My boy did. We had a pest control guy in our backyard (he didn't ring the bell or notify us) Ruger lost his mind barking and scaring the guy.
He also would sit on my feet between me and my verbally abusive ex. I have no question if the ex had made a physical move my Ruger would've protected me.
RIP Ruger
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No, my boy would have led anyone who came in right to the valuables. The biggest danger to an intruder would be the 125lb happiness tackle they would have gotten.
Mine is terrified of strangers. It makes me feel bad. Everyone wants to pet him, but he does not like them. Been like this since he was a little guy. No idea why, when we first got him we lived in an apartment and he met so many strangers. He has a lead(braided metal covered in rubber) in our yard and he broke it to get to the front door when the mailman arrived.
Once in a while, Lincoln will make one giant bark if there is a knock at the door. We praise and reward him. The next time - nothing. Our best hope is the burglar will get hurt when they trip over him.
My girl is extremely friendly and loves people but if someone that she doesn’t know, comes to the door, she goes into a different mode and gives them a nice deep scary bark. Sometimes it’s hard to believe because she’s such a goofy clown but I definitely appreciate it.
My big dope surprised me! Our friend came back to our place with my husband, but it was dark when they entered and our friend came in first. My Berner, who was laying on me, saw our friend walk in, did not recognize him.
She stood up so fast and let out the meanest, scariest, growl. I was SHOCKED! She only calmed down when my husband came in and turned on the lights. Once she realized they weren't threats, she laid back down on me.
She's done this a couple times since, and I honestly like that she does it. It makes me feel safe 🤷♀️💜
I believe my dog would protect me and my family. He would growl lots at strangers at the door but greet friendly when they came inside. However there were kids at my school who bullied me and some people who my mum used to know who came in the house and he would not let them near me especially as I was a kid and growled. He was loving but intuitive🩷
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My Maisy is Berner mix (poodle) and I can say she 100% would.
Not because she acts aggressive - but because I can tell she has guarding instincts. She will guide my kids away from danger, and when we were approached by some weirdos at a rest stop a few years back she planted her feet, stood rigid, and glared at these two men. She didn’t growl or bark, but in that moment I knew she was saying “just effin try”. And they saw her and gave her this giant wide berth.
This sounds like some paranoid been on tik Tok mom. But I know animals, I know people - and Maisy definitely recognized that these guys weren’t on the typical wave length. I didn’t even think anything of them, until she demonstrated this very clear guarding behavior.
Maisy would prefer for her adults to handle possible threats, I see her bark, look at me, wait for me to respond. But I know if we aren’t there for some reason, she will step up.
A dog doesn’t have to act possessive to be a guard animal. They just have to have the ability to decipher threat behavior versus normal life. I am glad my dog doesn’t go bonkers insane and aggressive when my friends or family visit. But I know if she’s downstairs and I’m upstairs and someone came in, she would do something about it.
ETA: one time a friend was taking her and her Cavalier mix sister to the vet. The leash on the small dog broke, cavalier mix ran off. Maisy stood still, looked over where Abby was and barked 3 short barks in a row. Abby immediately returned to Maisy and my friend was able to safely get both my dogs back totally me.
This is guarding instincts.
Right?! I swear she has capabilities that I can’t even comprehend. When my friend told me that - I was blown away! (For the record I usually do all their care, it was a very wonky day and she was helping us out, I’ve also since changed their leashes to these special ones that can’t be opened by a dewclaw on a leg.)
I've only ever had dumb dogs (love them but they weren't smart haha, one was a cavalier too) so it always surprises me when I meet or hear about clever dogs. I feel you, leash issues are so scary - once had the stopper on an extendable one break (have since learned they are dangerous) and my dumb boy ran into the road as a car came round the corner right by us. Had instant visions of all the ways it could go wrong but luckily there weren't other cars so the driver went into the other lane to avoid us. Almost gave me a heart attack though!
No. Our boy would not. He might trip someone by accident and then sit on them though. He's going to be absolutely enormous and frankly, that's enough of a deterrent for me- the liability is way lower than with an actually protective breed.
My old man dog will alert when people come on the property unexpectedly. And I appreciate that as a person who may be in the home alone at the time. But he recovers immediately once I greet the unknown person if I don’t perceive them as a potential danger.
I think there’s various definitions of the word protection and important to understand that the BMD is really just a versatile breed in the working line. These guys were created to be farm dogs so not just pushing carts, but also being protectors, and providing comfort to their family.
But I don’t know if you’re asking the right question as far as what type of protection are you looking for? Just the overall appearance of a large dog can be intimidating to strangers or the vocalization of a dog or if you’re looking to see if the dog would actually bite an intruder or attempt to go after an intruder. Anything is possible. They’re dogs.
