Couch Potato or Serious Protector

no theres not a huge variation within the douge..if you select for a real protective and athletic dog you will get a real protective athletic douge,they are out there,however they are a laid back breed by nature,calm like many of the giant mastiffs..Some of the show dogs are just lazy slobs,some have nervous sketch temperments,many bordeauxs are dog aggresive no matter if they are show dogs or not..just like any breed there are good and bad dogs,select for what you want and youll get a great dog,you cant lose with a good douge...

from my experience now that my ddb has matured some ive noticed her to be protective in subtle ways with new company. she will stand by them and lay in their lap as if asking for attention.. but it is really her watching them closely, as i had a friend joking around one day and he punched me in the shoulder and he almost was bitten in the butt. i warned him not to joke around like that if my dog is around heh :P and my ex girlfriend got very angry one time and attacked me and my ddb jane took her down to the ground by her arm but did not hurt her. so in my opinion a ddb is a unseen protector until the time it becomes needed to protect. the more you bond with your dog the more likely it is for it to defend you. there is also training schools for personal protection dogs if you want to have a well trained protector :)

Couch potato, since all the breeding programs emphasize on shows...

I'd like to throw my $0.02 in here. Saying a breed has a "couch potato" mentality really bugs the sh*t out of me. Even if a breed, as a general whole has a lower exercise need than most others, it should be noted that ALL DOGS, REGARDLESS OF BREED, NEED AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF EXERCISE!!! :wink:

[quote=Tiago]Couch potato, since all the breeding programs emphasize on shows...[/quote] aparrently Tiago is an expert on all the ddb breeding programs. (sarcasm) if you want to be sure you have a "endurance bred ddb" check the parent dogs out and see if they fit the bill or check out some older siblings , they may be the same breed but its not pure science.. its 80% luck to breed the qualitys u want the rest is time and money and wits. all in all a ddb is active but not high endurance, from my experience if you are inactive the dog will be glad to be inactive with you , if you like 3 miles jogs or walks i dont belive the ddb is the dog for you. mine tires out after a mile.

Jaker, Seen and tested many DDBs, at the top of my head, 15. I would not feed any of them. Breathing problems, lack of drive and nerve issues, joints, skin problems like genetic demodex are amongst the health issues I have seen. I think all this justifies, calling them couch potatoes. If you show me ONE capable DDB, I will change my opinion. Just one with trainability, strong nerve, drive, MEDIUM endurance when compared to dogs of the same size and with DECENT health. Then I will not call them couch potatoes. Some of us have higher standards, ya know :wink: Best regards

if this person wanted a personal protection dog i doubt that they would choose a ddb in the first place as it is not suited for this task as well as many others... but will it defend its owner ?? my answer is most definitly yes. are they all couch potato's =no Hd is very common in many large breeds and all breeds of mastiff Skin problems. my ddB has no hip problem's shes been xrayed she has dry skin in the winter cureable with oatmeal baths she will protect me no matter what. she does like the couch.. :) she barely snores. has no other breathing problems im aware of. she can run around outside all day long but she likes to come inside and lick me after a hour or 2 then she wants back out. she is extremely well trained and very very smart and willing to be trained. if i want her to run with me she will until she is completely worn out she can run around for 30-40 minutes nonstop playing with other dogs /walking /ect before she gets tired and takes a breather i belive the original poster needs to enlighten us with what their idea of protector is. or a beautiful sweet animal that will be glad to defend its owner/family in a pinch. also getting back to the original post ... yes there is a lot of variation in this breed the ddb does need a lot of exercise most think it does not due to is lazyness when inside. but when outside the ddb will be much more active. those who just walk their ddb need to consider taking it to a free run park or to the country to get the exercise it truely needs. also most breeders have taken most of the aggressiveness out of this animal others have not but most of the ones you will see are the calmer mellower versions. as the old style breed is all but nonexhistant. for some a ddb may be a good choice for a family protector. for a ppd no way too many issues but it could be done, however it would not be my first choice for a ppd at all. they are even tempered animals around your children and very protective (given attention/love). if you dont give it attention though and it only see's you when it gets fed it may be your hand it bites. for a junkyard dog or a backyard ornament this dog is a very horrible choice. honestly I think ddb is a serious protector very mellow animal. if that makes it a couch potato. then so be it but it also is still a very serious protector its protection instincts are still very real. I dont think I know anyone that wants to be on the recieving end of an angry ddb bite. and I dont think Ii know anyone that my dog will not bite if she felt I was in danger.

What is the difference between a family protector and a pp dog? To me, there is no difference...either is a dog TRAINED to stop a threat and release on command. If you are talking about an alarm dog, any barking animal can do it. But protector, involves engagement and stopping on command. From your description, your dog is a nice pet. As we know, most pets are not worked beyond normal activities. Unfortunately most of them are couch potatoes (not saying yours is one, because from the description you seem an active owner). Too many people use the "family protector" loosely, usually describing a family pet that shows threat display under certain situations. That is NOT a family protector, but a pet that SEEMS to have some defense drive. This is far from a real family protector. Regards