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mjbuck

Hancock, MI

MH
Posts:144

08/03/2012 7:55 AM
I really haven't seen my dog "angry" in the two years I've had her, until last night that is. We live on a dead end with woods surrounding us on three sides. Wildlife is common in our yard and on the property. Sadie gets excited when she sees a deer, raccoon, an ocassional bear, but nothing like last night. It was about 11:00pm and she was sleeping in her bed on the floor. I had the door open facing the woods. All of a sudden, Sadie bolts for the door and starts growling, barking and jumping on the screen and just being spastic. I turn on the outside lights and see what I think is another dog walking with a person into the field in front of our house. Can't quite make it out and the dog and man disappear into the woods. I didn't get too excited because there used to be a trail that ran in that area and there it still gets some use and ocassionally during daylight hours, someone will still walk through. I'm a retired Sheriff's Deputy, so not much gets me excited. Also, we live in an area with very little crime, so no suspicion there either. I had to forcefully restrain Sadie for a couple of minutes and after that she still sat at the door and growled under her breath for a while and then went back to sleep. My wife always wondered what kind of watch dog Sadie would be, guess that answered that question. We have been in all kind of situations with Sadie in the 2 plus years we've had her and I've never seen her act like this. Just got to wonder what she would have done if I had opened the door and let her go. Would she be all bark and no bite? Anyone with similar stories?

smatulewicz User is Offline

Michigan

MH
Posts:1187

08/03/2012 8:50 AM
Atta girl, Sadie. Bella is so sweet natured I didn't expect much in the way of being protective, but she has her moments. A very good balance, in my opinion. Though, I do think she'd be more bark than bite (and very little bark at that, but she's using her voice more). I realized that maybe she and I are safe scooting out and about all over the woods and such a lone one day when we were at the beach just the two of us. Bella LOVES people so I always have to be a step ahead of her on approaching people so I can give her the "go meet" command if it is OK (once I confirm with the person they don't mind). A man walking the length of the beach walked by once, and I didn't allow her to go meet. When he came back by, he said it was OK and asked if he could pet her. So I released her and her whole butt was wagging as usual....until she got a good sniff of him. within seconds, her tail tucked and she was leery of him petting her. Seeing the drastic behavior chance, which I had never seen her react to anyone that way, I threw her buoy so she'd go into the water. She headed to retrieve, and looked back and realized he was still there and headed back to shore and right on my blanket in between us. I told her again to go get her buoy and she started, but looked back to see him still there, and came back again. The guy finally went on his way, but it really bothered me to think what it is what about him that she didn't trust. But, I was proud of her. Every now and then a big window in our dining room reflects our neighbor walking in his side yard. She has seen that a few times and gotten really fixated. Checked the kitchen and dining room several times before she stops grumbling.

Texas Belle User is Offline

Austin, TX

MH
Posts:7834

08/03/2012 9:24 AM
Belle and Halo backed my yard man against my house the first time he came to do the yard. At the time they did not know him. I was out so I went to see what was going on and there was this big guy plastered against the wall afraid to move. I called the dogs off and told them he was a friend, then they went right up to him tails wagging.

Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna) Yellow Rose GSPs "A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato

Smylinacha User is Offline

Connecticut

MH
Posts:1208

08/03/2012 9:36 AM
I have the cable guy coming over today for a possible repair - dogs are out in their kennel and I am sure glad Windsor is outside today because he is hard to control when someone he doesn't know shows up at the house. Velvet doesn't do much but Windsor is VERY protective and he remembers people. If a friend comes over he'll bark but once they come in, he'll sniff them and remember them and want attention. If it's the UPS guy, or any stranger, he growls and does a different bark - an angry one. I am thankful for that. He only does this at home. When we are out on walks he is very friendly towards others.

kpwlee

Raleigh, NC

MH
Posts:992

08/03/2012 2:15 PM
Bugsy looks menacing - he's a big boy but he's not great as a watch dog, somehow greeting everyone with a toy in his mouth kind of takes the menacing out of his look LOL However the other morning the garbage men were out while we were making our way home - which is into the sun so everything is backlit. We have no sidewalks or curbs and the streets are narrow. The garbage men drive down the middle of the street and do both sides at once. Well goofy very large garbage man jumps off the truck right in front of us waving his arms saying good morning. Now we see the garbage men once a week and Bugsy never even looks at them, however if a 6'4" backlit man jumps towards us Bugsy turns into the scariest, very large nearly black dog you could meet LOL He reared up on his hind legs and gave this deep WOOF! I grabbed him by the collar. The poor garbage man nearly crapped himself. I apologized and he said, "no ma'am he's just doing what he should do" My guess is he won't jump off the truck waving his arms hello at any other dog walkers soon I heard him going on and on from down the street hahahaha

It's Bugsy's world... http://dailyzoomie.blogspot.com/

Pointer Fan User is Offline

Westminster, Colorado

MH
Posts:954

08/09/2012 8:50 AM
Our first GSP was protective of us. Held the telephone man in a sitting position for 2 hours after he jumped the chain link fence to get to the box. He said as long as he did not move she was fine. Another time a friend came up for help from her abusive husband. He came right up after her. My husband was on a business trip. When he opened the screen door all you could see was teeth and snarl. He left. P.S. In 38 years of owning GSPs I have never had one bite anyone.

MelB

MH
Posts:1217

08/10/2012 4:57 PM
It's amazing how dogs know good people, from bad ones that maybe we can't tell aren't quite the best examples of humankind. Sizzle is not a fan of people she doesn't know, but she usually settles down once she's allowed a sniff to check them out. I've only ever had one experience where no matter what she was not about to let this person come anywhere near her and got bit aggressive when he tried to push the issue by showing her teeth and backing up between my daughter and he. He got the picture. (and shortly there after so did my daughter!) we discovered he wasn't a very nice person. I always say, if my dog doesn't like you, odds are that I won't either and it's pretty much held true my whole life.

Smylinacha User is Offline

Connecticut

MH
Posts:1208

08/11/2012 1:26 PM
I'll tell ya, between the mutts and my shooting skills, who needs to call 911? Not me!

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