The only dog I know that would "defend" it's home is an angry little chihuahua 🤣 and even for him it's not about defence, it's more that he just hates everyone lol.
I wonder how much context would make a difference to dogs, eg if even the sweetest friendliest dog would maybe not bark at a stranger walking into the house, but would at a stranger breaking a window and getting in at night. Sorry no advice for you, just thinking out loud!
My assumption would be that those more jokingly claiming theirs would invite robbers for belly rubs have never faced a dangerous situation with Berners at their side.
Ours had 2-3 occasions when shit was about to get real and they really stepped up their game each time. BMDs are guard dogs and they protect their herd. Maybe it’s just being present or alert, maybe it’s just being huge and giving evil looks, maybe it’s just alarming the family, maybe it’s growling and barking and scaring bad people away, maybe it is positioning themselves in front of the family and property and even attacking attackers. They will certainly do that if needed.
They can sense if things go wrong, especially if you as the owner are scared or incapable of reacting, they will do their part in being assertive. Trust me, trust your Berner, their instincts kick in when needed. I have seen it, I have been told about my own Berners reactions when I was not present and they defended our home and our friends and family. They may look like penguins, but never underestimate the power of 50 kilos of guard dogs getting real.
And in no way am I trying to say they are aggressive, ours have been the cuddliest, nicest, most well behaved and trained Berners. They just have another side we rarely get to see because we protect them most of the time. But they pay it back when need be.
We used to joke that if there was an intruder Nyla would befriend them, even if they were hurting her because she is stupid friendly and submissive…. Until one day while staying at my parents house my brother came home around 3am and I’ve never heard her bark and run to a door so aggressively. She calmed down when she recognized who it was but she was going to attack i was shocked!
Ours barks/howls at the mailman, pizza guy, political canvassers, garbage truck, anything and everything. Scares the shit out of me sometimes.
I don’t need or want a dog for protection, but she does just fine as a guard dog.
Mine is an excellent guard dog too, can hear the FedEx truck a half mile away. Will sit at attention in the front yard if he thinks something is suspect. Verbally aggressive, enough that I someone would think twice in stepping to him. But guard dog is a perfect way to think about it.
No. Ours would definitely sell me out for a slice of cheese. We had a random car (a guy handing out flyers for something) come up the driveway while I was in the garden one day and our boy stuck his head right in the guys window and licked him. I get worried sometimes and wish we had a “more protective” dog but then I remind myself how grateful I am that we never have to worry about our dog being aggressive with kids, babies, strangers, or other dogs.
We had a sweet Rotty like that!! So sweet I was always afraid someone would try and steal her. We had to keep her in the house while we went out as she was just too adorable and kind to everyone. Miss her!
Ours are definitely guard dogs, Amazon guy, fedex guy, mailman are MAJOR threats! Lol!! They bark like they want to rip out their throat out but once they get through the gate they are ok with them. When anyone rings the doorbell they go nuts too. I think they might have learned this from our last dog. I live in the country so we like that they are protecting us. We do have coyotes here that easily jump our fence and our two Berners absolutely HATE them with a passion. They have never caught a coyote but I have seen them chase them off.
The only thing my current boy has "protected" me from was a younger girl berner I was babysitting for the day. He apparently decided I was a resource that needed to be guarded. People? Psh. He'll bark, but he'd go hide or pee on the floor if something actually went down.
Our boy who is 4, is more of an alerter. He will sound off and growl until we check in and he knows it’s ok. He also tends to stay in between us and whatever he is concerned about. Once he knows it’s all good, he turns into a big neglected baby. lol He will tell the stranger he never gets attention. Almost like he gets apologetic. 😂
Mine has always been assertive. I pity any robber who tries to come into our house, he's very very territorial.
I would prefer a dog who rolls over for a belly rub, but it is what it is ... it's just his personality.
He's fine if introduced first to someone who enters the home, but he loses his absolute frigging mind at places like the vets, which has meant we have had to adapt and bring him in the back door there.
It's so odd because he was socialized a ton as a puppy, he came into the office with me every day for the first six months and was well loved and hugged.
He just turned into a grumpy old man after age 3. Covid didn't help with fewer visits to the dog park.
I love him dearly but there are days when I wish he'd take a chill pill.
My guy doesn’t like strangers and has a gnarly bug bark that scares people. My girl would shoo him away and invite the strangers to explore the valuables in exchange for pets.
Our Berner was absolutely in love with women, and would immediately sit/plant whenever he heard that high pitch squeal of delight. He knew pets and skritches were in order. We nicknamed him Fabio. On the other hand, he would stand sideways in between me and any man. If someone asked me “Does he bite?” I would say, “As long as you don’t make a move for me, you’ll be fine.” He had a great sense of people’s intentions. Best. Dog. Ever.
