Do you really want your dog to protect you? I don't know, I figure I have to protect them. I want them to alert me, but I'll protect myself.
It's funny a week ago, I heard a knock at 4am on my door, just a soft knock and something that sounded like metal on metal, now dh was 10 hours away and I knew it wasn't him, nobody but one neighbor has a key, Oz, my gsdX or just really poorly bred shep didn't make a sound. My Saint, who was sleeping in my room, went to the window and barked - which is funny, because she never barks. We actually thought at one time she might have been debarked because she never barked and what came out of her was weird and strained sounding. This was a deep, strong woof. By the time I got to the window, I couldn't see anything. To me, the dogs are a deterrent, they are a warning to me that something is not right. I take my cell and cordless phone to bed when dh is away so if he calls, texts or e-mails, I get it. A night like last night, he worked all day, all night until 4am and is back at work today, so he has odd hours we don't get to talk much when he is gone.
Do I think either one of them would protect me with just basic pet obedience, no, hopefully after the 911 call they would be huddled down in the closet with me waiting for the cops to arrive.
Now last night, coming home from downtown I took a very dark road, it was just me and dd in a stroller, it wasn't late, only 7pm, but a part of me wished I had taken one of the dogs downtown with us, not for protection, just to have one with me as a deterrent.
I would be afraid relying on a dog for protection, and it would absolutely break my heart if anything happened to them while trying to protect me.