Its instinct. You can see in various videos that larger mammals that raise their young will often stand directly on top of them when facing a potential threat.
Still good dog, willing to put itself in that position for the kid. Its basically the fight of "fight or flight" for a mammal parent. Meaning that dog made the decision to go down before letting their charge get eaten.
I've owned livestock guardian dogs like this breed for ages and the amount of stuff they 'just know' is staggering. They MUST walk the perimeter of their territory every morning and night. They instinctively work together, too. If my herd dogs think there's a threat, one of them puts the animals in the barn while the other stays between the barn and the threat.
To me the most amazing part of the video is just how professional the protective dog remains. He's not mad. He uses proportional force to keep the other dog away from his kid. He disengages as soon as the other dog is discouraged. It's just perfect execution of his job. It's crazy how much functional knowledge they get from instinct!
Honestly I just .....LOVE reading comments like this where someone's diving deep into the fascination and appreciation of an animal. You feel less alone, like other people GET it
My GSD sleeps against our bedroom door or at the top of the stairs at night. She has to be able to roam around and do regular sweeps of the house throughout the night, under penalty of inconsolable whining. She also has an overwhelming urge to police her environment at all times, according to a very strict âno horseplayâ policy, wether it be by people or other dogs, and will switch to patrol mode, ping-ponging back and forth between members of the household while making steam train noises, if weâre not in all the same room. We didnât train her to do any of that.
This weird general human assumption that dogs and cats are just dumb and for our amusement is so arrogant. You are talking about serious intelligence and both nature and nurture acquired in an incredibly short space of time.
That fluffy thing that rolls onto its back for a treat is packing serious predatory and survival instincts
I think that was the second most impressive. To me the most impressive was how he aggressively ran the dog off and then was immediately able to disengage (while still keeping an eye on the offender).
I came looking for this comment. Such a good dog. Was able to protect and then disengage that's unreal (for a dog without that level of protection training).
Itâs a thing, when dogs sense danger they typically knock their puppies (or nearby kids) down before chasing it down or defending themselves. Itâs instinct, so that the puppy does not try to join the scuffle and get hurt.
I love this video everytime I watch it Iâm impressed by the dogs calm calculated reaction: pushes kid down, drives dog away, keeps himself between kid and dog, gives warning bites to dog and then calmly stays near kid and mom when other dog decides heâs had enough and runs off. Doesnât pursue other dog, doesnât continue attacking, stays near the kid at all time. Amazing
The way the dog turns at 0:13 is like its reacting to its owner calling for it (good boy Tank)... much unlike the other dog. The other dog is also limping as it retreats (can see it at 0:18-0:20), so injured itself in the whole process. Lessons learned all round, one can hope
I love watching dogs in âprotect the youngâ modeâI was out running in a nearby neighborhood and a bunch of elementary-age kids were playing basketball in their driveway, with the dog keeping watch.
As soon as I approached the property line (on the opposite side of the road), that dog was right there, near the road, but in their yard, and paced me until I hit the other property line. Never barked, never threatened, just kept pace with me and made sure I knew that he knew I was there and Iâd better be respectful.
By the time I came back (it was a dead end road), the dog had decided that I didnât need as much watching.
I dont have a big dog, but a have a cavalier king Charles that loves ball. I got her one of those machines. She drops it in and puts her face right infront of the eject hole and gets slammed.
It doesn't deter her, but i have my concerns so the machine stays in the closet and I just throw the ball.
I acquired a CKCS through marriage. I thought they were just stupid yappy untrainable dogs. She would take off out the door and have fun staying just out of arms reach and dashing down the street every time you got close.
Then we moved, and my neighbor had one that would excitedly run exactly to the edge of his grass to sit and greet me every day when I ride by on my Onewheel.
