My girl will put on a tough girl act, and sound pretty nasty. She can take moderate pressure and not think twice about it. But I'm pretty sure she would fold under some real pressure. If there's some distance, she wouldn't back down. We have never been in a situation where we could test this without setting something up, but with bears and people in the yard, and strange dogs on walks she will put on quite a show, and I bet a casual observer would think Dakota would not back down. She's chased 400lb mama bears out of the yard without flinching.. But any time she's acted like this, there was no real threat, as the perceived threat was retreating. But again, I bet under real pressure she would shut down. Usually acting in an aggressive manner towards a threat will send the threat on their way, but if someone was desperate, I absolutely would not count on my girl for real protection.

I feel very strongly that if a dog is not trained for protection work, majority of them will shut down. I also believe that most people feel their dog will naturally protect them. Some will, most won't.

 

Gin (my Dobe mix) did act protectively once. I was walking her, and for some reason, she did NOT like a guy who approched us. She didn't growl, didn't show her teeth, and didn't raise her hackles. Like I've said in another thread, it was like she just GREW. She went on alert, her head came up, her ears went forward, she gave him a HARD stare, and took like one step forward. As soon as he walked off, she went back to her usual happy self. I had never seen her do it before, and I never saw her do it again.

Ilka and Lucky, on the other hand, there's a good chance they would take off if someone was a TRUE threat. Love them, yes. Trust them to protect me, probably not. Although, lots of people seem to see Ilka as scary, and I don't usually try to change their impression, considering the neighborhood.

 

Ivan was very skittish around new people when I first got him. He would duck behind shelves at PetSmart rather than let people pet him. We worked really hard on getting him more confident around new people - he's great at PetSmart now, at SAR training, obedience training, etc.

As time went on he began acting protective in regards to the random person we would see while driving around or out for a walk - always people at a distance - no one we were intentionally walking towards. Little bit of a growl and his hair sticking up.

On one walk he was giving a guy a visual once over and the guy took one step towards him threateningly (although I knew he was just messing with Ivan, it wasn't really a threat) and Ivan came rushing back to me.

So my conclusion is that if anyone called Ivan's bluff, he'd fold.

 

My lab I know for a fact would defend me in a heartbeat. He does not like when people get rough with me or if he feels I'm being threatened he'll put himself between me and whatever or whoever is coming at me. I never trained him to do this it's just how he is if something like that we're to ever happen. I honestly trust that dog with my life sadly he's with my parents in NC as I couldn't bring myself to take him away from my siblings.

I hope Diesel will grow up to be the same way. He's only 12 weeks now so he clearly can't do much for me but he tries. He has a big bark for his size right now and I've only seen him put his hackles once and I think that was more to tell this nasty dog to get away from him cause he was scared. I will say that I plan on doing protection training with Diesel but I really do believe that some dogs (not all) but some will protect you regardless of how much stress or pressure is put on them.

I may have just gotten very lucky with my lab but he's shown me that regardless he wouldn't run away and I hope Diesel will protect me the same way.

 

At 7 months old I doubt Juno would do anything. She barks, and snarls at "sketchy" things when we're out on a walk at night. I just don't think she's confident enough, or mature enough, to react in a strong way. I know too much pressure will make her shut down at this point.

 

To be honest, I really don't know how the Dobermans would react.

Dance would bark her fool head off and back away like she does with practically every person she doesn't know or is uncomfortable with, regardless of whether the person is friendly or not.

Keira can be kind of skittery in stressful people situations (yelling anyway), but I think she'd at least bark and sound threatening even if she was nervous about the situation. Well, with my mom at least. With me I have a feeling she'd be relying on me to do something about it, but I could be wrong.

Ripley does not like sketchy people (drunks, homeless, drug addicts, rowdy, loud party goers etc.). He's a little unsure. He doesn't know how to act around them. Does he use his manners and treat them like I've taught him to treat humans? Or does he make some noise, or at the very least, stare and watch intently because they're weird and untrustworthy? I think he'd definitely put on a loud, noisy show if he ever felt that his people were threatened. I doubt it would go any further than that, as he's had no protection type training otherwise and never will, but if I were a bad guy I'd still think twice with an upset Ripley around.

