# How do guard dogs react in domestic disputes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2013, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272 "2013-02-14T12:06:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/21 "2013-02-14T20:56:16Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Can you point me to where I said I was qualified? Or that I was even buying a dog? [moderating] I know you’re the OP, but when I asked everyone to back off, that included you. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/22 "2013-02-14T22:37:22Z")
My parents would wrestle, with much giggling. Our dog would be upset, and try to get them to stop by getting in between. He didn’t choose sides; I think he knew it was not serious. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/23 "2013-02-14T23:04:34Z")
Not necessarily the alpha - when I was a kid our terrier would growl and hackle at my dad when I got a spanking. ---
**Author:** ![fshdude1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@fshdude1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fshdude1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/24 "2013-02-14T23:43:20Z")
Me and my girlfriend have a two year old american bulldog. When me and her get into a heated argument, the dog always takes her side and starts barking at me, standing in front of her and in other situations if Im on top of her tickling her or something, he will get on top of me, start barking and either nibbles my ear or bites. Also, I think I am the alpha, so he might be defending the weaker link in the pack. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/25 "2013-02-15T00:27:55Z")
> [@Shiloh2013](#): > > Don’t be butt-hurt because you’re not qualified. You aren’t, I know it and you know it. Training classes teach the owners as much as the pups. Sometimes dog control is counter-intuitive to humans. Not to mention all the anthropomorphizing crap in movies and TV. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272/26 "2013-02-15T06:17:09Z")
The concept of “alpha” in dog psychology is over-used, simplistic, and outdated. It is a poor and primitive guide to dog behavior. Dogs are complex social beings, both like and unlike ourselves. They aren’t simply hierarchical a la chickens (even chickens have a more nuanced social life than mere pecking order). My guess is, the biggest difference in how a ‘guard dog breed’ and any other breed might react to a crisis within their social circle without any guidance about how to behave, is how much damage they might do if they decide to join in, simply because guarding breeds are large and strong. I would predict that the reaction of the dog would be dependent on the exact situation, the dog’s interpretation of it, the dog’s relationship to each of the participants, the general excitability of the dog, its social sophistication about humans, and level of bite inhibition, among other factors. In other words, it depends. I have one dog that has a catch and release policy for flies, and another that will hit a cow so hard between the eyes you can hear it 100 feet away. The first one never met a stranger, the second one treats all new acquaintances like potential perps. Same breed. When my husband and I fight they both run and hide under the deck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-guard-dogs-react-in-domestic-disputes/650272.md?page=1)