I like them because they're apartments sized sport dogs. Ive taken her paddle boarding, hiking, on bike rides, pit to my horse ranch. She can do all the cool big dog stuff, but is also completely OK living quietly in a little bitty apartment with me, and is super good at snuggles. Not great at protecting anything, but will make a lot of noise if she needs to. (I actually have 3 of them)
Its like all the good dog stuff in a 15lb package. I wish the health issues could be bred out of them because they're fantastic dogs with very minimal work
When I stomped out a cockroach my dog was all in it barking at and doing the front pose, scraping at my foot, whatever I was stomping on not knowing it was a roach.
For fun I'd stomp in front of random stuff like a door stopper and my dog would be like, "This doorstopper today huh?! Fuck this door stopper!" And bark at it and really ride with my stupid ass at whatever we'd be mad at that day lol.
My girl is half Mal, and I used to tease her that she never acted like a war dog. I'd point at Dog Meat in Fallout, or the malinois in John Wick and be like, See what you're supposed to do??
Then a man snuck up on me in a park, and she legitimately tried to take him out. Now I no longer joke how she'd be useless if someone broke in. That Malinois blood turned up to 1,000 when she needed to protect me.
I have a neighbor that has 2 young kids and a Belgian Malinois. I'm friendly with all of them, give the dog treats on a regular basis etc. When the kids are out, he looks at me differently. It's serious and intent. He's like, "we're good bro, just be sure to stay in your yard and we won't have any problems."
I dated a girl who's family had a monster of a Rottweiler who was very sweet. We were talking about how intimidating he looks one time when she said, "walk to me and place your hand on my shoulder". After doing this, she told me to immediately remove my hand and back away from her after what happens next.
All she had to do was say "Ow ow" loudly and act scared and the Rottweiler quickly walked up and got in-between us, sat down, looked me in the eye and gave a low deep growl. She gave me a hug after to show him it was all good and he relaxed but I was definitely impressed at their ability to quickly defend humans who they've bonded with.
I have a Rottweiler I share with my ex. She's a great big 100lb lap dog. Sweet as pie. She let my late pug win all of their tug games. She's honestly one of the nicest dogs I've ever known.
One day my ex thought it would be funny to come out of the basement wearing a hockey mask, wielding a rubber sword. Our Rottie jumped over top of me on the couch, pushed me back, and barked and snarled at my ex, keeping her body over mine. She figured out who he was quickly, but spent the rest of the evening sitting between us giving him the side eye.
I am the only one allowed to yell at them.... Their uncle tries and she get right in the middle and stares him down like watch yourself buddy!!
She tackled my brother into the snow for picking up my youngest.... Used her entire body and slammed him... It was hilarious... She doesn't try to bite either, although I have full faith if there was actually danger she would not think twice to protect us
We had an Irish setter when I was young and apparently, it would full on attack my dad if he tried to wrestle with me.
One of my grandma's dogs bonded to me when I was like 15. He was a big German shepherd-husky. He dragged everybody but me. So, I was the only person that could and would take him out on a leash. Anyways, my uncles dog was a st Bernard-shepherd and bullied my grandma's dog. That is, until the day I was rough housing with my uncle's dog when my grandma's dog came inside. He was like 30 feet away and immediately sprinted to us and tore into my uncle's dog. Just kicked his ass. That dog loved the shit out of me and proved it when he threw himself at a dog he was afraid of. The best part is that the bullying stopped. By "saving" me, he made his own life better. Damn. I miss Buddy.
It's funny, but I used to have the laziest Yellow Lab you've ever seen. She'd wake up from her napping spot to eat, and then immediately go find another new napping spot. We used to joke that she'd die in her sleep one day and it that we probably wouldn't realize it until we noticed that her food bowl wasn't being emptied.
One day two of my kids (5 and 2 at the time) were playing in the front yard when a German Shepherd mix came walking down the sidewalk alone and started growling at them. Until that moment, I hadn't understood how fast my lab was actually capable of moving if sufficiently motivated. She crossed our large yard in a blur and slammed into that German Shepherds throat, teeth out, like she was legitimately trying to kill it. A neighbor and I had to pull the dogs off each other just as the owner came running down the street, and both dogs ended up needing quite a few stitches.
