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Is your Border Collie protective?


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When I got my first BC years ago.. I read that they "generally do not make good guard dogs." Well, I now own 2 borders and have found this to becompletely inaccurate for both of them.

My male, Tucker, who was my first BC.. has been very protective basically since I got him at 7 weeks. What I love about it is it is not obnoxious incessant barking over nothing, or at any little thing - and if I say "it's okay" to whatever the situation is, all defensiveness is dropped immediately. However, if I am not there or do not 'okay' the situation, there is no way in the world a stranger is going to sneak on in. He only ever barks if there is a legitimate reason - stranger coming to the house(just walking by, he doesn't care), stranger going near the stock, etc. He has 3 different barks so I always kinda know what's up.

My other BC, Lily, is the same way.

Being that I'm a 22 year old single female who lives in a VERY isolated area of West Texas, where there are frequent issues with illegals attempting to break into homes..etc.... I am VERY HAPPY that I know I've got 2 dogs who will defend their territory/me and not let someone through.

 

So what have others found, are your BCs protective, guard-dog material, or not even close?

 

Little side story... one time while running with Tuck, a guy in a truck pulled over and literally cut us off on the side of the road. I HAD to stop. Again, I live very isolated..no houses around..around here, everyone knows everyone, and I did not know this vehicle/guy. He yelled out "hey.." and began getting out of his truck when Tucker barked twice and started growling. I asked him to sit - he sat and continued staring the guy down while growling. It seemed to throw the guy off and he stopped mid-way out of his vehicle and kind of half-laughed and nervously asked "is your dog friendly??" I immediately replied "No. He is actually extremely protective." which Tuck backed up with his continued half-snarled growling. Guy said "oh... um...oh. have a good day.." shut his truck door and drove off. To this day I have no idea who that man was, what he was doing, or what his intentions were..... but I am very grateful I had my boy with me that day. This to me is protective behavior... he is not aggressive with strangers, does not react this way to every person, and in fact is VERY friendly. But man am I glad he's got my back when I need it!

 

 

 

Andrea

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Jinx is like that. He absolutely does not like strangers at night and will bark and growl at them unless told to knock it off. He's not loose in he house by himself so idk what he would do if someone tried to break in. Just like you though I really don't mind him barking at strangers at night, and I've done the same thing as you on a walk at night. I'm a young female and I walk my dog late at night due to weather restricting sunny time activities, so I walk him and play fetch with him late at night. I've definitely run across some sketchy people and have been thankful that he does bark and growl, though I know if I told him it was ok he would stop. Also for most of the year I live where's there's bears and other big wildlife... I know he would easily scare off a black bear.

 

 

Though to be honest I think he's more of a lover than a fighter.... I don't think he could even do much damage to a full grown male adult.... but he's all black and hard to see at night with a VERY big bark. You would think he's the size of a gsd.

 

He also has a command for barking. And he reads my body language very well. If I am tense and nervous about a person he picks up on it for sure.

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Keeper is the same way: strangers are almost all awesome during the day, but absolutely not ok at night. Being 21 and living in a sketchy part of town, I too am quite ok with watchdog behavior. If I tell him to quit he gets quiet almost immediately, save for a little growliness. I truly feel like he is a complete wuss and would never actually confront a stranger, but he sure would make enough of a racket to act as a deterrent. He has a very screechy warning bark/howl that is a very clear 'do not mess with me' sign. If I ever felt like his defensiveness was getting out of hand or becoming dangerous I would surely correct the behavior, but a good watchdog has been a lifesaver in my part of town.

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my Sid's the same. Her favourite spot for the night is curled into a big soft chair at my front door, which is all french-paned and overlooks the whole front right to the road. She raises the alarm in the night sometimes and I know she's telling me -"human", and, she thinks, not in a good way. That wakes my others up, who will sleepily come to back her but she's my girl who stays on duty for us during the wee hours and I love her for it.

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Not at all. None of my border collies have been protective, though they've never really encountered a situation where it would be necessary, so I can't say that with 100% certainty.

 

Some of them have been decent watch dogs (the difference being that a watch dog merely barks and alerts, but doesn't attack), but some of them haven't even been very good at that.

