What Would Your Dog Do?

[bertie]

Bertie, retired working border collie, hated people in the yard if I wasn't home. (This from the age of 12). Got very fierce & surprised & scared people who knew him as a sooky lala, which he was when I was home. Yes, if I was home it was all my problem, including the night a creepy guy jumped the fence. Bert didn't care, he was off-duty as far as he was concerned.

When he was younger & lived with my sister, I wouldn't go into a yard where he was unless she or my stepmum came & escorted me. :laugh:

[HazyWal]

My two greyhounds would welcome an axe murderer into the house

Hahaha! I can see Stan opening an eye from his bed and then going back to sleep from all the energy expended...

T.

No no, Stan would welcome them, but only after making them open the fridge for him first! :D

:laugh: Yes he would...Excuse me mate but before you pick up that flatscreen could you unlock this bloody fridge.

[Dame Aussie]

My two greyhounds would welcome an axe murderer into the house

Hahaha! I can see Stan opening an eye from his bed and then going back to sleep from all the energy expended...

T.

No no, Stan would welcome them, but only after making them open the fridge for him first! :D

:laugh: Yes he would...Excuse me mate but before you pick up that flatscreen could you unlock this bloody fridge.

No sharing of the pie inside though....:laugh:

[*kirty*]

Two of my dogs (Std Poodle and BC x) are protective of the house and yard and I'm sure one of those would bite if pushed, especially if I wasn't home. Two others (Greyhound and Lab x) would greet strangers with open arms, and the last (Italian Greyhound) would hide and bark.

One of mine would protect me if I was being attacked, the others would probably do nothing lol.

Edited April 22, 2013 by *kirty*

[Kajirin]

Boxer

Very protective of the house until someone is invited in, then it's zoomies and wigglebum mode.

Strangers when not home, no idea as he's never left home on his own.

Would he protect me - I believe he would [he stands himself between me and any perceived threat as it is]. I just hope that I'm never in the position where he has to be tested.

[Simply Grand]

Does anyone know whether there's a correlation between dogs that will run in to protect their canine packmates amd that will protect their humans if they are threatened?

[moosmum]

Does anyone know whether there's a correlation between dogs that will run in to protect their canine packmates amd that will protect their humans if they are threatened?

The protective drive seems to be the most misunderstood today. I don't know of any research,but what I have seen strongly supports that.

Edited April 23, 2013 by moosmum

[bianca.a]

My 2 German Shepherds I would think would bark up a huge storm. They do if somebody turns up until I say it's ok. I *think* my bitch would be more likely to follow up on her bark but really am unsure as they are never left out alone. My male would probably hide behind Molly whilst barking like a loon!

[BlackJaq]

Some dogs might growl or show their teeth or occasionally even nip an intruder if they were threatened but realistically very few dogs have the nerve and drive required to actively engage an intruder. There's also a big difference between a dog that will bite someone because it is confident and a dog that might nip or bite someone because it's fearful.

My beagle barks at people walking past the house and would probably bark at an intruder whether I was there or not, she wouldn't bite someone though. My Malinois is a different story but she's trained and knows what she should do, as well as having the right genetics, for engaging someone who is a threat.

I agree, most dogs would probably not physically engage an intruder. In saying that though, my OH's dog one night bagged the seat of somebody's pants who had been breaking into a business on the other side of our fence one night. When making their getaway, they obviously didn't realize that there was a dog out the back of our house, since he did NOT alert bark, just waited quietly for the guy's ass to come over the fence. Even now, he will not alert bark unless he is confined, he will go straight in for the confrontation instead. Obviously we keep him well confined and we live out of town now without neighbours.... This makes me think that the the loudest barkers are not necessarily the ones who would actually act. The dog is a mongrel, 30 kg tan bully type btw.

I do not take the dog into public but I suspect any aggression toward the person holding his leash would draw a similar reaction.

Personally I own a Weimaraner and another tan bully type from the pound, about the same size as my OH's.

I take the Weim with me almost everywhere and I have been in a situation where an older guy got out of his car in a road rage incident and advanced on me. Not sure what his exact intent was since my Weim started bristling at him as soon as she spotted him and when he was a few meters away I told him loudly that my dog would probably bite him if he came within reach. By this point she was nearly up on her back legs with her front legs stiff and bouncing up and down as she was barking and had the biggest hackles on I have ever seen.

