# Do you feel your standard poodle could protect you from harm?



## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Misha would hide behind me!


----------



## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I would not say they would not attach. I had one poodle that a lady had and all it did was lay on the bed with-her, and the gardener walked the dog 3 or 4 times a day. When the nurses came to work on the lady, the gardener had to remover the dog from the bed as she would try to bite the nurses, she was only 8 pounds. When I got her I had to really work to break that. Here I might get lucky and she is messing it all up, LOL.

Cayenne and Bella go wild if someone hugs me,Cayenne nips at their ankles, and ups her nose, but does not bite, bur growls.


----------



## irax (Oct 9, 2015)

Mine would show me the fastest way to run away...


----------



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Archie has a particularly deep, important-sounding bark he does for unfamiliar noises around the house, especially near the door. The second a person actually appears, though, he instantly wants to be best friends. So I don't have high hopes that he'd escalate if a threatening person actually came close to me out in the world somewhere.

So far I've only ever heard him do a real growl at inanimate objects that he's accidentally hurt himself on (for example, a chew that developed an unexpected sharp edge), and in my experience, he is quite dangerous to those. :act-up:


----------



## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I have no doubt that my poodles would come to my aid should they feel threatened. They do not operate in a yellow alert mode like some guardian breeds, but they are more than capable of taking care of business should the need arise.


----------



## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Rory definitely has a scary big dog sounding bark. And I think would bark at someone in the house he didn't know, but doubt he would do more. He wouldn't hurt a fly (literally, he found a stunned fly on the ground the other day and nosed at it then left it alone). 

But maybe if someone seemed threatening or I was scared, who knows! Hopefully won't have to find out.


----------



## Poodlerunner (Jul 4, 2014)

I would say, most definitely. I have not seen Piper in any protective mode but my daughter's red male spoo is so wonderfully protective. He has gotten between his family and a Cane Corso when he was only 7 months old. The dog was circling us and barking and Bodhi lead him into the water (we were on the beach). I couldn't believe it. He charges the front door without hesitation if anyone that he does not know approaches. He has to be in between his people and the door until he knows everything is ok. It is awesome.

pr


----------



## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

No. Absolutely not. She would lick them to death and wag her tail.

My toy poodle was the most protective dog I ever had. My mini was a big scaredy-cat. And my standard is a big love ball


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Impossible to say, really. Maizie has a very scary watchdog bark, but if someone broke in, she'd probably run away. 

My Maltese, Zooey, on the other hand, would definitely fight to protect me--all 8 lbs. of her


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

*Protection.*

You will never know until either some thing happens or you set up a scenario. Sppos are good "watch dogs" and have a loud deep bark and a blood curdling growl. That alone is often enough to deter a felon. Grace has been given the same training that a police dog would have. She will fix a felon with her eyes and growl menacingly. In attack she will keep back from flailing arms, feet and weapons. She will make an attack from the rear when possible. We still play "nasty man" where I feint an attack and she jumps sideways, backwards or skids away to protect herself. When she "attacks" me she goes for the elbow from behind or my forearm when it is protected. Again from behind. I have tried to kick her when she is behind me but as yet I have not succeeded. She is very fast and you would need to be quick to avoid her. When I am approached by an unknown person she will be at my left or behind. If that person is menacing she will give one deep bark and then growl. She will not attack unless told to. "Get Him" Then look out, here comes a ball of energy and fury.
Eric:angel2:


----------



## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

I'm of the mindset that I am my dogs protector. I never expect my dogs to protect me...and if someone came to my house with weapons and meant business, I'm not really sure what she could really do. 

She could bark them away, but she doesn't bark at the door or when visitors come over. If she did, that could be a deterrent. 

Honestly I doubt most dogs, unless specifically trained to do so, would be effective protectors in a dangerous situation. When I get off my phone, I will link a study. Of course some dogs will be an exception. I think a lot of protective behaviors dogs have are rooted in fear and insecurity...that was definitely the case with my small "protective" dogs. 

I don't expect my dogs to protect me unless they have specifically been trained to do so. I'm talking about actual attacks here, not a strange person showing up at the house. Not every dog for example is going to jump on a criminal and bite their arm without letting go no matter what the criminal does to them, unless they were specifically trained to do that. 

Mira's behavior, from the OP, sounds like fear / insecurity barking to me. Also, I think most dogs that bite do it out of fear and not protection.


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

Naira said:


> I'm of the mindset that I am my dogs protector. I never expect my dogs to protect me...and if someone came to my house with weapons and meant business, I'm not really sure what she could really do.
> 
> She could bark them away, but she doesn't bark at the door or when visitors come over. If she did, that could be a deterrent.
> 
> ...


