«اِلْكَلْبْ فِي بِيتُهْ سَبْعْ»

A creature that seems lowly elsewhere grows fierce and confident once it stands on its own turf. Home, and the people who belong there, give it a sense of worth and strength it lacks abroad, so it guards and prizes that place with surprising courage.

The saying also supports a more skeptical reading. The strength may be largely self-image: on familiar ground, an ordinary person feels and behaves like someone mighty. Both readings stay open, real courage drawn from home or inflated self-regard. Context decides whether the tone is admiring or mocking.

Say it about someone who acts bold, proud or domineering in their own house or territory, especially if that confidence fades elsewhere. Because calling someone a dog is disparaging in Arabic, applying it to a person can belittle as much as observe; it often lands as a dry jab.