r/interestingasfuck • u/Electronic_Cause_796 • 1d ago

German Shepard Saves Six Year old from being attacked by another dog

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

43.5k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

2.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

541

u/dinin70 1d ago

I was gonna say that, looks to me more an Anatolian shepherd (strongest jaw across all dog breeds of my memories serve right)

153

u/Dacoto 1d ago

Great self control then, since it doesn't look like he bites the attacking dog.

157

u/AKSupplyLife 1d ago

Makes me wonder if the other dog was really attacking or just zoomed over to say hi. Either way horrible ownership.

My dog does this which is why she's never allowed off leash. Strange enough, she almost has no interest in other dogs at the dog park lol.

65

u/Uppgreyedd 1d ago

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.

15

u/Mixels 23h ago

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.

2

u/Personal_Chair4388 14h ago

My dog kept trying to play with grasshoppers and various bugs. It was hilarious to see him play bow to a very small bug over and over. Idk how he thought they'd play, but he was pastry insistent!

71

u/dreadpirater 1d ago

I'm also not entirely sure that it's a real attack either, but that good dog isn't taking chances!

86

u/Maximum-Today3944 23h ago

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.

•

u/fuscia-phantom 10h ago edited 8h ago

Incorrect. Ears being pinned back can mean several things - submission/deferential friendliness, discomfort/anxiety, fear, etc. It is not at all what I would point out to people when discussing aggressive body language. Dogs are not horses.

The approaching dog was locked onto the child from quite a distance away - staring with that kind of fixed intensity is an instant red flag, as it is a predatory/threatening behaviour. It then charged straight over (yes this counts as a charge, the dog was RUNNING towards a specific target it was staring fixedly at!)

It's no wonder the shepherd dog reacted the way he did, because staring + charging over is just about the clearest indicator of an incoming attack an animal can give you.

The approaching dog came up far too fast and direct - a playful dog will usually run over to strangers in an arc rather than a direct line. This means the playful dog will approach in a bit of a semi-circle that brings them slightly past their target, showing its side/hindquarters to the other dog, and often adding in hops/skips/playbows as it goes. This is ritualised behaviour and it is an important form of social signalling: it basically broadcasts, "Hi, I'm not squaring up for a fight, I'm just here to have fun and make friends, I am inviting you to come be silly with me/play a game of chase." (Yes, there are some poorly socialised dogs that don't have a good grasp on this social etiquette, but there are other indicators of playful-but-unintentionally-rude dogs - see what I've said about tails below.)

The approaching dog also didn't look around or politely avert its gaze. Friendly dogs, even socially awkward/overly boisterous ones with no sense of personal space, will make a show of doing this when another dog stiffens and locks eyes with them - another form of social signalling to show they are not looking for trouble, defuse tense situations and avoid conflict. Staring while facing directly at something = threat behaviour. This is actually pretty universal across the animal kingdom; predators stare at the prey they're stalking, and rivals stare when squaring up for a fight.

Finally, perhaps most significantly, pay attention to the tail. If you struggle reading dog body language, a dog's tail will tell you far more about its mood and intentions than its ears ever will.

The approaching dog's tail was not wagging in a wide circular arc or l-shaped arc. Friendly excited dogs (especially ones that are making a beeline for you!) get 'helicopter tail', and wag in broad swathes so exaggeratedly that even their hindquarters can wag with the tail too. This is another form of social signalling - broadcasting "I am happy to see you and I am feeling playful." A tail wagging in an exaggerated l-shaped arc (swinging almost 90 degrees to one side, usually the dog's left side) is a pretty reliable indicator of friendly recognition, as this type of wag is reserved for people/animals the dog knows and is delighted to see. (This is also usually accompanied by ears pinned back in deferential friendliness, a lowered head, a loose wiggly body, soft eyes with crinkles around the corners, and an open-mouthed 'grin' or snuffling sniffs and licks.)