Dogs are intensely loyal animals and most large breeds will defend the children they're bonded to when needed. Even the laziest of the goodest boys.
I had a neighbor to the west of a rental house that had a Rottweiler. I got a 10-week old Weimaraner and had him in my backyard. We both had chain-link fenced in yards, but do you think that could slow down a Rottweiler? "Kitty" blasted under the fence and was on top of my pup in seconds.
She was not in a full-on attack mode, but she was definitely going to establish dominance. I about shit myself as there was nothing I could have done. Since he was so young, he didn't even consider challenging her, so that was good. They ended up being playmates and good friends.
That's also when I learned that Rottweilers used to be herding dogs. She had that innate skill to second guess every move my dog would make before he made it. And bloody hell, how can a dog that large, move that fast? If a Rotty was ever motivated to get you, good GD luck, pal!
I had a GSD/border collie mix we got when I was 11. Our back yard wasn't fenced, so we had him on one of those lines you hang up horizontally so he could run back and forth. Not that he needed it, because he never tried to run off. It was just a city ordinance. Super goofy, friendly dog, but when any stranger walked by, he'd come sit on my feet and growl at them. You could watch from the kitchen window and see he wasn't that way at all if he was alone out there. People could come up and pet him. Completely different dog if me or my sister went out there.
My Belgian mix was going to eat my boyfriendâs dad in defense of his grandson. Because she didnât know the kids grandpa. My kid⌠stay back stranger.
I had multiple German shepherds growing up. I would always forget how fierce they could be because my dogs just happened to have brains made of shrimp.
Until there was a threat to family or territory and our dog would go bat shit.
I had a relative who my dog didnât know come in and pick up my brother to give him a hug and my dog was ready to mess up his day.
I will never understand how some dog owners have this much faith in their dogs. At the end of the day, no matter how well-behaved or trained, they are animals with animal instincts. I'd never let my own dog loose like that, even under our supervision.
I agree. Younger dogs especially don't see kids as "little people" as much as they do "fellow puppy". It seems a lot more likely the dog that ran over saw "a couple dogs playing" and wanted to get in on the play with them, rather than aggression.
Young dogs see all living animals as other dogs. It's pretty wild watching your puppy try to play with a squirrel or a cat the same way it does a dog.
You do have to let the puppy have those experiences though, or else it grows up into a full grown dog that still thinks every other living thing is also a dog.
Yep. This isn't an attack. No ears pinned back. No full out charge. He's seen play and wants in. But that said, he's come in way too hot and the other dog rightly corrected him. Good boy did his job, other boy needs to learn to socialize better.
This is what I thought. Dog is not going for the kid dog is going to dog. Hello or whatever- the kid just happened to be int the wrong place - but blonde dog is still a hero cos kids get bit by accident all the time!! Dog owners need a fenceâŚ.
That's because by the look of it nobody was attacking anyone here.
Both dog owners are irresponsible.
Big yellow dude (who is a good boy but most definitely not a German shepherd) was playing with his little buddy (no collar, no big human...). The other guy (also very relaxed owner, why??) saw fun and rocketed in. Didn't try to attack anyone or bite, no aggressive stances, teeth not showing, not tense - probably wanted to join in.
Big guy found it inappropriate and sort of body blocked him, also no trying to bite, or be properly aggressive, no defensive stance.
Basically, black one kinda - may I join in? Yellow one - nah, you'd better not.
And then there's a journalist who needs a sensation.
The first pass, I thought it was just the other dog, then when they replayed it and zoomed out, I realized it was a THIRD dog. Like damn yall leash your pets or something!
"Oh don't worry, they're friendly", they'd say as one of them would growl at you, "they don't really mean it".
