Does your dog make you feel safer?

[DorisLessingsCat]

If you are female, do you feel safer when walking with your dog than walking alone? Would your dog protect you if you were attacked?

Or is the other way around, and you're worried someone will try to snatch your dog when you are out?

My dog would definitely try to protect me, but probably by doing a lot of jumping around and barking because he's nervy rather than a natural guard dog. He's an elderly mutt so I don't worry about his safety.

Up until last year I had a Rottweiler.. Used to go running 6 am in the dark. Late night beach walks... Now have a Husky and Lurchers.. No longer do solitude walks and off track and off lead walking. Very bloody angry about it tbh... Not risking my ddogs though. Not sure they would be much protection..
Have hinted we need another rotty!

@TheVanguardSix

I have a big gun dog who I have no doubt would try and protect me. But a fellow dog owner grabbed me in his arms and held me tightly in his grasp so I couldn't move while he groped me in a completely isolated meadow. My dog's presence did not deter him. My dog did not attack him because we'd met the man on 2 separate occasions, I'd had a chat with him before and my dog knew his dog. So, 'threat level' was probably greatly reduced in my dog's mind by the time the guy did what he'd done to me. It was rather terrifying.

My neighbour was mugged at knifepoint on a dog walk. His airedale was grabbed by the perp who held a knife to the dog and threatened to stab him if my neighbour didn't hand over the goods.

So, I feel safer with my dog than I do alone, but not necessarily safe as houses. And they are powerless against a knife-wielding perpetrator who is unafraid of dogs.

That's grim @TheVanguardSix, did you report him? I'm sorry you went through that. Just shows that you can never know whether a man is "safe" or not.

Not sure, he loves strangers but I think if I was scared or someone was actually bothering me he'd get jumpy and would bark, I hope. He does a good line in losing his shit at random nighttime sounds which is reassuring, even if it is usually hedgehogs. He's a decent sized lurcher so may look like a gentle greyhound which wouldn't be too intimidating though, would be great at chasing someone down though

Lovely to read about all the ultra protective dogs!

DDog previously detected a burglar when all he'd done was open the garden gate, so I've some faith in him.

He's only little but he's a bit reactive and has a deep bark for his size, so he can look suitably ferocious when he wants to. He's also very perceptive, knows if I feel nervous, and will start barking if need be. A few months back I was walking after dark and a man approached me from behind, which I didn't feel especially comfortable with for obvious reasons. He may only have been asking for money - I couldn't hear because DDog had gone into guard dog mode and was being very loud barking and lunging at the end of the lead.

Certainly I feel like he means I'm no longer the softest target available. He can be a grade A twat sometimes but he does have his uses!

Previously family DDog, on the other hand, was there when a burglar was discovered in the home and greeted him like an old friend

Absolutely.
Chose a big dog for this express reason.

If any attacker had food to offer her, whilst I had none, the faithless hound would change her allegiance in a heartbeat: but they're not to know that.

And she can bark VERY loud.

My dog is about the size of an obese rat and his teeth would not cut butter bless him so no, not unless a squeak instead of a bark would deter anyone.

In all honesty, I don't think dogs have protective instincts so much as self-preservation instincts (which we have obvously learned to take advantage of for some jobs). Mine definately has a self-preservation instinct so I shall simply hide behind him and let him do all the barking

I remember the German Shepherd we had when I was a child. He was so protective. My mother's cousin was messing around one day and pinned her to the wall and she was screaming (I promise it wasn't serious). The dog came running down from the end of the garden and leapt through the window at his throat...thank God he couldn't quite reach. Same dog had been playing with him earlier, but thought my mam was in danger.

@tabulahrasa

Depends on the dog...

Not because I’d ever be expecting a dog not trained for it to protect me in anyway, but some dogs would put people off by their appearance.

Some though, would give people an excuse to approach you.

Walk a muzzled Rottweiler for instance and you’re given a wide berth by everyone, so I’m pretty sure that would include anyone up to no good, but if you walk a little cute collie or a Lhasa apso, people don’t hesitate to come up and talk straight to the dog, often pretty much ignoring you, lol, so I can’t imagine it’d put off anyone from mugging or attacking you or whatever. (The dog’s are very specific because they’re actual dogs btw)

You'd be pretty daft to walk up to a collie. They can be very protective and snappy. Most ferocious dog I ever had was a border collie. I felt very safe walking her even in the middle of the night (which I mostly did because she was so reactive). Felt very safe with the alsation. Feel very nervous with current dog, as he's highly desirable and I never walk him alone for fear of being mugged.

