Role of the dog in home defense

[qwert65]

Aside from an intruder, using a firearm. Having multiple dogs can keep them from getting seriously hurt barring a lucky shot. Dogs in a group will naturally act like a pack and corner someone(try to attack from behind) I've never heard or seen multiple dogs defend territory be seriously hurt(and I'm a vet so I see quite a few hurt dogs)

 

[savanahsdad]

I have 3 dogs, 1 six pound barker , 1 twelve pound ankle biter, and then there's Savannah my 80lbs Huskie/Malamute , the other two are Palm's. we thought Savannah was just big lover , in tell my wife sent a friend over when we were not home to get something she forgot , all was good , the little ones did there barking , a the big dog just stood back and watched , then he raised his voice at the little barkers , and Savannah stood up , he said the hair on her back went up and she let out a low growl that he said sounded like a 400lbs bear not a 80lbs Huskie !! he slowly backed out of the house ! so for those that think your dog is a big baby , have some come by when your not home and beat on the door and see what your baby dose . I no longer recommend sending them IN, because when your not home that is there home ..


here is my Baby Savannah much like my guns I hope we never need her to protect us

 

[HighExpert]

I had two boxers for years. 90lb male and 75lb female. He would face you down and NOT back up. She would not make a sound until she grabbed you from behind. She wasn't real good about turning loose either. They worked together for 9 good years.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Some dogs (many dogs) are natural guards and want to protect. The problem becomes when it's too big of a problem for the dog to handle and I need him to get out of the way and let *me* deal with it.

The command we use is "BACK!" It means get behind me and stay there, in our case it's more often necessary for things like getting out the door though , not standing off an intruder (hasn't happened so far). When you have three dogs whose weight totals about 270 pounds, you have to be able to control them with commands alone.

The little dog is a Brittany, the two big dogs are Fila Brasileiros. The sign on the (padlocked) driveway gate says "BE AWARE OF DOGS WHEN OPENING GATE." The house is fenced all the way around very securely, since we live close to a busy highway.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

Never underestimate the value of training a dog.

I had the hardest time convincing my red-headed, stubborn, bull-headed, wife of this when we got our Pug (Happy) a few short years ago. An indoor dog is NOT a cat and cannot be left to its own like a kitten/cat in terms of development and training. My wife ticked me off in so many ways over this and it all boiled down to her natural proclivity to dislike/object to what other people try to tell her to do or not to do about something.

She'd object to my making Happy sit and stay before opening a door to let him in or out. She'd object to my leash training work to get him to stop pulling on walks. House breaking was a NIGHTMARE...not because Happy was difficult about it but because my wife thought "piddle pads" was a great way to "litter train" an indoor dog. (Piddle pads are nothing more than hospital chucks, by the way.)

(Side note: The person who developed and marketed "piddle pads" is on my short list of people I wouldn't shed a tear over if they got run over by a gasoline truck and drowned in their own blood.)


Not training a dog properly means he will do things you don't want him to do...like zip out the door unexpectedly whenever you start opening it, run off uncontrollably if he slips his leash, jump on people when he shouldn't, chew up things he shouldn't, and so forth. Eventually either the dog or someone else will get hurt because of it...and you'll likely have some annoying property damage as well.

Luckily, Happy is a very intelligent and focused dog, even as a pup. And, despite what my wife thought about me being cruel and controlling, Happy's tail shows what he thinks of me and when I squat down there's absolutely NOWHERE ELSE he'd rather be than right there between my knees getting his loving.

Dogs are pack creatures. They look to you as their Alpha to give them the leadership and training they crave. Give it to them and you'll never be disappointed.

 

[Trent]

Kick my dog, I'll say a word for your missing, lost foot....

I pity the fool that tries to start a fight with him.

Yes, gunshot > dog, but miss, and he'll take the arm.

"Don't worry about the owner with the gun. Worry about the dog chewing on you for the 20 minutes it takes the cops to arrive to help you."

 

[SleazyRider]

… The command we use is "BACK!" It means get behind me and stay there, in our case it's more often necessary for things like getting out the door though , not standing off an intruder (hasn't happened so far). When you have three dogs whose weight totals about 270 pounds, you have to be able to control them with commands alone. …

Can all dogs be trained to this degree? Are there some dogs, or certain breeds of dogs, that are so high-strung that they're impossible to train?