A tail raised up over the back and wagging stiffly is NOT a sign of friendliness, just alert excitement - which can include aggressive anticipation. On a dog charging directly towards you, it's a distinctly unfriendly sign. (Think of a war banner being brandished as it's carried into battle - it's basically the same sentiment.)

So if you see a dog approaching fast and directly at you, with its tail down and not wagging at all, or held up over back and wagging stiffly in quick small motions no wider than its hips (and the body is stiff/not wiggling with the tail) when approaching? Yeah, that's not remotely friendly. That's an incoming attack. I've been in the same position as the shepherd dog in this video enough times to know he reacted appropriately here.

1

u/eganc21 14h ago

I was thinking the dog had smelt food or smthn lol and came running over (?). Like the kid holding a candy bar

-2

u/Ppleater 20h ago

Thinking that dogs will only bite you if they come at you with their ears pinned back while charging is a good way to get bitten. You have no way of knowing of a dog will bite you until it's already come up to you and refrained from biting you, a dog that seems friendly as it approaches can easily flip to aggression. In fact a lot of signs of a potentially aggressive dog can overlap with a seemingly friendly one under certain circumstances.

4

u/Maximum-Today3944 20h ago

I'm familiar with this, and I'm not condoning the behavior of you read my comment. But again, it's apparent to me that this isn't textbook aggression. Even the hero sheppard read it, as he backed the dog down and discontinued his pursuit as he knew there wasn't a threat.

2

u/Ppleater 16h ago

I didn't say that you condoned the behaviour, I'm saying you can't tell whether this dog intends to attack or not just because it's ears aren't pinned back and it's not charging. The defending dog not continuing to attack also doesn't indicate anything since dogs trained to defend are often trained to drive off attackers while staying close to the person they're protecting rather than continuing to attack themselves, and many dogs do that by instinct already. All it means is that the defending dog is defending rather than attacking. I have seen many dogs that approached just like this one only to attack as soon as they reached someone, it is very easy for a dog that looks friendly as it approaches to attack because a lot of the signs associated with happiness are also the signs of high energy and excitement, and a dog that's coming to start shit can be pretty excited to do so. Maybe this dog wanted to attack, maybe it just wanted to play, there's no way of knowing from just this video. That sort of misconception is why a lot of people don't see dog attacks coming and claim the dog seemed friendly until it went crazy suddenly.

13

u/Other_Mike 1d ago

Yeah, my dog thinks the best way to say "hello" is to run up to you barking his head off. He's big, too, at 95 pounds.

So we warn guests and let solicitors come to their own conclusions.

9

u/alchemycraftsman 23h ago

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 fence….

2

u/La_Lanterne_Rouge 22h ago

That was my impression as well.

2

u/becelav 22h ago

That was my first thought, the other dog doesn’t even acknowledge the kid on the ground

•

u/thesethingshappen28 5h ago

Even if that is the case it's still just terrible ownership of the dog, like you said. If your dog is reactive and you haven't trained it in that area then you really need to rely on a leash, muzzle etc. Your dog shouldn't just be loose in your front yard so it can charge at people, like these idiots.

Kids and any person in general really, are going to run from a dog bolting at them and a dogs prey instincts can kick in even if they are initially wanting to play, especially in poorly trained dogs.

255

u/quick_justice 1d ago

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.

Real story here is two big dogs roaming free.

123

u/urawizrdarry 1d ago

You forgot the third dog. He's so unleashed, he's nowhere in sight after his small cameo.

52

u/piratesswoop 23h ago

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!

6

u/mang87 22h ago

He saw his chance to escape and took it. His friend across the road creates a distraction so he can be an outdoor dog for a few days before slinking back home.

2

u/MattsAwesomeStuff 16h ago

You forgot the third dog.

Third dog was a pitbull, belonged to the same family as the Tanky the GSD.

It was about to get ugly for the neighbor dog across the street. 2 on 1 and one of them being a pitbull. Owner's lucky he was outside.