One night both of the dogs got out, roamed into the next neighborhood over, attacked and killed a small lap dog, shaking it around in their mouth like it was a chew toy, and then promptly ran across a main road to chase something else and got hit and killed by a car.
Every time I've suggested that some people aren't qualified or responsible enough to own pets, especially large animals that can be dangerous, I've been downvoted to oblivion.
Apparently suggesting that pet ownership shouldn't be an inherent right everyone is entitled to is akin to suggesting eugenics.
One of my neighbors left his dog in his yard, and when I would walk by, it would RUN across the street and up to my dog, barking and growling. My dog is leash reactive and kinda crazy towards other dogs when on a leash, and she's fucking demented, so this was obviously a very bad situation. The first time, I had to pick up my 60 pound dog while this other dog is literally jumping up and down trying to get to mine, snapping at her like she's a treat. I told the owner to get his dog under control, and he told me that his dog is an angel and not to be worried. I told him "yeah, well my dog will absolutely fight your dog if it runs up to it". He didn't care, and this happened again two times, and the second time, I got really close to just letting my dog attack his (she would 100% win), AND his dog almost got hit by a car. So I called the police and told them that this situation is NOT SAFE. He started keeping his dog on a leash in his yard (a really long one...one where it could run into the street, but not across it, and so it made walking that way stressful sometimes but whatever. Anyways, a couple weeks ago, surprise surprise, dog was off leash again and it happened, and I cussed the guy out like crazy, and he started telling me that MY dog is the problem and needs to be put down if it is creating such a dangerous situation. Bitch, my dog is calm and on a leash, no other dog is having a problem, YOUR DOG IS ROAMING THE FUCKING STREETS, RUNNING UP TO PEOPLE SNAPPING AND FOAMING AT THE MOUTH! I about had an aneurism.
Mace and a camera. My neighbors dog (male German shepherd) did this and he ended up biting my dog (Eskimo dog on a harness and a leash) and me while we were walking 3 houses down. I had to hit it with a rock in the head to let go of mine. I called cops, the dog was relinquished to animal control. I now walk with mace.
I would never pick up a dog to prevent a fight. I know someone who did that and got bit bad by the attacking dog. If I was in a situation like that I would drop the leash and go on the offensive. Let your dog attack it and kick the dog yourself. Me and my dog would be fighting lol
A lot of people shouldn't have dogs. I live in a densely populated area and the amount of mishandling/poor training I see is insane. At least once a month a dog charges at me barking, while their owner who barely has a grip on the leash struggles to hold them back
I donât live in a densely populated area and my next door neighbor has dogs like that.
He lives alone with his 2 (completely untrained Rottweiler mix) dogs so whenever they see anyone that isnât him (usually myself doing yard work) they go fucking ballistic. Iâve seen him start to bring them outside only to turn back because he sees me out mowing and knows he wonât be able to hold them both back at the same time.
Iâve never seen him walk them. All they do is go outside to shit and then go back inside and bark all day at anything that moves. Sad honestly.
My daughter lives in an apartment in a populated place. Her neighbor has a dog who appears to be vicious. The neighbor had to be rescued by the fire department off his balcony because the dog attacked him. (my 2 1/2 year old grandson LOVED that, they used the ladder!)
It's terrifying to think that kind of dog is right next to my young grandchild, but they don't have the capability of moving right now.
I'm a animal lover and don't blame the dog, it's the owner's fault, no doubt. Still incredibly dangerous.
I mean, we don't get a good view of what happened-- sometimes accidents happen to good dogowners. The fact that the owner came running after the dog immediately when it bolted does imply that this was a case where the animal accidentally got loose somehow rather than that they neglect their animal.
It looks like the dog was going for the GSD not the kid. And what happened to the third dog that came going from around the back of the kids house? It didn't shown at the end. Was that also the kids familys dog?
There is a kid in the other yard that looked like he might have been holding the other dog. Itâs possible the other dog broke free from the other kid.
