Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Would your dog defend you on a walk? If so what breed is it?

281 replies

MontezumasPuma · 13/09/2023 17:51

I love my Springer to bits but if I was attacked while walking she’d either wet herself or throw herself at them for a fuss. I work and walk in remote locations and could do with a dog that would stand up for me. We have 5 year old DS and 19 month DD so the breed needs to be family friendly.

OP posts:
anotherchanger · 14/09/2023 12:56

My mum has a shih tzu poodle cross who would defend her against anything. She's fiercely loyal and very protective over my mum. I think she would quite literally die to protect her.

I have the same mix breed who would run away screeching if a leaf blew at me.

It's not just about dog type, it's their personalities too.

Ylvamoon · 14/09/2023 13:02

I have a Tibetan Terrier, I like to think that he would defend me...
In reality though, he'll probably just bark and expect me to fix it!
(That’s whathe was bread to do- so I can't even complain!)

Original poster
MontezumasPuma · 14/09/2023 13:11

anotherchanger · 14/09/2023 12:56

My mum has a shih tzu poodle cross who would defend her against anything. She's fiercely loyal and very protective over my mum. I think she would quite literally die to protect her.

I have the same mix breed who would run away screeching if a leaf blew at me.

It's not just about dog type, it's their personalities too.

This made me laugh. DM has the same cross and he takes on Rottweilers. He has no concept of how small he is 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
MontezumasPuma · 14/09/2023 13:12

MintJulia · 14/09/2023 08:54

Yes. large male German Shepherd. The only time anyone gave me any trouble while out walking, he stopped chasing squirrels, came and sat to heel, and gave a low rolling growl in the back of his throat. No fuss, no barking but no mistaking the message either. 😊

@MintJulia that sounds perfect.

OP posts:
GoodOldEmmaNess · 14/09/2023 13:41

Some wonderful stories here, about brave dogs and, erm, less-than-brave dogs. Love the GSD with the quiet calm 'don't even think about it' growl. And the scary dog jewellery for Dobermans (Dobermen?) or any other dog that needs to look the part.
You hardly see Dobermans these days, but the pnly one I even knew was a glorious softie who was best mates with a border terrier. They were forever flying joyfully together around our local park.

Sneezingmywaythroughsummer · 14/09/2023 13:45

My sadly passed boys would have and did protect me
My current girl probably not she's be very vocal though but she's not scarey at all

Lifeisgood1 · 14/09/2023 13:45

I have a large dig who I've taught to bark on command with a hand signal

MujeresLibres · 14/09/2023 13:49

Yes she would, although this would only mean fiercely barking and snarling, not biting. She's a working-line labrador but she can sound quite scary when she wants to.

Faytella2020 · 14/09/2023 14:22

My chow is very protective. She walks infront of DC if another dog comes near them. Once My dad was playing with DC and she didn't like the noises so she pinned him to the couch!

FanFckingTastic · 14/09/2023 14:37

Yes, my dog would absolutely defend me. She goes nuts if anyone so much as raises their voice whilst I'm in the room etc. She has the loudest bark and definitely makes it known that I'm under her protection. I feel very safe out walking as I know that if anything happened she would bark and bark and bark.....

The only issue here is that she's a minature Dachshund, so whilst she's loud she's not exactly very scary looking. What she lacks in size she certainly makes up for in volume!

felisha54 · 14/09/2023 14:44

I don't know but my Cockapoo is very protective of me and my dd. My dh likes to play fight with me and dd and once he was gearing up to do a pretend karate kick and dog jumped in front of me and barked. He was not happy.

Mochudubh · 14/09/2023 15:01

Not sure about my current GSD, though she does bark if someone comes to the door.

My old one was very good. She was long haired and looked like a giant puffball but she twice defended me when my neighbour's druggie mates tried to get in my house (no bad intentions, just drugged up twats got the wrong door). If the door chain hadn't been on they'd probably be missing a bollock or two.

Another time I was sitting on a park swing with my baby in my arms and 2 dobermans came bursting through a hedge into the park. Dear old GSD ran at them barking and they turned tail and ran. I was so proud.

LiesDoNotBecomeUs · 14/09/2023 15:19

If you want an attack dog - you need something small. A Jack-Russell will keep defending you no matter what. Their teeth are sharp and they are not afraid to use them.

Bigger dogs can scary to look at but more relaxed :)

I did find that our Labrador -the softest ever dog (one who caught a rabbit and just licked it until the poor thing had recovered enough to hop away) actually became very scary when he judged that I was in danger.

We were woodland walking and someone 'sneaked up' on us... or at least came down a path my dog hadn't noticed.

He was a sweet and foster-child-friendly dog - one who at home was easiy dominated by a small spaniel lapdog.

However, on this occasion of possible danger, he gave the biggest deepest bark I'd ever heard from him and showed a full mouth of huge teeth. His growls were terrifying. A true 'hound of the Baskervilles'. His stare alone would have kept most would-be attackers at bay.

I don't know if he would have bitten anyone (he never has) but doubt anyone would have tried him out! (The sneaking-up guy didn't stop to talk.)

