Dogs Ews

[rangertexas]

How do you rate terriers and other yapping dogs as psycho stoppers ?

It dawned on me a few days ago that having a gun or guns in the house to protect your family is potentially the ultimate defense. However it struck me that in most house invasions the occupants of the house are nearly always surprised by the intruders and rarely have a chance to use their guns or knives.

This is because these attacks often happen quickly at night when the family is fast asleep, and I remember one case in the USA when the attacker had observed the family for sometime and then attacked in the middle of the night using a shotgun and night vision goggles. The occupants stood no chance, regardless of any firearms training they may or may not of had.

Why ?

Because they didn't have and early warning system such as dogs. It has dawned on me that dogs or other animals such as geese, can sense sounds and other stimuli such as smells that we humans are totally unaware of; and that the intruder can really not compete with. I am really talking about watch dogs and opposed to guard dogs. Guard dogs meaning mean dogs that can actually attack the intruder. However in an armed society even a good attack dog would not stand that much chance against an armed intruder. But a watch dog is good as it would wake up the occupants and at least alert them to a possible attack allowing them vital minutes, or even just seconds to prepare and not be murdered in their sleep. I distinguish a watch dog to a guard dog as a dog that yaps a lot when hearing weird nosies or smells. For me dogs such terriers ie jack russels are the most useful (most people just consider dobermans etc etc) as they are real yappers and like all terriers are constantly in a state of nervous alert. So i suggest that if you value your family's safety then get a couple of terriers treat them well and they will reward you as an early warning system. Dogs can pick up on things that even the best technology such as burgular alarms cannot.
Just my ramble
Stay safe!

 

[conw]

This sounds like good advice.

Here's another piece of advice:

Watch the show The Dog Whisperer. That guy is a genius. He shows you how to make yourself the "pack leader" by using dominance/assertion techniques and actually gives good advice for life in general, too, like having good posture, confidence, and assertiveness.

In my experience, a dog that knows its "place" in the household is more likely to bark at something substantial and less likely to be barking so much you'll ignore it all the time. It'll be better behaved and a better companion, and therefore better as a security system as well.

His best advice: "DOGS AREN'T PEOPLE"

 

[XDKingslayer]

My dog alerted me to a drunk trying to come into my house thinking it was his buddies house.

Because of the dog, I was up and armed before he even got the doorbell.

 

[bowl443]

I've got both the watch dog and the gaurd/attack. The fox terrier is my first line of defense and also the early warning device. His only problem is he barks too much. If an intruder is not detered by his constant yapping, then my 90lb Akita is next in line. He doesn't waste alot of time barking.

But I do agree that most of your intruder's will be turned away by the sound of a yapping dog, and if not, like the OP said, there probably isn't much a dog can do to save you.

 

[Fish828]

i agree 100%. if something isn't right or something is going on, in the night or any other time, your dog will let you know. almost all the time, if an intruder that hears a dog within a house, they will pick another target. dogs are extremely valuable as a deterrent as well as a warning system. they truly are man's best friend.

 

[cleardiddion]

I have a little carin terrier at home.
She wouldn't do much as a guard dog but she's still got an awesome sense of hearing and smell. Let's me know when the fedex guys shows up along with anyone else that decides to pay a visit.

 

[btg3]

Kindly keep your yapping dogs inside your house and not in the yard. My neighbor would leave her Schnauzer in the fenced yard while away and it yapped non-stop. At my request, she now keeps it inside -- usually. This animal is a brainless nuisance. Two letters of complaint will allow the county to remove the dog, but I'd hate to resort to that.

I've had both yard dogs and house dogs, but not at the same time. I'm thinking a house dog is the better way to go for purposes of intruder alert, but wonder if anyone feels otherwise?

 

[conw]

btg3, I'm not expert by any means on dogs, but I do know that there's something to that Dog Whisperer guy's advice. Dogs will not yap if the owners are dominant/assertive. (Sure, you have some dogs that are just detritus, but that's rare) The vast majority of "problem dogs" are trying to be good dogs, but the owners are idiots. If you don't believe me, just watch the guy work his magic. A few simple changes in behavior and a dog that was "misbehaving" does a 180.

Most people with dogs that misbehave have all kinds of screwed up habits that make their dog confused.

I have a personal theory (no offense to anyone) that the reason mainly "toy dogs" misbehave is because people choose them for the wrong reasons and then treat them like people. Dogs need structure..."spoiling" a dog makes it very unhappy, and many people who pick those dogs would be much better off with a cat. If they treat it like a human, it will be unhappy and misbehave.

