If you were to get attacked whilst walking your dog what do you think your dog would do ?

[summergone]

I walked my dog on a usual route yesterday thinking I would get to the end of the unlit off road bit before it got too dark but I didn't . I came across a man who spoke to me but he made me feel really uneasy and my heart was actual racing . This is not like me I'm not an anxious nervous person at all . As I walked away I was thinking if he had attacked me what would my dog do? I'd like to think she would know I was in danger and would pounce on him and protect me but it got me thinking . What do you think your dog would do ?

Thank you. He has a lovely temperament too which is nice.

My old lab who was so laid back he was horizontal did bite a young male. I in my drunken 26 year old wisdom i decided to take my dog for a walk at 3am when I got in from my night out, in the vain hope that I could have a lie in. I decided to take him into the local park and around the little woodland, a group of males spotted me and a couple started heading my way trying to chat me up, my dog stood in front of me growling at them and when one of them continued towards me being abusive my dog bit him, he scarpered very quickly as did i. Still had to get up at 7am to walk him though......

Thought I'd test out my dog a little this afternoon. She will bark on command so I have always thought telling her to bark would be my first step in a dodgy situation.
She barked twice as asked, then got freaked out by her bark echoing around the wood and refused to bark again.
I revise all my previous expectations! 😂

My lot are calm, well behaved and well trained. I walk them a lot on my own and they will ignore other people and dogs generally, or on command. There has been twice though (over about 10 years so it’s not common!) when they have really taken exception to a person. Both times was a man on his own, with no dog. That’s not uncommon, we walk past lone men all the time, but something about these 2 men sent the whole pack into full alert mode. They all came back to me immediately, hackles up, stiff posture, tails down, very watchful….the second time, one of my big dogs did his best, from his boots, full on growl. He literally never does that and I stopped him immediately, but he stuck to me like glue. It does make me wonder and I do think they would protect me……

I have two medium sized terriers, they are soppy and friendly to everyone and every dog. But I know that they would do everything they could to defend me or my DS if they thought we were in danger. They are my little guardians and escorts.

Really interesting reading all the replies. No idea what my greyhound would do but he is large at least, if he was off lead at the time, he probably wouldn't notice. I do always take him to the front door with me when I answer it and that does have the desired effect with delivery drivers. They don't realise there is an invisible force field that would stop him running out!

My spaniel protects me from DH if we’re playfighting - usually grabs his sleeve but once bounced up and nipped his face, which DH got no sympathy for from me as he knows perfectly well the dog gets worried when DH pretends to attack me, and his face was the closest thing to the dog. So I think he’d come and jump up and bite, but he’s been known to grab my sleeve instead of DH’s so I hope he doesn’t bite the wrong one if I’m fighting back!

I've a very nervy sighthound so she would be the first one out of there.

Belgian malinois cross.
They wouldn't have a chance.
Very protective of me and is suspicious of any man who comes near me. Lots of woofing and when her hackles come up , resembles a shark!

Not a dog story but my mother was walking around her garden and a strange cat appeared and attacked her - my mother’s cat came from nowhere and attacked the other cat and drove it off!

I used to be a volunteer dog walker and I was walking a soppy staffy cross jack Russell whom I had bonded with when we came across a flasher who then started walking towards me. The dog went bonkers growling and snarling at the man who swore at me to control my effing dog and ran off. I was actually walking 2 dogs that day, one at a time, and often wondered what would have happenned had I walked the ball obsessed border collie first instead of this dog. I suspect the outcome may have been different.

I've got a Rottweiler and three small dogs. But i have always had Rottweilers. Years ago I had a rehome rotty , my first rott, that my very abusive ex took in. He liked to act the big man but the dog was an absolute soft as butter beauty and we bonded right away. One day said ex was screaming at me and he tried to drag me to the bedroom . The dog nipped him on the bumcheek but he carried on dragging me. The dog then started really growling and grabbed him by the ankle and forcibly pulled him off me and took him outside. Barely broke the skin but just knew exactly how much pressure to use to achieve his goal. Another time ex forced himself in the house and I was trying to be as calm as possible. Diffusing the situation. Ex grabbed "his" dog and forced the dog to look him in the eye . He was saying horrible things about the dog biting him on the ankle and I swear to god the dog knew what he was saying as as soon as he said he was going to kill us both the dog basically just got his face in his mouth and started growling. Didn't mark him but after that ex left us alone. And the dog never ever showed any signs of aggression to anybody. He loved us, he loved the kids and I don't doubt that he would have laid down his life for us. But that's rotties. Fiercely loyal and very protective of their family and that's why I've had 7 over the years. All from the same lines.

My chihuahua is rather protective too 😂 and she rules the roost with the rotty at home.

@yodaforpresident ah that's nice , my cat would probably join in attacking me !

@glasshole what an amazing dog , knew exactly what to do ! Hope you are 100% free of that vile nan now

Man not nan!!

With it getting darker ears couple of times my dog has done a low level growl which sounds menacing (she is a smallish terrier) but has a loud bark, but only done it to a couple of men not all, they must have given her bad vibes, I don’t shush her I trust her instinct.

My border collie does exactly the same!!

*evenings 😆

I have experience of this situation. At the time I had a pair of Irish wolfhounds, not aggressive in any way shape or form, I also had a large staffy, the softest dog ever on the planet.

I was approached in the woods by my house by three youths with hoods up and one had a Bowie knife.
The hounds placed themselves in front of me and just raised their lips with a low rumble, staffy stood between them and snarled in the way only a staffy can. The youths backed away and then turned and ran.

I also had a Newfie/ rottie cross, enormous, grumpy, mean looking bastard, He just sprawled out behind me so I don’t think he’d have been much use if push came to shove.

If he was in a hoody and male she would kick off before he got close. She is reactive to men in hoodies. Anyone else it's 50/50 whether she thinks it's a game and tries to join in, or would run away.

If I had the kids with me it would be a different story. She's very protective of children and I can't walk her with the kids because she's too tense worrying about them.

I saw a really interesting video on (I think) you tube - no idea how I came across it. It was CCTV footage of a large dog (possibly a Great Dane) initially approaching an intruder in a friendly way and then becoming aggressive when his owner entered the room and was visibly frightened - the change was immediate and very much a response to his owner's reaction This has given me hope that my very soppy golden retriever might stick up for me if something happened. I think my black lab would definitely react - he is extremely lovely but bristles and barks quite easily.

My dog would bark but be utterly useless no protection whatsoever

A pair of Irish wolfhounds would be my dream dogs if we had more room.

One of mine, a smaller rescue mix breed would absolutely attack someone and protect me.

our giant Dobermann however would run off scared!!

They are gorgeous dogs, lovely nature, incredibly loyal, can clear a table with one sweep of the tail 😀
I am on my third pair now, sadly the breed doesn’t make very old bones.