Would your dog really defend you against an attacker? This was the question an episode of Inside Edition attempted to answer for a few dog owners.

We get dogs for different reasons. Often multiple reasons. I would hope the number one reason is the mutual companionship and that you have the desire to give love and care for an animal who needs it. You'll get it back tenfold. For some it can't hurt to have the added benefit of a dog so loyal it would protect you and your family if the unthinkable happened. An intruder. Just hearing a dog bark from the other side of that door is often enough to make an intruder think twice. But not always. So have you ever asked yourself what your dog would really do if someone came in with evil intent?

Inside Edition found a few dog owners who wanted to find out and were willing to do a simulation in their own homes to put their dogs to the test. A masked intruder dressed in black appears to force his way into the home and the dog's owner does some acting, screaming as the intruder appears to attack them. What will the dog do? Check out the video to see the results.

How many in New Jersey are looking for a dog that would make a good guard dog? It's hard to know for sure. But among New Jersey's most popular breeds last year, Boxers were number 8, Rottweilers were number 7 and German shepherds were number 2.

The times I've had dogs I never assumed they would come to anyone's aid in an emergency. When I was a kid my family had a Beagle. He was pretty non-aggressive and I doubt he would have done anything but bark if there had been a break-in. Then I had a mutt that was about 20 pounds, had some terrier of some sort in him. Extremely smart but not much of a guard dog. Then again he was never put to the test. There was a Golden Retriever in my life for awhile. Chose that breed because of their reputation for being gentle and good with children. That was the biggest dog I ever owned but not exactly a bully breed.

But the size of the dog doesn't always matter. Sometimes they'll surprise you. Watch the video.

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