Somehow, we’ve slipped under the popular radar for a while.
There are some places where they’re on ‘banned breed’ lists and most home insurance companies get really jumpy about them *but*, of all breeds, they are, IMO and experience, one of the least likely to bite unless it’s justified.
Odin’s never bitten anybody but he has made it abundantly clear to a certain subset of society that they really best not be trying to go stupid on “mommy”, several times.
So far, that subset has had the presence of mind to not push their luck.
Now Tito, the Wonder Dobe of my youth did indeed suddenly lurch forward, breaking his collar and launch himself unbidden into the window of a car containing a guy who’d stopped to ‘talk’ to my friend and myself in a McD’s parking lot one night.
He was protection trained and never did anything without a command either before or after that so I was quite shocked...until an LEO said the guy we’d described was an out-of-towner wanted for grabbing and raping women in parking lots.
How that dog knew what that seemingly polite and pleasant guy was really up to, I’ll never know.
He had hold of the guy by the shoulder, working his way into the car further to get hold of his neck and boy, did that dude ever scream like a girl.
Nobody ever saw him this area again.
[hopefully, he bled out somewhere]
Many years before that, my first Dobe, an old sweetheart named Caesar, who wouldn’t bite fleas if his life depended on it was still visually ‘stereotypical’ enough to stop my pedophile uncle from ever touching me again.
I literally owe my life to and love these dogs.
Best dogs, ever.
Wow, cool story. It’s amazing to me how dogs often *know* about people. I don’t think my goldens are as discerning, which is a positive/negative thing. I never had to worry that they would bite a strange child no matter what, but at the same time they aren’t much protection. Even my spinoni are better watch dogs, at least they will bark at the first sign of a stranger around the house. And they are large and can be menacing looking if you don’t know them. Im not sure who would be menaced by a golden retriever wagging their tail and asking for a cookie.
I’d say Tito *did* receive a command. His Master clearly gave him an order, in my view. (Hopefully Tito got a steak for that. ;) )