 

[SleazyRider]

… I pity the fool that tries to start a fight with him.

Yes, gunshot > dog, but miss, and he'll take the arm.

"Don't worry about the owner with the gun. Worry about the dog chewing on you for the 20 minutes it takes the cops to arrive to help you."

That is a beautiful animal! I hate to ask, but … does he eat much?

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

You know, Trent...if you hadn't fed him all those trespassers, he wouldn't be that big.

 

[GoWolfpack]

That is a beautiful animal! I hate to ask, but … does he eat much?

The amount a dog needs to eat doesn't really scale linearly with their size. Giant breed dogs eat a lot, of course, but not really as much as you might imagine.

Besides, letting a giant breed dog get fat would be seriously bad news since their joints are under a lot of stress as it is. Got to watch their diet like a hawk.


That looks like an irish wolfhound to me, is that right?

 

[Trent]

The amount a dog needs to eat doesn't really scale linearly with their size. Giant breed dogs eat a lot, of course, but not really as much as you might imagine.

Besides, letting a giant breed dog get fat would be seriously bad news since their joints are under a lot of stress as it is. Got to watch their diet like a hawk.


That looks like an irish wolfhound to me, is that right?

Yes, that's Marley, and he is an Irish Wolfhound.

Early on (first couple of years, while he was growing) we fed him "large breed" dog food. But for the last year he's eaten normal dog food.

He eats his food... then he eats the two huskies food... then the cats food... and if you don't watch him around supper time he'll walk over to the counters and/or table and eat any food on those, too.

Sometimes he even eats couches.

He can nose-bump an 8' ceiling playing catch indoors, with his hind legs still on the ground.

He's good around kids, although you have to protect little ones from his gigantic tail.

At 3 months old he was a lap dog.

At 3 years old he is a 'fill the entire bed dog' (That's a queen size)

(I once woke up and was paralyzed, couldn't breathe. A thunderstorm had rolled through, and for a brief moment while I was in the half-sleep fog I thought I was dying. Then I realized I had a 180 pound dog laying over my chest. My arms down at my sides, pinned under the blankets, I couldn't move. Barely got enough of a breath to yell for my wife "GET THIS DOG OFF ME". To which she replied, after a moment, "I CAN'T MOVE EITHER!". He had pinned us BOTH under the blankets, afraid of that thunderstorm...)

This is my 5th grader.

They both help out in the garden.

And that's my wife, with polite doggies begging for treats. She's 5'9".

Of course he can get drinks standing next to the kitchen sink.

He's the most loving, loyal companion I've had in life.

As far as loyal - do not approach the house when I'm not around. He will stand his ground and keep you from getting close. If you enter the house unannounced, it is bad news.

When I'm gardening, he stands 'point' and watches. Anyone that approaches gets stopped, period. He will move between me and them and growl - the sort of growl you can feel in your feet, as it travels through the ground.

At night, he's alert and will let us know when deer are in the yard; or if someone is out poking around outside.

 

[Warp]

I was privy to a very disturbing scene at my veterinarian's office last week. A beautiful, 5-year old golden retriever was brought in emergently because his lower jaw was busted up from being kicked by an intruder who burglarized a home. The homeowner returned from work to find his home ransacked and dog severely injured. The dog had to be put down. It was a heartbreaking scene to say the least.

As a long-time dog owner, the mere mention of this sickens me. But it got me wondering: what is the role of a family dog in a home defense scenario when the occupants are at home? Night or day, I want my dog to alert me to a possible threat; then ideally, stand aside and let me handle matters without interference. I certainly wouldn't put a family member in harm's way, including the family dog, and it seems that an enthusiastic, barking dog would be more of a hindrance than a help, especially when using a weapon to repel an intruder.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments on dealing with the dog after it sounds the warning.

*Haven't read any replies*

After our dog(s) alert, they are and would be left to do whatever it is they are going to do. For the bigger one that something would probably be fairly aggressive in the event of an actual home invasion. That's fine. I think of him as (probably) acting as a combatant or, at least, as a significant distraction. If he buys us some extra seconds with which to access a firearm he has done his job, as far as I am concerned.