But I guess, unless the dog has been trained for protection sport, you really never know. Echo, our Rottweiler, was the biggest mush with people. She adored everyone and never knew a stranger. She was sure she was put on this planet to show people as much love as was possible for a dog. We thought for sure there was no way she'd ever protect anybody. But this guy came to our house once (my dad was selling his car), and Echo did not like him one bit. She wouldn't stop staring, looked very uncomfortable and was growling low. I'm not sure what was off with the guy, but that was the one and only time she ever met somebody she didn't like. Needless to say, he didn't stay long fortunately (and Echo was put on a leash).

 

This got me thinking about my old Cocker Spaniel. He would have protected me. Biting would not have been an option because that was strickly forbidden, but he'd come rushing at anyone he thought was being rough with me (all in fun) and bark his head off and jump on them. And when I was being attacked by a Giant Schnauzer, he came running to my aid and distracted the dog. Got a nice bite in his back for his trouble.

 

I know for a fact that Jasmine would attack. I lived with a man who one day completely went bonkers on me. He started beating on me and eventually came after me with a knife. I got out into the backyard but I couldn't get over the fence in time. Jasmine was starting to get very irritated. I ran back into the house he followed me in and Jasmine from behind bit him in the back and leg! I was able to get out the front door and call the police.

The only thing I will say is that I took a lot of beating before she reacted. In actual fact I could have been killed long before she bit him. I think part of the problem was this man was a "friend" to her. He had fed her, walked her, and played with her. So I think she was rather confused.

My biggest fear was that when the police arrived that she was o.k. I must have told the cops 50 times to make sure that he put her away in a bedroom before letting the police in. Otherwise she probably would have been shot going after the police.

Hard to say what CAsh would do. He barks a lot however I think he is still immature. His nature is much nicer than Jasmine's to. Although in training he has no fear and can be pretty civil with the decoy. If there is no sleeve he still will bite.

Oh and by the way, the guy who attacked me. Spent the next six months in jail!!!! I have never seen him since the he was convicted.

 

The only thing I will say is that I took a lot of beating before she reacted. In actual fact I could have been killed long before she bit him. I think part of the problem was this man was a "friend" to her. He had fed her, walked her, and played with her. So I think she was rather confused.

----

I had a similar situation happen to me. My ex-boyfriend and i had been living together and i bought Blitz when we first met (he is a year old now). Blitz looked at my ex as a dad or friend if you will because he would take care of him the same way your situation was. This past Monday, my ex came into my house and threw me around and trashed my entire place. Blitz tried to come into the living room when this was happening, but backed off when my ex kicked him and went and laid down in the bedroom scared and didn't come out even when the police came in.

Now i don't really know what to expect out of Blitz. He doesn't show any signs of protectiveness or anything even when we are out for his walks and is completely fine with running up to strangers and saying hello. I know this was an unfortunately situation where he was probably just scared because it was like the Alpha male (my ex) told him to go away, but now i am worried Blitz won't do anyhting if (god forbid) it were to happen again and would just run away scared like he did the last time. I would never ever forgive myself if anything ever happened to Blitz because he was defending me, but I'm worried that he just doesn't hvae that protection instinct in him

regarding my ex - i have severed all ties and i don't believe it will ever happen again. I have noticed that Blitz is a little weary around males and will shy away a bit if they try to pet him, but usually he's up everyone's but for affection and is extremely friendly with everyone.

 

Ok so for those who have said there dogs will protect them, lets elaborate.

You feel your dog would use force to subdue a threat?

I have heard of some labs being protective.Though I have been around them my whole life, and interacted with dozens of them. I have yet to see one who has ever shown any sign of protectiveness. Not saying they aren't out there.

Lets not confuse a dog putting on a show with one who will actually perform.