RonniePickering · 14/09/2023 15:29

I was shocked how loud a Shih Tzu can bark, they sound like a much bigger dog behind the door.

AdoraBell · 14/09/2023 15:30

German Shepard, no idea what she would do but the eldest one we lost late last year would.

Years ago, living overseas, we had 4 GSs. Two were puppies, one was about 45 kilos of muscle and one officially a mix as she was an orphaned pup from a stray, was 14 kilos. Another stray attacked and went for one of our DDs. Puppies tried to make a run for it, feisty little mongral fought off the stray and the biggest dog, male, shielded me and DDs with his mass.

Another time, at home, DH was messing about with the DDs and throwing them in the pool, everyone was giggling. Then DH went to grab me. Biggest dog moved from his slumber position, walked between us and used his hind quarter to shove DH away. Then he sat at my feet giving DH the evil eye.

SummerWillow · 14/09/2023 16:56

Huntaway (NZ crossbreed). Bred to herd by barking.

Quite a challenging dog in many ways - very loud, large and quite boisterous. Ours has a very loud deep bark and people tend to be wary of him naturally so I don't think he'd need to attack anyone for them to be put off!

Sallylovesdaisy · 14/09/2023 18:33

Had a German Shepherd years ago, who was a friendly, super soppy dog. One day I took him for a walk and he just started snarling and growling at a couple of fellas, they didn't hang around. I was so surprised at the dog's behaviour, but praised him for looking after me. A while later my drunken ex DH was threatening me, and once again the dog defended me, ex DH decided to go to sleep, thank God. It was SO surprising that my dog did that, so out of character. It felt so comforting that my dog was protecting me. He was a very special boy

stayathomer · 14/09/2023 18:40

If you have kids I wouldn’t be looking for a dog to stand up for you- surely your kids could be on the receiving end some day?

user1471556818 · 14/09/2023 18:49

When I was a teenager a man jumped out at me I was totally surprised that our very soft German shepherd absolutely went into full protection mode .He ran off we ran home . I wasn't at that age aware of the breed they were she was just my mums dog .
Still have a very soft spot for them .

TwinkleStarWhatAre · 14/09/2023 18:58

I have a small staffie and she would instantly wet herself, try and get cuddles, or just run away 😂

Pebblesflintstoneandbambamrubble · 14/09/2023 19:49

My friends dog is half whippet/half Staffie

I'm not joking when I say he's the most pampered,babied,soppy,calm,loving,soft ball of dog

I have photos of him wearing his jumpers,legwarmers and a bonnet that his human sister has put on him while being pushed round the garden in his pram (he knows who's the boss-its not his parents!)

Anyway,we had him for a week about a year ago,while his family went on holiday and I decided to take him for a walk round the local graveyard-its about a mile from our house

There we where-nobody else around,him on lead,sniffing about and me on the other end just strolling around while reading the headstones,when he suddenly went mental-hackles,teeth,spit,barking,growling,his short fur was stood on end-the lot

I've never seen him like this-he really wanted to get to a hedge to my left

I'm trying my hardest to drag him away,all the while thinking he'd spotted the enemy (pigeons) when I saw a bloke stand up while trying to do his flies up and he ran off

He fled-i rang the police-it turns out there had been man flashing at lone women for about a month and the dog,somehow bloody knew I was in danger-another 20/30 seconds and I would have walked that way

They didn't catch him but I'm so grateful I not only had the dog,but he was on a lead-if he'd been loose,he would have killed this bloke-I've never seen him react like this

If you'd asked me 10 seconds earlier I would have laughed and said the dog would have fled in the direction of home while leaving me to be mauled to death

We went via the butchers on the way home and I bought him the biggest steak they had-he bloody deserved it

The following week,I was sent a photo of him with a pink bow hairband on his head while sitting in his bed-if I hadn't been there with him that day,I would have called that person a liar and that dog wasn't capable of being like that

Howmanysleepsnow · 14/09/2023 20:03

I have a daft chocolate lab who I’d have been certain wouldn’t….. but in the 12 years I’ve had him he has twice.

StopStartStop · 15/09/2023 07:48

@Pebblesflintstoneandbambamrubble
he suddenly went mental-hackles,teeth,spit,barking,growling,his short fur was stood on end-the lot
if he'd been loose,he would have killed this bloke
if I hadn't been there with him that day, I would have called that person a liar and that dog wasn't capable of being like that

And your friend still has this dangerous animal in their home?

Birdie8989 · 15/09/2023 07:54

Yes she would - German shepherd

BeMoreBarbie · 15/09/2023 08:23

StopStartStop · 15/09/2023 07:48

@Pebblesflintstoneandbambamrubble
he suddenly went mental-hackles,teeth,spit,barking,growling,his short fur was stood on end-the lot
if he'd been loose,he would have killed this bloke
if I hadn't been there with him that day, I would have called that person a liar and that dog wasn't capable of being like that

And your friend still has this dangerous animal in their home?

For fuck sake. It's a thread about protective dogs. I know you wouldn't have written this if that dog wasn't half Staffie and you appear to have completely ignored how the dog behaves otherwise.