The scenario you outline is disheartening and something I seriously hope to never have happen. I suppose a larger/more protective/more capable breed of dog would reduce the chances of that happening, but that is rarely the deciding factor when deciding on a family pet.

Our two GSD's currently weigh in at 60-65 and ~115. The 115 lb guy should ideally weigh about 100 though, working on that.

 

[SleazyRider]

I hear you, Warp. Many, many years ago when my family was young, we took a drive from NY to FLA's DisneyWorld along Route 301 (this was before I-95 was completed), and brought our "mixed breed" (a euphemism for mutt) dog. Though she was a PITA in both directions, she alerted me to an imminent attack at a Georgia rest area. A towering hulk of a man, and an accomplice, were hiding in the brush in the wee hours, and attempted to gain entry into our car. My dog's "situational awareness" was far greater than mine, and that, along with my Sterling Model 302 (.22LR) made all the difference in mitigating the threat.

I love dogs and I like guns; and I'd not care to be without either.

 

[Warp]

I hear you, Warp. Many, many years ago when my family was young, we took a drive from NY to FLA's DisneyWorld along Route 301 (this was before I-95 was completed), and brought our "mixed breed" (a euphemism for mutt) dog. Though she was a PITA in both directions, she alerted me to an imminent attack at a Georgia rest area. A towering hulk of a man, and an accomplice, were hiding in the brush in the wee hours, and attempted to gain entry into our car. My dog's "situational awareness" was far greater than mine, and that, along with my Sterling Model 302 (.22LR) made all the difference in mitigating the threat.

I love dogs and I like guns; and I'd not care to be without either.

We just got back from a semi-regular 700+ mile car trip...both dogs go along. When the big guy alerts inside the car it hurts our ears...and sometimes almost literally scares the crap out of the guy who just walked up next to our car to get into his lol

 

[76shuvlinoff]

As far as intruders go my pooch's job is to make noise maybe make them hesitate. Brick is nothing fancy, a 130 lb St Bernard mix and a pound rescue with a big bark and deep growl. However, damaging my dog in my presence will be handled the same as damaging my kin.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Can all dogs be trained to this degree? Are there some dogs, or certain breeds of dogs, that are so high-strung that they're impossible to train?

Most dogs can, in my somewhat limited experience ... but not all people can train them, which is likely to be the more frequent problem. Filas are not high strung, but they can be among the most headstrong dogs I have ever known. Yet they respond to BACK well enough, despite the hardwired nature of their protective instincts. One online description of the breed states: This strong-willed breed is inclined to trust his own judgment, but will defer to confident leadership that includes consistent rules and cheerful praise. (http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/filabrasileiro.html)

That pretty well covers it...

 

[tomrkba]

Witness...or at best a sleeping bystander.

 

[tarosean]

Never heard a whisper of that. Do you have any proof of such? Insurance companies base their rates on the severity and frequency of claims, and limit their exposure through exclusions. The alternative is to raise their rates for everyone, or just pull out of a state altogether.

Google it... Its no secret. All these dogs get there because they have killed a human..

Ive owned many breeds listed on most lists and never had issues. However, poor indiscriminate breeding practices result in poor temperaments.. Where "breeders" (and I use that term loosely) only care about $$$..


FWIW: One of these dogs would literally eat an intruder, the other would help pack.. It would have been an intruders best guess...

 

[19-3Ben]

My dogs play no role in our home defense preparedness. They are indoor dogs, treated like members of our family. It my job to defend them, as well as the other members of the household.
Now, one of them is a neurotic nut job who knows what happened to her before we rescued her) and she'll bark at any and every bump outside or inside the house. If she happens to bark and give me the heads up, or scare the BG so he runs away, then great. But I just consider it gravy. No part of my HD plan counts on them doing anything other than staying in the bedroom.

 

[bikerdoc]

Sky, the lazy wonderdog. 3/4 rott, 1/4 lab. Come near the property and he will make you a believer real quick.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

With youngins in the home a lab is what we are getting soon. Would prefer a Rottie. My brother whom I close to and hang out with a lot has one and it is very sweet with family. It is all business when it hears something odd and I have no doubt it will attack an intruder. I just would never forgive myself if I got one and my child was injured. In ten years I will have one. I know the lab will bark and put up a good show. The labs we had when I was growing up did.

