I’ve read a lot of threads saying to have a dog for home security. My stepson has a Beagle/Dachshund mix named BO that is about 10 months old. Well today I bought another puppy for myself and my wife and for a playmate for BO. His name is Buddy and he is 9 weeks old and a German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. We bought both of these dogs from animal shelters. I believe Buddy should weigh 60 to 80 pounds full grown. What do you think of this mix? I don’t expect Buddy to be a guard dog but just a pet that will bark if someone is on the prowl and wake me up and or give me some time to defend my family. 60 to 80 pounds of German Shepherd/Golden Retriever bark might detour some bad guys. It’s been awhile since I had any dogs but they truly are mans best friend. Below is a picture of Buddy taken from the pet adoption place on the internet.
New puppy for home security.
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Valkman
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Neat Puppy! Works for me - I have a 80lb "pound puppy" who looks like he has wolf in him and he's a great watchdog plus is great with the grandkids. I am very happy with him and hope you are with yours.
Shadow 7D
Member
Naw, he has golden in him, he'll be barking, cause he wants to meet them, probably end up serving them coffee and pointing out where all the good stuff is. On the bright side, you will know when someone approaches your house.
killchain
Member
My Father's golden retriever looks like he'll eat your face when you approach the house... problem is he's a chicken and runs away once people get too close.
But he does bark and looks intimidating.
Cute puppy.
Nushif
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Awwww! Cuddliest Defense System ever!
Zeke Markham
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That's why I'm a fan of guard geese. We had 2 lab mixes growing up, one was definitely part shepherd the other looked pure bred but had no papers. They never so much as barked when new people came over, but man, that goose we had, she was downright MEAN sometimes. Usually she only honked at you, but sometimes she would spread her wings out and charge you. She definitely ran the house, sometimes pushing the dogs out of the way at supper time. Sweet as could be to the family though.
stromhammer
Member
I also have a pound puppy. A 50 lb boxer/lab mix. Best dog I've ever had. She barks when she's supposed to and doesn't when she's not. Won't let anybody in the house. Has the bark of a much larger dog. She woke me up the other night by just leaning against the bed and growling. But when we're away from the house she just wants to play with everyone and everything. When the census worker would not leave at my request, I simply said "I'm going to open the door now and let the dog out." The little thug grew wings and was gone in a flash.
Not only is a dog man's best friend and faithful companion, they are a very effective security system.
David
Not only is a dog man's best friend and faithful companion, they are a very effective security system.
David
ojibweindian
Member
I've got a black lab/rottweiler mix named Nina. She was a wee pup no more than 6 weeks old when she was dropped off. She's the best dog I've had in quite some time. A very gentle dog, until it's time to not be gentle.
I think Buddy is going to make a great addition to the family
I think Buddy is going to make a great addition to the family
Inspiribomb
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Dogs make great companions and add another layer of security to home defense. My 2 year old boxer has alerted me in the middle of the night to people stopping by to shovel sidewalk/driveways. Her deep bark/growl is enough to make anyone think twice about breaking in. Not only that, but her perceptive hearing can alert me and gives me an extra 30 seconds to a minute to prepare myself, which can make all the difference in the world (especially if I'm snoozing).
Ike R
Member
While your probably bound by livestock restriction laws, guinea fowl are the most effective alarm in existance, plus they make a tastey tastey gumbo!
TylerPearce
Member
It isn't all about the size of the dog. I had a 110-125 pound Alaskan Malamute that would maybe, MAYBE bark at somebody it didn't know. I would have much rather had a 80 pound Sheppard that would have actually done something to an intruder. lol
BamAlmighty
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hopefully that dog is more german than golden, because I haven't met a Golden yet that was mean.
A friend picked up a rescue golden that was abused and didn't have much human contact. Barked at me at first through the door, but when it came to contact time, all he wanted was to be petted.
A friend picked up a rescue golden that was abused and didn't have much human contact. Barked at me at first through the door, but when it came to contact time, all he wanted was to be petted.
Every dog is an individual, but this mix might work out really well. The Golden half will mellow out the GSD a bit, while the GSD half will keep him from being too darn friendly with strangers. A big congratulations on what promises to be a very smart dog!
I love my 4-legged alarms!
Here's one, Max, as a wee pup:
Here's Max, 90lbs later, with one of his favorite people in the whole world:
(The other being my son.)
Climbing into the kids' room at night would not be advised if you want to keep your health intact.