Yes, that is a good point. Most of the growling I know is out of fear/insecurity. It's easy to misinterpret situations as to her protecting me, which I know really is false. She does it when she hears something strange outside that is close to our home. The other day, me and my friend were in my bedroom. Her mother suddenly came but opened the door very quietly, Mira shot up and ferociously barked and growled at her until she knew who it was and started wagging her tail. That again, seemed like fear and not protection. Although despite growling at strange noises or strange people, she does not bark at the door at all.

I would never want Mira to bite whenever she thought something was dangerous, too many situations could come up which she can interpret wrong.. Like a disabled person walking. I am curious to know if I was in serious danger, would she attack? IDK, but then again I wouldn't want to find out. Which is why I'm interested to hear stories about poodles that DID defend! Eric, you have one mighty beast there.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

All of my dogs are excellent "alerters" for strange sounds and for people and animals like loose dogs and feral cats. The first warning growls usually come from Lily who is now actually the smallest of the three of them by at least five pounds. She has been a great watch dog in the yard since she was nine weeks old. She also guards my truck if we are at traffic lights and there are pedestrians or motorcyclists nearby. I have no doubts that she would not try to protect me. Peeves also would certainly protect us if someone entered our home without us opening the door or using a key. He is a keen protector of the chickens and has protected Lily against situations he thought were not good for her. I can't say about Javelin at this point since when he barks it is usually because the other two started it first.


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

I think Carley's Mom had an incident where both Carley and Stella did the a protective stance for her.

I also am of the opinion that whether or not our dogs' alert barking or growling is caused by fear or protectiveness, it can in some instances have a protective (or deterrent) effect in some cases. 

My daughter's 6 lb yorkie poo ran to our garage door making a noise that sounded like the exorcist -- I had never heard that sound from her before (or since) and she did not habitually bark at the door. It gave me a true fright. I KNEW there was something in the garage - I figured maybe a raccoon or something - and I quickly turned the deadbolt (the door was unlocked before).

An hour later, the police were swarming our neighborhood and one of my next door neighbors had endured a home invasion shortly after my grand-dog alerted to something in my garage. I am convinced that the criminals were scouting our place first and the unearthly sound coming from the pup made them reconsider our place as an easy mark.

I hope Dulcie would do the same thing. I don't think she or most dogs would even think to do much more to defend us without specific training. However, I think the mere presence of a dog can have a deterrent effect which is very helpful,


----------



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I have heard before that when it comes to deterring home break-ins, basically any size or type of dog works just as well as long as they bark. The idea being that the intruder now knows that the people inside have been alerted to their presence, which in most cases (simple burglaries) is enough to get rid of them. So that's some comfort to those of us whose dogs are all bark and no bite. :wink:


----------



## ApricotsRock (Jan 10, 2014)

I can tell when something is going through the yard, ie deer or a racoon. Rookie goes all nutty and gets ferocious barking. 

When someone comes to visit - he will bark but more in happiness that more people have arrived to pet him....

I do want to get DD a standard poodle when she is out on her own. Just knowing that she would have a (super smart) big dog would settle my nerves.


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

We once had a Texas Ranger lecture us on home security and he suggested a big dog bowl outside your door if you didn't have a dog. Burglars want an easy in and out, and a dog is a deterrent especially if it's barking. I expect Buck to give me a few seconds advantage with an alert or be the big black (you don't know he's capable of) visual deterrent. I know he would mix it up with an aggressive dog, but aggressive humans in these parts are armed...


----------



## AngelAviary (Aug 12, 2014)

As friendly and social as Stella is I don think she would hesitate to protect her home or family. I know my Border Collie will too, Ive actually seen her get startled by a family member coming home and she did not hear him until he was halfway in the house and she came charging out, teeth showing and barking! My groomer has a male Standard (that might be Stellas" gentleman caller at the right time) that defiantly protected her. She was in her grooming shop late closing up and was almost ready to leave when two youngish guys came in (for no reason at all, they were not customers picking up dogs) and seemed really shady. They asked her if they could use the bathroom and before she could tell them no and they better leave, Julian (the Standard) was standing up on his hind legs next to her over the counter with every tooth in his mouth showing and definatly telling them they better get the H**L out or there was going to be bloodshed! He is the nicest dog, has his Rally Novice title, his CGC and is s UKC champion/grooming competition dog! But if he needs to be protective he will be! I think Stella would respond in the same way.


