New puppy for home security.

[CSballer89]

My husky, Cicada will pretty much let you take the whole place and probably even help you pack it. My GS, Zeus on the other hand wants to know what the f#@k you are doing and why you are doing it in his house. He is very alert as to when someone is walking around the house on either the front yard or the back. Best watch dog I could ask for.

 

[SSN Vet]

My daughters are fawning over Buddy and want to know if he's a Golden Shepherd or a German Retriever

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Depends on the Dog I had a Shepherd/Black Lab mix that was gentle as a lamb with most folks but when any ex cons or such came around She turned into 110 pounds of Teeth and Growl. She took the pants leg off one guy who tryed to get out of the truck. We had a Bricklayer who used to hire excons and give them a second chance. Cujo would never let one of them out of the truck but the bricklayer and his clean employees were welcomed and allowed to pet her. Cujo had no training other than sit, come and laydown.

Great looking Dogs everyone.

Geese are great nothing sneaks up on them.

 

[Chemistry Guy]

Ninja is all the alarm system I need. Even if she's sleeping, she is aware of everything that is happening in and around the house, and she seems to be able to recognize people that 'don't belong' on the street.

 

[desidog]

Good move. Your couches will be finally be safe...except from paw prints.

 

[ArtP]

Dogs are great, but you have to be very careful. I have a 100 pound pure GSD. The trouble is he is completely docile and passive with his family, but a whole 'nother character with strangers. That dual personality fools the kids to think it's okay to let "Otto" out and open the front door when a stranger knocks. And I can't hardly bust the dog when he's protecting our home.

Ultimately I am responsible, but I've had a hell of a time getting the kids to understand the severity when their friends come over. What has finally worked is getting them to understand if Otto bit anyone and it were reported, he likely would be put down. I've had to padlock the gates too. Twice he has bitten people in 5 years (more like a clamp and hold, no skin breakage), once while camping and a stranger came within the rope and once in the front yard after the kids let him out.

Overwhelmingly the best dog I've ever had.

 

[Just One Shot]

I had a Golden / Lab mix named Toby. He was a good dog and there was no fear in him. I saw him scare a German Sheperd so bad that he went away with his tail between his legs.

I also saw him scare some guys enough that they wouldn't walk on our side of the street even though Toby was chained to the porch and unable to reach the side walk. In fact, I saw him scare one guy so bad he jumped over the hood of a car parked at the curb and landed in traffic. It's a good thing the car he landed in front of wasn't moving very fast.

I carry a scare above my left thumb from a bite from that dog. It was entirely my fault so please don't slam him for it. I have no doubt he would have fought to the death to protect me and my family.

The way the dog will react is in large part how they are raised. An example of this is the pit bull. This is one of the breeds that has a bad reputation because of the owners. My daughter has a brindle female and she is the biggest sweet heart you've ever seen. You can make a terror out of a poodle or a wimp out of a wolf depending on how you raise it.

 

[Owen Sparks]

You really don't need a giant killer dog for HD. Just an alert one that will bark at odd noises in the night. Small sporting terries fill this role perfectly plus they don't bring in a shovel full of dirt on their coats in wet weather. My little 13 pound feist sleeps in the bed with us and there is just no way anyone could make it up the stairs without her going off. She does not need to be able to rip an intruders throat out to be effective, all she has to do is wake up the crazy man with the shotgun

 

[mbt2001]

You really don't need a giant killer dog for HD. Just an alert one that will bark at odd noises in the night.

+1

I will say this though. I have a 70 odd pound white boxer. He isn't the greatest alarm dog, but he seems to have a 6th sense for trouble. I am pretty sure he saved my wife from a attack once. His size and visage are intimidating, especially for those having nefarious thoughts.

 

[heron]

All this reminds me of a show I saw on TV once, '60 Minutes' or something like it. They interviewed a former career burglar who demonstrated a lot of techniques and said that door locks and alarms hardly slow them down at all.

The interviewer asked what people could do to to stop burglars, and the guy said, "Get a dog, one that barks loud. If I know there's a dog in a house, I'll go for an easier target."

 

[Shadow 7D]

I had a mini pin, and anybody who doesn't want to get a security system, should look into a min pin, she was 8 pounds of terror, and I saw her bully large dogs every day. You couldn't get with in 30 feet of me with out her threatening to rip your arm off and beat you with it.

It doesn't have to be a large dog, hell I kinda like my neighbors dog, a VERY old and grumpy lab, who hates about everyone (except his wife, him, and small children, yeah) first time I actually got to pet him was when he was making nice to my toddler (protective of the little ones too) Any ways the teenagers don't dawdle near my house cause old Rex runs them off, my dog isn't worth a damn, all she does is bark, which is ok, but it's because she wants to play, not protect...

 

[DCR]

Your Doxie mix by nature will be a barker. Mine's a doxie/cocker mix who thinks she's a guard dog, sled dog, and big dog. Their deep chests make their barks sound like they're coming from a bigger dog, too.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

70 pound Male Brindle (blue and black brindle) "Pit", 50 pound female (Black and Tan brindle) and a 124 pound Rottie. Out of those 3, who do you think is boss? Thats right, the 50 pound female! The 2 males are whimps (just don't try to get close to my kids) but with anything else, that female is boss. Fast move towards me or my kids and you may as well make funeral arrangements because you will have a little under 250 pounds of angry on you with all 3. The Rottie is the one that will warn. The pits rarely even bark but they will growl when something is up. Like the other poster said, pits have a bad rep because of bad owners. Mine would kill themselves before even lifting a lip towards a kid. And they would give their life for not only mine but pretty much any small child. I have watched my female (while on a leash thankfully) get extremely aggressive and protective when she saw some guy spanking his kid. Dang near yanked my arm off holding her back and I am by far no small fella!

 

[PT1911]

A good friend of mine has a "jackson", Jack Russel/Dotson... essentially looks like a supersized muscular Dotson a with a Jack Russel's head.... He is an awesome looking dog as well as a hell of an alert and intelligent dog. I have been around dogs all my life and am continually impressed by Buddy (named that accidentally as that is what my friend called him when he picked him up at a, couple weeks old, and he was perking his ears up and responding to it after the first day.

His only problem, he doesnt like things that touch the ground... Canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc upset him....

 

[Boberama]

English Bull Terrier, 70 lbs.

Name: Flashman
Bravery: Flashman

 

[drp_89]

I had a Border Collie that was very calm and gentle but it was a different story when shady people came around. Dogs are smart no doubt about it. You dont want a mean dog running around biting everything it sees, just a dog that knows when to show some teeth and let you do the rest.

 

[gallo]

Just last week, someone rang the door bell a 22:40. My GSD barked loudly inside the house. I pocketed a pistol and went to the door. By the time I got to the door, there were no signs of people outside or driving away.

Yeah! I'd say a big dog helps deter goblins.

 

[Doug S]

Congrats on the new dog, and I agree with some of the others...time will tell how protective your dog is, or isn't. Regardless, I'm sure it will make a good pet.

HSO said,

...It's much better for most folks to have a dog that will alert you to the presence of people approaching the house. Work with them to have two different "sounds". One for "familiar" and another for "stranger".

I have a Norwegian Elkhound, which has an interesting array of barks. He alerts to everything, but I can always tell when he is barking at someone he knows, or when he is barking at an animal, or when he is barking at a stranger. Elkhounds have a distinctive bark in general, but I was surprised at the range of different sounds that he does for different situations. In addition to his different tones, he has a very annoying "yappy" bark for friends and family, an Elkhound "woop" for animals, and a mean, snarling, deeper fast bark when a stranger approaches.