Who's the No. 1 Guard Dog?

[corgipower]

There are too many sue-happy people out there, and every dog, no matter how intelligent or magical, is capable of making a bad judgment call.

That's why if you have a protection dog - trained for it or just likely to do it on his own - it's that much more important to have control on the dog.

I have no doubt that Tyr would protect me if needed. I also know that he will occasionally make a wrong choice and alert to a perceived threat. It's my job to call him off. I can always override his choice with some basic obedience commands.

And I sincerely hope that if someone breaks into my house, she just plain stays out of the way.

I gotta agree here. It's a nice feeling to have a protection dog. But if I lived some place where it was likely to be needed, I'd be worried about my dog's safety. He doesn't know how to duck if a gun is being fired.

 

[ihartgonzo]

I vote for other: guard albino gorillas. Now THOSE will really strike fear into the hearts of criminals! ;3

But seriously, I have to vote for Rotties, as my childhood Rottweiler chased away burglars that were climbing over our fence. He was also a BOMB-PROOF, sweetheart of a dog who had never so much as growled at a person before. I don't really know what he would have done if the burglars hadn't booked it back over the fence. Maybe nothing? Rotties are a great visual protector, though. German Shepherds are extremely quick to alarm bark, and they have one of the most intense barks of any breed and they're very loyal, but most GSDs (as most are poorly bred) have unstable nerves, and are just generally unpredictable wusses.

 

[ACooper]

I gotta agree here. It's a nice feeling to have a protection dog. But if I lived some place where it was likely to be needed, I'd be worried about my dog's safety. He doesn't know how to duck if a gun is being fired.

I absolutely do NOT want a "protection" dog, I would rather handle the situation myself, I don't disagree with BB on that one bit.

BUT (isn't there always a but?)

The few times one of my dogs have stepped in, I was unprepared to handle the situation and if they HADN'T stepped in it could've turned out pretty bad. Lucky for me they weren't harmed in anyway, and of course lucky for them too. Also, I love my dogs completely, but I love my children more of course........if my dog had to be injured/dead putting themselves between us and danger I could deal with that loss much better than the loss of my child.

 

[corgipower]

if my dog had to be injured/dead putting themselves between us and danger I could deal with that loss much better than the loss of my child.

No children. Just me and the dogs. I wouldn't deal well with the loss of my dog. It is all relative.

 

[Amstaffer]

I vote for other: guard albino gorillas. Now THOSE will really strike fear into the hearts of criminals! ;3

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I completely agree! Here is pretty clear evidence, its a picture I took of my cousin James Kirk who walked into the wrong backyard looking for a family cookout

 

[Renee750il]

IMO, all that socialization is going to make them a better judge of what is a threat. They see all different types of people - sizes, genders, races, clothing, etc. They see handicaps and drunks and a ton of weird but harmless behaviors. They learn not to go off just because someone walks and talks differently. They can't learn that if they're not out and about in public.

That's exactly my take on it. And in my experience, it works. For instance: Kharma is fine with people who are having a few drinks, even a few too many under social circumstances. She's been invited into a little neighborhood bar a few times and she is fine with that -- she'll even steal a slurp of beer if she gets the chance (and it's a brew she likes ), BUT, you let a street drunk start in our direction and she is immediately on alert. She bristles and watches and positions herself between me and where she anticipates them being. They usually cross the street or turn down a side street for some reason . . . .

a few points i disagree with

2. a dogs willingness or ability to engage and even kill wild animals, while indicative of it's physical ability, is not indicative of it's mental ability to engage a human being.

No, it's not an indicator that a dog will be willing to engage a human, but there's a confidence that comes with it -- at least in my experience.

 

[DanL]

i completely agree! Here is pretty clear evidence, its a picture i took of my cousin james kirk who walked into the wrong backyard looking for a family cookout

I'm guessing his friend in the shirt color that no one else has got it right before this... you know, Kirk, Spock, Bones, and some other guy you don't know, who gets it?