 

Most of mine have been more like the running joke that a border collie would greet a burglar at the door and ask if he can help take my stuff out of the house. :rolleyes:

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I think a lot of people (including some in this thread) as mistaking protection for anxiety. BCs are often top-notch when it comes to anxiety. True protection type dogs are willing to engage and fight without fear if push comes to shove. BCs are not bred for that type of drive.

Most people just want an alarm, and as you've heard, BCs can fulfil that role quite nicely.
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I agree with the idea that for many border collies it is anxiety not protection that makes them bark. I have a big male and people think that he is being protective but if you can read a dogs body language well it is obvious that he is letting me know he is concerned, the slight hiding behind my legs is the first clue! Luckily most people don't translate dog well and they think he would come to my protection, when I think he believes the roles are reversed.

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SuperGibbs has a Very Serious Growl, he's only used it a handful of times since in the 4 yrs I've had him. It was either at things he wasn't used to seeing, which turned out to be common household objects just in places he'd not seen them in before - out of context, so to speak - and twice to very obnoxious dogs who were bouncing at him, and had not taken his previous, milder warnings to heart. The Very Serious Growl got their attention.

 

I've spent a lot of time de-sensitizing Gibbs to people he doesn't know, objects that appear out of nowhere, etc. He's actually pretty calm and non-reactive, measured against how he was when he came to us. However, he's still capable of the VSG, and meaning it. Friends of mine that he's been introduced to get an announcement bark, then wiggles, when they first come to the door. He's fine with my friends that he knows walking right in to our house after they call out to say hi.

 

BUT, he does not like it if someone approaches me and I stiffen up. That's happened a couple times, and he gets the Very Serious Growl going, low volume, and he definitely is on the alert. As soon as I relax, he relaxes. I believe that if someone he didn't know got in my house while he was alone there, at the very least the neighborhood would be alerted. I don't know if he would actually attack, but he'd be loud and aggressive with it.

 

My opinion is that this behavior is right on the borderline between fear and protectiveness. Works for me, either way. None of my previous bc were at all protective. Buzz loved every human, Sam would follow Buzz's lead, and Shonie would only care if they brought her treats.

 

Ruth and SuperGibbs

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I can't resolve if my dog is protective or possessive but either way he'd make a terrible guard dog. Having said that he's a decent watchdog and getting better over time. He now understands someone just walking by the house is not something I'm concerned about but if someone comes to the door I appreciate him letting me know.

 

But Camden as a guard dog? No way... he's got terrible judgement and I'm not sure he'd be brave enough to follow through in a situation involving any real threat.

 

When I see a GSD sitting quietly, cool as a cucumber, but alertly watching everything that's going on around him, I think "that's an amazing guard dog". God help the person who goes after the owner of a dog like that. ;)

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I have long dubbed Quinn the Coward of the County, confident he would be utterly useless in a jam. He will bark about things and is of a size to give a person pause, but I never saw him as protective. However over the past few months, he has developed some anxiety based behaviors, likely due to low B12 and one of those behavior changes was acting very fierce with strangers at the front door. That is not the Quinn I know and as others have commented, I see his current protectiveness as anxiety driven.

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All these replies are interesting :) thank you!

 

I agree some dogs may be simply anxious - though I don't see that as being protective behavior and so don't include anxious barking/growling into this category/question :)

Tucker's truly protective.. he's an exceptionally un-anxious Border, and never displays anxiety when alerting me - simply very serious, but calm. And apparently unlike most of the BCs here, he IS actually brave enough to stand his ground if someone decides to overlook his warnings(had that experience with a male stranger trying to let himself into my yard!)

 

So... guess kind of a 50/50 with most! Watch-dog behavior is great, too :)

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Yes yes and yes! My BC just loves her world and me so much that she has made it her duty to protect her family and home at all costs from everything! It does not matter what it is, if it gets too close to her house she is on it barking! wanting to go down and tell them to stay away this is her turf! Yet when we have company she will go to the door and bark, I am fine with that, then she will sit door opens and she gets to greet our guests. No problems at all. But how dare anything get too close to her yard!

 

The other night she woke me at 2:30 am! pulling at me pacing barking growling. A homeless man was in my yard picking my produce! Gidget knew and Gidget alerted me. She saved our garden

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My latest BC - who is now 4 months old - is the most "protective" one I have ever had. And I would not consider her actually protective. Loyal? Yes. Territorial about me? Yes. Like all the others, I believe she considers it MY job to protect her.

