 (Aug 19, 2012)

I would expect mine to protect me because she doesn't let anyone near me. And thats the only reason i think she would...She is ok with strangers when they get close to her but if they get close to me that's when I have to watch her because it looks like she wants to nip them... I could be wrong though. I hope that day never comes where she actually HAS to protect me. 


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## RowdyDogs (Nov 12, 2012)

debbiebrown said:


> my female would definitely bark and carry on if someone were to try and assalt us. not sure how far she would go as far as bitting.


I think this is an important distinction. To me, "protect" implies that the dog is going to do more than just bark. The vast, vast majority of dogs will bark or growl at threatening people. Many will even lunge/bite. To me, true protection is a dog who won't back down even if the person fights back--and most will.

But that's also a good thing! Most domesticated dogs have a natural bite inhibition. Look at how few serious or fatal maulings we have every year (and even fewer are adults who are capable of fighting back), vs. how many dogs there are and how many people they interact with. The fact that most dogs are unwilling to latch onto people and not let go is a good thing. If not, owning a dog would be a dangerous thing. And really, the odds of you suffering violent crime at the hands of someone who hasn't already planned on handling the dog (usually random crime) is very low. Most violent crime is committed by people who know the victim...and they will know your dog, and plan for it. Even a protection-trained dog won't help if they rob you while you're not home and the dog is crated, or they bring a gun and shoot the dog. And most pet dogs will be easily distracted when someone they know tosses a steak into the spare room and closes the door!

My dogs make me feel safe, but it's just because, you know, I have 5 dogs and who in their right mind is even going to visit me, much less break in!


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Not sure what Stella would do. Hope I never have to find out

My father had a GSD that protected him several times. NO ONE was allowed near my dad unless my dad said it was ok. I remember walking into my dad's apt once. Not everyone was allowed to do that even. But "Mike" the GSD knew I was ok to come in. My dad was sleeping and when I went to wake him up....grrrrr. A low deep growl came from next to the bed. Mike was never trained to do this. He just developed a very very strong bond with my dad. He would have died trying to protect my dad. And I think it would have been true the other way around too. I would love a bond like that with my dog.....it was amazing.


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## bryant88 (Jan 22, 2013)

Yes and No. I'm not sure if Zeus would protect me if something happened away from home. BUT if the threat arrived at home without a doubt. He would protect our home to the death. He is not people protective but big time property protective. So as long as im in my truck and hes with me or at home I am protected lol


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## Valerae (Jun 13, 2011)

A little late to the convo, but my GSD has put herself between me and potential harm, she's done the same with my husband.

Was walking her late one night but on a well-lit main road. A guy bounded out of the bar across the street in front of me. When he looked back at us he apologized for darting out in front of us. He was on his way up the block to a gas station for cigarettes. He seemed like a harmless enough guy and introduced himself. There was nowhere else to go so we chatted for the half a block while we were on the same path. I was friendly enough with him, but my GSD positioned herself between the two of us and growled at him the entire way. I'm definitely too trusting (from a small town in the Midwest - haha), but she sensed something in that guy that I didn't. He quickly made his way into the gas station as soon as we got to it.

More recently my husband was walking her on our block when a rather large off-leash dog ran straight up to them at full speed. Wrigs put herself between my husband and the dog to defend him.

We've only trained her for manners and some tricks but she's definitely a loyal girl and I have no doubt in my mind she'd have my back in more serious situations.


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

most dogs will bark many will get in the middle does not need to be a gsd a lab will do this so will many other breeds. Many will show lots of teeth. 

But when someone says protect i think of a dog that will bite and fight someone who is attacking you. VERY few will do much more than bark and try to get in the middle and help in their own way. BUt there are still plenty of dogs that will just when you count the whole population very few of them will do it. Dogs that will really protect most of the time are dogs with a strong natural protection drive with civil aggression. Very serious dog with a good on switch. BUT NOT always. THere are plenty of dogs still that will engage a person and tear them up when you least expect it. Rare but it happens.


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## AJT (Jun 20, 2012)

I would like to think my dog Ava would but more than likely she'll love someone to death. Really more like she wants everyone to love her.


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## Rodimus80 (Jan 13, 2013)

I think everyone might be forgetting a simple truth. If you are the Alpha in your GSDs eyes, then I would assume if you were being attacked and called to your dog your body language and tone alone would tell him all he needs to know. It's instinct for the Pack Member to join in on the fight against aggressors to his pack. And all of these mock simulations I find unscientific. I don't think even the best actor could fool a dogs senses.


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## Gunner&Bella (Apr 17, 2013)

My GSD is almost a year old. While he is good with people and other animals, he never lets anyone get between he and I. I have no doubt in my mind that he will "fight" for me til death, if necessary, and I would do the same for him. He and I have had a very strong bond since day 1. 

He knows I am his Alpha and what I say goes. He is also very protective of our other dogs, animals, and kids.

I think what it comes down to is the dog's instincts and its bond with its owner. 





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## Go Fetch (Apr 18, 2013)

I'm very skeptical. I don't think any staged events can truly measure the dog's response/reaction. I believe dogs and certain breeds like GSD more so are very innate and can "sense" feelings from their owners regardless of how good of an actor/actress he/she can be. The two separate times I witnessed a protective instinct from my GSD happened during our walks. It was the time that we encountered the two dogs I dread the most around my neighborhood. I had never seen such a reaction from Satie. She only did that with me and not with my husband and I firmly believe that it was her "reading" my tension. One is a Rottweiler but its not the dog himself per se but the owner that I dread. He walks many times off leash with the dog and does little to control his 100lb dog. Even allows the dog to bark and lunge at little kids. Everyone in the neighborhood is fearful of this dog because it has zero training and is left to do whatever he wants. We rounded the corner and saw them in the distance. Thankfully he was leashed. He started barking and lunging and Satie started matching it. She is normally a very quiet dog - just does the GSD whining. She hadn't really found her bark. Anyway, the thought of a Rott and a GSD going at it with each other is not something I want to think about and since Satie is the newbie and only other "alpha" dog in the neighborhood that is otherwise labs and doodles, the Rott was especially territorial. I had to drag Satie away but she really surprised me, she did not back down for a second! The other dog, again it's the owner. The dog is a terrier but very aggressive. The owner is ALWAYS on her cell phone and the dog is on a very long leash and is allowed to bark and jump at anyone and anything. The owner is also nasty and has no problem yelling at you even if unprovoked. I had never seen her somewhat aggressive with a person. But this time, Satie immediately did not like this woman and growled and showed off her impressive teeth - total intimidation tactic. Thankfully Satie took my sit command and pulled back.


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