Dogs Ews

[coloradokevin]

Originally Posted by coloradokevin
My dog is fun, but useless for protection

That isn't as apparent as you think. Most people think that there dog is "useless" for protection because he isn't AGGRESSIVE. I would wager that if someone came in and assualted you, that dog would have something to say about it.

That could be true, and I hope it is... I guess I wouldn't go so far as to rely on the dog for protection, simply because she hasn't been tested (which, in many ways is obviously a good thing).

An interesting comment on this subject concerns my wife... My wife tells me that when I am at work our dog is much more alert and protective. I obviously don't see this, because I'm not there, but my wife swears it is a very noticeable difference (our dog is reportedly more suspicious of noises around the house, and postures more authoritatively when something does startle her when I am gone).

 

[mpmarty]

That's funny!! My wife states that the only time our dogs listen to her or obey her is when I'm at work. The rest of the time if she tells one to do something they come running to me for a second opinion. Dobermans are neat, they seldom bark and have several octaves of different growels to express what they think is going on. My border collie / australian shepherd cross is a good barker but runs and hides when I pick up a gun or open the gun safe; whereas the dobies perk right up and ask "neato, what're we gonna kill dad"?

 

[Stan the Man]

The Three Amigos

Small dogs suck as guard dogs, but can be effective watchdogs. We live in a very rural area (at least 30 minutes from police response on a good day).

Our home defense starts with Donatello, a 210-lb. (and growing) English Mastiff. He's unspeakably intimidating (pic is from when he was a puppy). His bark would make the Prince of Darkness wish he brought spare underwear, and alerts me to the need to take a gun outside.

If they get past Donatello, we have Cookie, the 70-lb. Olde English Bulldogge in the second pic, inside to finish up what's left of their genitals. Very protective - not the kind of dog I'd take a chance on.

Cookie and me are alerted by Tater Tot, the dominant dog of the three. He's a 12-lb. Lhasa Apso puppy who is very alert. He barks when anyone gets on the porch.

All 3 dogs have absolutely marvelous temperaments, and I'd leave either of my kids with them any time - excellent family dogs that make a contribution to our rural security.

And if the BG makes it past all 3 of those guys, he's up against my XD45 ACP and the wife's S&W MP9. Not a good place to be up to no good, especially with so much room to bury.... never mind

I'm enjoying reading about everyone's dog experiences. I'm a huge dog lover myself.

 

[PCFlorida]

A huge dog lover...that explains the Mastiff

Nice dogs.

 

[mek42]

A few years ago we had a vehicle entry while we were sleeping. Between the barking dogs and my hairy naked butt bumbling around the living room trying to figure out what was going on I didn't even see the kids - only noticed the next morning when things were not as they were.

They made off with maybe a couple bucks of change. Didn't even take my CD's. I guess JS Bach's Organ Concertoes don't bring much on the fenced CD market, eh?

 

[IfYouOnlyKnew]

Over nearly 30 years in a very rural area on a 20 acre homestead we have become an unoffical dog shelter for drop offs, come alongs, and assorted "ditch dogs." Current pack consists of four outside dogs, a pure bred Blue Heeler, a yellow lab mix, a boxer mix, and a true mutt. Inside pack are four rat terrier mixes. You could say we are into dog rescue.

I have never had occasion to judge their worth as guard or alert dogs. People seem to get the message just by their presence. Knock wood. The inside dogs do not give false alarms very much if at all. None of them like the sound of coyotes who sing several times a month. They are never scolded when they growl or bark. The smallest RT would attack at any cost as he was abused by a male in the family who "gave" him to us and has to be confined when repairmen come to the house.

I have stated before the pack was a HUGE comfort for the two weeks off the power grid after Katrina. They were well fed and kept close by as we "bugged in." I also agree their value in home defense is a by product. The terriers help with controlling blood pressure, keeping toes warm in the winter, and the Heeler is my shadow when I'm outside doing chores. We are extremely fond of them all.

The vet bills are a tad painful. Worth every penny all in all.