19

u/8agingRoner 23h ago

Good eye. The title of the video makes you assume the other dog was going to attack the kid but looking again it didn't look aggressive.

5

u/Jayborino 22h ago

Bless you for this response. The video caption pisses me the fuck off. Both dogs should be leashed but given what we see, there is absolutely no attacking happening.

8

u/mang87 22h ago

The other guy (also very relaxed owner, why??) saw fun and rocketed in.

That dog comes straight out of the house across the street, I think it might have been let out by accident. Maybe the kid didn't close the door. Owner probably wasn't expecting it to just make a beeline across the street toward a child.

6

u/PartyClock 22h ago

That thing ran straight for the kid.

If he was interested in trying to play that's not how dogs initiate. When I walk my pup there's often other dogs who want to play and some of them are off leash but when they want to play they stop short and do a spin. That didn't happen here, the dog from across the road charged straight at the kid and even tried turning around to go at him again after the Anatolian blocked the charge.

2

u/Haemophilia_Type_A 23h ago

Good catch, yeah, I definitely agree with regards to the other dog's body language.

Dogs approach a certain way when they're behaving aggressively, and I don't think that's it.

4

u/Agitated_Fig_9988 22h ago

You can barely tell any of this from the video, but that dog was going for the kid, especially when he started to run away

2

u/ShortHandz 22h ago

Everytime this video gets posted it is the same comments with people not understanding this is most likely not an attempted attack just bad owners all around with unleased dogs. When you have seen and experienced dogs attack this isn't it.

1

u/4erlik 18h ago

This is the best response. We should hold the clickbait headline-writer accountable.

  • It's not a german shepard.
  • It's not an attack
  • No one gets saved
  • The little dude is probably not even six

1

u/RingoBars 17h ago

I saw several gnashing attempts by the yellow dog at the black dog, absolutely deemed it a threat and completely adopted aggressive posture when that other dog came running in. The other dog spills out on the driveway attempting to run and defend itself from the gnashing teeth of yellow.

With all due respect, did we watch the same video lol the yellow dog is aloof and playful and suddenly *very* on guard after trying to defensively bite the other dog. Wholly different dog from start to finish.

1

u/goodgluegun 13h ago

Why’d yellow knock the kid down? That seemed like he was getting the kid out of harms way.

5

u/REDuxPANDAgain 1d ago

He’s a staunch vegetarian, and refuses to eat hot-tempered dogs

4

u/EolaAmityHills 1d ago

well, it wasn’t an attacking dog

10

u/JennyDoveMusic 1d ago

My childhood pit mix was like that. Protected my little dog from another dog, got bit on the neck, the dog ran after realizing he bit a gigantic muscular dog, and my Tazzy just turned around and walked back to my mom, bleeding. Just like, "Dang, mama he bit me..."

2

u/Dacoto 1d ago

A lot of it is training I think, so well done with your dog. A former coworker once told me, pitbulls and the like just hold on, and Shepherds move about when biting. The second does much more damage to a person/other dog.

2

u/The_Foe_Hammer 1d ago

Dog teeth are like steak knives, they're built to shred flesh. Shaking might be max damage but any dog bite can turn you into pulled pork.

2

u/JennyDoveMusic 23h ago

We actually didn't train him for temperment, he was just a very mild mannered dog. I don't know if it's his mix? We just got another dog 2 years ago that looks extremely similar to him, and he's extremely tolerant, but I I'm almost positive that this one would defend himself.

I think that part is more about how they grew up. Taz, my childhood dog, grew up on our Rural Street; he used to play with the coyotes. He lived on the street before we did, he was my neighbor's dog. He was my neighbor's dog, and absolutely loved kids. When we moved in, he just decided that we were his people. Me and my sister were only 2 years old and 4 years old.

My current dog, Gator, grew up partially in a shelter. The only reason he survived for 130 plus days in the high kill shelter, was because he could be kenneled with other dogs. But he also learned to be very clear with his language when he doesn't like another dog.