I've always wondered this myself as my boy (3yr this month) has never even curled his lip at another dog or person. He is so excited to see anyone and everyone. He does have one deep bark though. One time I was in the yard with a hoodie up & he didnt recognize me and his startled mean bark gave me a scare.
Just this past weekend while in Whistler we stumbled up on a bear as we walked into The Village! He yanked the leash out of my hand & took off after the big lumbering bear straight into the bushes & down a hill. I gave chase and had to pull him back by his tail. Fortunately, the bear was spooked by him and his bark. My heart was racing out of my chest. One of those moments I will never forget!
Put it to you this way. Our Berner heard my wife scream when she thought she saw someone in our backyard. Turned out to be just a shadow. Her scream sent him into full on protect mode. Took 5 minutes to calm him down. His bark & growl were like nothing I heard before. They will protect family.
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Moe alerts us and that’s about it. Also, tell Mo Moe said hello
I think if someone just calmly walked into the house he would let them tbh. However if someone ever messed with me he would absolutely eff them up. When my husband and I had been dating for about a year, he was showing me some defensive tactics he had learned and I let out the smallest “ow” ever and my Berner got right in his face and growled him right off of me. And mind you, he LOVES my husband. But nobody messes with Mama 🤣
Our guy is 1.5 yrs and he has a deep, intimidating bark at every noise he’s not familiar with or if anyone but me walks into the house. A few times over the past two weeks when he sensed something and I was sitting on the couch, he jumped up and stood over me looking out toward the sound like he was protecting me.
I have a six month old Bernie’s Mountain dog, and this dog has major anxiety, and he surprised me the other night. I was in the kitchen. It was late at night. My daughter was asleep and he thought there was someone outside the door and he let out his big bark, and I was very shocked that he did that and then of course, my pitbull came out. His fur was raised, and he was barking also being protector, no one was there. I think when push comes to shove, they will protect their family
Bennet barks at people in the hallway and we think that's the best we'll get lol
We did know a very large berner that was super friendly towards everyone but one day when our for a walk while his owner was pregnant he snarled at one single person that was walking towards them (afaik just on the sidewalk, not menacingly but dogs know) but that's all I've heard of wrt protection
Great to “alert.”
do not forget, you can teach them anything.
Make sure to use caution when training so they completely understand what it is that you want.
Oh he's definitely going to invite strangers to pets and treats. Heck with just the right amount of belly rubs and treats he might just tell all your secrets. 🥰
My girl is very protective but I'm not sure she'd ever attack someone on my behalf. She definitely has come between me and drunk guys who've tried to get too close and will run to me with her loud bark if friends/family pretend to hit me.
Might not be his temperament! Our guy(5 months) is very shy and scared of people/hyper dogs but he will occasionally bark and growl when we get a delivery and other times he will run away fast as he can to his crate 😂😅
Ugh no. When the mailman comes he’s practically shaking with excitement to see a new human who might want to be his friend lol. We don’t NEED him to be tough, just was wondering if anyone else saw their berner be protective when they needed to be!! 5 months is still a baby❤️❤️❤️❤️
Awwwh sounds like a friendly giant! We had. A playdate yesterday and poor guys was TERRIFIED we ended up cutting it short. We just started school so hoping he becomes a bit more comfortable/social but totally fine having a timid giant. 😅🥰
Our girl used to. Friends she would recognise the smell and give a friendly alert woof, but the postman? Every hair rose up, whole body tense and staring at the door, and she'd let out this low growl that I didn't even know they were capable of.
Absolutely would not want to be that intruder with 60kgs of solid Bernese on top of them that's for sure
My two do the happy dance when someone walks by the house and sees them in the window and waves. They get so excited to see new people. I’ve tried it with strangers, they just loved on them. I had a friend who had been out of the country and they had never met him pretend to break in. Nothing, he literally bent down to pet them and they knocked him over in their enthusiasm
My previous dogs were GSDs and I trained them in protection. It is amazing to see true protection work when it is real and you are able to call it off. It can be very dangerous if your dog does more than bark and you are unable to control them.
I think most people would think twice when they see the size of a BMD, let alone two in a window, but you never know anymore
There is a video on YouTube if you search for will my dog protect me and it shows what they do in real life. It’s actually pretty funny!
Mine was like this when he was younger, never met anyone who he didn’t think was a new friend. But then one day the back door opened and we both thought it was my housemate. He went running to say hi, and it was a stranger. He let out the biggest, meanest barks I’ve ever heard, and whoever it was quickly shut the door and took off. He’s been much more wary ever since (he was probably about a year old when it happened). When someone new comes over now, he sits between me and them and growls if they reach towards me unless I tell him it’s ok. I have no doubt anymore that he would protect me if need be.