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

Hearing all these cases makes me wonder if Mira really does have that protective instinct inside her.. It could be insecurity/fearfulness but it could also be an ounce of protection. I am also a very anxious person- to the point of needing medication. That could be the reason she is always on alert and warns me about strange sounds and people. Maybe she senses me. She has been doing so since she was 9 weeks to scare off people walking near my property too, Catherine.

I also just remembered, when she was about 3 months I was with her outside my front door, and she was unleashed. The mail lady came walking inside our property and Mira bolted and started barking at her, never once biting but making sure she didn't move.. I was soo mad!! She wouldn't even let me get her and I had to fight to pick up the little devil. Now that I think of it though, I prefer this behavior to warn off intruders. My new house will have a gate and is in a pretty secluded neighborhood, so I imagine it will be better to have a protective dog then. Right now, she is all bark and no bite, but she is also a big puppy that needs a lot of maturing to do. Thank you for all the replies, it is great to hear of your stories!!


----------



## PoodlePossessed (Dec 8, 2015)

My standard would hide behind me, although she does put on a scary bark when a fence or a window is between her and a perceived intrusion. My tiny mix would battle to the death.


----------



## Zhuhaibill (Jul 10, 2015)

Yes definitely. Spoo's are big enough and intelligent enough to protect home and family in case of an emergency. When I was a kid, one day my mom and I came home to find the glass in the dining room window neatly broken next to the latch and the storm shutters closed. We first thought it might have been our maid's doing but looking closer the curtains were in tatters and our spoo, Suki was in a highly agitated mood...running all over the house and growling. Then we saw the faint blood streaks on the wallpaper and noticed that several drawers were half open. 

We called the police and it turns out they were already in the neighborhood because someone had seen a person walking through their yard. This was unusual since all properties in the neighborhood were enclosed by walls and fences. Anyway they eventually caught the guy...he didn't look like he belonged in our neighborhood and to top it off his trousers were ripped and he had blood on his legs. Seems the thief used a diamond cutter to cut an opening in our window through which he could reach in and unlock the latch. He must have climbed into the house and was just starting to rifle through the drawers when Suki happened upon him and attacked. The thief was apparently so scared of our dog that he pulled the storm shutters closed so Suki wouldn't jump out of the house after him. He had burgled a couple of home before he reached ours so he was caught red handed and our pooch, who until then was the noisy scourge of the neighborhood, known as the "wooly monster", became the local hero...at least for a few days.

Having said that our current eight month old spoo pup, Emma will bark at strange noises but if someone broke into our apartment I am not sure what she will do. In all likelihood she would jump up on the intruder (we haven't cured her of this bad habit yet) in a completely friendly fashion but this would probably scare any thief, and he would probably retreat in the face of this "attack" by the crazy jumping spoo.


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

I have no doubt what Iris would do if someone threatened me, as we have already experienced that. 7 years ago, in the middle of the night Iris woke me with one single bark, deep down in her belly kind of bark that I had NEVER heard before, or since. She is not a real barker of a dog, so my eyes flew open to see her standing over me in the bed, in a protective stance. She was on high alert staring outside and woofed softly. I looked out the window and we had a strange guy trying to break into the shop out back, then he tried the house. I didn't want Iris to let him know right away that we knew he was there so I told her to be quiet. She was. I was on the phone with police dispatch for 20 minutes watching him from a still dark house as he circled the shop trying to get in.....he had given up on the house by then. I had no means to defnd myself other than a meat mallet from the kitchen, several big knives and my dog. I know that if he had tried, seriously to get in the house she would have gone crazy barking and in a protective posture. I sure was glad when the police arrived. He was a drunk college student at the wrong house trying to get in. Still scary. I now have other means with which to protect myself and Iris. 20 minutes is a very long time to wait for police and I was afraid if Iris had to go after him she would get hurt. 

Last summer I was out back working in the garden when Iris alerted, ran barking furiously to the front and I found her with two door to door sales guys pinned up against the door. They were terrified and said" your dog isn't going to hurt us is she?" I said I don't know.....I would leave if I were you.....she was still barking furiously so I made her back off and they left. I Think she was more scared than they were but I didn't tell them that. There was something extra shady about those two. In 13 years of Iris I have never seen her like that with anyone. Usually she is happy to greet even strangers. Now days, because lots of shady characters are filtering into our lovely town and we have more crime, I am armed at all times, even in my own yard. Sad to have to say that....then I do still have the killer Poodle as well.

