# How often do dogs defend their owners?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 26, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590 "2008-10-26T01:50:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590/61 "2008-10-29T20:39:37Z")

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> [@SCSimmons](#):
>
> Geese are historically very popular watch-animals, because of this sort of behavior. They’re not only pretty vicious in flocks, but also very alert and noisier than hell.

Indeed, there’s a Prince Valiant strip where they augment the defenses with geese.

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**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590/62 "2008-10-30T04:00:06Z")

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My late, great black lab lived with Ex and I for four years before Ex became a terrible person and Doggie and I moved out. One night the Ex came over to my new digs to stir up some trouble and Doggie placed himself between us and went at her with fangs drawn, ready to kill. He didn’t actually bite, but scared Ex enough that she didn’t ever try that again.

Of my three current dogs, I know that my shepherd mix would defend me to her death; she is attached to me by an invisible heart-string and has, a few times, proven that she thinks her job is to ward off mean dogs and people. The lab probably would _if_ it didn’t disturb one of her scheduled naps; the Border collie . . . she’s quite territorial and scared one of my neighbors who tried to catch her when the little rat escaped from the backyard (growling and some teeth display). Still, I think while she might _herd_ someone threatening, dunno about the kill factor.

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**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590/63 "2008-10-31T05:42:43Z")

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> [@T.Slothrop](#):
>
> We had a mutt (Arf) for many years. He would bite the percieved attacker in any situation. So what my brother and sister and I would do was grab the siblings arm and pull their hand over to our body and at the same time yell: “ow, ow,ow, ow.” Arf would percieve that the person whose arm was outstretched must be the attacker and bite them.

Hey! I still have scars.

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**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2008, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-dogs-defend-their-owners/469590/64 "2008-10-31T07:54:41Z")

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> [@Azhure](#):
>
> [Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=83652) the thread.

I love that thread. Comparing a dog’s protective growl to an IRS audit is a hysterical combination.

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