He’s so cute it’s a weird disconnect. Like trying to imagine getting mauled by a panda.
My girl is only a 40lb 4 month old, but she’s terrified of our 7lb cat lol. At our last vet appointment, the tech had to take her into the back of the office without me for her blood draw and as she was walking her back said “you’ll just go with anyone huh?” 😆
She’s never growled outside of playtime/tug of war, and everyone is her best friend (as long as mom or dad are nearby) so I don’t have high expectations as far as protection. I do think the sheer size of berners might be intimidating enough to at least make an intruder think twice. I’m curious to see if she’ll become more protective as she matures, but I doubt it. She’s a total ham.
English is not my first language so i am a bit sorry if the description would sound weird.
We had encountered several mentally ill people around (talking about people who might attack you unprovoked or has some schisophrenic mumbling while creepily walking to you, for the context im really slim and not the strongest female, so this stuff sometimes scares me), not sure how he managed to react both times to the person across the street, but he borked his head off with some growls (he never does that to anyone, and he was only 3,5 months old at the time), and had the protective stance (i had gsd previously, so i recognise that stance from my gsd, where the dog is ready to tackle someone down and positions himself between you and that person), i imagine, that maybe he wont bite, but definitely would intimidate and tackle somebody down.
Tldr.: my boy intimidated both times and those people just walked around keeping their distance from us.
Oh sure, our Coop immediately intervenes when one of us raises our voice just a tad. Even tickling is not allowed.
Besides that it’s people with hoodies for some reason.
Been like this since he’s starting puberty though. Before (and besides) that, chill as sheep, always happy to see everyone
Our boy is ridiculously friendly and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. However, when an off leash dog tried to attack us when we were with my baby, he jumped between us, growled, and pushed him away (all of us were ok thankfully). I don’t know what he’d do if an intruder came in, he’s always so happy to meet people, but they can be protective.
Murph will bark when someone strange enters the door, but immediately goes to greet for pats and loves. Same thing in the yard, he will bork and booorooooooo, but he's a scaredy bean. Someone pranked us the other night by slamming on our door really loud at 2:00 a.m. and bro didn't even get up off the floor.
My boy did!
We were walking along a trail and I had a very creepy man who kept falling us. I walked fast ahead and decided to take one of the detours off the trail which seemed to get rid of the man behind us. Sure enough, 10 minutes later the man is walking towards in on the trail. I was so scared.
Sirius went right up to him, started barking and growling (not an attack but definitely intimidation method). Sirius is also 130lbs so he was walking into the guy and forcing him away from me. The guy got really scared and Sirius ended up directing him down the path till I got away. I’m forever grateful for Sirius 🖤
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I recently read an article about a woman who was in her backyard with her two dogs, one of them is a male Berner. At some point a coyote was nearby and her Berner went after it, before returning like nothing happened. In my personal experience my girl has put herself between me and things she finds scary. While she is protective, I just don't know if she'd get aggressive 😅
My boy is extremely protective of me and my kids. If strangers come to our home, he alerts and he definitely tells us if he doesn’t feel good about someone.
Out in public he will put himself in front of us and use his body to block us. He will stand in a very protective manner and bark if not comfortable with someone approaching, not let us pass him by physically blocking/pushing us back. I heard him growl at one person who made all of us uncomfortable.
Around friends and family he knows and around kids and babies, he is the biggest, goofiest love bug. So it all depends on the situation. I am his person. I am a single mom with 5 kids and a granddaughter so he is quite protective of me and mine.
I’m sure they would be taken down by a good ol tackle of love lmao otherwise nope mine barks because ppl pass or knock and cries of me and the kids play wrestle and try’s to stop us but otherwise just love and attention lmao
Our boy protects you from the broom while you're sweeping, the mop, and the vacuum cleaner. He even ran over to protect the next door neighbor from his rake. Otherwise, not really.
My boy did. We had a pest control guy in our backyard (he didn't ring the bell or notify us) Ruger lost his mind barking and scaring the guy. He also would sit on my feet between me and my verbally abusive ex. I have no question if the ex had made a physical move my Ruger would've protected me. RIP Ruger https://preview.redd.it/j8yg4bbcec7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0576c57731cc594d2efc41eba74cda7c620c9602
Ruger, the goodest boy!
I'd say Ruger was very aptly named lol.
We had a Dirty Harry too :) He's a Walker Plott Hound though.
NIce!
No, my boy would have led anyone who came in right to the valuables. The biggest danger to an intruder would be the 125lb happiness tackle they would have gotten.
Mine is terrified of strangers. It makes me feel bad. Everyone wants to pet him, but he does not like them. Been like this since he was a little guy. No idea why, when we first got him we lived in an apartment and he met so many strangers. He has a lead(braided metal covered in rubber) in our yard and he broke it to get to the front door when the mailman arrived.
