Are guard dog or protection breeds more aggressive than the rest?

There is debate around what is considered a guard dog and if it is more aggressive than other races

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Decades and centuries ago, having a dog at home is hardly related to the concept we have in the news Today a dog is part of your family, you can not conceive life without it because you know how much it contributes to your life. But once, the dog had a main function since it was used as a working tool: to be a watchdog . A dog to protect the house, a plot, livestock, to protect their owners. Therefore, the guard dog or protection breeds are more aggressive than the rest?

The dog as a tool

Although things have evolved, a dog protects a house, a field or the livestock is something that is still maintained in rural areas of Spain. Now, what is meant by a watchdog? In theory, due to its temperament, physical strength, bravery and resistance to pain, there would be certain dog breeds listed as guard dogs, those that serve as guard against people or unwanted animals.

A rottweiler, doberman or German shepherd, among many, would fall within that categorization, something that Sergio Tallón, the Senda Canina trainer, does not agree with at all. "Having a guard dog depends on the individual, not the breed. That is, there are dogs that are better guardians than others "he says. This translates to "inside all dogs there is a hunting dog, there is a shepherd dog, there is a guard dog, … and some have more accentuated certain characteristics in their genetics than others".

Watchdog breeds

They are usually example of breeds of guard dogs to the Spanish mastiff, to the mastiff of the Caucasus, or to the great Pyrenees because they are dogs that were used to keep a cattle and have gone on to keep a territory . They are considered the best because they have been selected for it, but "having a guard dog depends on the individual" Tallón insists.

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Yorkshire or a Labrador may be the best watchdog in the world; or have a Doberman that is not worth anything. Now, what does it mean to save? According to the educator consulted by Wamiz, "it is very relative. For many people a guarding dog is a barking dog, but is a barking dog guarding? Does a dog that barks if it enters that house, protects it? Almost certainly not "opines.

They are insecure dogs

The watchdog component is much more complex than it seems and has little to do with what ordinary mortals believe. "This type of dog reacts to noise, to people, to something that happens near its territory and has the need to throw it out, to expel it because it considers it a threat" says Senda Canina. Does this sound like? It's like when we talk about the reasons why your dog barks at night: are insecure dogs .

For your dog to be a good watchdog you have to do a bit the opposite of the current family concept: "not to socialize the dog, to have little communication, that see few people, … What will happen to it? That the dog reacts to any stimulus in case of insecurity "Sergio points out. All dogs have the ability to store something in their territory, although if our trainer had to choose a guard dog opts for the mastiff: "They are strong dogs that impose more" .

Connection of the race with aggression

Taking all this information into account, is there a direct relationship with the aggressiveness of the dog and its own race? "No, with race no. There is a relationship between the individual and aggressiveness "says the trainer. "What there may be is a bit of connection between genetic behavior and aggressive behavior. That is to say, it is not the same in a German shepherd or a Belgian shepherd who is selected to use more mouth, than a German braco. At the time of a confrontation or a conflict, the first two dogs will use more mouth than a braco and therefore it is not more aggressive. The dog has behaviors that have been selected at certain times that we consider aggressive like using the mouth to solve difficult situations ".

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Another example that Sergio puts Talon to understand the concept of watchdog and its debated aggressiveness, would be the dog in another environment. A shepherd dog or a dog in freedom, if you use your mouth is not aggressive, "it is totally lawful." From his point of view, he emphasizes that those considered guard dog races or protection races are not more aggressive than the rest . Simply "are somewhat insecure. Can insecurity lead to aggression? Of course. But one thing is the brave dog that pulls forward and another thing is to assume that most guard dogs would bite. They will do it when they feel cornered and do not see any way out ".

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