Guard dogs?

[candyraver]

I was talking to a family friend in St.John's about buying an house& such& he said I should look into getting a guard dog or two.
& Immediately I thought of dogs being kept outside 24/7...& didn't like that& told him& he said no it's not like that at all& he said that the dogs he kept in his house WERE guard dogs,they are treated like royalty.
So after I been informed I was wrong about that,I decided it might be a good idea (there was a robbery recently in broad daylight in the city).
So now I have questions for you guys.

1. Anyone have previous experience with guard dogs?
2. What breeds should I consider?
3. What can I expect from guard dogs?
4. Will the dog be good around other pets & children?
5. Will the dog be good around family& friends?
6. How does dogs react to intruders?
7. Anything else I should know about having a dog that will also protect my house?
8. One dog or more?

As mentioned,I'm not even considering having the dog(s) outdoors.
I don't want living lawn ornaments
I want the dog to be a member of the family but help keep intruders away.
I'll also do a post soon asking about security systems.
I want to be protected.

[Dragonrain]

My family dog is pretty much a guard dog, even tho we didn't intend her to be - lol.

She is the sweetest dog to the people she knows, family members and people that we introduce her to or people that come over a lot. But is someone she doesn't know comes over she freaks out! She barks like mad when people are in the yard, and if they come into the house she will bite. I have no idea how you would go about training a dog to be like that or whatever, because that's just our dog's personality, she's always been like that because she wasn't socialized well as a puppy.

She really is a sweet dog, she's very friendly with the family and excellent with my sisters 9 month old baby.

The thing with having a dog like that though is you have to be very careful when people come into your yard or into your house. With our dog, you HAVE to sit her down outside and introduce her to new people before they can come inside. One time a cop came to our door to give us some court papers, he didn't wait till we invited him inside and just walked in when we opened the door, and the dog bit him.

I think maybe you could consider getting not necessarily a guard dog, but a dog that will bark a lot when someone comes to the house? Because you have to be so careful if you have a dog that will actually bite people, it's a pain! Some people I know get big scarey looking dogs that will bark their heads off, but not ever actually attack people. The barking alone is sometimes enough to scare people off. You could maybe even find a dog at a shelter or something, you would want to look for one that is friendly, but maybe a little territorial so that he/she will bark or whatever when someone comes into her/his home.

[christine]

1. Anyone have previous experience with guard dogs?
Yes I have
2. What breeds should I consider?
I had a German Shepherd
3. What can I expect from guard dogs?
They will protect you from burglers, people who want to attack you, but still be very sweet to you and your family
4. Will the dog be good around other pets & children?
If the dog is already good with children and pets before you train her/him then he/she will continue to be good with them after you train it
5. Will the dog be good around family& friends?
The command for Maggie (our gaurd dog) was "make friends" which was the signal that the person was a friend and to be nice to them
6. How does dogs react to intruders?
If they are unwanted they will go after them and attack.
7. Anything else I should know about having a dog that will also protect my house?
German Shepherds are great at being gaurd dogs. I really recommend that breed
8. One dog or more?
We only had one and never had any problems

[tarita2004]

i had a rot. and he was the biggest lush! so loveable, kissable, etc. You could lay on him, tug on his ears, play w/his feet, etc.... but when it came to being protective he was 100% awesome and serious... i taught him that when i said "be alert!" or "keep an eye on the doors" that he would stiffly walk around the house and check all the rooms then when we would sleep at night, he slept w/me but would get up periodically and check all the doors! dead serious!! he was SOOOO smart!

so i loved my rot. and he was VERY loyal and smart

[tarita2004]

oh and as far as him meeting friends and family, you just had to say it was ok... settle down or just hug hte people you wanted him to like then he liked them too ! (and he was really good w/cats, my mom's 2 little tea cup chihuahuas and babies too!!)

[Jodi]

We have a big (125 lbs) German Shepherd and he's an excellent guard dog. We have him on the wireless invisible fence during the day and he comes in at night. GSD's have a *mean* bark and look intimidating... that is ususally a very good deterent for keeping people away. Also, once Manto gets barking our other 2 dogs (small, lap dogs) start barking and make quite the racket. That in itself is enough to keep people out.

Even though our GSD is a good protector, he's still great with kids. If you play fetch with him, he'll be your best friend! He's also good with our other 2 dogs - Chihuahua & Yorkie. In fact, I have pictures of him cuddling with our Chi!!

There is nothing wrong with keeping a dog outdoors somewhat IMO. That doesn't mean they're lawn ornaments... GSD's, for instance, are big dogs and need room to move around and play. I'm not a fan of dog runs... but on the wireless invisible fence (best money we ever spent!) he has a big area. Manto would much rather spend his day outside then cooped up in the house. My little dogs don't mind spending time indoors but big dogs are different.