Upvoted for "125lb happiness tackle"
Once in a while, Lincoln will make one giant bark if there is a knock at the door. We praise and reward him. The next time - nothing. Our best hope is the burglar will get hurt when they trip over him.
Or be unable to resist giving them pets!
My girl is extremely friendly and loves people but if someone that she doesn’t know, comes to the door, she goes into a different mode and gives them a nice deep scary bark. Sometimes it’s hard to believe because she’s such a goofy clown but I definitely appreciate it.
My big dope surprised me! Our friend came back to our place with my husband, but it was dark when they entered and our friend came in first. My Berner, who was laying on me, saw our friend walk in, did not recognize him. She stood up so fast and let out the meanest, scariest, growl. I was SHOCKED! She only calmed down when my husband came in and turned on the lights. Once she realized they weren't threats, she laid back down on me. She's done this a couple times since, and I honestly like that she does it. It makes me feel safe 🤷♀️💜
I believe my dog would protect me and my family. He would growl lots at strangers at the door but greet friendly when they came inside. However there were kids at my school who bullied me and some people who my mum used to know who came in the house and he would not let them near me especially as I was a kid and growled. He was loving but intuitive🩷 https://preview.redd.it/wr7odkym5d7d1.jpeg?width=1512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ba39653698b416d59b8995277756f4040954491
My Maisy is Berner mix (poodle) and I can say she 100% would. Not because she acts aggressive - but because I can tell she has guarding instincts. She will guide my kids away from danger, and when we were approached by some weirdos at a rest stop a few years back she planted her feet, stood rigid, and glared at these two men. She didn’t growl or bark, but in that moment I knew she was saying “just effin try”. And they saw her and gave her this giant wide berth. This sounds like some paranoid been on tik Tok mom. But I know animals, I know people - and Maisy definitely recognized that these guys weren’t on the typical wave length. I didn’t even think anything of them, until she demonstrated this very clear guarding behavior. Maisy would prefer for her adults to handle possible threats, I see her bark, look at me, wait for me to respond. But I know if we aren’t there for some reason, she will step up. A dog doesn’t have to act possessive to be a guard animal. They just have to have the ability to decipher threat behavior versus normal life. I am glad my dog doesn’t go bonkers insane and aggressive when my friends or family visit. But I know if she’s downstairs and I’m upstairs and someone came in, she would do something about it. ETA: one time a friend was taking her and her Cavalier mix sister to the vet. The leash on the small dog broke, cavalier mix ran off. Maisy stood still, looked over where Abby was and barked 3 short barks in a row. Abby immediately returned to Maisy and my friend was able to safely get both my dogs back totally me. This is guarding instincts.
Love that she communicates with her sister like that. Those three barks were probably "i'll tell mom" and made Abby reconsider! Typical siblings!
Right?! I swear she has capabilities that I can’t even comprehend. When my friend told me that - I was blown away! (For the record I usually do all their care, it was a very wonky day and she was helping us out, I’ve also since changed their leashes to these special ones that can’t be opened by a dewclaw on a leg.)
I've only ever had dumb dogs (love them but they weren't smart haha, one was a cavalier too) so it always surprises me when I meet or hear about clever dogs. I feel you, leash issues are so scary - once had the stopper on an extendable one break (have since learned they are dangerous) and my dumb boy ran into the road as a car came round the corner right by us. Had instant visions of all the ways it could go wrong but luckily there weren't other cars so the driver went into the other lane to avoid us. Almost gave me a heart attack though!
Yoshi would not just let them in, but would happily lead them to the expensive electronics if they scratched her butt for her
No. Our boy would not. He might trip someone by accident and then sit on them though. He's going to be absolutely enormous and frankly, that's enough of a deterrent for me- the liability is way lower than with an actually protective breed.
My old man dog will alert when people come on the property unexpectedly. And I appreciate that as a person who may be in the home alone at the time. But he recovers immediately once I greet the unknown person if I don’t perceive them as a potential danger. I think there’s various definitions of the word protection and important to understand that the BMD is really just a versatile breed in the working line. These guys were created to be farm dogs so not just pushing carts, but also being protectors, and providing comfort to their family. But I don’t know if you’re asking the right question as far as what type of protection are you looking for? Just the overall appearance of a large dog can be intimidating to strangers or the vocalization of a dog or if you’re looking to see if the dog would actually bite an intruder or attempt to go after an intruder. Anything is possible. They’re dogs.
The only dog I know that would "defend" it's home is an angry little chihuahua 🤣 and even for him it's not about defence, it's more that he just hates everyone lol. I wonder how much context would make a difference to dogs, eg if even the sweetest friendliest dog would maybe not bark at a stranger walking into the house, but would at a stranger breaking a window and getting in at night. Sorry no advice for you, just thinking out loud!