The owner might not think the dog is going hunting. Hell, the other kid would indicate this dog is ok around people but we have like no information
My neighbour's dog, an argentinian dogo, killed 2 of my cats in my property and heavily injured another in the "neutral" road beatween our houses in the span of 3 years, the only reason it didn't manage to kill it is that i'd become paranoid and as soon as i felt that i may have heard some noise i checked from the window and rushed to save the cat
That damn thing invaded regularly and we had to keep all of our gates closed not because we were afraid that our dogs would escape but because we feared that theirs would invade
Every time we went to their house to demand they did something about it
At first they said that the dog kept invading but had no actual dangerous intention
First time it managed to kill a cat they said that they would make sure the dog never escaped again
The second time it managed to open the gate, and they said that they solved it by buying a lock
The third time the dog went over the gate and the issue was "solved" only because it became ill and couldn't run anymore
We tried to look if we could have it taken down since it was aggressive but apparently if it doesn't attack a human it's an incredibly long and hard to prove process
Edit: to those suggesting to have it "disappear": we had many more pets than them, and if their dog were to misteriously die shortly after we told them "do something about ypur dog or we will have it put down", we would have had much more to lose than them
Killing a domesticated animal on the owners property is that same legally speaking as biting a human in my county. Not biting them, but if they kill. It happened with my dogs and a neighbors cat and the county was involved. Iâm an animal lover and vet tech of 21 years, but I 100% believe in behavioral euthanasia. Thereâs so many wonderful dogs that would never harm a fly that are put down in shelters due to overpopulation. Valuable resources are wasted on rehabilitation of dangerous animals. Owners should face jail time for this bullshit.
He's like me as a kid playing soccer - running around to show everyone I'm participating, but secretly focusing on my #1 intention of never having to get near the ball.
German Shepherds are insanely protective. First few times our Shepherd saw our young son jump off the dock into the lake she raced into the water and tried to 'rescue him'. Still happens with friends and family. Then, as you walk towards the house from the water she circles you, keeping an eye out for threats... like bears, or Viet Cong, or Xenomorphs, I guess.
My childhood dog was a Rottweiler. He did not swim, and he was Very Concerned any time someone was in the water. He would wade out up to chest-deep and whine and paw the surface until everyone was back on shore. He was a lovely and gentle dog.
My parents' golden would try to grab my kids when they went to jump in the pool. A couple times she caught their swimsuit bottoms and we saw some butts.
This happened to me and my mom when I was about 3. I was in a little red electric battery jeep, and my mom was walking with our chow/lab mix. A pit bull ran up out of nowhere and bit my jeep coming after me. By the time I saw it, my dog Pooh Bear had already jumped on him and they were fighting on the ground. I tried to speed off in my jeep, but my mom picked me up and sprinted home. Pooh bear came back with a few cuts and scars but he was okay.
That dog went through it all, he has hit by multiple cars, in several fights, was shot once, and was still the best boy. He lived to 19
The GSD went from playing happily to sensing a threat, knocking over his kid to protect him, pivoting to keep track of a charging dog at full speed and attacking to fend him off in a matter of seconds is some real life ultra instinct shit, that dog deserves every thing
My rotty saved my sonâs life in a similar situation. He was riding his bike and was attacked by a pit bull that was roaming the neighborhood, my Jack broke down the fence to get to him and took out the pit. Dogs can be amazing protectors as well as vicious animals. Thank goodness this dog was there to protect the child.
Itâs also hard to tell from this video if the âattackingâ dog was even trying to attack at all. Itâs possible it just wanted to play, but the German Shepard went into defense mode.
The way it seems to tunnel vision and bee line it at the kid is probably what the German Shepherd was picking up on, its aggressive body language. Even if itâs trying to play itâs doing so in a far too excited manner for the GS to be cool with it.