I think either two things are happening.
1. Some people are thinking a dog showing aggressive behavior from afar counts as protecting them.
-OR-
2.Some people have this notion that there dog, will protect them. However great the dog may be, realistically its most likely never gonna happen.



And Sinister, your dog is still a baby give her another 9-12 months and she will light someone up, if put in the situation. Maturity plays a huge role in it, and as she moves along in her bite work she will get better and better under the pressure. I cant wait to see her at around 18 months!

 

I think either two things are happening.
1. Some people are thinking a dog showing aggressive behavior from afar counts as protecting them.
-OR-
2.Some people have this notion that there dog, will protect them. However great the dog may be, realistically its most likely never gonna happen.

I don't know that I meant showing any small amount of aggression/"putting on a show" meant protection entirely. But, I am more than comfortable with just having a visual deterrent. That is protection enough for me. Most people in their right mind are not going to bother a large dog that is obviously upset. To me, outright protection would be a dog that would bite/attack if provoked, but I don't need nor want that. Especially not having trained for it. I doubt any of my current dogs would ever bite anybody, regardless of the severity of a situation. They've been taught since they were little that teeth should not touch a human. Granted, they might not care about that if somebody was really hurting me badly, but they'd probably be confused and they'd probably feel like they did something wrong.

 

I wasn't really going to get into details about my lab being protective but I have watched him sink his teeth into a guy who tried to rob my house when I was 15 and home alone. If he hadnt that would've ended horribly for me most likely. I will say I was shocked. I don't see labs as protective dogs at all which is why I said I think I got lucky with Kody. I think it all depends on the dog and the threat. Thats just my experience though. Before that incident I dont know that I trusted him as much. Yes he'd growl and bark and get in between but he was never really pushed until that point which is the reason I put all my trust in him.

 

I was in total amazement at Sam's reaction to the aggressive stranger during his temperament test. Never in a million years did I think my therapy dog would hit the end of the leash and stand his ground against this crazed stranger coming towards us. Mind you, during the temperament test, you cannot talk to your dog so I wasn't encouraging any type of behavior from him. He didn't know this stranger but perceived him to be sketchy enough to elicit a strong "back off" reaction.

 

Okie brought up a good term that some may not know.

Defined; Civil Drive is the ability of a K9 to focus on, and engage a decoy/assailant, without agitation or stimulation from the Decoy/assailant. The K9 will engage in a fight without enticement; i.e. Stick/sleeve or whip, aggressive movement, gunfire or vocal challenge.


I have worked with a handful of dogs said to be very civil. If you stared at them, if you were postured in any aggressive manner, they would engage you. You could not say a word, not crack the whip, they will still come at you as if they had been agitated. I will also add these dogs were not just this way with the helper, as in they did not just show this behavior in the presence of the helper. They were like this all the time.

These were good dogs, not for the novice owner, but still very nice dogs. They were not mean or aggressive under typical circumstances.

If you read back how I keep saying these dogs excist and that some dogs will defend someone. The dogs I mentioned, that i had worked with at the club are what I think of when this subject is brought up.

 

Okie brought up a good term that some may not know.

Defined; Civil Drive is the ability of a K9 to focus on, and engage a decoy/assailant, without agitation or stimulation from the Decoy/assailant. The K9 will engage in a fight without enticement; i.e. Stick/sleeve or whip, aggressive movement, gunfire or vocal challenge.


I have worked with a handful of dogs said to be very civil. If you stared at them, if you were postured in any aggressive manner, they would engage you. You could not say a word, not crack the whip, they will still come at you as if they had been agitated. I will also add these dogs were not just this way with the helper, as in they did not just show this behavior in the presence of the helper. They were like this all the time.

These were good dogs, not for the novice owner, but still very nice dogs. They were not mean or aggressive under typical circumstances.

If you read back how I keep saying these dogs excist and that some dogs will defend someone. The dogs I mentioned, that i had worked with at the club are what I think of when this subject is brought up.

Don't know where you are getting your definition of civil from.

