Would your dog protect you?
- Thread starter Tahla9999
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Yup. A little thing called common sence.
99% of dogs don't have the temperament to be truly protective. If they did, why don't the police force use every breed for protection work? because SO few breeds have the qualities and temperament needed to be protective.
People mistake fear behavior for protective behavior. Fear biters will put on a show, but if push comes to shove, they will chose flight over fight every time.
99% of dogs don't have the temperament to be truly protective. If they did, why don't the police force use every breed for protection work? because SO few breeds have the qualities and temperament needed to be protective.
People mistake fear behavior for protective behavior. Fear biters will put on a show, but if push comes to shove, they will chose flight over fight every time.
Cleo has as a 5-6 month old pup put herself, meaning bodily....in front of my son on the approach of an aggressively posturing dog (leashed)...she is in no way dominant by nature, nor was she fearful, her body posture was still, confident, and assertive...she is innately protective of her kids. the breed is known for that. She would protect them...it has nothing to do with her fear...it is her job...that the breed founders, gave her.
Labra
you comment about police protection dogs make no sense. Esp considering a nice little Boston Terrier I saw doing bitework and schutzhund.
Too many dogs have gone thru windows to save owners in the distance...back into burning homes to help their people...jumped into frozen ponds to offer themselves as life preservers...for your statements about "protection" being the realm of only a few breeds, to hold any water with anyone who truly knows, dogs. Protection is not just about a bite..it's about assessing a situation and acting to save their people.
Of course I am sure to you that's only because the person fills the bowl with kibble,...since dogs dont know how to hunt anymore...lmbo.
Labra
you comment about police protection dogs make no sense. Esp considering a nice little Boston Terrier I saw doing bitework and schutzhund.
Too many dogs have gone thru windows to save owners in the distance...back into burning homes to help their people...jumped into frozen ponds to offer themselves as life preservers...for your statements about "protection" being the realm of only a few breeds, to hold any water with anyone who truly knows, dogs. Protection is not just about a bite..it's about assessing a situation and acting to save their people.
Of course I am sure to you that's only because the person fills the bowl with kibble,...since dogs dont know how to hunt anymore...lmbo.
Nope...as soon as that dog settled and stoppped looking with hairy eyeballs at my son...her body posture completely changed to her normal waggy happy to meet other dogs, self.
She LOVES other dogs...she does not however...love other dogs that make aggro advances on her packmates.
If my son had not been there she'd react to an aggressive dog the same way she reacts to Buckwheat when she's being a knuckle head...she cowers and shows proper due respect to an older, higher ranking dog. Cleo ALWAYS submits if her friendly advances are not welcome...always.
My son's presence...dictated her reaction...plain and simple.
She LOVES other dogs...she does not however...love other dogs that make aggro advances on her packmates.
If my son had not been there she'd react to an aggressive dog the same way she reacts to Buckwheat when she's being a knuckle head...she cowers and shows proper due respect to an older, higher ranking dog. Cleo ALWAYS submits if her friendly advances are not welcome...always.
My son's presence...dictated her reaction...plain and simple.
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Wally has shown guarding behaviors over me when people have entered my room at night, but when push comes to shove I do not believe he would engage.
I always said that Teeny wouldn't, but she is just 18 months now and is showing more and more of her natural protective instincts. She has become very watchful and will escort people who come into the store and act strangely (and I in no way am saying that she's a good judge of character as I don't believe that about dogs, I believe they react to a person's physical cues and some people are just awkward NOT evil). She has a great alert to when someone comes to the house. She's really turning out VERY nicely.
Blue will absolutely protect me. No doubt in my mind. His old owner was jumped in his front yard late one night and Blue jumped from a second story window and took the guy out, without training. Of course he's now in training with me, but again, no doubt in my mind that Blue would step up for me. And other than that he is a super social wiggle butt happy go lucky dumb bulldog. I love him.
I always said that Teeny wouldn't, but she is just 18 months now and is showing more and more of her natural protective instincts. She has become very watchful and will escort people who come into the store and act strangely (and I in no way am saying that she's a good judge of character as I don't believe that about dogs, I believe they react to a person's physical cues and some people are just awkward NOT evil). She has a great alert to when someone comes to the house. She's really turning out VERY nicely.
Blue will absolutely protect me. No doubt in my mind. His old owner was jumped in his front yard late one night and Blue jumped from a second story window and took the guy out, without training. Of course he's now in training with me, but again, no doubt in my mind that Blue would step up for me. And other than that he is a super social wiggle butt happy go lucky dumb bulldog. I love him.
I had a half GSD/half Akita for years . . . as you say, HbH 
He was a therapy dog, certified through the University of Tennessee's Veterinary college. We were assigned to a shelter for abused women and children. He looked like a big Timberwolf.
One night when we were visiting, one of the women's husbands found out she was there with their two young children and brought two of his buds with him to "take his woman home." The cops wouldn't answer calls at this place because it was in a horrific neighborhood and they were afraid.
Bear and I went to the door.
Dudes LEFT. Running. :rofl1:
Then Bear turned around, trotted back into the common room, and rolled around on the floor with the kids
He was a therapy dog, certified through the University of Tennessee's Veterinary college. We were assigned to a shelter for abused women and children. He looked like a big Timberwolf.
One night when we were visiting, one of the women's husbands found out she was there with their two young children and brought two of his buds with him to "take his woman home." The cops wouldn't answer calls at this place because it was in a horrific neighborhood and they were afraid.
Bear and I went to the door.
