«اِلْكَلْبْ مَا يِشَّطَّرْش إِلَّا عَلَى بَابْ جُحْرُهْ»

The saying mocks a person whose boldness depends entirely on familiar surroundings. At home, under the protection of kin and supporters, such a person puts on a show of daring and skill, a display of bravado rather than mere cleverness, yet that confidence evaporates once the safety of home is gone.

It also implies that this kind of courage is hollow, because it is really borrowed from the place and the people standing behind the boaster. True bravery, by contrast, would be expected to hold up away from home, among strangers, where no one is there to back him up.

Aimed at someone who swaggers and boasts among family, neighbors, or allies but backs down when facing strangers or unfamiliar ground. Because it likens the target to a dog, widely felt as insulting, it is a pointed jab suited to mockery or criticism, not polite exchange.