Viking Queen and the Lovely Miss Iris


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Grace's earlier posts on this topic:
http://www.poodleforum.com/5-poodle-talk/113258-poodle-abroard-2.html#post1322657
http://www.poodleforum.com/5-poodle...-does-your-poodle-like-not-4.html#post1368785

Grace was then 20 months old. She is soon to be 3 y/o She has a wicked sense of humor but is very obedient when not excited.
Eric


----------



## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Mithy said:


> Hearing all these cases makes me wonder if Mira really does have that protective instinct inside her.. It could be insecurity/fearfulness but it could also be an ounce of protection. I am also a very anxious person- to the point of needing medication. That could be the reason she is always on alert and warns me about strange sounds and people. Maybe she senses me. She has been doing so since she was 9 weeks to scare off people walking near my property too, Catherine.
> 
> 
> 
> I also just remembered, when she was about 3 months I was with her outside my front door, and she was unleashed. The mail lady came walking inside our property and Mira bolted and started barking at her, never once biting but making sure she didn't move.. I was soo mad!! She wouldn't even let me get her and I had to fight to pick up the little devil. Now that I think of it though, I prefer this behavior to warn off intruders. My new house will have a gate and is in a pretty secluded neighborhood, so I imagine it will be better to have a protective dog then. Right now, she is all bark and no bite, but she is also a big puppy that needs a lot of maturing to do. Thank you for all the replies, it is great to hear of your stories!!





I think most of our dogs would bark to deter a criminal. I think very few of our dogs would know what to do/how to attack a criminal if the situation progressed to that point, unless they had training. The good thing is, a bark seems to be enough to deter a bad guy in most cases. I consider that deterrence and not protection, but that's just semantics. 

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Sounds like Mira would be on alert to scare the bad guys away if they came to your house. ?


----------



## JLT0024 (Aug 24, 2015)

My female poodle from my youth was very protective of me. My younger brother and I would always wrestle, and one day we were outside when he "jumped" me. We're rolling around on the ground and punches flying everywhere (all in good fun), and Ava (my black standard girl) just starts barking and growling and then proceeds to physically remove him from him. She was gentle with him, but she was very clear that he was not allowed to touch me. So I definitely would not have wanted to see what she would've done to a real "threat" over me. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Big dogs aren't the only protectors. Check this out! 


https://youtu.be/gpg8BtXhz4M

I don't have a standard Poodle but my Doberman protected me on two occasions...backed an intruder into a corner and prevented someone from coming in the house. But if the intruder would attack me, I can not be certain my dog would have stood his ground. That is something that is extremely difficult to determine in a protection dog until something actually happens. How much a dog can take, how long he'll fight, where his threshold is where he'll back down... is hard to say. Plus, really, when I think about it...I would rather protect my _dog _and not let him tangle with a bad guy who might hurt or kill him. All I care about is alerting me and I'll be "dressed." My little Poodle and Chi dogs are_ very_ alert, vigilant watch dogs.

Love some of your stories. Wow!

Naira...actually, some dogs don't need protection training. A Doberman is one of them. That's their job...what they were bred for. They are naturally a personal protection dog and don't require training. In fact, they should not have that kind of training...just good socialization, correct temperament. The thing is, these days many are being bred to be not as sharp as they once were.


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

Wow, some of these stories are incredible. I can not imagine how scary a break in must be.. amazing to hear a poodle is capable of so many things. VQ and Zhuhaibill, so glad nobody got hurt (except the bad guy) and your spoos lived up to be heroes.

My mother who grew up in a foreign country had an old golden retriever. A man broke into her her home with a knife and that dog defended them to the death. Very sad, I would never want to put my dog in harm's way... I think dogs are very intuitive, they sense when a real danger is present and depending on the individual dog can be willing to defend be it 10 lbs or 100lbs. Some don't need training as far as I've read, some just know! Thanks so much for sharing everybody.


----------



## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Not all dogs need protection training. But when I say protection, I mean...what can most of our dogs do if someone comes into our house meaning to harm us? With weapons? 

At that point, we really become the protectors. Most of the examples of protection I see from dogs, are dogs scaring away potential criminals. I'm talking about actually fighting off danger when I say protection...which is a big jump from barking.

Just to clarify, I've been saying "our dogs" in this thread in reference to poodles and not Dobermans. But the majority of domesticated dogs would probably apply to that category.


----------



## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Of course this is just one video but look at the way a trained dog versus an untrained dog acts in dangerous situations that require fighting. 