I had an American bulldog who was the softest soppiest laziest loveliest dog I’ve ever known. Except once where we were doing our usual walk, getting dark so nearly home. Simon started growling very deep scary sounding growls, hackles up. stood right in front of me and made him usual 50kg self absolutely enormous. I couldn’t work out what was happening until a man came out of the bushes wearing dark clothes hood up, very menacing looking and run away. As soon as he had gone Simon was back to plodding and sniffing! We sadly lost him last year. My current dogs not really, my Spanish rescue spaniel would be off in the bushes, my springer would just keep giving them the ball or stick to throw. My 5kg fluffy terrier hates strangers so would bite their ankles but I’m not sure it’d do any good. My patterdale is deaf, blind and has dementia so wouldn’t have a clue what was happening!

my springer would just keep giving them the ball or stick to throw

Totally do feel safer. I don't really want another dog after this one as they are such a tie and make the house so dirty, but I would feel unsafe walking without him. I think dogs can sense things. My dog is a softie and I think they are clever enough to read body language. My dog seems to be more wary of men walking alone, probably due to me being more wary. He did bark at a man with a child the other day, which was a bit embarrassing, I think because my Toddler was out of the pushchair. He was being protective. He's a spaniel.

I don't feel at risk of my dog will be taken from me on walks, he's usually off lead. I do tie him up on occasions if I need to nip in somewhere and he howls / barks which probably puts off anyone from stealing him. Honestly if he was stolen they'd let him go, he's a needy pain, but I love him.

My old collie bit a man who seemed as if he was going to attack my friend, who was walking my dog in a park at night. My dog gave two short barks then reared up and bit the man. He ran off...

My old dog was a shepherd cross and did get between me and someone else when I was out late at night, so I definitely felt like he would defend me. I don't think my current dog would defend me as such, but she would probably bark as she's anxious and she often alerts me to the presence of passerbys before I've seen them, so that's reassuring.

Both of them are rescue crosses. If I was with a popular breed right now, I'd be worried about being targeted by thieves, given the prices dogs are fetching at the moment

My male collie is very protective over me. Meeting a new chap has been interesting....

I feel safe with him, walk all over, night and day countryside and remote places. He watches me like a hawk if anyone approaches me. Puts himself between me and them.
Once he knows someone he's a baby. Very wary of strangers tho.

Yes I feel safer with my dog. He's a lab but he's big and he's not especially laid back! He doesn't like strangers much so I suspect that he would try and protect me if anything happened. He also has the loudest, deepest bark so I feel safer in the house at night too.

I once had a drunk bloke lurching towards me and told him to move or he'd get bitten. It worked.

I have a labradoodle and she is very protective of me and the kids when they arrived. She barks aggressively at male joggers coming towards me, so I feel that she would fight to protect me if I was attacked. She rounds up the children when we're out, she's a lovely dog.

Most of our dogs were such vain soppy attention-seeking sooks they were more likely to attract pests than repel them.

Just one (very large, loud and assertive GS cross) appointed herself as our devoted  family protector  and spent her entire life  on duty to  guard and save us.

Technically yes. She is big and black and looks far more fierce than she is. However, I feel confident she'd let someone murder me and roll over for them to scratch her belly after.

I think mine might, he loves people and always want to say hello to anyone he passes but he is also possessive of me and does freeze and watch the face of anyone shaking my hand or hugging me. I imagine if my body language was different he would at least jump up and bark at them.

He’s rejected a couple of past boyfriends and made it very clear that he was not at all keen on them touching me. He loved the current one on sight and squeezes in for a group hug!

Not too worried about his safety, he’s an obviously elderly mongrel so probably not very attractive!

My previous 2 dogs collie/lab cross and a beagle/spaniel cross were useless. We had a policeman climb over our back fence one Saturday afternoon, both dogs barked once and that was it.

Current dog is a jack Russel and is all mouth no trousers so he will probably be useless as well. I really want a bull Terrier or an German/Belgian shepherd.

Yes, I do. I walk different routes than I would without my dog. I feel safer opening the door to strangers when I'm home alone. She had reached to my fear once when workmen got angry that I wasn't paying them cash in hand. She growled, barked and lunged (I was holding her collar) enough to make them leave.

@Weirdfan

They're bull breeds so I think it's the knowledge that they're more likely to be snatched for fighting/bait purposes than 'stolen to order' where at least they might end up with someone who loves them.

This is the same fear i have which is why I've drilled it into family members to not leave him tied up outside a shop or anything. I have zero fear when walking him at night though he's 30kilos of pure muscle and when he kicks off it sounds pretty fierce. He's a rescue and ive really had to put the work in with him to teach him that i am in charge and he doesnt have to protect me all the time. He's come a million miles though & once he knows & trusts someone he is amazing.