anyone have any stories of their dog protecting them?

[vinobell]

I'm just curious - i have a GSD, still a baby at 1.5yrs, and he is such a big softy i really wonder whether he would ever act to protect me.

when walking earlier, i had to go past 3 young men - felt a bit intimidated by them as they started shouting at me- but they backed off when they saw him - as he is a big boy.

it got me thinking whether if it came to it, DDog would ever protect me. he is a beautiful loving boy, but really just such a gentle softy I'm not sure he ever considers anyone as a threat? he has had such a charmed life he thinks everyone is a friend! has your dog ever stepped up when required?

Aw @BlueEyedBengal that's made me a bit teary. Petra sounds like she was a wonderful friend to you

Haha reading stories about the dogs & partners made me laugh. I had had my last dog about 3 months when i met DP, she was my shadow. One day we were cuddled on the sofa when she came over, stared him out then heaved herself between us with her back to him. Every time he moved she would give him the evils over her shoulder, it was brilliant.

She became a traitor after that; she once did a bunk & ignored me as i tried getting her back. DP hopped in the car, stopped in front of her & opened the door...she got straight in & sat there proud as punch. They were best buddies after that 😂

@vinobell haha I hope yours does do the same with your SIL! It was very funny at the time when our girl did it

Oh I love GSDs, my parents (now just dad) have one, she’s batshit but lovely and very sweet. This was just a one off bad experience with one to be fair.

It's not my dogs job to judge what I need protecting from, too easy for them to misjudge the situation.

My current dog - no. Previous dog - yes. She was v protective of DH and we had to stop any kind of play fighting or rough housing around the dog as she would get in between us and mouth me. I think if she thought DH was in any actual danger she would have bitten me! She was also protective of DD and if people came in the house she would wedge herself firmly between the visitor and the baby.

Not my dog, but my neighbours old GSD must have taken me to be part of her pack too as she would always casually position herself in front of me if anyone approached our houses while we were outside chatting shit gardening. She was absolutely lovely.

I’ve got two dogs. One is a highly intelligent when it comes to dog training, the other doesn’t have time for any of that nonsense. The first one ‘guards’ me from the other dog/cat/DP/anything if I let her (I don’t!) but the other one much prefers to be left alone and doesn’t care much who sits next to who. The first one is pretty brave with noises etc, whereas the second trembles in a corner if he hears you even move the hoover, let alone switch it on.

Get out of the house though, and the second dog suddenly becomes the world’s most intuitive guard dog. He’s warned off danger before I’ve even noticed the danger in the past meanwhile, the other one trots up, tail wagging to anyone we meet.

I feel very safe with the second dog around. I don’t know if he’d actually do anything like bite an attacker, but he can make himself look scary and has quite a deep bark.

My gorgeous 7yo working cocker is really intuitive and knew when I was pregnant and used to snuggle into my tummy. He also wouldn’t leave my baby ds alone in the run up to him being diagnosed with cancer, he was the same with a neighbour who had recently received a cancer diagnosis.
He’s very friendly but will definitely stand between me and Children ‘protecting’ us when we are out on walks against other people or dogs. When my children were in Prams/pushchairs he would growl if anyone came too close.

I have a super duper daft boxer who we joke is more likely to lick someone to death than attack them. However a few years ago I was walking him in a field and I had a big hood up as it was very windy. My boy turned to me and his hackles went up and he flew past me, with that I turned and there was a man with his face covered behind me, he legged it and my boy chased him for a short while before returning to me, he didn't leave my side the whole way home. I think they just know! As he hasn't been like that with anyone else.

Sorry but what is a GSD 👀

I also have a GSD (two years old tomorrow) who is very loyal and know would die for me. Last month he put himself between me and another dog that turned out be to be very unstable and kept an eye on him (and not his football) until he was no longer in sight. He also doesn't like it when the kids play fight, he will tell them off. I love my boy so bloody much!

Our ridgeback is protective of the kids. He is especially protective of them when strange men are involved. 1000 women could wander through my house and wouldn't bat an eye but strange men are treated quite differently. When DD was tiny the alarm engineer came to replace all the batteries in the sensors on the doors/windows so was walking all over the house. I was moving around the house to keep out of his way with DD in a bouncy chair. Every time I moved her the dog put himself between the man and DD. Usually he spends most of the day in his basket asleep as he's quite old now. He very clearly didn't want the man anywhere near the baby and made it quite clear! I took this photo of him and DD that day to send to DH. The engineer is a few feet away from the dog (I cropped him out as I'm not sure he'd want to feature on mumsnet!).

