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They do an interesting test with different breeds and not one of them did a whole lot other than barking when an intruder came into their home, to the surprise of their owners. The GSD was the most notable, however I've always understood that without extensive ongoing training no dog will really be a protection dog.
http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/05/b...s-to-the-test/
The hair on Maddy's back from the top of her head all the way down to the tip of her tail will go up and she will let out a mean howl, that's it.
Mine will run up to them.. And brush herself against their hand until they pet her
Mine will protect me but not sure about the house. Both responded in protection mode during American Temperament Test and once when police arrived at night with news they had to be put behind gate where they continued to posture and growl.
Husband has office at home and patients come and go. I'm pretty sure that if someone came in they would show them to the treat jar and start doing tricks in an effort to be fed. Typical Rhodesians.
In my teens we adopted a stray shepherd/husky cross that showed up on the doorstep one day. He had been abused pretty badly and it was a long time before he wouldn't cower when you made sudden moves around him. Tossed a stick shortly after he showed up to see if he would fetch and he flipped over on his back yelping and peeing. Pretty evident that he'd been beaten with a stick and he had a strong dislike for people of a certain ethnicity. Anyway he couldn't decide whether he was more loyal to my Dad or me. Me being a teenager and wanting to show the old man up I was always trying to wrestle with him and the poor dog didn’t know who to defend. He'd join in and nibble on me for a bit then go after Dad. I have no doubt that that dog would have gone postal on anyone that came after any of us.
Sorta like with people....lots of bluster but when face to face, without special training most will cave quickly and hid under their bed and cry till it's over .LOL...
I had a GSD and a Malinois, both protection trained. The malinois in particular would approach his job with ears forward and tails straight up, never hackles up, that is usually a sign of fear not aggression, he could go out on the field and bite a "bad guy" I could tell him out and say "done" and the bad guy could pet him like they where friends. This training took 2 years of hard work and a dog with the right nerve. Most dogs don't have it and my lab certainly doesn't. I'm just happy when he barks at the door. Having a protection trained dog is a huge responsibility that quite a few people would have a hard time handling. A dog barking with hackles up and snarling and lunging is more often then not afraid and not protective. I used to put on the bite suit as well and it is very easy to scare off an untrained dog without the right nerve. In saying that you just never know which one will nail you when you turn your back, but that is a different behaviour all together. I did dog sports that included protection for many years before I got my first hunting dog and have had the scars and bruises to show for it.
Very few dogs will/do.
Of all the dogs I've ever owned, one I would say is a "maybe". She was my Basenji, great personalty, sweet, very protective, but if push ever did come to shove, can't say yes with any confidence. My retired grey hound yes, he would….did…..We tried to train the aggression out of him. We failed.
M_P.
My GF rescued a walker hound mix last winter, he to was abused badly before he ended up in the rescue. Displayed the same kind of things, and worse. Its taken a long time for him to learn to trust again, in fact it was just a couple weeks ago, he finally got over feeling comfortable enough to lie down on a couch beside either of us. He'd sit beside us after awhile, but it took a year to get him to lie down, rest his head on our lap. He still reacts to sudden movements, and other things. Luckily one thing we haven't had to deal with/get him over is fear aggression.
Aggression and protection are not the same thing. Aggression usually turns into uncontrolled fear biting and is most often interpreted as protection. It gets many dog owners into trouble.
Thats my point rcoulas. But its a very fine line, because strangers even friends/family but "strangers" to them coming into the house etc,etc can easily trigger the fear aggression.