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She was 1 1/2 years old when my older sister (then 7) was wrestling on the front lawn with a neighborhood boy. She jumped through the front window (the ones with all the little panes of glass), got on his chest and held him by the throat til my mom called her off. A year later, I was playing at our new house (2 stories) and a boy threw a rock at me. I still remember the shower of glass (large plate glass window on the second story) that came down as she again, jumped on the boy, turned him over and held him by the throat til my stepdad got her off.
She was not trained to do these things. It was instinct.
Would our current dog do this? I don't know. But I hope so. It's one of the major reasons I have a dog.
All anyone should expect from any dog is a warning. If you want your dog to maul an intruder then you should think along the lines of a getting a lion or hire a mercenary with an AK47. Many dogs will give up their own lives to protect their families but it never should be expected. All any dog needs to do is sound the alert and many lives have been saved by this simple trait. A little terrier can do that just as well as any large breed dog.
Whenever I travel my mini schnauzer would sit on the edge of the bed facing the door and will not sleep until he knows I am up and about. He is alert to all sounds and smells and lets me know if he thinks there is a threat. I couldn't ask for more.
Don
One night my husband was playing around, trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn't in the mood because of a bad headache. My Miniature Pinscher jumped on the couch next to me, put her body in front of mine, and growled and snapped at my husband. My husband continued, to see what kind of reaction she would have and she charged at him. My husband backed off before she could bite, and immediately praised her for trying to defend me. It was all pure instinct.
We did the same thing here once! All of my dogs took off except my Suzie, she went for him to protect me. She thought I was being harmed. Whether or not she would have eventually bitten if it was a real attack against me I do not know. She could have been all talk and no action. But he sure was scared and she sure acted ferocious! He knows never to mess with me! In the end I said to Suzie, ""good girl for protecting Mommy".
I think a lot of people are delusional about their dogs protecting them. I think in a serious situation we'd see flight most of the time from these house pets.
I think there is also a lot of confusion when someone's little 20 lbs. dog is barking at someone they don't know. I think some people are just trying to flatter themselves.
I really don't know what she would do because thankfully I haven't been in the position to find out. I know she is our 30 second warning - if she's stiring when she shouldn't be that puts me on alert. It's scary when she wakes up in the middle of the night and jumps off the bed to go investigate in another room. She has only done that a couple of times and when I checked it was nothing.
I think you don't know until it happens, and hopefully their warning is enough to get everyone, including the dog, out safely without confrontation. My dog is a companion first and I think we would both try to protect each other.
my little scottish terrier is only 4 months old. I want to train him to guard the house and be weary of strangers....How do I do that?
It is inherent in dogs to let you know that someone's there. Some dogs are more wary of strangers than others - depending upon their breed.
If a dog is wary -- or frightened -- they could bite someone. That is why you don't want to teach them to be wary of strangers.
In fact, the opposite is true. Your dog needs to be socialized and taught NOT to be afraid of strangers and other people. Your dog needs to socialized around other dogs, as well. It's not in your dogs best interest to encourage negative behaviors.
And, regarding the topic of this thread...
I sincerely hope that my dog won't ever try to "protect me".
I would hate for my dog to be put to sleep - to lose his life - because he is deemed a vicious dog.
Last edited by World Citizen; 01-07-2009 at 05:35 PM..
I once had a Doberman who demonstrated to me numerous times how she would put herself in between me and danger. She even caught a guy breaking into my work van and chased him up into the hills behind the house. She had a distinct standoffish attitude towards people she didn't know. It was like she was analyzing them, and she never took her eyes off anyone she wasn't familiar with.
But this sweet APBT girl I have now doesn't have a contrary bone in her body when it comes to humans. All who drive through my gate or come to the door are her friends.
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In the end I said to Suzie, ""good girl for protecting Mommy". 