 

[bruss01]

My dog, a 90 lb Doberman, has several tactics guaranteed to deter invaders.

First, he will fix any intruder with piercing gaze.

Second, he will vibrate his nubby tail back and forth in a threating manner, charge them and attempt to cut off their breathing by sticking his tongue in their mouth or drown them in his saliva.

As a last resort, he will fart. This will not only completely disable the intruder in a choking fog, but any responders will likely succumb as well.

He's a dangerous, dangerous dog, my boy.

 

[PCFlorida]

We are LOL!

Nice boy.

 

[Lonestar49]

He's beautiful and..

...

Has the same look that RC, 118lbs, did, same tactics too.. lol

They never fail,

Great shot/pic,


Ls

And I would never worry about having to bring out any larger caliber gun, if the need to put the BG out of his misery.. lol

 

[IllHunter]

Just some history...

Boxers were originally bred to fight with bulls. They got their protruding lower jaws and recessed noses to allow them to breath while holding the bite. Their jaw muscles wrap around their heads, giving them the triangle appearance they lent to the "pit bulls". When bullbaiting was banned the few who could feed these large dogs were butchers and they became known as "butchers dogs". The butchers would tie their purse to the dogs collar and deter thieves and cut purses from their trade. Mine doesn't bark much and is a large loving lap dog. But if his presence doesn't make you think twice, you are not thinking.

To paraphrase Harry Callahan.. Do ya feel hungry punk, well do ya?
That's not a bandana, it's a bib!

 

[Cyclimus]

My 40 lbs beast is half GSD and half smooth collie - very beautiful dog with a happy temperament. She seems to have taken the best of both when it comes to EWS traits - she's got a loud "I mean business" kind of bark and she only ever growls when something is really wrong.

I decided to test her when she was about 6 months old to see how she'd do so I made sure to turn the outside lights off before I left for the store. Came back about an hour later, hood pulled up and kicked on our rear screen door twice real quick. She came right up the window next to the door as much teeth as she could show bared, full on growl, hair on end and barking up a storm. That was about a year ago now. Any time she ever does that now, our neighbor's two big (120 lbs beasts which happen to love my dog - 1 is a rott, the other is a GSD) start barking to alert the neighborhood to the problem.

 

[LongRangeInternational]

I've never seen in any other dog the instincts a German Shepherd has. Hourly patrols and instinctive guarding are the norm.

It just kills me to see Dobermans with those silly modified ears.

 

[Flopsy]

My dog is half Chihuahua and half fox terrier. She weighs 11 pounds.

She is the best home defense alarm system anyone could ever hope for. She has 2 big satellite dishes on top of her head and can hear things moving outside in the woods up to 100 yards off, more if it's something being loud. And she barks, of course.

 

[ByAnyMeans]

I love a terrier

I have always had a dog form Weimeraners and vizlas to Rottweilers and GSD. I currently have a terrier but to those who say their not big and able to protect I would say my 70 lb Pitbull Terrier would disagre. As would my parents 80 lb Pitbull Terrier or my brothers 85 lb Pitbull Terrier. It's a family affair. Trust me the looks we get when we all walk down the street is priceless. It's true you can't discount a good dog for security, but there even better for their unending love and devotion.

 

[Liberty1776]

don't know if my guys (2) will fight - they don't have to. My wife says they are very protective of her when I'm not there. When I am there, they're babies. BUT -- their value is they bark like hell if someone comes to the house -- plenty of warning time for me to wake up, reach out and be ready, if necessary...Plus, (unfortunately perhaps for them) when I open the bedroom door, they both rush the front door, downstairs. If they draw fire, well - then I know what's up.

 

[Girodin]

It just kills me to see Dobermans with those silly modified ears.

This is hardly the place for an ear cropping debate but I will simply say that an uncropped dobe looks far to similar to a black and tan hound for my liking. My personal preference is a medium crop and not a show crop particularly overly long ones on dobes. For hunting pits, dogos, bandogs etc I prefer a short crop. Boxers I actualy think look better uncropped. Those are my opinions but it is not my place to tell others what to do or how to do it.

