About five weeks ago Lisl started showing a more protective behavior. At first I thought it was a fear reaction, but now I don't believe this dog is afraid of anything.
She is very confident and carries herself very well.
She has shown me that strangers that appear threatening or are advancing are not welcome in her comfort zone. That zone seems to be about a 20' radius. She seems to be a very good judge of character, though I doubt a dog has that ability at a distance. So far though, with the exception of my next door neighbors, I trust her instincts. I just haven't been able to figure out with any certainty why she doesn't like the neighbors. THey have dogs, he used to be a K-9 dog handler, etc.
There are several examples I could relate here that occured during walks we have been on, but I would rather not due to the nature of the people involved.
Suffice to say Lisl knew these people were up to no good and so did I. She had her teeth and aggressiveness and I had a firearm. No one advanced far enough to be hurt and everyone went home in one piece with no holes in them.
I can't say the outcome would have been the same had I not been walking Lisl. And of course I would not have been in that situation at all if I didn't have a dog.
It's not like I live in the inner city or a bad neighborhood, but I do live close to one, and certain undesireable criminal elements pass through my neighborhood on a regular basis after the sun goes down.