The Protective Nature of Dogs

When my brother was only a toddler, we owned a Siberian Husky. If you have any experience with this beautiful dog, you will know that they have a tendency to have a "wild" streak, even though they are very loving and gentle dogs. One day, my brother ran up behind our dog, and jumped onto his back while he was sleeping. The dog reacted quite violently (as might be expected), turned over his shoulder and grabbed my brother by the head. Fortunately, the dog realized what he did, and immediately let go. My father, meanwhile, quickly grabbed my brother, and knocked the dog away from him. My brother escaped with only a minor cut, though it could certainly have been much worse.

After this incident, our dog was extremely protective of my brother. The dog was well behaved around the rest of us, and enjoyed playing and romping with us, but he was protective with my brother. We could not roughhouse with him. My parents could not discipline him in sight of the dog. The dog would do whatever he could to keep anything bad from happening to my brother. I believe my toddler brother could have walked in downtown New York with that dog and no one would have bothered him!

This reflects the protective nature that many dogs have. Some breeds are known for being extremely loyal to their owners, and are known as "one owner" breeds. Often Chows, German Shepherds and Pit Bulls are of this nature. But, many dogs are very loyal to their owners, and their families. This loyalty is the heart of why the dog is protective. Dogs can and will be devoted to those that provide for them. And, if something happens to strengthen that relationship even further (as happened with my brother), then the dog will be even fiercely loyal, and protective.