In addition to other practical reasons to crop, cropped ears make a dog look much more intimidating. I have seen the same individuals that were terrified of an easily recongnzable cropped and docked dobe not bat an eyelash at an uncropped un-docked dobe because they had no clue what it was. Cropped ears go along way in adding to the visual deterent of certain breeds.

80lbs pits typicaly have mastiff blood in them somewhere btw, not that there is anything forcedly wrong with that (I love well bred bandogs). What lines are they?

 

[rangertexas]

To reply to the pit bull terrier post.

American pit bulls are much bigger than pit bulls anyway. When they were brought over from England and Ireland (where they were originally from, despite the American prefix) were much smaller. Check out a picture of "Cockney Llyods famous pilot dog" that was only around 30 pounds. So yes when introduced to the USA from the UK they were bred into much larger dogs such as mastiffs to increase size and suitability for the American frontier rather than the urban slums of England.

American pit bulls would be very intimidating due to their rep (fairly or unfairly) I agree. However they also on average tend to be very human friendly.

Alsations (German Shepherds)

As the other poster pointed out "Alsations" (German Shepherds) are excellent guard dogs as they are both a good EWS, intimidating and can look after themselves. Guarding breeds were selected to guard, American pit bulls ARE NOT AND ALMOST NEVER HAVE BEEN a guarding breed (despite being used by law enforcement the odd time).
The Alsation (German shepherd) is the law enforcement dog of choice for a good reason.

EWS

However the original intent of the post was which dogs are good as an EWS ,not good man stoppers or intimidators. I mentioned terriers as they are always very alert and bark at strange noises very quickly and hardly even seem to sleep; it seems from the replies of some posters that maybe too much barking is in fact detrimental.

The poster with the fox terrier/ chihuahua cross get my vote for best EWS; however for all round man stopper, guard and EWS I'd go with the "Alsation" German shepherd.

So for a good all round guard dog then there isn't almost anything more reliable (although maybe not exotic enough for some people) than a good German shepherd dog. Incidentally I do not own German shepherds I have another breed.

 

[Lonestar49]

Alsations (German Shepherds)

...

My first Boy Shepherd, Rickman, was an Alsatian German Shepherd. They were from a part of England called Alsac (not sure of the spelling) But during WW1 the British refused to recognize the name "German" Shepherds and the Sheep herders of this small province town, dunno, can't remember, took the existing German Shepherds and bread them to English Red Timber Wolves, took the pups, and any that ran away, the just let them go. Any that stayed became natural Guards for their Sheep herds against Wolves..

They are known for their size, being the largest breed of Shepherds.. Some get as big as 150lbs or even a little bigger, as I heard around 170lbs max and Rickman was Big, tall, long, and his tail was like a baseball bat if it hit you while he was wagging it in a happy manner..

Rick, and most Alsatians do not have the traditional Black Tan, and Gold markings, but mainly Black and white, some call the white silver.. No gold what so ever.. But the 3 things that set them, and Rick, apart was his size, weight 139lbs in his prime, his demeanor, loved kids, friends, but always protected the neighborhood kids from the newcomers, bully's, and any of their dogs. Rick could run 37mph.. clocked by my Datsun Truck, and lived 16 long healthy strong years..

The other 2 things were, in the sunlight, you could always see the red tipped black hairs in the right light, and his one index toe, on his left front paw stuck out further than his middle toe, like that of a wolf.. and his other paw was like traditional dog paw, where the middle toe is the longest..

Rick save my life, literally, when we both were on guard duty, and he was off taking a duty-call when I was whacked from behind, then put into a death choke hold, and was on the verge of death after my legs let go and my last conscious thought was: Jesus, what do I do now, help me Rickman.. And then I got a big gulp of air, then another and another, and when I came too, all I could see was this huge black shadow going back and forth in front of me, and when I finally focused, the attacker was laying on the ground in a semi ball, not moving, and his clothes and shirt looked like it had gone thru a garbage disposal.. Rick's hair was all up, which made him look even bigger, that one time, than I have ever seen.. The guy lived, but was arrested and taken to a hospital. Rick took out one of his elbows, one of his knee caps, and left deep purple-blue indentations on his neck and face..