Also...I totally don't agree with the way this video was conducted. It's just meant to be an example. 

http://youtu.be/z4ZIGHkGF-M


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The only time a person entered our yard unexpectedly was a meter reader. I had just come home and the back door was open, storm door was shut. However Peeves knows how to open the storm door. When he saw the gate open he let himself out and went running towards the gate. I haven't seen many people move as fast as that meter reader did to get himself back out of the gate. We talked through the fence. I got Peeves back in the house and the meter got read. There must be a note for the meter guys now because they always ring to front bell first now.

A dobe who belonged to someone BF knew actually killed a burglar. The dog bit the guy's thumb off. The man retreated into a closet. The dog sat in front of the door while the burglar bled to death (the thumb has a large artery). It was several hours before the family came home. They took the dog to the vet because it was acting like it had something caught in its throat. Vet found the thumb!


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

I don't expect any dog that is untrained to protect like a trained belgian malinois for example. That type of training requires extreme control over the dog, and must have the ability to protect already instilled in their genes. I believe that the dogs that have that protective instinct can and will protect if the situation arises, even if they aren't trained to do so. Thank you for sharing Naira. I would never want to put Mira in harms way and am equally as pleased that she will alert me to danger.


----------



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

there is a member whose poodle has some schutzhund training. i think he has passed some trials.


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

I am moved to say, Unless you are experienced_, Do not train your dog to attack/protect. _Some dogs are naturally protective and some are fearful. A trained protection dog is trained to be called off or attack as needed. You and your dog can be in a lot of trouble if someone is hurt by excessive force or by a _savage _dog. Some dogs will continue an attack long after it is needed. A bit like pit-bulls they go off their heads. Even careful training can sometimes not curb this. Most all dogs can be trained to protect but only a few are able to be fully controlled "off leash" without excesses.
Eric


----------



## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I agree with the video, an untrained dog would not know what to do, I do not think it would protect an owner, unless it was a mean naturally to everyone other than the owners


----------



## mamalion (Aug 8, 2014)

I don't think that one can always guess how a dog will respond. Years ago I was walking my two deerhouds in the back of a hotel parking lot. A man starting walking toward me. The bitch, who was the more submissive, put up her hackles and growled. I warned him that she was growling, but he kept coming (that is when I knew he was bad). She stepped forward, growling louder. I warned him, "I don't know what she will do." And he mumbled and left. 

I would have guessed neither would be any protection ever, but if one was, my dog would have been the one. I don't think she would have backed down.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

ericwd9 said:


> I am moved to say, Unless you are experienced_, Do not train your dog to attack/protect. _Some dogs are naturally protective and some are fearful. A trained protection dog is trained to be called off or attack as needed. You and your dog can be in a lot of trouble if someone is hurt by excessive force or by a _savage _dog. Some dogs will continue an attack long after it is needed. A bit like pit-bulls they go off their heads. Even careful training can sometimes not curb this. Most all dogs can be trained to protect but only a few are able to be fully controlled "off leash" without excesses.
> Eric



Around here, most of the people who do what passes for schutzhund have bully breeds or badly bred GSD or rotties or dobes. Many of them have more dog than they can handle. They also don't get that their "tough" dog isn't necessarily going to have the impulse control to break off when ordered to do so. Those folks are idiots and they make their dogs dangerous.


----------



## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

I was doing some work with my local police department earlier this year and the K9 guys were telling me that even their dogs tend to end up being deterrents more often than actually doing the attack/protection work they train so hard for. They said they've had more than one occurrence where someone barricaded themselves behind a door and refused to come out for the men with the guns, but surrendered immediately when they threatened to send a dog in. :lol: Most people fear angry dogs on some primal level, I guess.

But yes, I agree that actual real-world protection training (even Schutzhund is more like the play version of that, from what I understand) requires an exceptionally disciplined, level-headed dog - the best ones know how to get completely physically amped up so they look scary as heck, but still back off and hold position when the handler asks for it. That's a really tough thing for 90% of dogs to accomplish, I'd say.


----------



## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

I will say that my 1st dog, minipoo, who lived upstairs from my grandparents all his life and went to see my BFF the first wk we got him at 6 wk of age,would let none of them in the kitchen door if his people were otherwise occupied. No doubt in my mind that most dogs sense "proper" and will react in kind.

My other friend who had 2 Black female Spoos in full show coat had her red convertible fully protected by the backseat riders :adore:; You didn't dare LEAN on the car,no less try to take it!

