I live on the banks of a deep river. Whenever my grandchildren would visit our Dobie would follow them around, and if they got close to the bank the dog would get between them and the river and lean on them.
If there was only one child present the dog had no problem. But with three or four children the dog never got a moments rest. She would ride herd on all of them.
The irony was that one winter she fell through the ice, probably chasing a rabbit, and drowned.
I'm sorry to hear about your Dobie. She sounds like she was a great dog.