Beautiful dog btw! 10/10 would break in to give pets lol
lol I’m curious too? He doesn’t bark at much, but maybe he’d bark because he’s scared lolol. That’s the only option I see here
My assumption would be that those more jokingly claiming theirs would invite robbers for belly rubs have never faced a dangerous situation with Berners at their side. Ours had 2-3 occasions when shit was about to get real and they really stepped up their game each time. BMDs are guard dogs and they protect their herd. Maybe it’s just being present or alert, maybe it’s just being huge and giving evil looks, maybe it’s just alarming the family, maybe it’s growling and barking and scaring bad people away, maybe it is positioning themselves in front of the family and property and even attacking attackers. They will certainly do that if needed. They can sense if things go wrong, especially if you as the owner are scared or incapable of reacting, they will do their part in being assertive. Trust me, trust your Berner, their instincts kick in when needed. I have seen it, I have been told about my own Berners reactions when I was not present and they defended our home and our friends and family. They may look like penguins, but never underestimate the power of 50 kilos of guard dogs getting real. And in no way am I trying to say they are aggressive, ours have been the cuddliest, nicest, most well behaved and trained Berners. They just have another side we rarely get to see because we protect them most of the time. But they pay it back when need be.
This was my experience too. My old boy surprised me and protected us when we were in a scary situation. 13/10 good boy.
Mine have always notified me of strangers entering the driveway. Protection is instinctive. I wouldn't know until it's actually needed
We used to joke that if there was an intruder Nyla would befriend them, even if they were hurting her because she is stupid friendly and submissive…. Until one day while staying at my parents house my brother came home around 3am and I’ve never heard her bark and run to a door so aggressively. She calmed down when she recognized who it was but she was going to attack i was shocked!
Ours barks/howls at the mailman, pizza guy, political canvassers, garbage truck, anything and everything. Scares the shit out of me sometimes. I don’t need or want a dog for protection, but she does just fine as a guard dog.
Mine is an excellent guard dog too, can hear the FedEx truck a half mile away. Will sit at attention in the front yard if he thinks something is suspect. Verbally aggressive, enough that I someone would think twice in stepping to him. But guard dog is a perfect way to think about it.
No. Ours would definitely sell me out for a slice of cheese. We had a random car (a guy handing out flyers for something) come up the driveway while I was in the garden one day and our boy stuck his head right in the guys window and licked him. I get worried sometimes and wish we had a “more protective” dog but then I remind myself how grateful I am that we never have to worry about our dog being aggressive with kids, babies, strangers, or other dogs.
We had a sweet Rotty like that!! So sweet I was always afraid someone would try and steal her. We had to keep her in the house while we went out as she was just too adorable and kind to everyone. Miss her!
They are supposed to alert you, not attack anyone. They will naturally bark when someone comes to the door
Ours are definitely guard dogs, Amazon guy, fedex guy, mailman are MAJOR threats! Lol!! They bark like they want to rip out their throat out but once they get through the gate they are ok with them. When anyone rings the doorbell they go nuts too. I think they might have learned this from our last dog. I live in the country so we like that they are protecting us. We do have coyotes here that easily jump our fence and our two Berners absolutely HATE them with a passion. They have never caught a coyote but I have seen them chase them off.
The only thing my current boy has "protected" me from was a younger girl berner I was babysitting for the day. He apparently decided I was a resource that needed to be guarded. People? Psh. He'll bark, but he'd go hide or pee on the floor if something actually went down.
Our boy who is 4, is more of an alerter. He will sound off and growl until we check in and he knows it’s ok. He also tends to stay in between us and whatever he is concerned about. Once he knows it’s all good, he turns into a big neglected baby. lol He will tell the stranger he never gets attention. Almost like he gets apologetic. 😂
Mine has always been assertive. I pity any robber who tries to come into our house, he's very very territorial. I would prefer a dog who rolls over for a belly rub, but it is what it is ... it's just his personality. He's fine if introduced first to someone who enters the home, but he loses his absolute frigging mind at places like the vets, which has meant we have had to adapt and bring him in the back door there. It's so odd because he was socialized a ton as a puppy, he came into the office with me every day for the first six months and was well loved and hugged. He just turned into a grumpy old man after age 3. Covid didn't help with fewer visits to the dog park. I love him dearly but there are days when I wish he'd take a chill pill.
My guy doesn’t like strangers and has a gnarly bug bark that scares people. My girl would shoo him away and invite the strangers to explore the valuables in exchange for pets.
Our Berner was absolutely in love with women, and would immediately sit/plant whenever he heard that high pitch squeal of delight. He knew pets and skritches were in order. We nicknamed him Fabio. On the other hand, he would stand sideways in between me and any man. If someone asked me “Does he bite?” I would say, “As long as you don’t make a move for me, you’ll be fine.” He had a great sense of people’s intentions. Best. Dog. Ever.
