Most dog owners are going to take the time to train their dog. This will include teaching them basic skills and eventually looking towards focusing on protective skills that will help keep the family safe. However, it is always important to learn more about the dog’s natural instinct with its pack. Will an untrained dog protect its owner?
An untrained dog can protect its owner and will have a natural instinct to do so. However, some untrained dogs may hesitate to respond to what is a perceived threat and that’s where training becomes important.
In general, if there is a life-threatening situation and the untrained dog is bonded to you, they will step in the way as soon as possible.
Key factors include:
» Type of Threat
» Dog’s Health
» Strength of Your Bond
This is critical when it comes to figuring out whether or not an untrained dog will take the time to keep you safe. Some will do so and others aren’t going to be as quick to react.
This is why it is important to dig deeper into learning more about your dog’s natural instinct:
1. Your Bond With The Dog
It’s important to think about your bond with the dog before anything else.
The dog has to feel like they are a part of your pack and that you are their best friend. If that type of bond has been crafted, they won’t need to be trained to keep you safe.
It’s going to be natural to them.
When a dog feels like their pack member is under threat, they will want to step in as soon as possible. This is their way of ensuring their pack stays safe as a whole.
This is key when asking, “Will an untrained dog protect its owner?” because those who have bonded well are going to be more likely to do so.
2. Type of Threat
It is also important to think about the type of threat that comes along with something like this.
A physical threat is going to get a dog to react quickly. They will realize something is off and if they have bonded well, they will take the time to step in.
Of course, this is not as certain of a thing as it would be with a trained dog. Most trained dogs will know which cues to pick up on and that makes it easier to rely on them.
However, even an untrained dog can pick up on specific cues as they would in the wild.
If you are wondering, “Will an untrained dog protect its owner?” it is best to realize a physical threat is one the untrained dog is more likely to react to.
Another threat would be a stranger that walks into your home.
An untrained dog will see this as a natural threat because someone has entered their territory. This can also become a problem because sometimes a person is supposed to enter your house and the untrained dog is going to start getting upset.
3. THE DOG’S HEALTH
Your untrained dog’s health will also have a role to play.
If the dog isn’t healthy, they are unlikely to step in. They won’t be in the right condition to do so even if it is their natural instinct to protect those around them.
Aging and/or ill dogs will not put themselves in harm’s way even when there is a threat and that is when they tend to separate themselves more to keep the rest of the pack safe.
This tends to happen with a lot of aging dogs as well.
They will look to others that are stronger than them in the pack to keep everyone safe. In this case, you would be the stronger one.
It is important to focus on this when you are judging an untrained dog’s ability to protect.
Signs that your dog will protect you:
» He has a standing alert position
» Has a stiff body
» He is growling
Naturally protective dogs:
» Bullmastiff
» Rottweiler
» Great Dane
» Cane Corso
So, would my untrained dog protect me or not?
Without proper protection dog training, it is hard to say whether an untrained dog will protect you. In most cases, the dog may offer protection by scaring away criminals with a threatening bark and large stature.
When a situation escalates past that point, the dog may have trouble interpreting it. The dog will quickly need to understand if the person has bad intentions or is just a friend.
This is why training is a must!