I considered Rick the perfect Pocket Battle Ship.. And all my friends, his friends, even after 8yrs, and beyond, would always say, Ls, Rick is even bigger than before.. He remained healthy and fit thru his final days.

Rick set the standard for the next 6 Shepherds that followed, and none of them ever failed that standard of excellence..

Of my 4 boys, Rickman, Cutter, RC, you see above, was both Ricks And Cutters spirit, combined. Bear was our last boy, and he was just that, a Bear to deal with, but he never let us down until his sad end, some 7 months ago.

The first 3 boys had, each, a female German Shepherd, and they all were sweethearts, but just as dedicated as the boys.



Ls

 

[blkbrd666]

Small dogs with attitude not only server as early warning, they can also "hamper" an intruder to some degree. My girlfriend has a DSW that weighs only 11lbs and I would hate to try to keep that thing off me in the dark. (DSW = Dangling Scrotum Weight). They call it a Peek-a-Poo...some kind of cross breed. If you're not wearing jeans walking into, or out of, her home, you're going to look like you waded a piranha infested Amazon stream.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I like the idea of a dog supplementing other forms of security. But the only way I would do it is if I could be sure that the dog would only bark and flip out and true bad guys. I used to deliver pizzas, and an uncontrolled, loud, growling dog is one of the worst things there is. Almost as bad as dog owners who let their dogs run to the door and think it's OK or cute for the dog to get anywhere near delivery people or guests. If having a dog means I am going to inflict that bull#### on someone else, I'll pass.


I think that police dogs are trained to be highly controlled and quiet unless the officer says a certain trigger word. Is that true? Is there way I could have a dog that is trained where I could have the growling, territorial, and protective actions "turned off" in the day time or when I'm expecting strangers, and then "turn it back on" with a trigger word at night?


Just as a little PSA to all dog owners on THR: If you are expecting guests or a delivery, like if you just ordered a pizza, go ahead and put your dog in a cage or leash him to something in another room so the stranger doesn't have to deal with it running to the door, sniffing the hot bag or his pants, or just plain constant barking. It's not cute, and it's downright rude and even dangerous to have strangers have to deal with your dog. And it really would be a shame if a dog got hurt or killed with OC or bullets simply from the owners lack of forsight and common sense in securing their animal when greeting a non-BG stranger at the door. Thanks

 

[Girodin]

Just as a little PSA to all dog owners on THR: If you are expecting guests or a delivery, like if you just ordered a pizza, go ahead and put your dog in a cage or leash him to something in another room so the stranger doesn't have to deal with it running to the door, sniffing the hot bag or his pants, or just plain constant barking.

Your dog can't do a thing to protect you if it is kenneled or locked in the other room. I do not let my dog bother people, but if a stranger is coming to the door I certainly want my rottie right there by my side.

Training is the simple answer. My dog sits down next to me when I open the door and waits for me to tell her its okay to move.

If I want a little more intimidation I will hold her collar and let her pull a little towards the person.

A dog that wont shut up once the person has been invited in is annoying.

My dog has just the temperment I prefer. She is initialy aloof but if I am okay with the person she will just go back to laying down. Now if guests make the mistake of saying oh what a cute dog and start petting her she will repeatedly come back over to them and try to get some more love unless I tell her to go lay down.

And it really would be a shame if a dog got hurt or killed with OC or bullets simply from the owners lack of forsight and common sense in securing their animal when greeting a non-BG stranger at the door. Thanks

Who pulls oc or a gun on someones dog when they have gone to that persons house? Seriously. I see a weapon of a stranger come out and I would not presume it was for the dog and would respond in kind.

Further, if I went to someones house and I was that intimidated by their dog I would either leave/not go in or if I knew them I would ask they put the dog away. Pull a gun on their dog, on their property, and you will likely have some legal trouble ahead of you in the best case scenerio.