In normal circumstances she is perfectly polite and calm when out and about, so she obviously thought this guy meant me harm. I suspect being on leash and as agitated as she was she may have grabbed him if he kept on coming.

At home she will not attack an intruder if they behave as though they are meant to be there (she spotted the meter man before me a couple of times and barked at him from a distance). If they became aggressive I think she would probably feel the need to act in one way or another but I suspect if they let themselves be driven off by barking then she would leave it at that. If they came at me I guess she would interfere and honestly, if she did not behave in this way then her breeders would have bred a very poor Weimaraner indeed... Guarding and actively protecting their master and his possessions are firmly anchored in the breed's purpose, even though many seem to have forgotten this.

My own tan pound puppy will guard very vocally but I have not been in a situation with her where she had the need to actively engage somebody who was either breaking in or threatening me so I cannot guess how far she would go.

Edited April 23, 2013 by BlackJaq

[huski]

This makes me think that the the loudest barkers are not necessarily the ones who would actually act. The dog is a mongrel, 30 kg tan bully type btw.

I do not take the dog into public but I suspect any aggression toward the person holding his leash would draw a similar reaction.

I don't think how loudly a dog barks is really relevant to whether they would bite someone, lots of dogs, in fact most, bark at people coming to the front door etc. Some people also seem to think that because the dog has stopped barking or isn't barking that means they aren't going to bite you.

If they became aggressive I think she would probably feel the need to act in one way or another but I suspect if they let themselves be driven off by barking then she would leave it at that. If they came at me I guess she would interfere and honestly, if she did not behave in this way then her breeders would have bred a very poor Weimaraner indeed... Guarding and actively protecting their master and his possessions are firmly anchored in the breed's purpose, even though many seem to have forgotten this.

Just being a specific breed doesn't guarantee the dog will act in a certain way, not every German Shepherd is capable of being a protection dog for example and even if the genetics are there training still plays a part in giving the dog experience and confidence so it knows what to do. If you really want to know rather than guess what your dog is capable of doing, get a professional to assess and test it. Then you know for sure!

Edited April 23, 2013 by huski

[BlackJaq]

Just being a specific breed doesn't guarantee the dog will act in a certain way, not every German Shepherd is capable of being a protection dog for example and even if the genetics are there training still plays a part in giving the dog experience and confidence so it knows what to do. If you really want to know rather than guess what your dog is capable of doing, get a professional to assess and test it. Then you know for sure!

I only went by my experiences with her in certain situations (same as with OH's dog). As I said, I do not know how she would behave in circumstances we have not been in.

In Germany, they tempt test Weimaraners for this behaviour before giving permission to breed with that animal (they also need to participate in hunting tests and are genuinely a performance breed, rather than a show pony). Would be nice if other countries actually tested that their dogs fulfil the breed standard but I realize this is a touchy issue what with lack of active hunting with dogs, BSL, dangerous dog declaration issues and such.

I will not get my dog assessed as I do not want to give anybody leverage in requiring the dog to be declared dangerous if she should ever actually defend me in a physical manner and the other party seeks retribution, if you know what I mean. It is bad enough that dogs kept for hunting in NSW are now considered to be dangerous, no need to give anybody further ammunition (lucky my dog is primarily a pet ;) )

[DesertDobes]

I have two Dobes, I think they would bail anyone up and bark at them if they are outside. When they are inside however, they are pretty relaxed and less likely to do anything unless the person was acting suspiciously. My male has a very solid character and would not be scared off by confrontation and I hope he would protect me, but the 1 yo bitch is more timid but normally backs up the male when they bark at strangers.

I saw a doco about a dog trainer simulating a break and enter in a number of dog households and the persons confidence around dogs actually put most of the dogs off!

[collie angel]

I have 2 rough collies

They are very protective of their yard anyone who walks past or pops there head over they go nuts

We have been broken into and my girls were inside as they bark to much being on a corner block and spilt level yard they see everything and Lilly barks at everything , anyway the girls were inside and the police believe that's what stopped the people who broke in get to the rest of the house as they had opened the door and seen them go off and ran, the girls know when we leave when we get home they have that yap collie talk excited but if they don't like you their tail is straight up fluffy growling dogs come out.

