Would your untrained family dog protect you or your family from an intruder?

[Tactical Chili]

I wish she would, but peeing on the floor and hiding in the bathroom is more likely - sweet dog though.

 

[CCW]

Bring your dress up gear and come on up.

Um, all I can say to you guys that are confident your dogs would step up and defend you and your family is, test the theory. Put someone in protective gear and let them play bad guy. You will probably be very disappointed.

The only members of your family that it would be normal for them to protect instinctively is themselves and the children....maybe. The aggressive behaviors that folks attribute to protective instincts are almost always motivated my other things than protection. Pack alerts, territorialism, self preservation. None of these are specific motivations to protect other pack members. The only pack members that wolves in the wild protect are the puppies of the pack. Everyone else is on their own if they come under attack outside the area immediately surrounding the heart of the denning area and that is not protective behavior. It's territorialism.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

Look out we've got a dog expert on here.....open invitation for anyone to try my house. Provided you'll sign a waiver of course....

 

[joe686]

Sorry to say I think she would keep sleeping! Or go to the house next door for bacon.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

Just note that I also have a bluetick/beagle that'll piss on you if you fall down though....

 

[CCW]

Bear44 actually is a dog expert. Literally.

As far as the way my dog would act if someone aggressively came in the house, I only say that I'm confident in what he would do because I have seen it first hand and it caught me by surprise.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

Bear44 actually is a dog expert. Literally.

Well, I'll be damned.....

 

[BlackRifler42]

Um, all I can say to you guys that are confident your dogs would step up and defend you and your family is, test the theory. Put someone in protective gear and let them play bad guy. You will probably be very disappointed.

The only members of your family that it would be normal for them to protect instinctively is themselves and the children....maybe. The aggressive behaviors that folks attribute to protective instincts are almost always motivated my other things than protection. Pack alerts, territorialism, self preservation. None of these are specific motivations to protect other pack members. The only pack members that wolves in the wild protect are the puppies of the pack. Everyone else is on their own if they come under attack outside the area immediately surrounding the heart of the denning area and that is not protective behavior. It's territorialism.

My twin brother and I lived together for 5 or 6 years before we moved out with our fiancés, so my dog was very close with my brother. 2 years ago at my family thanksgiving my twin brother had a disagreement with my older brother that quickly turned into a fight. Before I could even get up to try and break the 2 up, my dog, Duke, was the first one there and he was all over my older brother. His loyalty was proven to me that night....

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

My landlord has a real good dog. It's a bloodhound named Ruby. She don't let ANYONE in the yard without sounding the alarm. Oh and she's just a little bit racist.

 

[gh00747]

I have no doubt, we live on 4 acres of land & have two german shepards and a westie. As soon as a vehicle, or anything or anyone for that matter is across our fence line the shepards know about it. The one male we have was very protective and aggresive towards a few mexicans who hopped our gate trying to see if we wanted pine straw laid, (we live off a dirt road so dont picture this in the front of some major highway) Needless to say the mexicanos were back over the fence very quickly. However, in a home setting it could be entirely different. But if anything is going on the perimeter of our home, the dogs let us know instantly.