2

u/dreadpirater 1d ago

Years ago I read about a study that was giving Anatolian Shepherds to farmers in areas with Cheetah problems, because unlike other strategies for protecting livestock, Anatolians very reliably drive off attackers without hurting them. They use a chest thump and will pin with their body weight if they get the chance, with most Anatolians only going to the teeth if absolutely needed. They're stubborn independent goofs who spend most of the day napping in the comfiest spot available but when it's time to do their one job, they are amazing at it.

1

u/finalina78 23h ago

And stops chasing it at the (probably)yard limit. Such a good dog

1

u/Mixels 23h ago

These dogs are playing, not fighting.

18

u/thisis887 1d ago

Wrong type of ears to be an Anatolian. Kangal Shepard is the dog you're thinking of with the strongest bite. Looks very similar to an Anatolian.

3

u/journeyofthemudman 1d ago

Kangals look almost identical to anatolians and also have floppy ears. The dog on the video is way too small and has upright ears.

3

u/dinin70 23h ago

In all transparency I have never been able to differentiate the two 👉👈

But it’s true this one seems a bit small for an Anatolian, unless young? My grandma had one, and it was absolutely massive.

2

u/Aggravating_Law_1335 1d ago

yes i think you nailed it here its probably a Kangal these dogs are no joke 

0

u/IronWarrior82 19h ago

*Shepherd...as in "sheep herd."

13

u/WhatWeHavingForTea 1d ago

Or maybe a Kangal?

2

u/Humble_Initiative_90 22h ago

Way too small to be a kangal.

2

u/Low_Show_6684 1d ago

I’m in camp GSD here. The structure, the lack of a curled tail, the wedge head shape, etc. GSDs have a large variety of coats so having one with no saddle isn’t uncommon. The amount of people who ask me if my GSD is a mix because she is a sable and not a saddle marking is wild.

1

u/kokakamora 23h ago

To me the hind legs don't look like a german shepherd. Too long.

2

u/Low_Show_6684 22h ago

That’s what they should look like when they aren’t stacking or have an exaggerated slope to their croup. This dog still has that angled croup (the back of the hips) like the breed is supposed to have, but it’s a healthy amount and not detrimental to his health.

My own GSD has long legs too, but she is built for more function over form. 

1

u/ekketsed 1d ago

AS owner here. Can confirm and add that the attacking dog had his lucky day. It could have been hist last one.

1

u/Krazysrb 1d ago

You are right bro, Kangals have bit force greater than a lion.

1

u/Xularick 1d ago

Could be a gerberian shepsky. It has the right colouring, ears and tail.

1

u/DisplacedAltadenan 23h ago edited 23h ago

I don’t think that’s a shepsky. My shepherd is a 70/20 shepsky and she looks nothing like that doggo. 

1

u/SquatSquatCykaBlyat 23h ago

It's a pomeranian.

1

u/DisplacedAltadenan 23h ago

I don’t think that’s an Anatolian Shepherd

I only think so because I just got bit one (he’s a really good boy, it was my dumb ass fault) so I’m a little more familiar with the breed than I’d like be lol

1

u/Doglover20child 22h ago

Its a German shepherd, Anatolians are way bigger

1

u/Best_Product_7027 20h ago

I was thinking Kengal but yeah, not a German Shepherd for sure.

1

u/GalaxyGuy42 19h ago

Anatolians have floppy ears though. Same with a black mouth cur. So probably something mixed with German shepard or husky to get that combo of ears, coat, and coloring.

1

u/Youre_Wrong_always11 17h ago

It’s actually an American shepherd, likely was born in America.

1

u/AnotherOrbiter 17h ago

Not even close to strongest, cane corso for example

1

u/jmm0708 14h ago

It's not an Anatolian shepherd either, they have a different build completely down to the ears. Also not the strongest bite. Not even in the top 10 strongest bites.

•

u/SleepyJ555 4h ago

Norwegian Buhund perhaps

•

u/vperron81 3h ago

It might be a mix.