For me in the sport of Schutzhund civil is more defined as a dog that will ignore/walk over the sleeve and come toward the decoy. A dog that when presented with an arm, leg, or any body part would probably bite it if the leash was dropped and the decoy moved towards or ran away from the handler/dog. But said dog would have to have a threat presented to them, so acting like decoys do, just without the sleeve. Hopefully that makes sense.

Personally if my dog acts civil towards someone just standing there or as your description says without agitation or stimulation I would be worried. That's just my opinion, maybe someone would like a dog more like your description.

 

That's a good point. I don't know that my lab would protect anyone else. Maybe the rest of my family but I'm not sure I just know he would for me.

 

I have absolutely NO DOUBT that Gin would have bitten him. Her reaction was just so atypical of her normal demeanor, which was "Hey, pet me!". This was definitely a "Take one step closer, and you are done for." kind of reaction.

If Ilka felt SHE was threatened she would more than likely bite, but NOT to protect me.

 

My first doberman chased an intruder out of our apartment when she was 7 years old! If you would have asked me that question about her before that happened I would have answered that I did not believe her to be capable. Needless to say, I had a lot more respect for her after that day.

 

Simple scenario of stranger in house or back yard. She will charge up towards them, then keep a safe distance while making a ton of noise. If the person retreats she will charge again and stop once they stop (kind of like those ghosts in Super Mario Bros. for those that know). It's surely intimidating but I don't know if she would ever lay into someone. My household is very quiet, so I'm really not sure if she's ever even witnessed an argument or anything of that nature. She makes enough of a show to scare the crap out of most, but I don't know if she would truly get after someone. She's about 14 months and still has a lot of maturing to do.

Edit: When we play hide at seek at night, just the sound of her running me down sends chills down my spine. I have about an acre of fenced in yard. I'm athletic, but that dog covers that ground so fast that I usually break down before she catches me. The sound of her feet hitting the ground ever closer to me is quite a helpless feeling. All that and I know she would never lay a tooth on me. Imagine being run down by a dog that you have know idea what's about to happen? I suppose that's why the criminals on all those K9 police shows drop before the dog even catches them. Its intimidating.

 

The one experience I've had with Delta, we were walking along a sidewalk when a man jumped out of a parked Uhaul truck. He didn't see us coming, and we didn't realize there was anyone in the back of the truck. Startled, I jumped, he jumped and Delta put herself between me and him and went to barking/growling. So I do think she definitely has that protective side even though she's normally quite friendly on walks. She also does her bark/growl routine if a stranger comes to the door, but accepts them if I let them in and tell her it's okay.


Obviously I have never pushed her to see what more she might do. I suspect not much. She is not trained in any sort of protection or sport. I had her loosely evaluated (eg, trainer's opinion, not a WAE test or anything) and he "didn't think she had the heart for protection work." Which matches up with my impression of her as well.



Guinness, by contrast, could, would and DID take a bite out of anyone he deemed a threat, and his definition of "threat" was really low. That is not a stable dog. He would not have been suitable for protection or schutzhund work either.

 

I have a similar story with a totally different outcome...It's one of Haley's most embarrassing moments. I was walking her through town on a sidewalk behind some local businesses. She was like 8 months at the time. We had just passed an older couple that commented on how pretty she was and how they haven't seen a doberman in awhile. The man commented on how brave dobermans are or something to that effect. Seconds later a worker popped out the back door of the store, startling Haley. I continued walking but Haley kept looking over her shoulder at the worker and ran straight into a sign pole!:roflmao:

Everyone had a chuckle as the sign continued to dong and rattle long after she ran headlong into it. Quite noble wouldn't you say?

 

I have no idea whether either dog would actually engage a threat. I'm pretty sure Shanoa wouldn't, but Simon might. Simon would absolutely posture, though, and would likely be enough to scare someone off. One day last spring, I was expecting some guys to come over to measure for our new windows. I thought they would come to the front door first, of course. Simon and I were sitting in the living room, when he suddenly jumped up, ran over to the window, and started growling deep and low. I looked out, and the window guys had come into the yard and were taking measurements outside. He continued to follow them from window to window, growling very low and deep. In a few minutes, they came to the door. He barked and growled like a maniac (and he usually barks a few times, then quits). As soon as I opened the door and greeted them warmly, he stopped and got excited to see them. So I think he has pretty appropriate instincts. Would he actually confront someone? Maybe. But he sounds VERY serious when something troubles him.