 

[Rexster]

Some big dogs, being top predators, sleep a bit too soundly. Small dogs may be predators, but they are lunch-sized for other predators, so they have reason to be more alert. For a while, Fireworm, our fierce Chihuahua, was the early warning system, and Malcolm, our GBFB, was the actual deterrent/guard dog.

Fireworm now has a happy home elsewhere; she was really a "foster" dog, anyway. Not a delicate lapdog, she is one of those primeval-looking predatory Chihuahuas, pronounced CHEE-HOO-AH-HOO-AHHHHH! Our Boston Terriers are now the EWS.

Malcolm growls like a V-8 engine with no muffler, and will mix it up with an unwelcome houseguest. (It happened; mentally ill neighbor.) GBFB is a very special kind of dog, that occurs when a grizzly bear, uh, well, mates with a buffalo, or possibly a Black Angus. Seriously, we have no idea what he is; imagine a Great Dane with black Rastafarian hair. The shelter thought be was a Labradoodle, but he grew up way bigger than any Lab or Poodle. The good thing about Malcolm is that on the street, he loses his territoriality, and is cordial with people and loves kids, so if a burglar breaks open a window or door, we don't have a canine loose cannon running around the neighborhood, eating children and joggers.

When the Bostons get old, I will start looking for a farm/ranch version of a Rat Terrier or Jack Russell Terrier. They can be found down here in South Texas; alert working dogs, not pet stock. "Papers" will be irrelevant.

 

[Bailey Guns]

This is going to start an entirely new "caliber debate" as to which "caliber" of dog has the most "stopping power".

I have Jack Russells and live on 16 isolated acres. They can hear a flea fart from a half mile away and they want everyone to know about it.

 

[scythefwd]

coloradokeven,
Let off an air of fear an that protection instinct will come in. Your 90lb lap dog becomes a wall of teeth (even if she is just barking).

I have 3 dogs, a black chihuaua/dochund mix. He will let me know someone is in the house, he is the last warning, and you can't see him in the dark to shut him up. I have a 40lb mut (mixed unknown terrier, we suspect either border collie or cattle dog in the mix) and is our first warning. She is very high energy and is only a warning. My big dog, a 85lb amstaff/am. bull dog mix is a little intimidating. Noone enters his house without our or his permission. His teeth are literally 1-2 inches long and he will show them. If my wife is nervous, I can't make any sudden movements towards her without him placing himself between her and me (just to protect her, he isn't in a threatening posture towards me, just standing between me and her). He is a great dog and I wish I could have 5 more of him. He is the only one that I could picture attempting to defend the house, and I think he could do a pretty good job of it. He also sleeps between the bedrooms and the doors to the house, with a random security check around the house every once and a while. When we travel, he gets the bed closer to the door or we will never get any sleep because he is wandering the room on patrol. I wish I could say I trained him to do that, but it's instinctive. There is a reason the american staffodshire terrier is called the nanny dog.

Anyways, with all three warning systems, I would have close to a minute to get out my home defense guns (she gets the shotgun).

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Who pulls oc or a gun on someones dog when they have gone to that persons house? Seriously. I see a weapon of a stranger come out and I would not presume it was for the dog and would respond in kind.

If it is someone you invited, like a delivery person you should be expecting, you lose the "stranger on my property" excuse. If you invite someone to your front porch, it's on you to make that porch a safe and intimidation free for the time they're there.

You're dog may be great, and you may have tried it well. And your dog not getting OCed or worse will be a reflection of your forsight and preparation. Others, however, are not so decent. Others let their dogs bark and pounce, and lick, and sniff, and tackle and even bite all they want and pass it off with some "oh he just likes you" nonsense. The consequences of such lack or training will be on them.

Think of it this way. Dogs can hurt and kill just like guns. We take precautions to keep our guns in a such a state that other cannot be hurt by them without our wanting them to, and guns can't even act on their own. Dogs can act on their own. Ever more vigilance is required to keep everyone other than BGs free from hassle and possible injury from our dogs.