Short bloke with hard dog (7)
I believe the answer is:
mastiff
'dog' is the definition.
(mastiff is a kind of dog)
'short bloke with hard' is the wordplay.
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'bloke' becomes 'max' (man's name).
'with hard' becomes 'stiff' (similar in meaning. I am not sure about the 'with' bit.).
'max' with its final letter taken off is 'ma'.
'ma'+'stiff'='MASTIFF'
(Other definitions for mastiff that I've seen before include "Powerful breed of watchdog" , "Big dog" , "Large, powerful, short-haired dog" , "Powerful, smooth-coated dog used for security work" , "one of his best friends?" .)