Something as simple as how a dog reacts to a knock at the door will tell you who the dog thinks is the boss of the house. If it instinctively runs to the door barking - it thinks it is. If it raises it's head and looks to you instead it knows you are.
Agreed....my dog is a watchdog breed..it's in her genes to bark ( and don't we know it,sorry neighbours) but she is doing so for us!
She is not a guard dog breed but her function was to alert her master on his barge to the arrival of strangers and so now homes ..ours at least is still above water,I'm glad to say
Indeed. Our staffie (not a barky breed) only barks (for a few seconds or until "they" have gone) when someone approaches our home. Considering that staffies don't generally bark, she has an impressive voice!
I do not discourage this behavioir as it serves as a good warning to those that might think about breaking-in. Our neighbours have even commented that when they do hear her, it also alerts them to someone being around as they know she doesn't bark any other time.
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Indeed. Our staffie (not a barky breed) only barks (for a few seconds or until "they" have gone) when someone approaches our home. Considering that staffies don't generally bark, she has an impressive voice!
I do not discourage this behavioir as it serves as a good warning to those that might think about breaking-in. Our neighbours have even commented that when they do hear her, it also alerts them to someone being around as they know she doesn't bark any other time.