The smaller/lighter/non-guard breeds who protect us

[casablanca1]

Since there's a neverending argument over whether or not a lab mix can really get the job done as a guard dog, I figured I'd start a thread for people to brag up their non-Fila/Rottie/etc. dogs who protect them.

I also started it because of my dogs. As a child I had a 35lb Bearded Collie who would have died to save me from harm. I know of at least one occasion on which her presence - her small, shaggy, obviously devoted presence - saved me from being hurt. My second dog was a 40lb terrier/husky mix. During her tenure, every house on our street was hit by burglars - except ours. My current dog is a goofus but she guards me even more strenuously than is sometimes convenient. We went on vacation one year, and she and I toured our silent motel at 2am, just for the hell of it, going down pitchblack hallways in a blend of fear and glee at being female, in the dark and near total strangers - but with a dog alongside. Which was probably stupid, but sometimes, you get tired of being cautious and with a dog, the risk tilts a little better in your favor.

I'm not disparaging the guard breeds, btw. Just taking a moment to simply appreciate the efforts and abilities of the other dogs who make people sleep safer, even if they were originally bred to herd sheep, retrieve ducks or - well, be cute.

it depends on what it is mixed with, and the dominance of the genes of the other breeds gaurd dog instinct. It also depends on whether, or not, the dog gets gaurd training.

[filarotten]

I have always been fond of terriers..I have had several, they are so loyal, loving, and such good watch dogs. Not one of mine would ever back down to anything...big dogs in little bodies. I also had two labs, my black one was very protective, the yellow not nearly as protective but she would bark. My border collie was a good watch dog, just not very big...she would team up with the black lab.

[yoko]

i have a little 40 lb terrier mix. and she's always shoving herself between me and someone who she thinks is speaking to loudly to me. if someone knocks on my door and comes in without my permission or me opening the door she'll jump up and bark at them and kind of circle them until i call her off and tell her to sit she might not be able to do much if someone really dangerous came but i still feel a lot safer with her around

[RD]

My Border Collie has stood up for me several times, including once against a pair of Rottweilers. He honestly can't do much as far as protection goes, but I adore him and am grateful to him for trying.
Even if he doesn't provide much protection, he watches out for me. I love him

My Papillon? He thinks he's a Fila and that the world should fear him. He protects me from EVERYONE, but sometimes I wonder if he's just trying to make a point to people that I belong to him, and that they are not to touch me because, well.. I'm HIS food dispenser!

[mojozen]

mojo, my pit-dachshund mix, is a good watch dog. he has also gotten in the middle of a heated arguement between my bf and i. right in the middle of it, we were standing yelling at each other, when mojo squirmed into the middle of it, sat down, then looked up at us.

we both looked down, and started to realize how much we were upsetting him, so we lowered our voices, seperated to a wider distance, and tried to work things out without being so vocal. mojo went to his crate when we did so, and slept through the rest of the arguement.

[bubbatd]

Chip starts his night out in bed with me, but as I drift off he positions himself between my bedroom door and the hall . At sunrise, he moves onto his bed next to mine. When we've been at Motels , he'll bark at any action outside our room. Ah... my vicious attack Golden !

[Kase]

I trust Casey totally and know that she would protect me if I ever needed it Yes she is a VERY friendly dog and loves most people but she knows what to do when the time is right.

Around 2yrs ago I went walking in a woods near where I live. I met a woman with a black lab cross which she was fostering. She was telling me they were having to do a lot of training with the dog as it kept biting them and circling them, but they didn't want it to be out down.
I don't know what caused the dog to lunge at me as I didn't try to touch it or anything as I knew its background from what the woman was telling me. Anyway I didn't have time to react all I saw was it jumping towards me with its mouth open, I just stupidly stood there but a split second after it moved Casey lunged forward growling and snarling and just slamed into it's chest and barged it out the way, the dog backed down after that.

Also a few weeks back I was walking her in the park at night around 9:00pm, as I was coming up to the gate about 10 metres away this man started to come round the corner. He didn't take his eyes of me and started walking to the gate, Casey was sniffing in the trees and he couldn't see her. However before he even reached the gate Casey charged forward, tail up, neck arched and just stood and blocked me. She was growling very quietly as a warning, I knew she wasn't just going to attack him unless of course he tried to touch me. He walked away.

Overall Casey is a dominant dog but she has NEVER fought with another dog for no reason and has never bit or hurt a human being.

Ok let me tell you my aunts service dogs story. He is a black lab about 8 years old. Well one day I was going to sneak into my aunt's house at like midnight because I was spending the night but she wasn't expecting me, so I went in really quietly and she was already in bed, and she can't move without help and no one else was home. So I snuck in and the next thing I know Tony is standing the hallway so I wispered its ok its me and the next step I took he came charging full blast at me and knocked me over and was growling and barking and I started screaming and then he realized it was me and stopped. I was so scared because I never seen him act this way before. But I guess he knew my aunt was all alone and had no mobility and was there to protect her. He was going to really hurt someone. That is a great example of a lab protecting in a time to protect and he did a fine job at that.

[Renee750il]

I had a blind Australian Shepherd (O'Reilly) who was one of the most protective dogs I've ever known.