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You don't need a trained, protection dog. E.g. Labradors are toys, being bred to be playful and loving. A half breed of a pit bull doesn't count much either. W

You don't need a trained, protection dog. E.g. Labradors are toys, being bred to be playful and loving. A half breed of a pit bull doesn't count much either. What you need is an aggressive race. Also females tend to be more protective AFAIK. I had a Rottweiler for example, that I was walking without a leash near my building because to my knowledge she was well behaved, but with no special training other than me talking with her daily. So one day I was attacked by a homeless person and my dog, came from the bush where she was peeing and nearly bit his hand off. Well she was about 50 Kg and size and weight do count. And another day she stood her ground to a pack of 3 or 4 street dogs. What can I say, was living in a bad neighborhood. Also in our country we still have many classic shepherds that practice transhumance, with these 2 races of dogs being very popular, called "mioritic shepherd" and "caucasian shepherd", including all kinds of half breeds, and these shepherd dogs can get pretty big and get used for defense against thieves, wolves, you name it. And they don't need training btw. They aren't kept for emotional support, they are kept to defend the herd and with the harsh conditions involved, they can get really, really aggressive. And actually it's the same story if you go to the country side where people keep dogs to protect the house and livestock. Dogs being entirely utilitarian, they only get food and shelter in exchange, not love, so they know what needs to be done in case of intruders. My grandparents had a saying — if you want a dog that can protect you, you should never allow other people to feed or pet it.

sevensor 8y ago
> Labradors are toys, being bred to be playful and loving. A half breed of a pit bull doesn't count much either. Interesting that you'd say this -- I think there's always exceptions to these rules, and here's mine: I had a half-laborador, half-pitbull. Like a lab, she was very aware of people's emotions, and like a pit, she was strong, aggressive, and had a very high pain threshold. (She barely reacted when we pulled porcupine spines out of her nose with pliers.) Unfortunately, this was a problematic mix. If I was the least bit uncomfortable with somebody, even if it was just social anxiety and I wasn't in any danger, she would start growling and try to make them go away. And she viewed every other dog as a mortal threat, to which she would react with murderous fury. I have no doubt that if I had felt physically threatened, she would have done serious and possibly disproportionate damage. I wasn't able to take her out much.
- bad_user 8y ago
  Of course, there are always exceptions. What I wanted to say is that you'll have a much higher probability of success with a race that's known to be aggressive, if that's what you want, then with a race that was bred as a companion dog. And half-breeds can be very aggressive or very friendly, but it's essentially a lottery.
- dvtv75 8y ago
  A friend of mine has a staffie/bull terrier cross, with who knows what else in her. The dog has the nicest nature I can imagine (that's the staffie), and usually seems like a really affectionate animal with no aggressive traits. One day, he was out walking her, and three guys came up to him. They stood around my friend in the usual threatening triangle formation, so no matter which way he faced someone was behind him. They started accusing him of stealing from them, and started to get aggressive until one noticed his dog and asked if she attacked. Just a moment later, she launched herself at the three of them - only the tight leash saved them from being bitten. She'd die to protect her family. Whenever I visit him, she "attacks" me - launches herself at me so I can lavish attention on her for as long as possible. If he ever had to get rid of her, I'd take her in a heartbeat, but depriving her of the kids she loves so much would be one of those heartbreaking moments you'd never want to see.
xyhopguy 8y ago
> you should never allow other people to feed or pet it. Let children and elderly pet/feed and you suddenly have a well behaved protection dog.
technofiend 8y ago
Anecdotally I've read multiple threads where dogs were socially anxious around vacuum cleaners. It seems they weren't sure of the large growly thing's pack position. Funny enough the resolution is for the alpha to scold the vacuum in front of their dog(s) thus re-establising pack order.
- pssflops 8y ago
  I am very interested in scolding my vacuum in front of my dog tonight to see if he eventually gets used to it.

sevensor 8y ago

> Labradors are toys, being bred to be playful and loving. A half breed of a pit bull doesn't count much either. Interesting that you'd say this -- I think there's always exceptions to these rules, and here's mine: I had a half-laborador, half-pitbull. Like a lab, she was very aware of people's emotions, and like a pit, she was strong, aggressive, and had a very high pain threshold. (She barely reacted when we pulled porcupine spines out of her nose with pliers.) Unfortunately, this was a problematic mix. If I was the least bit uncomfortable with somebody, even if it was just social anxiety and I wasn't in any danger, she would start growling and try to make them go away. And she viewed every other dog as a mortal threat, to which she would react with murderous fury. I have no doubt that if I had felt physically threatened, she would have done serious and possibly disproportionate damage. I wasn't able to take her out much.

bad_user 8y ago
Of course, there are always exceptions. What I wanted to say is that you'll have a much higher probability of success with a race that's known to be aggressive, if that's what you want, then with a race that was bred as a companion dog. And half-breeds can be very aggressive or very friendly, but it's essentially a lottery.
dvtv75 8y ago
A friend of mine has a staffie/bull terrier cross, with who knows what else in her. The dog has the nicest nature I can imagine (that's the staffie), and usually seems like a really affectionate animal with no aggressive traits. One day, he was out walking her, and three guys came up to him. They stood around my friend in the usual threatening triangle formation, so no matter which way he faced someone was behind him. They started accusing him of stealing from them, and started to get aggressive until one noticed his dog and asked if she attacked. Just a moment later, she launched herself at the three of them - only the tight leash saved them from being bitten. She'd die to protect her family. Whenever I visit him, she "attacks" me - launches herself at me so I can lavish attention on her for as long as possible. If he ever had to get rid of her, I'd take her in a heartbeat, but depriving her of the kids she loves so much would be one of those heartbreaking moments you'd never want to see.

xyhopguy 8y ago

> you should never allow other people to feed or pet it. Let children and elderly pet/feed and you suddenly have a well behaved protection dog.

technofiend 8y ago

Anecdotally I've read multiple threads where dogs were socially anxious around vacuum cleaners. It seems they weren't sure of the large growly thing's pack position. Funny enough the resolution is for the alpha to scold the vacuum in front of their dog(s) thus re-establising pack order.

pssflops 8y ago
I am very interested in scolding my vacuum in front of my dog tonight to see if he eventually gets used to it.