 

Toby will not allow anyone to come too close to me, he positions himself between the perceived threat and will growl (low at first) to warn whomever it is to back off. He does this everytime when one of the stranger folk from the village scuttles from tree to tree hiding from view but maintaining a close eye on us by poking his head out now and then. He essentially stalks me, however, the police arent interested in speaking to him as they do not think it is a problem. Rather they say, I should stop going for walks with my dog rather than tell this guy to stop it. Toby learnt to respond in this fashion from his adoptive mum my old Boxer and whilst sometimes it can be a little embarrassing if I tell him it is okay, he does quieten down.
My Terriers are equally as protective, but because of their size they are limited as to how much of a deterrant one looks upon them as being. But boy do they nip.

 

Good talk so far.



I just want to make it clear, I am not condoning the expectation of a dog to attack. It is actually a pet peeve of mine when someone touts they'd expect there pet to jump to there aid. I feel I should jump to my pets aid. I have argued in many post, If there was a threat it will be mine to deal with. The point of this discussion was to address the post of people saying there dog will attack a threat. I realize a visual deterrent is more than enough to ward off a would be intruder. I wanted to know of the people who say there dog would protect them, what degree they are talking about. And what they base this belief off of.It seems there are many people who make the claim of my dog will protect me with little to no reason to think it. There are some who have dogs who have been in a situation and the dog did ward off the threat by force.

 

Good talk so far.............................
I just want to make it clear, I am not condoning the expectation of a dog to attack. It is actually a pet peeve of mine when someone touts they'd expect there pet to jump to there aid. I feel I should jump to my pets aid. I have argued in many post, If there was a threat it will be mine to deal with. The point of this discussion was to address the post of people saying there dog will attack a threat. I realize a visual deterrent is more than enough to ward off a would be intruder. I wanted to know of the people who say there dog would protect them, what degree they are talking about. And what they base this belief off of.It seems there are many people who make the claim of my dog will protect me with little to no reason to think it. There are some who have dogs who have been in a situation and the dog did ward off the threat by force.

Our Amy always puts herself between Mom and an unkown man / stranger:
- (example - new trades person, working in our home renovation) / as she perceives as danger
I believe this is one of the first real life test observation (introduction or clue), to whether ones dobe may have some guardian / protection instincts.

I wrote this last night, but wanted to share the talking point here:
Amy will protect her Mom, ASAP without question / but Dad maybe slower...but I don't know, for sure:
Amy does this with my wife (all the time), but doesn't do this with Dad though and maybe feels no need to, as she looks for my direction:
FYI reason maybe:
When Amy was a 9 month old pup, she got cornered by 2 aggressive GSD's - trying to seriously attack her.
I yelled at the top of my voice, Amy was much smaller and nimble and with her quickness, darted between the larger pair of dogs and I guarded her behind me. Using my body as a human shield, I was prepared to do battle and suffer any/all dog bites necessary...to protect my puppy.
The GSD's came running to get me now, and they retreated just feet from me...maybe they realized I was not backing down.
I was calm and ready to fight, I maintained this frame of mind...to this threat of a real attack (I had to be, and I learned this years ago).
- few year ago, the 2 GSD's mauled an older lady bad (owner said his dogs died, but more than likely BYB dogs where put down...legal action followed)

Just some more filler:
Amy is also 100% predictable...we can read each other (Dad), like a book:
I can practically anticipate her needs and wants and she seems to sense some of my thoughts.
- for example, I could be home all morning and the moment I am thinking to myself that I am going somewhere in my 4x4 pickup...she gets restless and barks loud, to get outside (this is before I even get my truck keys and/or a jacket on)

I plan on fully reading every single post later and add more thoughts...great thread, food4thought.
P.S. - my first 1977 dobe alpha female, would not protect sh*t and current Amy started as an insecure puppy...that I trained differently, 11 years ago
- 6 years ago, Amy protected her Mom from a vicious dog bite...without hesitation, she placed herself infront of the attack & didn't back down

 

Well, I've seen both my dogs posture and alert in various situations but I think it's hard for me to judge how they may react unless put in a real position of being confronted by a threat. I'm no expert on how to judge that, so who knows?

