History Main / AngryGuardDog

Most of the bigger breeds of dog have been used for security jobs, especially [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobermann Dobermans]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottweiler Rottweilers]], and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Shepherd German Shepherds]]. You also have different types of dogs that are supposed to guard whatever, such as a watchdog (who is simply required to bark, so even MisterMuffykins would do), a guard dog (who merely has to look imposing, like a Mastiff) and an attack dog (who has to be athletic and very trainable). Your stereotypical Angry Guard Dog, on the other hand, is all three. It looks intimidating, and if you enter its territory it ''will'' bark, but only [[RoarBeforeBeating on the way to mauling you]]. This dog's bite is every bit as bad as its bark.

And since [[PredatorsAreMean dogs are dangerous predators that will crush your bones]], thus they are [[CanineCompanion a perfect pet]] for a CardCarryingVillain.

* In the 1980s Henry Winkler movie ''Film/NightShift'', the rather nebbish and timid main character is shown to be frequently tormented by a neighbor's dog who relentlessly pursues him through the apartment complex where he lives, barking furiously. It's a sign of CharacterDevelopment towards the end when he finally gets fed up and bellows "Go home!" as it's bounding towards him... and it slinks away with its tail between its legs.

* In the ActionPrologue of ''Mindstar Rising'' by Creator/PeterFHamilton, Greg Mandel has to take out an ex-police Rotweiller with monolattice silicon fangs and implanted retinas. Which is nothing to the security at the BigFancyHouse where Julia Evans lives, which is guarded by genetically-enhanced ''panthers!''

* In the Italian FunnyAnimals comic ''Lupo Alberto'' (''Alberto the Wolf''), the Mackenzie Farm is defended by an ill-tempered sheepdog named Moses. Besides serving as the farm's manager and most consistent voice of authority, he also protects it from intrusions (chiefly those of the titular Alberto when he tries to sneak in to woo his girlfriend Marta-or, more rarely, to [[FurryReminder eat the chicken]]) with liberal use of baseball bats, shotguns and bear traps.

*** To give an idea of how hard they can be to control, when some countries put their pilots through their equivalent of Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training, they sometimes use both their military's guard[=/=]tracking dogs and the local Search And Rescue units SAR dogs, allowing them to both train the pilots in evasion and the SAR dogs in tracking. The SAR dogs are almost always allowed off leash to track, and will be happy when they find the pilot, bark to alert their handlers, and be extremely friendly towards their "prey". The military guard dogs are ''never'' let off leash for this training, and pilots are often told that, should they have to deal with an actual enemy's military dogs, often the only way to escape one that's found you, aside from shooting them, is to let them bite your arm, lift your arm and the dog up (often rendering that arm useless afterwards), then ''kill the dog'', sacrificing your arm for a chance at escape.[]] And even if you manage that, the enemy soldiers will most likely be close by, have heard the dog, are now on their way to get you, you're down an arm, and the enemy unit on it's way probably contains the dog's handler, who isn't going to be happy that [[{{Franchise/JohnWick}} you killed their dog]].

*** To give an idea of how hard they can be to control, when some countries put their pilots through their equivalent of Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training, they sometimes use both their military's guard[=/=]tracking dogs and the local Search And Rescue units SAR dogs, allowing them to both train the pilots in evasion and the SAR dogs in tracking. The SAR dogs are almost always allowed off leash to track, and will be happy when they find the pilot, bark to alert their handlers, and be extremely friendly towards their "prey". The military guard dogs are ''never'' let off leash for this training, and pilots are often told that, should they have to deal with an actual enemy's military dogs, often the only way to escape one that's found you is to let them bite your arm, lift your arm and the dog up (often rendering that arm useless afterwards), then ''kill the dog'', sacrificing your arm for a chance at escape. And even if you manage that, the enemy soldiers will most likely be close by, have heard the dog, are now on their way to get you, you're down an arm, and the enemy unit on it's way probably contains the dog's handler, who isn't going to be happy that [[{{Franchise/JohnWick}} you killed their dog]].

* ''Film/OurManFlint''. When Cramden shows up at Flint's apartment to ask him to SaveTheWorld, a German shepherd puts its jaw around his hand and drags Cramden inside Flint's apartment. It then growls menacingly when Cramden offers his hand to Flint, who asks Cramden to lower his hand slowly as the dog is trained to detect hostility and will tear him apart. When Cramden doesn't like Flint, it's quite likely the latter is trolling him.

Contrast BigFriendlyDog (although this Trope ''can'' overlap when [[CanineCompanion their friend is the one they're guarding]]), IncompetentGuardAnimal, TheyHaveTheScent, and JealousPet. Neutralized by ScareTheDog. Sometimes named {{Fluffy|TheTerrible}}. Subtrope of AnimalOccupationStereotypes.

Nowadays, the trope is mostly found in cartoons. They occasionally subvert it, showing the dog is a big [[BigFriendlyDog softie]] and/or [[LovableCoward coward]] if confronted, with the {{Aesop}} that [[BoisterousWeakling a bully's bark is always worse than his bite]]. However, if its cowardice shows its UndyingLoyalty to the villains, the dog is a DirtyCoward instead.

* ''Anime/Eyeshield21'': Cerberus tends to maul anyone getting close to him, a bonus in the manga reveals that he isn't a pet though: it's a really aggressive wild dog that hangs around Hiruma to get food.

* Sam faces two of the junkyard breeds in ''Film/{{Transformers|2007}}'', where they can ''rip their chains out of the concrete.''

* Sam faces two of the junkyard breed in ''Film/{{Transformers}}''. They can ''rip their chains out of the concrete!''

* ''Film/NeverCryWerewolf'': Jared has a viscous dog that is just as mean as he is and serves as the secondary antagonist. It turns out to be a [[HellHound demon dog]] disguised as a real dog.

* ''Film/TheBoysFromBrazil'': The dobermans that are ordered to attack Josef Mengele.

Contrast BigFriendlyDog (although this Trope ''can'' overlap when [[MansBestFriend their friend is the one they're guarding]]), IncompetentGuardAnimal, TheyHaveTheScent, and JealousPet. Neutralized by ScareTheDog. Sometimes named {{Fluffy|TheTerrible}}. Subtrope of AnimalOccupationStereotypes.

* Subverted with the "Kennel from Hell" match during {{Wrestling/WWE}}'s Unforgiven 1999. The idea was a steel cage match inside Hell in a Cell, where the inner cage was surrounded by vicious dogs. Turns out the dogs weren't so vicious, as they spent more time peeing and crapping on the floor and mating with each other than actually intimidating the wrestlers. The wrestlers were more in danger of slipping on the dogs' mess than being torn apart by them.