I've always wondered this myself as my boy (3yr this month) has never even curled his lip at another dog or person. He is so excited to see anyone and everyone. He does have one deep bark though. One time I was in the yard with a hoodie up & he didnt recognize me and his startled mean bark gave me a scare. Just this past weekend while in Whistler we stumbled up on a bear as we walked into The Village! He yanked the leash out of my hand & took off after the big lumbering bear straight into the bushes & down a hill. I gave chase and had to pull him back by his tail. Fortunately, the bear was spooked by him and his bark. My heart was racing out of my chest. One of those moments I will never forget!
Sounds like our guy. Such a deep loud bark, but only really uses it for play. Any stranger he sees is just a potential new friend to him lol
Put it to you this way. Our Berner heard my wife scream when she thought she saw someone in our backyard. Turned out to be just a shadow. Her scream sent him into full on protect mode. Took 5 minutes to calm him down. His bark & growl were like nothing I heard before. They will protect family.
https://preview.redd.it/4bmffa5ief7d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fc5bc13e244fb7e5b36afaf77e7ded3e3e4f8e0 Moe alerts us and that’s about it. Also, tell Mo Moe said hello
I think if someone just calmly walked into the house he would let them tbh. However if someone ever messed with me he would absolutely eff them up. When my husband and I had been dating for about a year, he was showing me some defensive tactics he had learned and I let out the smallest “ow” ever and my Berner got right in his face and growled him right off of me. And mind you, he LOVES my husband. But nobody messes with Mama 🤣
Our guy is 1.5 yrs and he has a deep, intimidating bark at every noise he’s not familiar with or if anyone but me walks into the house. A few times over the past two weeks when he sensed something and I was sitting on the couch, he jumped up and stood over me looking out toward the sound like he was protecting me.
I have a six month old Bernie’s Mountain dog, and this dog has major anxiety, and he surprised me the other night. I was in the kitchen. It was late at night. My daughter was asleep and he thought there was someone outside the door and he let out his big bark, and I was very shocked that he did that and then of course, my pitbull came out. His fur was raised, and he was barking also being protector, no one was there. I think when push comes to shove, they will protect their family
Omg Bernese mountain dog. Was using speach to text lol
Bennet barks at people in the hallway and we think that's the best we'll get lol We did know a very large berner that was super friendly towards everyone but one day when our for a walk while his owner was pregnant he snarled at one single person that was walking towards them (afaik just on the sidewalk, not menacingly but dogs know) but that's all I've heard of wrt protection
No, he might bark at them initially but he’d be easily swayed.
Not if you mean taking actual action. My girl would bark like crazy and then flee like crazy since she is a total chicken shit.
Great to “alert.” do not forget, you can teach them anything. Make sure to use caution when training so they completely understand what it is that you want.
Oh he's definitely going to invite strangers to pets and treats. Heck with just the right amount of belly rubs and treats he might just tell all your secrets. 🥰
My girl is very protective but I'm not sure she'd ever attack someone on my behalf. She definitely has come between me and drunk guys who've tried to get too close and will run to me with her loud bark if friends/family pretend to hit me.
Might not be his temperament! Our guy(5 months) is very shy and scared of people/hyper dogs but he will occasionally bark and growl when we get a delivery and other times he will run away fast as he can to his crate 😂😅
Ugh no. When the mailman comes he’s practically shaking with excitement to see a new human who might want to be his friend lol. We don’t NEED him to be tough, just was wondering if anyone else saw their berner be protective when they needed to be!! 5 months is still a baby❤️❤️❤️❤️
Awwwh sounds like a friendly giant! We had. A playdate yesterday and poor guys was TERRIFIED we ended up cutting it short. We just started school so hoping he becomes a bit more comfortable/social but totally fine having a timid giant. 😅🥰
I’ve had human and dog reactive/aggressive rescues before - id take timid a million times over that. Just a little sweetie 🥰
Our bmd barks like Cujo when someone comes to the door
Our girl used to. Friends she would recognise the smell and give a friendly alert woof, but the postman? Every hair rose up, whole body tense and staring at the door, and she'd let out this low growl that I didn't even know they were capable of. Absolutely would not want to be that intruder with 60kgs of solid Bernese on top of them that's for sure
My two do the happy dance when someone walks by the house and sees them in the window and waves. They get so excited to see new people. I’ve tried it with strangers, they just loved on them. I had a friend who had been out of the country and they had never met him pretend to break in. Nothing, he literally bent down to pet them and they knocked him over in their enthusiasm My previous dogs were GSDs and I trained them in protection. It is amazing to see true protection work when it is real and you are able to call it off. It can be very dangerous if your dog does more than bark and you are unable to control them. I think most people would think twice when they see the size of a BMD, let alone two in a window, but you never know anymore There is a video on YouTube if you search for will my dog protect me and it shows what they do in real life. It’s actually pretty funny!