Here are a couple stories to demonstrate what I've witnessed from my dogs, but I won't pretend to intelligently analyze or extrapolate any assumptions based on these events.

Shortly after Tali came to stay with me my grandfather died. So off we went for a weekend trip home to stay with my parents for the funeral and family time. My brother and sister and their SO's of course came home as well. My sister's SO (now husband) works odd hours as a federal officer at a prison. So he wears a uniform, probably smells strange (suspicious?) to dogs, and comes and goes on a different schedule than most.

The first night home around midnight my parents, sister, me, brother and his SO, and both my dogs were relaxing in my parents' living room watching a movie and talking. I heard Alan (sister's husband - he's a tall and BIG/muscly guy) pull in my parents' drive and shut his car off. Both dogs were UP and checking out windows trying to get a glimpse of who arrived. I, stupidly, didn't think twice about it because they always want to see who's coming and going and Alan is a good guy - Fiona already knew and liked him, I just wasn't thinking about Tali not having met him, nor it being her first time to be at my parents' house.

The second the door to the carport opened both dogs were off and racing to see who it was. I got up and followed just thinking I'd have to remind Fiona not to jump. As soon as Fi saw Alan, she wiggled. As soon as Tali saw Alan she let loose growling and flashing her teeth, stiff as a statue. Alan, being the dumb but lovable guy he is, bent over and tried to reach to pet her and comfort her (or so he thought) and she pushed forward (sending him falling backwards) and snarled good at him. It happened so fast - I yelled, "Enough!" and grabbed Tali's rear, and she immediately swung around in a sit to face me and flattened her ears, looking like "Oh good - you're here!"

After Alan picked himself up off the floor and confirmed a few times that I had a hold of Tali's collar he went and changed out of his uniform and we did a proper introduction. Tali was still cautious and she kept her eye on him for a couple days but she did eventually decide he's a pretty alright guy and she and Fiona both play with Alan freely now when we're all home.

I think if you asked Alan if Tali would back-up her warning he'd say 'yes'. LOL However, I still say it's anyone's guess how she may react if someone really came at her.

Now, Fiona...oi. That dog. LOL She doesn't seem to much care if she upsets/offends/angers someone she actually cares about, I can't imagine she'd let someone she saw as a threat shake her confidence. There have been a handful of times Fiona has expressed *intense* dislike for someone but she's never faced a real threat either. One could argue perception is as good as reality to a dog that thinks there's a threat but I just don't know.

There was one time in particular at one of our favorite parks that Fiona made her warning pretty clear with a guy. It was late in the evening and we were in a secluded area of the park. Some guy (who didn't look so friendly IMO - and that was before Fiona decided she didn't like him either) was about 100' away, give or take, and staring at us. I had Fiona on a long-line training and playing. He started working his way over to us and he was yelling something unintelligible for the most part. I didn't particularly care to interact so I yelled back asking him to keep his distance because we were training. He kept moving in closer, slowly, and staring at us. The entire time Fiona was going between watching him and growling quietly, to watching him while following commands I gave.

He finally yelled to ask if Fiona was friendly at one point and I said something to the effect of "Not always" so I wouldn't encourage him to want to meet her, I strongly requested a few more times that he keep his distance, but he kept coming. I called Fiona to me and I was taking in some line as she was coming back to me but he made it in a little too close for her comfort as well and she spun around and charged back at him. I had taken in just enough line to keep her from reaching him - he was about 8-10' maybe out of her reach. She hit the end of the line barking and growling and pulling to get to him. He finally stopped approaching us. LOL I reeled Fiona in while he just backed up and walked off, glancing back at us. Fiona came and sat at my side and growled the entire time he was still in sight. **Quick ETA - around this time there was a rapist working various parks in town. A woman was attacked and raped on a jogging trail through that area of that exact park about 2 weeks after our encounter around dusk one evening. Whether or not the guy we encountered was the rapist, who knows? (They never caught him.) But if Fiona getting noisy and charging is enough to deter someone shady from pursuing something, that's fine with me.