Dudes LEFT. Running. :rofl1:
Then Bear turned around, trotted back into the common room, and rolled around on the floor with the kids
Hell is going to freeze over today. I actually agree with Labra!
First- reaction to another dog isn't protection, it's dogs being dogs. Especially when it's a 6 month old puppy. It was responding to signals being given off by the other dog and reacting in kind- aggressiveness meeting aggressiveness.
A dog that is 5-6 months old does not have the mental maturity to do ANY kind of protection. Can a puppy be training in protection? Sure. We have several pups and young dogs at the protection clubs I belong to. They are trained in prey drive where there is no pressure on the dog, it's all a game that the pup wins every time. If you put defensive pressure on a puppy like that, it will most likely shut down. I don't care what breed it is. True defensive drive does not fully kick in on a dog until it is mature. Some dogs that can be 3 years. It's usually at least 18 months and more commonly 2 years or so. A dog without fully developed defensive drive can't protect.
Likewise, a Boston Terrier doing bite work is being worked in prey. He's given a win/win situation. Most of Schutzhund is prey based. Even the "courage test" isn't that much defense on the dogs part. There are a ton of Schutzhund trained dogs who won't do real life protection.
With a couple exceptions on some of the dogs here, I bet anyone who can read a dog's body language could run off any dog in this topic who's said to be protective. It might get physical- once you start pounding on a dog, few will stick around, but that's what happens in a real fight. A dog that shows signs of fear- baring of teeth, growling, hackles up- can be intimidating to someone who doesn't know how to read that language. That is NOT protection! A dog acting that way can be made to run and it'll shut down. You can permanently ruin a dog by forcing it to run off the field like that. Once it's been beaten in a fight, few dogs will want to fight again.
First- reaction to another dog isn't protection, it's dogs being dogs. Especially when it's a 6 month old puppy. It was responding to signals being given off by the other dog and reacting in kind- aggressiveness meeting aggressiveness.
A dog that is 5-6 months old does not have the mental maturity to do ANY kind of protection. Can a puppy be training in protection? Sure. We have several pups and young dogs at the protection clubs I belong to. They are trained in prey drive where there is no pressure on the dog, it's all a game that the pup wins every time. If you put defensive pressure on a puppy like that, it will most likely shut down. I don't care what breed it is. True defensive drive does not fully kick in on a dog until it is mature. Some dogs that can be 3 years. It's usually at least 18 months and more commonly 2 years or so. A dog without fully developed defensive drive can't protect.
Likewise, a Boston Terrier doing bite work is being worked in prey. He's given a win/win situation. Most of Schutzhund is prey based. Even the "courage test" isn't that much defense on the dogs part. There are a ton of Schutzhund trained dogs who won't do real life protection.
With a couple exceptions on some of the dogs here, I bet anyone who can read a dog's body language could run off any dog in this topic who's said to be protective. It might get physical- once you start pounding on a dog, few will stick around, but that's what happens in a real fight. A dog that shows signs of fear- baring of teeth, growling, hackles up- can be intimidating to someone who doesn't know how to read that language. That is NOT protection! A dog acting that way can be made to run and it'll shut down. You can permanently ruin a dog by forcing it to run off the field like that. Once it's been beaten in a fight, few dogs will want to fight again.
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Oh, I do believe that is called common sense. I can see how you would be mistaken, however, considering your ego is ever expanding with all of the "knowledge" protruding from your... well....
What about those people who have had their dogs be in an unfortunate situation? Are they making that up too? Or the guardian breed currently curled up at my feet... all of us who own the breed must surely have been lying to ourselves all along, in fact, I think we need to get refunds from the breeders! My dog is not protective! She is a fearful giant who only protects herself.. screw the family she is so loyally devoted to.
Whew. Glad I know better. Maybe you should educate yourself before your ego expands too much more.. it might hurt you when it explodes and you find out you've been wrong all along.
What about those people who have had their dogs be in an unfortunate situation? Are they making that up too? Or the guardian breed currently curled up at my feet... all of us who own the breed must surely have been lying to ourselves all along, in fact, I think we need to get refunds from the breeders! My dog is not protective! She is a fearful giant who only protects herself.. screw the family she is so loyally devoted to.
Whew. Glad I know better. Maybe you should educate yourself before your ego expands too much more.. it might hurt you when it explodes and you find out you've been wrong all along.
lol @ folks who don't know my dog summing up her personality...teehee. I know what I saw...and I am no novice when it comes to dog behavior. Cleo at 5-6 months old is not a Lab or a Shepherd at 5-6 mos old...she is herself...and she has not changed since she got here. In spite of her goofy pictures she is and always has been a mature dog in mind and spirit. An old soul.
Akita pups at 5-6 mos are more than capable of protecting their owners or property, and several I know, have. They are again...old souls.
Let's not assume all breeds are "like GSD's"...because nope...they aren't.
Akita pups at 5-6 mos are more than capable of protecting their owners or property, and several I know, have. They are again...old souls.
Let's not assume all breeds are "like GSD's"...because nope...they aren't.
I think a lot of dogs will do enough, or put on enough show that will do a sufficient job of making the owner feel safe against most people in most situations.
I also agree that on the odd occassion that things really did get serious and/or physical a lot of people would be suprised to see their dog running for the hills. I would bet against most 6 month old puppies having the mental toughness to stick around, I haven't seen it yet and have worked a lot of breeds.
I also agree that on the odd occassion that things really did get serious and/or physical a lot of people would be suprised to see their dog running for the hills. I would bet against most 6 month old puppies having the mental toughness to stick around, I haven't seen it yet and have worked a lot of breeds.