Martha et al


----------



## aasteapots (Oct 6, 2013)

not only do I think our Spoo would protect me from a stranger she used to growl at my husband if we were rough housing. That sweet girl always had my back


----------



## Lori G (Sep 19, 2014)

*a good non-poodle story*

Our mini Aussie who passed last year was very protective of me and my husband. We live in out in the country in a development where everyone has 2 acres but we are surrounded by large acreage parcels and ranches. And our subdivision is part of a wildlife overlay--no fences allowed, etc that could impede the natural setting for the wildlife. Behind our house there is a large meadow, about 200 acres, where we walked almost every day. Gracie was always off-leash but close by. One day we were on our route and she got right in front of me and would not let me pass her; she kept indicating that she wanted to go back the way we'd come. I tried to coax her along as this was our almost-daily route. After about 5 tries, she would not budge, even though I tried to fake her out like I was going to go on ahead. But her body language told me that she sensed something so I finally gave in and said "OK, let's go the other way". Well, the next day my neighbor came over and said he'd been out with his dogs that morning and he'd found a deer kill...and mountain lion tracks. So, after that, I always paid attention to Gracie's body language and if she didn't want to go down a certain trail, or if her behavior changed while we were out on our walk or hike--even if it was out behind our house--I always followed her direction. 

My husband uses a wheelchair and if a stranger approached him or me, Gracie would always get between us and wait for the "it's ok" sign from us before she would greet the person. I have no doubt she would have be ferocious in a dangerous situation but like others have said, I would have done the same for her. She was never aggressive, only protective. She's been gone 13 months...we miss her daily.


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

R.I.P. Gracie. May she still watch over you.
Eric & Gracie-Spoo


----------



## shell (Jul 10, 2015)

My spoo is still in her mama's belly so I don't know yet, however one of my two little 5lb maltese-Tucker-certainly would.  Which is worrisome, because I'm sure no one would be afraid of him!


----------



## PoodlePossessed (Dec 8, 2015)

shell said:


> My spoo is still in her mama's belly so I don't know yet, however one of my two little 5lb maltese-Tucker-certainly would.  Which is worrisome, because I'm sure no one would be afraid of him!


My chubby little shih mix is part warrior too. He has no mean-streak, but when he goes on the defensive, he thinks he is a titan. It is worrisome. He is a smart dog. But if he was in protection mode, I do not think he would have brains enough to run from a deadly encounter. He is older & arthritic, but you would not know it when the mail comes.


----------



## wmoore (Dec 1, 2015)

a dog is a mans best friend, they will defend you if you grow them the right way


----------



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

i've told this story before, but i'll repeat it just because it is an insight into how little we sometimes know about our dogs. i had a neighbor with a very energetic mini; she told me sometimes he tired her out. my neighbor had a daughter who did not live with her, but was often over visiting. this daughter was in her late 20s but had some serious issues. nonetheless, she was well-known to murphy (the minpoo) and sometimes walked him, etc. one day, however, mother and daughter had a serious disagreement. the daughter raised her hand to hit her mother and before that could happen, murphy jumped up and bit her hand. my neighbor told me this story with some wonder in her voice. moral of story: never underestimate your super playful sometimes seemingly hyper companion. smart and loyal, what else can i say?

sorry this was not about a spoo, but i think it is about the character of at least some members of the breed.


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Mfmst said:


> but aggressive humans in these parts are armed...


I worked with a dog trainer who said, "If someone with a gun breaks into your house, it doesn't matter what kind of dog you have. The first thing they're going to do is shoot your dog." With that in mind, I don't want my dogs to attack. I just want them to give me plenty of warning.

I've never been in a truly dangerous situation, but when Jazz was about nine months old, she woke us up growling in the middle of the night. I'd never heard her growl and had no idea what the noise was. Our six year old granddaughter was spending the night with us, sleeping in the loft bedroom. My first thought was that something was in the house and I had to get to Tillie right away, so I started for the loft, with Jazz right at my heels, making a continuous rumbling growl. Turned out Tillie had woken and gotten scared, so she was creeping down the stairs to find us. As soon as Jazz recognized her, all was good, but if it had been a miscreant, he'd surely have had second thoughts at the sound of that growl.


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Yes, sadly I think this is true. The criminals who invaded my neighbors' house were not caught right away and the next week, they invaded another couples' house and this is exactly what they did. Their older dogs did not alert straight away but once the crooks were in the house, they shot the dogs.  The people arrived and surprised the criminals and fortunately the husband was a former Marine* (though long retired and elderly) and he grabbed the barrel of one of the guns and hit one of the criminals hard across the chest. When the criminal went for medical care for his broken ribs, that was part of the way they were finally caught.

* sorry, I typed navy seal first but the gentleman was a retired Marine.


