Balanced but protective temperament?

Not sure if this is the right forum. Many apologies if I am in the wrong place.

A conversation with a friend had me thinking about a previous dog I fostered. He was/is a coonhound cross, very quiet temperament and always happy to see people (everyone). One night my housemate and I were getting him out of the yard. I approached first and he was super happy to see me. My housemate came up behind, quietly, and the dog started barking and growling trying to protect me. As soon as she spoke up he recognized her (it was very dark, no moonlight in the country side) and went right back to the happy, quiet dog I originally thought he was.

Honestly, I really liked the fact that he wanted to step up and protect me (I only fostered him for a week before he was adopted and had planned to adopt him if he had come back from adoption day!). So, how do you find that sort of dog again? How do you know they are balanced, friendly, but want to protect their family? As I said, he was the friendliest dog, very quiet personality, never showed any dominance toward other dogs or people. In fact any aggression/dominance from another dog would shut him down. He never needed a stern correction for any training. But he proved to have an "on switch" when he felt I was being threatened.

How do you find that type of dog again?

IMO, he probably didn't actually growl to protect you, he probably growled because he was scared of something in the dark he couldn't see. I think probably 90% of dogs would growl or bark in that situation, so I wouldn't suggest searching for that specific trait. Just look for a dog that has the other traits you're looking for, and you'll likely get that too.

As far as where to find a dog, I'd suggest rescue groups. That way you can see what a dog's true personality is like, what he's like with his family and other dogs, etc. Getting a dog from a shelter is always tricky, because you never know if you're seeing the dog's true personality, or if he's sick, hurt, stressed, etc. Of course you could get a puppy from a breeder, but you'll have to find a good breeder, and make sure that the parents have the same personality you're looking for; and even then, puppies' temperments can change as they reach adulthood, so it's still no guarantee.

Hmm, I will disagree that he didn't know she was a person coming up. It was definitely a protective bark, not his usual hound call or general bark at something/someone he was not familiar with. Distinctly different. If that makes any sense.


But, I think you are right. Just looking for all the other personality traits is more important. I just didn't know if there was a way to tell if a dog would be protective of the family or not.

There are a variety of breeds with that capability. I had a foster lab who on occasion would do the same as your hound.

Sawyer does this on a regular basis. I have no idea how far he would actually go to "protect" me, but just today I was doing some work on an apartment unit that we've had an incident in before. A guy he knows sort of well was there doing some of the electrical stuff and at one point we almost ran into each other coming around a corner. Neither of us knew the other was coming, so it really startled us. I made a sound and stepped back and he made a sound and reached towards me like he was going to stop me from running into him. Well, Sawyer came charging up and acted like he was going to bite his leg, but I was quick enough to say "it's ok!" and he turned it into a small muzzle punch.

Many Aussies have a good protective streak to them while still being friendly in day to day situations. Like I said, I don't know how far he would actually go if the chips were down, but just having a dog that will bark/alert can be quite deterring.

There are a variety of breeds with that capability. I had a foster lab who on occasion would do the same as your hound.

Sawyer does this on a regular basis. I have no idea how far he would actually go to "protect" me, but just today I was doing some work on an apartment unit that we've had an incident in before. A guy he knows sort of well was there doing some of the electrical stuff and at one point we almost ran into each other coming around a corner. Neither of us knew the other was coming, so it really startled us. I made a sound and stepped back and he made a sound and reached towards me like he was going to stop me from running into him. Well, Sawyer came charging up and acted like he was going to bite his leg, but I was quick enough to say "it's ok!" and he turned it into a small muzzle punch.

Many Aussies have a good protective streak to them while still being friendly in day to day situations. Like I said, I don't know how far he would actually go if the chips were down, but just having a dog that will bark/alert can be quite deterring.

From what I have seen the most important thing for producing a dog like that is to make sure they are very well socialized. If they get exposed to all kinds of normal human behavior, they will be a lot more reliable when telling something is "off" about a person or what the person is doing.

Personally I like hounds, they tend not to be territorial and get along well with other dogs. But, they form strong bonds with their family members and do feel protective of them. In my personal experience, a good hound will body block (put itself between you and a perceived threat) plus a warning bark. I have no idea how many hounds would back it up if someone really came after you though. Maybe look at other hounds and hound mixes? There are so many that need homes. For some reason they get passed over a lot in shelters and rescues.

I don't want a protective dog. But I agree with a well balanced dog that is well socialized. Dekka loves all people, except the 'crazies' I don't know how else to put it. Its not mentally handicapped, or mentally unstable people.. its the really strange ones she will growl at.

Now Dekka is tiny and even when growling isn't really a deterrent lol. But the same idea applies to bigger dogs.

Dogs act differently at night than they do in the day light. They don't see as clearly. They are often not use to the same degree of exposure to things that go bump in the night as they are to things during the daylight. A person coming up during the daylight is completely different than a person coming up in the dark. Dogs don't generalize well from one context to another and this was probably not a regular occurance so being spooked in my estimation is much more likely. Growling and barking in the context you describe makes me think your dog was startled and more likely a fear response than a protective one. A lot of people love to think their dog is protecting them, but few dogs do. They're protecting themselves more often than not. But the owner happens to be in the vicinity so it is assumed that the dog is stepping up to defend them. I agree that this is a normal response in this context and that most dogs would react similarly.

Lots of dogs will bark to scare away the intruder or out of fear. Most would back down if the intruder actually attacked. A dog from the working group, bred for protection, well bred and WELL socialized would be more likely to protect. But most dogs will growl and bark at things that are unusual or that they aren't use to experiencing. Socialization is key so the dog learns what is normal and what is not.