 

[hrgrisso]

Barking Dogs

Porter Rockwell believed that a barking dog just let enemies know, you know they are there. He trained his bulldog to lick his face while he was asleep so he'd be ready.

I trained my pit to quietly come to me and paw my leg and lick my hand. No barking.

However when someone got inside the door he reverted back to PIT. Growling, Barking etc. Scared the snot outta a couple of buddies of mine that didn't know how to knock.

 

[conw]

also btg3, my parents live miles and miles from other houses, and a yard dog is excellent because their driveway is about a mile long log road, and the dog WILL bark at anything driving up it before you can hear it.

In urban settings, house seems the way to go.

 

[cleardiddion]

Little dogs can be annoying at times, but so can any other sized one. It really is a matter of training really. Ours, she gets a bit exciteable at times with things like mailmen and birds but knows to keep quiet when we tell her to.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've found bitches are the best at alerting to strange noises. I think it has to do with their instinct to guard their young. The big males aren't as finely tuned and I remember several times waking up to noises and seeing my fierce, furry companion hogging the blankets and snoring away next to me LOL How a 100 lb GSD can take up an entire bed and remove every cover from me remains a mystery. I remember he'd sneak in there as I was making it, making himself "small" and expecting me not to notice as I put additional blankets down.

 

[Striker]

For most of my life, I've had Labs. I love them, but none of them were real intense except when working. None were especially interested in alerting anyone when people where about or at the door.

My current dog is a rat terrier bitch and very intense (think a Jack Russel on amphetimines). She is a 100 lb dog in a 15 pound body, utterly fearless, and thinks she owns everything she sees. She has different alert behaviors. Actitvity on the side walk results in an low growl. approach to the house is a soft woof, and a stranger at the door is three or four loud barks. Strangers in the house, my daughters latest boyfirend as an example, results in a frenzy of barking, growling, and posturing (but no attack) until called off.

She might not be a pyscho stopper, but she sure is a great at letting me know if someone unfamiliar is around.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

guniea hens and a dog

 

[Texas Tass]

Dogs as EWS....

I have a co-worker who has a 90 lb. rottie who stays in the backyard-"for protection". My reply was her backyard is certainly safe from bad-guys. (now if you live in a rural area, an outside dog is another line of defense.)

As a volunteer with a local rescue, one of the stipulations for adoptions is that the dog must be an inside dog (these were dogs taken from kill shelters-being an integral part of the new family is important). Dogs that are inside (especially those of the nosey, has to investigate any sound/movement outside type-most certainly a terrier!) will be ideal for an early warning system.

I have 3 corgi's who, while being on the short end, sound like a German Shep. from behind a door. I've several times had door-to-door salesmen come up the walk and then leave when the ferocious barking begins 5 ft. from the front step. At night each has chosen a separate part of the house to sleep in, so most access points are covered.

Regards,

Jackie
Cypress

(on a farm, I would get a few geese! Not only are they loud, but mean and will pursue!)

 

[roguejestyr]

i have 2 Jack Russell Terriers, a male and a female, and they are plenty loud and effective as an early warning system. the female is mean as hell, a sad consequence of being abused by another family when she was young. it seems that she is more sensitive to out of the ordinary sounds, which does get annoying at times.

 

[Dismantler]

When we lived in the city a man came peeping at our bedroom window. The cat was sitting in the window. The man's face scared the cat. He jumped on the bed. My wife woke up to see the white oval of a face ducking away and heard footsteps pattering down the driveway. He may have been one lucky peeper, as I always keep a gun next to the bed.

Dogs are probably better watchers as they will bark. But cats will sit up and focus on a noise..then dash away. You know that something is outside.

 

[rangertexas]

"psycho stopper" was probably the wrong title. Is should of been named psycho alert system.

Terriers are great. They are totally alert. I like the system the earlier poster had ie a fox terrier to alert followed by an Akita to sneak up and attack. I've heard the Akitas will quietly stalk an intruder and jump them from behind.

There was some Clint Eastwood movie, I think Dirty Harry 2. Harry was getting choked out in his own home by a loser psycho. He was about to go unconscious when his little terrier sank its sharp teeth into the psychos leg. The psycho let out a scream let go of Harry and ran off. Harry grabbed his famous magnum and opened up on the dude. However that was just a movie.

Yeah terriers are small but they are an excellent early warning system and some breeds can inflict one hell of the bite, especially in the dark lol (after all some breeds of terrier can kill badgers)!

