I have a Rott, Tanner, who I raised from a pup. He's now 7. Sweetest boy in the world, all the kids love him in my neighborhood and are always at my house asking if he can "play." When we take our walks, if any of my neighbors are in their garages he'll wait at the end of their driveways and whine until they come pet and admire him. According to my Tanner, everyone should adore him.
My best friend had a little bisson names Spike (the irony of this three lb. fru-fru dog being named Spike still makes me smile) whom Tanner was terrified of. He would always try to hid all 135 lbs. of himself behind me if Spike were out while we were walking. Now they have a little Yorkie that Tanner just adores. I think he thought Spike was a barking cat and didn't quite know what to make of him.
I have only seen him in full-on protective mode once when he was a pup of about 11 mos.
We were on our way back from a trip to Missouri and two men were walking toward us in the dimly lit motel parking lot when I was walking him. Needless to say they'd startled me. Tanner quickly moved directly in front of me and started pushing back with his rear on my legs. When they didn't stop, his back rose and he started growling and when they still didn't stop, he began jumping from side to side, straight up and down while barking what I call his "back off" bark. Well, that got their attention and they froze. After we spoke and it was determined they were not a threat, Tanner went right up to them, smelled them, and began wagging and slurpping them up.
The"ominous presence" thing, as I call it when he puts his body in between me and something he believes may be dangerous, he's done since, though. He did it once when a friend and I were joking/wrestling aroundand he came over and stood in the middle of us and he's get in-between my ex-husband, who was abusive to me, and myself and push him away from me when he'd yell and stuff. That scared me only because I worried my ex would hurt him and then I'd have to kill my ex.
I never worried that Tanner would have, luckilly neither of us were pushed that far I suppose.
I also have a Rott/Lab mix, Ike, who was a rescue from a gang member. When I got him, he was approx. 8 years old, 35 lbs., and had scars down the side of his head, left ear, and shoulder from having the idiot throw battery acid on him (he was prosceuted and served jail time for animal abuse). He also had his ear pierced (can you imagine?), was afraid of men, and had horrible nightmares from which he tear around the house like a mad dog until he found me to throw himself into my lap and bury himself in my armpit. It broke your heart. He was so used to being starved that for years he'd eat, go to the bathroom, then eat that. Ugh. Thankfully, he doesn't do that anymore.
He gained up to his normal weight of 110 lbs., stopped having the nightmares, and all but the deepest scars, behind his ear, went away thanks to lots and lots of Bag Balm. He has also gotten over his fear of men as well. The saddest thing now is, within the past three months he has gone completely blind due to the effects of the acid. He's gained some weight since then as he's less active but I hate to put him on a diet. I figure he'd been starved so long, he deserves to be a little chubby now.
He's the one who is super protective of the house and the yard. Just goes crazy if he thinks someone is trying to get in or if he hears anyone he doesn't recognize approach. he's absolutely wonderful with kids and anyone who comes over. In fact, he tends to park himself where he can rest his chin on someones leg and just slurps up all the petting he can get. He's very over protective of Tanner, though, as Tanner is of him especially with Ike's condition. When I scold one or the other which ever one is not on the hook is always right there.Tanner does get grouchy with him and sometime uses his "Hey!" bark, though, if Ike steps on him too many times.
Ike is full-on Lab thru and thru except for his Rottie coat. I call him my little Lab in Rott clothing. Tanner sometimes looks at him when he's baying at the sirens, digging holes in the garden, or doing some other typically Lab behavior a Rott would never stoop to like, "Hey, Man! Get a hold of yourself! Where's your dignity?!"
Anyway, I think the only way one of my Boys would become "vicious" is if someone physically threatened/attacked me. I've often said it's a good thing that the burglers wouldn't know the only risk they'd run breaking into the house is that they may be slurpped to death!
Cheers;
Wendy