There is a noticeable preponderance of GSDs on this thread, isn’t there? They really are very good guard dogs and highly intelligent. Mine definitely could judge situations, so I disagree with whoever said it’s not the dog’s job. Some seem to be bred for it.

Weimaraners, however, are bred to walk into tables and run around like loons apparently.

German Shepherd guilty

My GS protected my daughter so well that he nearly got her killed 😂
We were staying with my sister by the beach, my twelve-year-old (who had her arm in plaster having fallen out of a tree and broken it) was playing on the beach with the dog (Alice). I became aware of a huge cuffuffle, a lot of barking, and went out to see what was going on. DD had wandered way out, her feet had sunk in the mud, and with her broken arm she couldn't get her feet out of her shoes, was sinking deeper. Various people were trying to get to her to pull her free before the tide came in, while Alice held them all at bay.

A man shoved me out of the way and touched me. My golden retriever barked very loudly. Man shit himself. I put him straight. Dog got extra cuddles and treats.

A few years ago I had a GSD and a Labrador only have the gsd now, DP had got his t-shirt stuck over his head due to an old injury meaning he can't use his arm properly I was about 3 months pregnant at this point, both dogs saw what they thought was a stranger stood over me in the house flew up the garden and pinned him in a corner I do think if they hadn't have smelt it was Dp they would have bitten

Gsd has proven himself a few other times as well he's tried to attack dps relative who we all have mixed feeling about when he tried to come in our house and another occasion circled him growling when dp had let him in dog needed to be removed he's a very controlling man who is hiding things I wont be trying hard to get dog to accept him

He's beloved by our posties though they often knock for a cuddle and fuss

our first dog was a GSD cross. (for the poster who asked GSD is German Shepherd Dog ...new speak for Alsatian)

I was collecting dh from work once and she spotted someone lurking in a nearby bus stop and pushed her way into the front of the car and grumbled growled the whole time until dh arrived at the car.

Dh said he was a local ned!

Our two GSDs who died last year did not like play fighting, esp if me or dd were victim, same if the cats were bickering, the eldest one in particular would break up any cat fights!

the eldest dog also hated the children running off on a walk and would chase up to them and stop them running any further.

My big lad was so soft until we had children, now he won’t let anybody near the pram or my elder son he growls them off and barks if people persist. He sleeps next to the cot and sits with my four year old when he’s playing and if anybody dares walk past our house he goes mad!

My dogs a wimp I protect him. But twice my horse protected me. Once a man grabbed at me when I was alone riding her, she span and knocked him away with her bum. The second time I had walked into the field to get her not knowing that a particularly nasty horse was in the field with her (rule was he was brought in before ours so we had no contact with him) he came at me and she cantered down to me and put herself between me and the other horse to protect me.

working cocker, doesn't bother if DH is around but if I am at home with the children or out walking him (either alone or with the children or with
DH and the children) he herds us and doesn't let anyone male or anything canine near us without a growl.

With DH he's a spot on the horizon... He cannot believe it's the same dog he runs with.

Not my dog, but my childhood best friends silver Alsatian Sheba. She came everywhere with us when we were kids & saved us from many a scrap with other animals.

The one I remember best though is being off picking fruit down a remote country lane on our own, nobody nearby at all when a black Morris minor car pulled up & a very creepy little man tried to talk us into getting into his car. We refused & tried to move away, so he we about getting out of the car after us. Sheba went crazy, very unusual behaviour for her, but she basically escorted him back into his car whilst snapping at his legs. Thankfully he drove off

Alsatian was a temporary name because of WW2.
I have a GSD and a working sheepdog. Yes they would protect me as unfortunately the occasion has arisen where they needed to. Soft as grease the pair of them as a rule

My GSD/Rough Collie X did, twice. I used to run with him a lot, miles and miles, sometimes at night if I had been working late. One night I was down on a deserted stretch of the local canal and about twenty minutes into the run, someone suddenly came out of the bushes and ran at me, they were moving very fast and purposefully, my boy immediately leapt at him, snarling and actually knocked him over, I called him off and whoever it was ran off without a word, clearly up to no good or why wouldn't they have said something? Or had a go at me about my "nasty" dog? The next time was again by water funnily enough - the River Trent, again on a run but broad daylight, he came out of the trees with his trousers round his ankles, flashing me, my boy just bounced down the hill towards him ears and tail up, flasher turned round and tried to run off but fell over his trousers , Ben was jumping around and barking at him having the time of his life while he tried to get up and run away. I didn't even call him off, just carried on with my run and Ben caught me up in his own time. Circumstances dictate that I can only have small dogs now and I have adored them but I do miss having a big protective furry body guard I must admit.