The Cats looked set to post their second loss at home in as many weeks when they trailed by 19 points early in the third quarter.
But the reigning premiers booted the next five goals of the game to take an 18-point lead into the last change.
Although the Dogs fought back to within eight points in the final quarter, Geelong steadied and won 11.18 (84) to 11.9 (75).
Steven Motlop and Mathew Stokes both kicked two goals for the winners, while Paul Chapman, Andrew Mackie and Joel Corey won plenty of the ball.
"We played OK today," Geelong assistant coach Blake Caracella said. "A lot of our players last week … were a bit rusty.
"And I thought we started that way a bit in the first quarter. But as the game went on, in the second and third quarters, we were much better.
"In the last quarter, the boys put the cue in the rack a little bit, but it was a great hit-out for round one."
Matthew Boyd led the way for the Dogs with 36 possessions, while Daniel Cross and Adam Cooney had a big impact.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs' coaches, who are led by former Geelong assistant Brendan McCartney, were pleased with their team's effort.
"I'm very happy with the intensity around the footy and our ability to compete with a pretty good contested-ball team," assistant coach Steven King said.
"We got exactly what we wanted out of the game. That was a pretty hard, honest effort."
Both clubs fielded strong sides in their last hit-out before round one.
The Cats, who suffered a big loss to Richmond last weekend, brought Josh Hunt, Stokes, Andrew Mackie, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel and Harry Taylor into their team.
That meant they were missing only four active 2011 premiership players.
Boyd, Cooney and Cross were among a number of big names who returned for the Dogs in the wake of their narrow loss to North Melbourne in Ballarat last weekend.
Both sides avoided any serious injuries, although Bulldogs midfielder Ryan Griffen was subbed out of the game at half-time after suffering a hand injury during the second quarter.
Geelong's main concern is Josh Hunt, who was playing his first game since he copped a two-match suspension in the opening round of the NAB Cup.
Hunt injured his calf in the third quarter and was then subbed out of the match.
The opening half of the match was a scrappy affair, although the smattering of Bulldogs fans would have been impressed by Jordan Roughead's two strong overhead marks against Taylor, Geelong's All Australian defender.
The game then came alive when the Cats mounted an aggressive comeback in the third quarter.
Chapman, Matthew Scarlett and Selwood were all involved in scuffles, before Mackie brought the small crowd to its feet by bombing a great goal on the run from 60m.
Hunt then produced a party trick of his own, booting a great goal from 55m.
That put the Cats in front and they went on with it from there.
GEELONG 1.4 4.5 9.12 11.18 (84)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.4 5.5 7.6 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Geelong: Motlop, Stokes 2, Chapman, Duncan, Hawkins, J. Hunt, Mackie, Podsiadly, Johnson
Western Bulldogs: Grant 2, Picken, Dickson, Skinner, Cordy, Giansiracusa, Griffen, Higgins, Jones, Roughead
BEST
Geelong: Mackie, Chapman, Corey, Bartel, Kelly, Guthrie, Corey, Duncan
Western Bulldogs: Boyd, Cooney, Cross, Liberatore, Murphy, Roughead, Picken
INJURIES
Geelong: J. Hunt (calf)
Western Bulldogs: Griffen (wrist)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Ryan, Schmitt, Burgess, Hosking
Official crowd: 3800 approx. at Simonds Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