----------



## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

Yes, Lola would get into it. Our Corgi has strong herding / protective instincts. She feeds off him. It can be a problem one I am on high alert for. If someone broke in the house and went after one of us, all hell would break loose.


----------



## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Unfortunately even large dogs aren't a deterrent sometimes.

Our house was broken into while we had not one but two Borzoi. For those not familiar with this breed, they are very large, somewhat imposing looking sighthounds, 28" or more tall. I have no idea if the dogs barked or not, but the burglars herded them into the bedroom, shut the door, and proceeded to remove our belongings. In a way, though, maybe it's a good thing the dogs were easily managed; these guys did have a gun and perhaps would have used it if the dogs had given them problems. 

Sugarfoot is not stranger-friendly and I have no doubt that he would bark and/or growl in a threatening situation (as he sometimes does in situations that aren't actually threatening), but I'm pretty sure his "protectiveness" is fear-based and he wouldn't actually protect if it came right down to it. The deep, scary, loud barking might be enough, though!

--Q

P.S. The break-in story has a happy ending. The woman who lives in the house across the street heard them breaking down the door and called the police. The guys tried to tell the police that they were friends of ours who had been asked to move our stuff, but, yeah. They got caught red-handed.


----------



## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Glad your story had a happy ending, Quossum!

In spite of the limitations of "protection" that can be expected from an untrained (and sometimes even a trained) dog, I do think overall that I am safer WiTH Dulcie than I was without her. 

The fact is that most burglars etc want to make easy thefts and so the sound of a dog growling or barking within a home is often enough to make them move on to look for easier marks, so in that sense, I think having a dog can be invaluable as a first line of defense against burglary. This was also what the home security system representative with whom I spoke after a rash of neighborhood burglaries told me. So there seems to be solid evidence that owning a dog really is a deterrent in many cases. Just not in the sense of having the dog actually attack criminals.


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

*Theives Thwarted*

I had a pack of thieves ransacking my greenhouse and garden. They have not visited much since Gracie came to live. Possums are destructive cute little animals. But they don't like dogs much. Gracie out stares them and they leave.
Eric.:angel:


----------



## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

My daughter came by last night after dark to drop something off. Her husband was here and the three of us were talking. Blue became very alert when he heard the car and then her footsteps on the deck. The lights inside made it impossible to see through the sliding door, so Blue didn't know who was out there. As soon as my daughter started to open the door, Blue charged forward, front legs stiff, head down, barking. I haven't ever seen him act so aggressive. As soon as my daughter stepped inside, Blue relaxed and went to greet her, but if it had been someone he didn't know, I'm not sure what he'd have done. In any event, I feel a bit safer in the only house on this dead-end street.


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

Naira said:


> Of course this is just one video but look at the way a trained dog versus an untrained dog acts in dangerous situations that require fighting.
> 
> Also...I totally don't agree with the way this video was conducted. It's just meant to be an example.
> 
> http://youtu.be/z4ZIGHkGF-M


In reference to this video and this thread, I found something very similar to this on a GSD forum. It seems the majority of the people there question the video and it's purpose, as well as defend the notion that untrained dogs do have the ability to protect you if need be. Of course, that's not true for all dogs.. but here's the link to those who are more curious.
Will an untrained dog protect its owner? - German Shepherd Dog Forums

I also just want to add that I would never put my dog in a situation like that. I prefer she just alerts me less any harm comes to her. Some dogs are equipped to handle themselves and others not. And especially can't defend against a gun.


----------



## Raven's Mom (Mar 18, 2014)

I like this thread because I have been wondering that exact thing recently. I would like to think Raven would try to protect me but she is usually timid and nervous around strangers. 

I sometimes have to work after hours and my office is in a portable classroom unit in the parking lot of the main building. I have started taking her with me. I have no idea what she would do if we actually encountered anyone, but it makes me feel better to have her there.

It has been interesting watching her mature, though. At one time she literally hid behind me and slept on me, now she stands up straight barking at strangers and sleeps all around the house.


----------



## Motion (Oct 27, 2015)

Merlyn Loves to bark at passers-by but when push comes to shove he firmly believes that his role is to wake Papa Bear and show him the problem so he can deal with it. Our families truck is old and is stolen every couple years. When Merlyn was a puppy he and the GSD across the street raised a racket over it giving Dad time to scare off the criminals (on a couple occassions the guys ran before Dad even got outside). Later in life when the GSD had moved away Merlyn would wake up Dad and lead him downstairs to the front door. However if the "threat" is a case of high schools TP-ing the house (an annual senior tradition) Merlyn couldn't care less, even though Dad was pissed over it. 