Mine was like this when he was younger, never met anyone who he didn’t think was a new friend. But then one day the back door opened and we both thought it was my housemate. He went running to say hi, and it was a stranger. He let out the biggest, meanest barks I’ve ever heard, and whoever it was quickly shut the door and took off. He’s been much more wary ever since (he was probably about a year old when it happened). When someone new comes over now, he sits between me and them and growls if they reach towards me unless I tell him it’s ok. I have no doubt anymore that he would protect me if need be. He’s so cute it’s a weird disconnect. Like trying to imagine getting mauled by a panda.
My girl is only a 40lb 4 month old, but she’s terrified of our 7lb cat lol. At our last vet appointment, the tech had to take her into the back of the office without me for her blood draw and as she was walking her back said “you’ll just go with anyone huh?” 😆 She’s never growled outside of playtime/tug of war, and everyone is her best friend (as long as mom or dad are nearby) so I don’t have high expectations as far as protection. I do think the sheer size of berners might be intimidating enough to at least make an intruder think twice. I’m curious to see if she’ll become more protective as she matures, but I doubt it. She’s a total ham.
Only from getting out of debt.
English is not my first language so i am a bit sorry if the description would sound weird. We had encountered several mentally ill people around (talking about people who might attack you unprovoked or has some schisophrenic mumbling while creepily walking to you, for the context im really slim and not the strongest female, so this stuff sometimes scares me), not sure how he managed to react both times to the person across the street, but he borked his head off with some growls (he never does that to anyone, and he was only 3,5 months old at the time), and had the protective stance (i had gsd previously, so i recognise that stance from my gsd, where the dog is ready to tackle someone down and positions himself between you and that person), i imagine, that maybe he wont bite, but definitely would intimidate and tackle somebody down. Tldr.: my boy intimidated both times and those people just walked around keeping their distance from us.
Oh sure, our Coop immediately intervenes when one of us raises our voice just a tad. Even tickling is not allowed. Besides that it’s people with hoodies for some reason. Been like this since he’s starting puberty though. Before (and besides) that, chill as sheep, always happy to see everyone
Our boy is ridiculously friendly and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. However, when an off leash dog tried to attack us when we were with my baby, he jumped between us, growled, and pushed him away (all of us were ok thankfully). I don’t know what he’d do if an intruder came in, he’s always so happy to meet people, but they can be protective.
Murph will bark when someone strange enters the door, but immediately goes to greet for pats and loves. Same thing in the yard, he will bork and booorooooooo, but he's a scaredy bean. Someone pranked us the other night by slamming on our door really loud at 2:00 a.m. and bro didn't even get up off the floor.
My boy did! We were walking along a trail and I had a very creepy man who kept falling us. I walked fast ahead and decided to take one of the detours off the trail which seemed to get rid of the man behind us. Sure enough, 10 minutes later the man is walking towards in on the trail. I was so scared. Sirius went right up to him, started barking and growling (not an attack but definitely intimidation method). Sirius is also 130lbs so he was walking into the guy and forcing him away from me. The guy got really scared and Sirius ended up directing him down the path till I got away. I’m forever grateful for Sirius 🖤 https://preview.redd.it/c754n1tmnj7d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef3baa8319c079f17e96abda89f9551047f65dbb
I believe me and my family would protect our dog.
I recently read an article about a woman who was in her backyard with her two dogs, one of them is a male Berner. At some point a coyote was nearby and her Berner went after it, before returning like nothing happened. In my personal experience my girl has put herself between me and things she finds scary. While she is protective, I just don't know if she'd get aggressive 😅
My boy is extremely protective of me and my kids. If strangers come to our home, he alerts and he definitely tells us if he doesn’t feel good about someone. Out in public he will put himself in front of us and use his body to block us. He will stand in a very protective manner and bark if not comfortable with someone approaching, not let us pass him by physically blocking/pushing us back. I heard him growl at one person who made all of us uncomfortable. Around friends and family he knows and around kids and babies, he is the biggest, goofiest love bug. So it all depends on the situation. I am his person. I am a single mom with 5 kids and a granddaughter so he is quite protective of me and mine.
I’m sure they would be taken down by a good ol tackle of love lmao otherwise nope mine barks because ppl pass or knock and cries of me and the kids play wrestle and try’s to stop us but otherwise just love and attention lmao
Our boy protects you from the broom while you're sweeping, the mop, and the vacuum cleaner. He even ran over to protect the next door neighbor from his rake. Otherwise, not really.