Again, that's a situation where there wasn't any real pressure. Who knows if she'd have continued to push forward if he had really tried to challenge her. For all I know, she was alert because I was uneasy about him approaching us. There really may not have been anything more to it than she picked up on my discomfort directed at him. I don't know. There have been a few other instances where Fiona has made herself clear but none of these are situations where someone has broke into my home or tried to attack me or tried to attack them.

Hopefully, this is the most they'll ever feel they need to assert themselves. I'm happiest just having a couple of great dogs to relax, play, train, and hike with and would rather they never face a real threat. Sure, the Doberman was bred for protection and I do like the protective instinct in the breed, but when it comes down to it they're my dogs, not my security system.

ETA...Holy moly that turned out to be a long post! LOL Sorry.

 

Kyrah normally looks to me for guidance in most situations especially since we have gotten her reactivity under control. The house next to me was being worked on before it goes on the market and this is the couple times Kyrah hasnt looked at me and reacted on her own. The one time when the 4 or so strange men were next door working on stuff and we came out to go for a walk. A little doxie came running, barking & growling then stopped 10-15 feet from us. She didnt really act up as much as Tippy until he stepped towards us to pick up the dog. She put herself in front of me and barked and growled. This is one time I did not try to stop them or correct them in anyway. I just let them act like they wanted. IMO this was a situation I wanted them to put on a show. Strange men coming and going next door. Let them think I have uncontrolable beasts! LOL

Now someone is moving into the house next door. So we went out Sunday to walk in the driveway so she could start smelling them. When they came out to get another piece of furniture she put out a big girl bark/growl with all her hair standing up. I told her that was enough and she stopped but was still very alerted. It will take my dogs a week or two to get used to the new people and their vehicles. They will then mostly only bark when they have company over.

My husband many times has asked to do what you did. Let me dress up and see what she will do. I will not allow it. It is already hard enough for me to let people in the house without her reacting. Most people are scared of her and do an excellent job of ignoring her. She is not a wag your nubbin, wiggle and hey pet me type dog. When you come in I ask that you ignore her. When she is calm she is released from her spot and I tell her to greet. She then sniffs you with no eye contact and then she goes about her business. People are very weary of her. They say they arent used to a dog who doesnt want to be petted.

IMO all 3 of my dogs would probably only bite if they were pushed into a corner and had no other choice.

Hey did you get that last PM I sent you?

 

I believe Bacchus would bite. When the decoy/bad guy began walking towards us Bacchus moved sideways to position himself between me and the decoy and immediately moved to the end of his leash and rolled up. When the decoy charged, Bacchus lunged, keeping all four feet on the ground. No barking. He was making a snarling, gutteral screaming sound. The decoy came closer and Bacchus began clawing his way to the decoy. There was a lot of spit flying around. The decoy was yelling for Bacchus to "get out get out get out" and waving his arms overhead but he kept clawing towards the
guy. I really believe if Bacchus could have gotten loose he would have bitten him. I don't know where. From my position it looked like he was aiming at the guy's crotch.

 

Herb2Relax, I have not received any recent PM's.

 

I posted a week or so ago about letting Flirt out because a strange man was in my garage. The most interesting things I noticed - the stealth at which she snuck on him. The second she saw him she silently made a beeline and then 'went off' near him. There was no threat of a bite. She did the jumping, barking, lunging thing. He froze so I have no idea what would happen if he put pressure on her. At that point, I embarassingly saw my hubby and realized it was an employee. And at that second, Flirt went into her nose pokey pet me routine (which impressed me that she could turn on/off so quickly).