They are friendly as and love people and if we are there they will go up for pats and loves there is just something bout them being in their yard that makes them switch to protection mode

[Quickasyoucan]

I have been told barking is a good deterrant and that many housebreakers will avoid houses with dogs just because of the noise factor particularly in higher density areas. Easier to break into the ones without.

I don't expect my boy to protect me, if anything I expect to protect him.

That said though given many people's prejudice against bull breeds and the fact that people will cross roads to avoid you, I always feel pretty safe when out walking with him.

I think many dogs can be a good alert to something not quite right in a house, but that's as far as I would want it to go.

[sparkycat]

I went away for the weekend once and Dad, who lived round the corner (and had recently lived with me for a few weeks), came around each day to feed the animals for me and spend some playtime with them.

Delta and Charlie would happily greet him at the gate and loved his visits, his problems started when he tried to access the house. Not from the "guard dogs" of course, but from Rose, my entirely indoors Siamese cat!!!

He said she just would not allow him in the front door, hissing and scratching at him whenever he tried to open it. In the end he had to go to the shops and buy 3 bowls and some meat (as he couldn't access my fridge :laugh: ) Then he would feed the dogs outside, fill Rose's new bowl with meat, open the front door a crack and slide the bowl in

Haha I have one of these too - if I am home alone and she hears something outside she runs to the front door growling and grumbling - all 4 kgs of watchdog Siamese. :laugh:

As for the dogs - they are both good barkers and I am confident they would scare off any robbers. I am also confident that they would protect me from any attackers.

The only time we have been robbed was when we were in the process of moving and the dogs were at the new house. The police then told us that dogs are the best deterrent.

[Clyde]

Some dogs might growl or show their teeth or occasionally even nip an intruder if they were threatened but realistically very few dogs have the nerve and drive required to actively engage an intruder. There's also a big difference between a dog that will bite someone because it is confident and a dog that might nip or bite someone because it's fearful.

My beagle barks at people walking past the house and would probably bark at an intruder whether I was there or not, she wouldn't bite someone though. My Malinois is a different story but she's trained and knows what she should do, as well as having the right genetics, for engaging someone who is a threat.

I think a lot too, has to do with how the intruder approaches the property. Sneaking over a side fence at night would warrant a different reaction from dogs who might normally welcome a confident intruder coming through the front door during the day.

Last year someone asked if I might pop around and feed her GSD's. I had only met the dogs once and so was quietly peeing myself. I went in there with as much confidence and false bravado as I could muster and they just barked at me. I reckon had I gone in at night acting shifty I would have needed new pants.

Two of my dogs will bite. Not out of fear, they have balls and will stand their ground - I have to lock them up when I am expecting people as there is no way in hell they will let any men through my door - women are okay if invited in. Two others I am not so sure about what they'd do, maybe one would bite - hard to tell. I feel very secure living here as I trust my dogs reactions.

I remember being baled up in a park late at night by a group of stoned boys. I had three Rotties with me. The two adults who I had always thought would be my protectors didn't even pick up on my stress!! And my fun loving, airhead teenaged male was the one who stepped up to the plate - stepped out in front, growling like he meant it. It was enough to send the boys flying but very unnerving for me as I had always walked my dogs late just assuming that two of them would have kept me safe.

[tdierikx]

Hmmm... Harper (the Horse Puppy) saw a mousie out the back last night... and had to cower under the computer desk and have mummy accompany her out to potty... *sheesh*

I don't think she's going to be a good guard dog, do you?

T.

[Poodle Mum]

5 Standard Poodles.....don't need a doorbell here!

The noise they make whenever anyone comes to the door would be enough to scare off any would be intruder!

I had a tradesman come here today, my male was in the house and he barked furiously....but is very happy once the person is inside!

The tradie said he would not break in here. They have a big bark!!!......lol

If anybody was confrontational with anyone in the family I have no doubt my dogs would response.

I always feel safe with the dogs around.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Poodle Mum

[tdierikx]

Good thing Harper has the memory of a gnat... not scared to potty today... lol!

T.

[bianca.a]

:laugh: Harper!