Defensive Drive

Defensive Drive- aggression displayed as a hostile reaction to threats.

These threats can be to the "dog's family", to the dog itself, or they can be in response to invasion of the dog's territory. A defensive dog can either have a fight or flight response. The dog with a flight response is called a fear biter and is highly undesirable. A defensive dog with a fight response can be a good family guard dog, but is generally unsuitable as a sport dog, or working dog, unless it also has strong play drive.