You should see what a Patterdale terrier can do to a fox lol

 

[btg3]

Dogs are probably better watchers as they will bark. But cats will sit up and focus on a noise..then dash away. You know that something is outside.

That's why folks sit at home and watch their cat instead of the TV.

 

[ladykilla]

You can't beat a good terrier for home defense. My choice, an American Pitbull Terrier. I have a 4 year old female who excels at scarring the poop out of anyone who get's close to the house. I also have 2 small children, 2 years old and 6 months, and she's a natural protector. Don't buy into the media hype, they are great dogs. Don't let high risk owners who prefer the breed deter you. I wouldn't have any other breed.

 

[rangertexas]

Yeah pit bulls are great. But in my opinion some of them can be TOO human friendly and will wag their tails at strangers! lol And love taking food even from complete strangers. Pit bulls are hard to fight but easy to be-friend or poison! (on average).
I'd go for a less trusting breed. If you want a man stopper then Tibetan mastiffs are just AWESOME BEASTS.
But yeah dogs can really influence an attacker to go for another house and not yours! (selfish but rather someone elses family).

 

[mbt2001]

I have a Boxer, the point of the Boxer was a guard dog that didn't "bark" and alert the perp (called "hearing guard dogs"). They do "woof" but they don't Yip and Bark and loose their minds the way other dogs do.

On the other side of the coin, I would really like to get a Fox Terrier to go with the Boxer. Between the two, you should have early warning covered. Most perps don't want to get bit any more than they want to get shot.

FYI, Pit Bulls that were "mean" to humans were killed. They were bread to fight dogs in the pit, not people out of it. They are not classical gaurd dogs. In many ways they are better police dogs for this reason.

 

[roo_ster]

Dogs as EWS

I have bought into the concept. Actually, I have doubled down with two German Shorthaired Pointers.

They are inside during the night, outside during the day.

I'll repost here something I wrote up:
Well, I have two dogs that are inside the house. The female is quite sensitive, I call her my Early Warning System. She'll call out at night or day if someone is on the sidewalk across the street.

The male is more circumspect and will wait until the person is on our sidewalk.

What usually happens is the female wakes me up. I then put on my Rx glasses and pick up my flashlight. How fast I hurry depends if the male sings out. If he doesn't, I open the quick-access safe and extract my HD pistol & then mosey through the house, checking the windows for what it was that alerted the pooch(es).

If the male does sing out, I do it more quickly and move much faster.

When folks come inside the front or back yard fence lines, the dogs get quite agitated. The few times this has happened at night, I have had the old adrenaline dump and wife & I both moved: me to check things out, wife to collect kiddos & bring back to MBR.

===============

If they [intruder(s)] wait more than a few seconds to bust in after coming down the street or approaching the fence line, the pooches will have given enough warning so that me & my wife are awake and that I am armed.

Once they [intruders] get close to the house, the dogs are going to go bonkers and wife & I will likely be in the middle of our respective duties.

When they try to remove the secured screen door, it will create quite a ruckus and I expect doggies to be jumping through their 4th point of contact.

===============

Given my experience & training with Uncle Sam, my poochies would definitely have me awake & alert before door-kicking began. I have these dogs partly for their heightened senses & sensitivities and I do not admonish them when they sign out at folks.

The big males aren't as finely tuned and I remember several times waking up to noises and seeing my fierce, furry companion hogging the blankets and snoring away next to me LOL How a 100 lb GSD can take up an entire bed and remove every cover from me remains a mystery.

I have that same mystery

 

[coloradokevin]

My dog is fun, but useless for protection.

She is a 75lb German Shepherd/Akita mix, and is very strong. She knows her place in the pack, though she still has a stubborn side.

Nevertheless, she thinks EVERYTHING is her friend... Dogs, cats, rabbits, strangers, etc. She just loves everyone. She whines to play with people when someone rings our doorbell, whether or not she knows them!

She does occasionally bark at things that go bump in the night, and she certainly has some intimidation factor when she does go on-guard. But, I think if she found out that the "bump" came from a human, she'd no longer regard it as a threat.

Still, hopefully her whining and crying to play with the nice intruder would be enough to wake me up!

 

[Soodonim]

Just as a fun note, my Economics Analysis of the Law professor postulated that private property developed in prehistoric times because of the domestication of dogs. A man couldn't farm and keep thieves away all day, but a barking dog could alert him to when a thief was around, so he could focus on farmin, incentivizing private property. Glad to see we are still sticking with what works.