I can't say Merlyn would ever physically protect anyone for sure, he might for me or my sister, but if Dad was there I think Merlyn would expect him to resolve the problem.


----------



## mullyman (Oct 15, 2015)

I think the question you're partially asking is if a Spoo would be able to scare the living S**T out of someone like say....a Boxer or Doberman would. The quick answer to that is "YES!!!!"

I'm a big big guy, 6'1 and, at the time around 240lbs. That is a good weight for me. The groomer we took our dogs to had 2 Spoos that were still in their puppy stages when I played with them. About a year or so goes by with my wife taking our babies to get groomed when one day she asked me if I could go pick them up. Sure, no problem. So, I go to the groomer and there are those 2 Spoos out in the runaround area. I non chalantly walk up to the fence like we were good old friends, and both of them freaked right out and came at me teeth and tongue. Scared me to death. I don't think I've ever jumped back from something so quick in my life. I tell ya, a big dog is a big dog. When all you see is teeth, trust me, being poofy doesn't matter. hahaha!!
MULLY


----------



## snmim (Sep 7, 2015)

mullyman said:


> I think the question you're partially asking is if a Spoo would be able to scare the living S**T out of someone like say....a Boxer or Doberman would. The quick answer to that is "YES!!!!"
> 
> I'm a big big guy, 6'1 and, at the time around 240lbs. That is a good weight for me. The groomer we took our dogs to had 2 Spoos that were still in their puppy stages when I played with them. About a year or so goes by with my wife taking our babies to get groomed when one day she asked me if I could go pick them up. Sure, no problem. So, I go to the groomer and there are those 2 Spoos out in the runaround area. I non chalantly walk up to the fence like we were good old friends, and both of them freaked right out and came at me teeth and tongue. Scared me to death. I don't think I've ever jumped back from something so quick in my life. I tell ya, a big dog is a big dog. When all you see is teeth, trust me, being poofy doesn't matter. hahaha!!
> MULLY


I would've hoped so, but that guy at the tennis courtyard definitely didn't. There are 3 large, empty courts and he decided to enter the one with the young girl and her dog. He watched us for a while then let himself through the locked gate I put up... even with Mira barking, growling, and running circles around him- he didn't seem fazed. He said "it's just a poodle" and continued to mumble and speak to me, getting closer. After seeing she wasn't affecting the guy Mira kept her distance but definitely showed she was uncomfortable and that's when I just quickly got her and left. Mira is small for a spoo... she's 28lbs at 7 months and 22 1/2 inches tall. I did want an average size spoo but I don't. At the time I wish she was confident enough to tell that creep to back off!!

For now I'll just groom her to make her look like she's huge... that's the beauty of a poodle anyways.


----------



## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

*Big Bark, is there a bite?*

The deep chest of the standard poodle ensures a deep, loud and if delivered properly, intimidating bark. There are few dogs that can better it. Strangely my Gracie will growl as a communication. "Daddy there is a scrubbing brush on a string walking past our house Grrr." "Daddy there is a huge dog out in the driveway Woooof! Woooof! GrrrrGrrrr." "Daddy there is a robber in the house _*Snarl!!!*_ If you have never heard a standard poodle snarl then I hope you never do. It will chill your blood to ice. For most dogs a snarl is a preliminary to an attack. WE do have an indigenous Australian problem in Australia. Its cause is political but never the less, one can be robbed when out in the bush. I have seen a number (4 or more) persons retreat (very quickly) when Gracie has snarled her warning. One was very brave. He ended up in hospital with serious leg and arm wounds. I was worried grace might have overstepped her duty. The police officer who attended praised grace and his report stated: "an unknown dog attacked the defendant and could not afterward be found." This man is now in correctional care and hopefully will think three times before facing a poofy poodle. (Grace was only 18 months old at the time)
Eric:alien2:


----------



## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I know that Stella would ! I also think Carley would follow Stella's lead. That is the one thing I would change about them.... They are too protective.

A couple of years ago, I felt threaten by a man I caught sleeping on the trail that I walk on. He hid his sleeping bag and picked up a club like stick and came back on the trail. I could see this because I was higher than him on the trail. I wanted no part of this , so I turned and started back up. He started up behind me, much faster than me and was catching up quickly. I took both my girls off leash, turned to face him, put my leather leashes in one hand to make my own weapon. I told my girls to sit and we waited for him.... he turned and went the other way.

I don't know if he meant me any harm, but he did scare me and I think he found a woman with two well trained dogs just as scary.


----------

