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

[Bear44]

What I have seen first hand as a difference between a trained dog that will "guard" your family and an untrained dog that will protect a family is... once the switch is flipped there is no off switch.

Where a well trained police dog or otherwise may quit on command. I have seen a dog act out of protection of their owner and would stop at nothing.

So, when you saw the uncontrolled attack, was the person being attacked killed? If you can't stop a dog that is attacking to protect someone, then the person will typically die or at least take life threatening injuries because the dog's intent is to KILL them......IF it really is protective instinct.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

In my house? It's not the typical family pets one would have to be concerned over....

I'm never........ever.....coming to your house.

 

[chopper duke]

My dog would think you came to see her and expect a treat.

 

[RdKill]

Back in the day when I studied martial arts, part of our self defense course was "dog defense". This is what we were taught in the event of a full on dog attack: If at all possible, get a good grip on either front paw and break it. No matter what a dog has in its head to do to you or has already done to you, this will stop the attack.

 

[Bear44]

Don't overlook that thing about protecting the puppies (children) of the pack. If a dog is barking it's head off at you as you approach the house, pay attention to it, but it's probably not much of a real threat. However, if you are approaching a house that has a child in the front yard and ANY dog, including breeds like Goldens and Labs, quietly step between you and that kid, WATCH YOUR ASS! It might get very real very fast if you're not careful.

 

[Bear44]

Back in the day when I studied martial arts, part of our self defense course was "dog defense". This is what we were taught in the event of a full on dog attack: If at all possible, get a good grip on either front paw and break it. No matter what a dog has in its head to do to you or has already done to you, this will stop the attack.

No, it won't. Properly trained dogs have been known to take multiple fatal gunshot wounds and keep coming. BTW, if your hand is on the dog's foot, it's teeth are firmly affixed to you somewhere already.

 

[Stuckon22]

So, when you saw the uncontrolled attack, was the person being attacked killed? If you can't stop a dog that is attacking to protect someone, then the person will typically die or at least take life threatening injuries because the dog's intent is to KILL them......IF it really is protective instinct.

Like this? My son at a yard sale with my wife, dog sitting on the ground, owner says he will not bite, my grandkids play with him all of the time, go ahead. Reach a hand out, the dog jumps for his throat, shakes him like a ragdoll, owner and my wife beat the hell out of the dog to get it off and it still came back and wanted more. What was his instinct Bear? 13 stitches, 2 puncture wounds to the cervical area of his spine, IV antibiotics for 24 hrs. I can now share these as the case is settled. Bottom photo is when he came home from hospital day after attack, top two are 3-4 days after.

 

[Bear44]

A good defense against an attacking dog is to offer them a good target. I worked with one of the big utility companies to teach their meter readers how to stop getting chewed up. They were carrying around big ass wrenches to try and beat the dogs off of them. This was not working at all. The dogs are just to fast for that kind of thing. We replaced the wrenches with two and a half feet of very thick rope. Not to hit the dogs, but to hold between their hands and take the bite on the rope. The dogs would always go for the rope because it looked like an easy target to them. Then all the person had to do was put up enough of a fight to make the dog think they were accomplishing something as the person got back outside the gate.

 

[RdKill]

No, it won't. Properly trained dogs have been known to take multiple fatal gunshot wounds and keep coming. BTW, if your hand is on the dog's foot, it's teeth are firmly affixed to you somewhere already.

Most dog attacks aren't from "properly trained dogs". My Judo instructor (Retired Marine Sargent) is who taught this. He claimed to have used it on a big old shepherd mix in Vietnam. He said it jumped up on him. He blocked at the throat with his right forearm/elbow and was able to grab a paw as he pushed back and unbalanced the dog...hung on to the paw and came down hard with his left and snapped the paw...and the dog wanted nothing more but to get away after that. It's not like we had the opportunity to try it out on real dogs so this was all talk. Just like, you can't actually train a dog to fight through fatal gunshots. I'm sure every scenario is unique and nothing is 100% either way...but it's better than just letting one rip your throat out. Ya gotta try something besides screaming and flailing.

 

[Bear44]

Like this? My son at a yard sale with my wife, dog sitting on the ground, owner says he will not bite, my grandkids play with him all of the time, go ahead. Reach a hand out, the dog jumps for his throat, shakes him like a ragdoll, owner and my wife beat the hell out of the dog to get it off and it still came back and wanted more. What was his instinct Bear? 13 stitches, 2 puncture wounds to the cervical area of his spine, IV antibiotics for 24 hrs. I can now share these as the case is settled.

That was an escalated correction probably mixed with some territorialism. It had nothing to do with protective behavior.

BTW, and not to be too blunt, the reason I know this is because your son is still alive. If the dog that went after him weighed more than 35lbs and had him by the throat, the only reason he's not dead is because the dog did not want him to be. The shake was part of the correction. Pack mates do it to each other all the time. If the dog's intent was to kill, he would have gotten a MUCH deeper bite before he started shaking.