 

All of my previous BCs have been, withour exception, willing to put on an aggressive/anxious show for another dog they feel is threatening to me - but never against humans - and the show for the other dog is often done either beside me or from behind me. Mind you, none of them were ever in a position where I was actually in any danger.

 

That said, none of them might fight off a mugger, but all of them would have acted out a Thelma to my Louise if I asked them :)

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Interesting, mine is protective, not bad in the day time when we go for walks, in evenings she is on guard will stick close but in front of me low warning growl to anyone walking near but not obnoxious about it. In the yard she is just gonna bark and try to get to anything that moves. We are working on teaching her not to worry if people dare to walk ride or jog up the streets. even if they are walking with big funny things (rafting tubes) or pushing babies in strollers.

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I have 2 Heeler/GSD's, 1 Aussie and 1 Border Collie...of the 4 the only one I absolutely trust with my life is my Border Collie. the rest I can all but guarantee would run and hide, but Happy does not hesitate to act when her "pack" is being threatened. when I was younger I often did not head home from my friends place till the middle of the night, the walk between my place and her's was through the hood, I never walked it without Happy at my side, she was my protection. my other Border Collie was not protective in the slightest lol

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Our red heeler is very protective of my daughter. he keeps a close eye on her me too but her more then anyone. He watches, looks out for her. and he is there to help her in any way should she need it. But he is very well behaved, she will say to sit or stay and he will, he will watch her and keep an eye on what it is that she is doing, ready to run to her if called. Not a doubt in my mind that he would do anything to protect her and keep her safe. IT was always a blessing to me knowing he was with her when we lived so far apart, all the traveling she does all across the country. This time she is gone for 5 weeks he couldn't go with. Poor thing misses his mommy.

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Pivo is also a good "bark to let me know" someone is there. I don't know if he'd be "protective" if someone came in the house. However, is he protective of my toddler. He's understod the baby's vulnerability since day one, and when my mother-in-law was mowing grass (a reel mower, nothing big), Pivo had a fit because the baby was in the yard. We brought our son in, Pivo was fine.

 

This is a dog who also pretended to not find an Easter egg so my son could find it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

As an owner of a bc, Aussie, and a Rhodesian ridgeback...I can say that there is definitely a difference between protection, aggression, possessiveness, anxiety & being a watch dog.

 

My Aussie (mini), great watch dog. Barks first usually. Acts tough but I imagine would run and bark from an intruder. My bc, is similar. I have seen her be more protective of me on walks towards other dogs. She's choosy, calm dogs she's ok with, barkers on the other hand she rather charge at.

 

Now my ridgeback. He'd easily have an intruder by the jugular. He's not overly protective nervous, on walks etc, but with the situation arrives, he goes in. My other dog got attacked once by a loose dog in a park, he went in and ended that fight real quick. He also jumped in on a friends dog who was jumping all over my son. And once in the dark he came charging at me while holding a trash bag. Good thing he realize it was me. And he nearly ripped down a chain link fence because a coyote was eyeing my chickens from the other side. Now, when not on guard mode, he sleeps all day and is a big dumb softy. My mom calls him scooby do lol.

 

Point being... A guard dog will render an intruder. A watch dog will make alarm but little else. Fortunately watch dogs are good deterrents.

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My brother has a BC, Pip (sister to my 6yo BC Shadow) and when I go to visit she is extremely friendly, with a big ol' smile. One day I was near his home on my motorcycle (full face helmet) and I stopped by. Went up to the house with my helmet on and knocked on the door... omg.. about scared the $**t outta me when Pip came running to the door barking and growling, basically going Cujo on me!!> Even after I took my helmet off she kept it up. There is no way on this earth I would have set foot in that house!! I have been told by people who stopped by my house when we're not home " You've got some mean dogs there!" Not sure if that makes them a guard dog or a watch dog, guess you never would know unless put to the test...

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Nobody moves within earshot of our yard without all five collies going bonkers. They might not be the best guard dogs, although they've nipped enough people to get most people to think twice about entering the yard. Then again, if I stopped at a yard gate and was faced with five barking, bouncing border colliesI'd probably think twice about entering too. A friend of mine, a gsd fan once said she'd rather be attacked by a bunch of Gsd 's than a bunch of BC's. A gsd bites and holds on, BC's nip and let go, nip and let go. And let's face it, outrunning a BC isn't really an option.

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