Max loves the kids (and they, he) and they both can issue him simple commands he will respond to.
Here's one, Max, as a wee pup:
Here's Max, 90lbs later, with one of his favorite people in the whole world:
(The other being my son.)
Climbing into the kids' room at night would not be advised if you want to keep your health intact.
Max loves the kids (and they, he) and they both can issue him simple commands he will respond to.
mokin
Member
Dogs are wonderful. Buddy will do fine as long as potential bad guys don't have something for him to fetch.
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Just remember, if you want a dog to bark and be an alarm, you really can't scold them very hard when they do so.
Praise them when they alert you and give a command (such as "enough", etc.) and a treat/chew toy until they figure out the command. (Can't do much barking when you're busy eating and chewing, right?) Just a suggestion which has worked for me in the past.
Very few situations call for a guard dog to attack so please don't teach them that. (Not to the OP in particular, it's just a bad idea all around.) It may open you up to legal trouble down the road if he goes for an unsupervised walk and gets into trouble. If a dog feels the need to attack to protect his family he will, regardless of wether or not you train him to do so.
You have just expanded your home defense perimeter, congratulations and enjoy!
Praise them when they alert you and give a command (such as "enough", etc.) and a treat/chew toy until they figure out the command. (Can't do much barking when you're busy eating and chewing, right?) Just a suggestion which has worked for me in the past.
Very few situations call for a guard dog to attack so please don't teach them that. (Not to the OP in particular, it's just a bad idea all around.) It may open you up to legal trouble down the road if he goes for an unsupervised walk and gets into trouble. If a dog feels the need to attack to protect his family he will, regardless of wether or not you train him to do so.
You have just expanded your home defense perimeter, congratulations and enjoy!
I have 2 boxers, 1 is 2 years and the other is 4 months. The big male will stop ya at the door, no questions asked. The little female? She'd rather play at this point.
Now, in about a year we'll be putting out pups--I can put you in a low mileage boxer for a little down and nothing per month. Only walked to church by a little old lady on Sundays--what can I do to put you in a boxer today?
LOL
Dan
Now, in about a year we'll be putting out pups--I can put you in a low mileage boxer for a little down and nothing per month. Only walked to church by a little old lady on Sundays--what can I do to put you in a boxer today?
LOL
Dan
Guard dogs require lots of training on both the master and the dog's part to keep dangerous accidents from happening.
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".
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".
SSN Vet
Member
You must have stopped by and met my Golden. He literally throws the ball at you, and then looks as if to say... "what's wrong, why won't you play" We named him Skipper, but if we had known his personality better, we would have named him Gilligan instead.
You're buddy is one cute pup. I'm sure he'll be a great dog. Perhaps the Shepherd will bring out the protective traits, while the Golden will keep him gentle and playful.
Our Skipper only barks at the neighbors cows. But my wife likes it that way. Oh well, we got him as a family pet, not a security system
We had a mini Dachshund growing up, that was convinced it was really a Doberman. That dog had the stinkiest farts of any I've come by since. So I had to chuckle to see your stepson calls his BO
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MisterMike
Member
I'll echo the comments here. We currently have our second golden, and he would gladly show an intruder where the good stuff is hidden, just for a pat on the head. However, the more important factor is that he will bark if he sees or hears an unknown visitor.
That's the way I'd prefer it. I've worked with police/sentry dogs and they can be a handful. The responsibilities and potential liabilities associated with a "real" guard dog are huge. Better to have a gentle and faithful companion who will deter an intruder with his bark.
That's the way I'd prefer it. I've worked with police/sentry dogs and they can be a handful. The responsibilities and potential liabilities associated with a "real" guard dog are huge. Better to have a gentle and faithful companion who will deter an intruder with his bark.
stchman
Member
I have a new puppy that hopefully grows into being an early warning system. While a dog is not a guarantee that a burglar won't break in, I figure a dog yapping will make the burglar think twice about trying as burglars probably like a nice quiet area to do their work.
My 'Boy' is a 105 pound Mastiff mix, when he is with people he knows, he thinks he is a lap dog, but if someone he does not know comes around, he is like a whole other dog. We have 7 total in our 'pack' from a 1 year old to our 16 year old Catahoula. Most were strays except for one that we got from a rescue center. It's interesting because they seem to feed off of one another during stress, like when they see strangers. One will start, then the rest chime in. I pity the poor SOB that tries to come in uninvited, they would be begging me to put them out of their misery.
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