From a dog I just assume it will bark and serve as an early warning system and is part of a multilayered home defense system. I don't want anyone in the house to be injured if I need to defend it. Having said that, i would rather have the family pet injured than any human.

 

[On An Island]

We're down to one dog right now from three. Lost my best friend, half-pit/half-yellow lab to old age (16), returned the daughter's Great Pyrenees after doggie-sitting it for a year, and still have my wife's half-golden/half-black lab. All I ask of our 4-legged family members is to use those superb ears and noses to give us a warning of an intruder in our home. As Baxter is allowed to sleep in the master bedroom with us, we'll hear him when he goes off. Then it's up to me to take over with the protection part of the show.

 

[Kach33]

Fred Fuller, I love filas. Before we got our English mastiff we were strongly considering a fila ourselves. We had just moved into a new house though in a neighborhood with a lot, and I mean a lot of young kids and having a child ourselves who was around their age we knew there would always be children around in the yard and in the house. We just weren't sure if we could trust the kids to show the respect that a fila needs to be shown so we decided to wait until we moved a little further out of town and had a little more room just to avoid something bad happening. My own child would be fine, it's the others we were worried about. Our mastiff is no joke by any means and has actually acted on someone up to no good around my house before. A fila though is a whole other level. Beautiful dogs with a natural protection instinct. My friend has a black one who lives to protect what she considers hers and does it very well

 

[C.R.]

well,Im a dog person,a house is kind of empty without a dog .My dogs are a chow and a chow mix thay are great with people they know,but strangers are getting some good looking over ! All that the dogs have to do is let me know something is not right . and if I am gone I figure the Big dog barking,and howling should discourage almost everyone.He does make some amasing sounds sometimes,he sounds like a dog 3sizes bigger than he is.I do not know how the laws are written,BUT if an individual broke into my digs and injured my dog I would concider that an attack on a family member and act accordingly .

 

[coloradokevin]

I didn't read all of the replies, so forgive me if this has already been covered 50 times. Anyway, here's my take on a dog for home security (based on a career in law enforcement, and a lifetime of dog ownership). The average family dog serves two basic functions in home security:

1) Deter an intruder.
2) Alert its owner of the threat.

Some dogs will certainly do more than this when push comes to shove, but short of getting a very highly trained and well-selected attack dog, you cannot rely on a pet dog's ability to play an active role in neutralizing a threat.

It's rare for me to investigate a case in which a burglar has entered a home with a large dog, and in the cases where this has happened it is almost always a home with a large dog who is obviously very friendly to everyone. Otherwise, it's usually just easier to burglarize the neighbor.

In the cases I've identified as "exceptions", harm is rarely done to the dog. I once investigated a burglary in which a large dog who appeared pretty ferocious was at the house. The burglars lured the dog into a back bedroom with a box of dog biscuits, then left the dog with the biscuits in the back room — bribery works, for those burglars who really know dogs.

I have two dogs at my house: A Great Pyrenees / Golden mix, and a German Shepherd / Akita mix. These are my pets, and I'm out in public with them quite a bit on walks/hikes. These dogs are well-socialized, because they need to be okay around people. As such, I don't expect them to attack people who enter my house. However, they are protective of their home turf, and would likely deter all but the most motivated intruder (they put on quite a show at the door, and they're both large dogs). Regardless, they certainly alert me to potential threats that I may not see (whether that's a human, a stray cat, a squirrel, or a plastic grocery bag blowing by in the wind). Beyond that, it's my responsibility to deal with the threat.

NOTE: 98% of dog owners really have no business owning "attack" dogs, or attempting to train their dogs to be attack dogs. That's advanced-level dog ownership, and is best reserved for those who are really going to make a serious commitment of time and education to training themselves in that art/science, and properly selecting a dog for that purpose. Short of that, you risk raising a dog that will become a menace to society, and perhaps your own family. Again, some dogs will protect their family (violently, if necessary) all on their own. But, training a dog to attack is asking for trouble for the average dog owner.