[candyraver]

for the suggestions& feedback.
I'll look into german sheppards& rotweilers
Maybe I'll get one of each?

I think I should clarify what I mean regarding dogs outside being "lawn ornaments"..I mean I don't agree with any dog outside 24/7 where they don't get to spend time with their humans.
In Newfoundland you see quite a few "outdoor" dogs (owners usually saying they got too big or wasn't well behaved to be inside) & thats what really bothers me.I don't like seeing dogs that way
So I'd be sure to provide a lot of exercise for the dog (hoping to have a fenced in yard...that invisible fence sounds like a neat idea though,i'll have to look into that also!) ...
THAT might be a plus for me too,having 2 dogs as opposed to one.
When I take one out for a walk the other can "guard"...my two small dogs can be barky too
but people just ignore them

[Kendalle]

i kinda dont think its fair to have a guard dog in an invisible fence, what if a little kid is playing and kicks a ball or something into your yard and goes to get it and doesnt realise there is a dog in there that is trained to guard. even if the dog doesnt bite it could scare the kid and put a fear of dogs in their mind for the rest of their life. at least a fence gives alittle warning plus it adds to security as well

[candyraver]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kendalle i kinda dont think its fair to have a guard dog in an invisible fence, what if a little kid is playing and kicks a ball or something into your yard and goes to get it and doesnt realise there is a dog in there that is trained to guard. even if the dog doesnt bite it could scare the kid and put a fear of dogs in their mind for the rest of their life. at least a fence gives alittle warning plus it adds to security as well

I honestly never thought of that I think i'll go with a fence,As in actual fence.

[Scarlette]

I'm a big fan of Dobermans. They're great dogs, very loyal and I know Scarlette is great with everyone that is a friend. The intimidation factor is a huge plus. A couple of our friends that have been at our house quite a few times are still afraid of Scarlette and all she has ever done is lick them. I think if push came to shove and someone was attacking me then I think she'd defend me to the end. When Jeff is working midnight shift I feel so much better knowing I have Scarlette laying at the foot of my bed.

I know when Scarlette's time is up and she crosses the rainbow bridge (hopefully not for a long long time) I WILL get another Dobie.

[candyraver]

Ah they are also another dog to consider (I temporarily forgot about them!! )
The intimidation I think is a good thing to go for.
I really want this dog to be a part of the family but to make possible intruders think "ok,they have a dog,lets not attempt it".
I'll be living on my own& my paranoia will be at an all time high..& hearing of daylight robberies didn't help at all .
I'll look into them!

[sara8]

When I was a single mom I was living in a trailer park. We had a peeping tom who was being spotted around the park. My next door neighbor was a cop and happened to be coming home from work and caught the guy looking in the windows at MY 4 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. I fell asleep with the blinds open and didn't realize it. Anyway point of the story is I decided to get a dog after that. I was restricted in size b/c of the parks rules so I got a beagle. Not intimidating in size, but I felt safe b/c I knew he would hear things way before I did and would bark..I just kept a phone in my bedroom so I always had access to one oh and the baseball bat next to my bed made me fell better too Anyway point being you could get a smaller dog and just use it as an alarm system rather than to be intimidating.

[candyraver]

I do have 2 small dogs (chihuahua-not teacup variety& a chihuahua/beagle mix) but they (although they do bark sometimes) i'm not quite sure would help protect a house.
Plus they are usually with me,the boy is a bit...well he was a runt so he has a couple problems& my girl is 10 years old So they both really depend on me to keep the evil people away

[EDiT] I have to add this.A friend of mine just said that's ok you are getting a couple thousand dollars in snakes& spiders,no one will break in

[Mel]

My uncle had the BEST guard dog. He was Great Pyr. He somehow just KNEW if you were good or bad, and the bad ones did not come in. He wouldn't let my cousins husband come in the house at all, and later we found out he was criminal. And he wouldn't let a group of maids in...later we found out they had stolen from my family. He just knew.

I have a Great Dane. And she barks like a crazy fool when someone comes to the door...but the worst she'd do it tackle you and slobber on you.

I'd suggest any BIG dog with a BIG bark. Rottie, Dobe, Dane, Shepherd of some sort (German, Belgian, etc), whatever. Black is scariest, IMO. I've met some very frightening wolf-hybrids as well.

[Kendalle]

arg i hate the black dogs are scary thing!!

but anyway... i have a lab mix that would protect me to death. he is black... but isn't aggressive because of his color! he knows good people from bad and listens to me and i feel safe with him. he doesnt bark though if i am with him... just if i'm not watching.. so thats good too sence he doesnt bark when people are at the door and things and scare them, he just goes and answers it with me...


A good security system is a beware of dog sign makes any dog bark slightly more scary... hehe.