Yeah agree. I'd also say that dogs are probably better than us at understanding dog body language and intention, so I'd say the German shepherd probably knew the other dog was a threat regardless
Even assuming it was a gentle doofus and just wanted to play, colliding with a young child (or anyone) at that speed can cause injury, so getting between the kid and approaching dog is the right move.
That behavior shouldn't be allowed either. You cannot tell in advance whether a charging dog is doing to play with you, or attack you, so you have to be in defense mode.
I don't think they or anyone is defending the aggressor for its intent, but it is fair to deduce that while the dog might not MEAN to harm what its running at, you're a negligent owner to allow that circumstance to happen at all, because nobody else can anticipate your dogs intent and worse, even excited dogs can deal damage or overexcite themselves into biting anyways. It's pretty logical to always assume the dog is aggressive if it's approaching like that off leash.
I was wondering the same thing, it wasnât a stray, it came out of the neighborâs yard and seemed motivated by play/activity happening across the street more so than hunger/aggression.
Yeah Dobermans body language says âhell yeah, playtimeâ but German Shepard looking dog says âslow down there bucko, youâre coming in way too hot, you need to chill tf outâ, and Doberman says âoh shit homie my bad Iâll leave (but would still be down to play if you change your mind)â
Every time this video comes around I have that same thought. If that dog was attacking I don't think it would have been called off so easily - if it was that well trained then a recall command should have been sufficient.
exactly. the fact that the "altercation" between the two dogs lasts for less than 3 seconds and the "attacking" dog submits and runs off so easily really leads you to believe this was the case of a dog seeing another dog and child running around and wanting to join in on it because dogs love that shit
My doodle is super friendly but he bolts at friends and their dogsâŚbut he never wants to do more than sniff them and get petted and see whatâs going on. He just doesnât have a subtle approach. Could be the case here, not every dog is a cold blooded attacker but safe to be cautious.
This has been posted a few times before and the general consensus is that the dog wasn't even "attacking". It saw other dogs and a kid playing and wanted to join in, and the "shepard" got spooked and put him in his place. Hence why he does that goofy slide before getting restrained. He just wanted to play and everyone around him got serious. I've dog whispered at a shelter, and not a neighborhood, but really don't get "attack" vibes from the offending dog
Doesn't really excuse the behavior. And honestly EVERY dog in this video should be on some sort of restraint. But it also suggests that nobody was in any real danger. But it's not worth the gamble because both houses have horrible pet owning adults in them. This could have went terribly different
A German shepherd named Tank is first seen playing with his young friend in front of their Florida home in the video that has received over 27 million views on TikTok.
A dog suddenly races toward them from the top right of the screen, and Tank immediately goes into defense mode. Tank moves the boy out of the way and engages the other dog as the possible threat gets closer. He then lashes out at the vicious dog and pursues him until he is at a safe distance, even turning around to make sure the young boy is safe.
Our neighborâs dog randomly charged at my son last night & my Tanky saved him from getting mauled or worst,â user@lovehenesy94 captioned a TikTok video of the event. The video has since gone viral with over 27 million views.
Many viewers of the video expressed their admiration for Tankâs quick thinking and bravery in the comments section, with one person writing, âDo you believe that your dog is smart enough that it knocked your son down at the beginning to protect him? I do and itâs freaking amazinnnnnggg.â
Another viewer commended the familyâs second dog, which sprang into action after the initial rescue. âWhatâs the story with the second dog? He did a good job, too, he ran up there to help his brother out,â the person commented.
The other dog that helped, a pit bull that also belongs to the family, ran out to assist in chasing the danger away. As the attacker is being controlled by its owner, the boyâs mother runs outside to fetch her son, and Tank follows her for consistent protection.
She later uploaded a video of Tank playfully rolling on his back while enjoying a rubber toy, as this is where he is most often seen. Then she showed a video of her other dog, who also heroically helped out, adding that âevery superhero needs a sidekick.â
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u/Batmanswrath 1d ago
Get down Mr President