dogs against bad guys in urban environment?

H

hannibal lecter spyderco

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I recently read that owning a dog is the best security system around . When a bg here barking he will most likely go onto another house. My question is what do you guys think about the statement above and if there are anyone experience in this field what is best dog to get to deter possible threat? Dobbie, rottie, pit bull? etc..

Thanks ahead of time the reason i asked is because I travel a lot and the wife is home alone.
 
I'm no expert, but I have been around quite a few dogs. My unlce has owned two rottweilers, and he has had good experiences with both. He has two kids, and they got along fine. He did, however, get them form a reputable breeder, and they went through a bit of training from his local K9 unit (he is a Lieutenant in the Police force).

Anyway, I personally like German Shepherds a lot, because they look friendly enough unless you piss them off, and they are fast, too.

I have no experience with Dobermans, but I would avoid pitbulls not just because of their innate instability, but because of the impression people get of the owners based on their dog. Shepherds are family dogs, Rots and Dobies are elegant, but pitbulls are just vicious, ugly animals.
 
First of all, you shouldn't get a dog for a security system.

The dog should be a companion and member of the family.

Buy from a breeder with a good reputation and don't try to save a few bucks; you get what you pay for and you will have the dog for around 12 years.

I also think basic obedience training is very important.

All the dogs you have mentioned are good.

They are natural protectors and I would not do anything to make them more aggressive.

I would recommend a security system and pistol training as well.

If I had to choose a bred; a small female rottweiler can't be beat.
 
Mr. Lecture
I have been around all kinds of animals all my life. I currently have four large dogs and generally that is about full staff for me. There are many breeds that are good watchdogs/companions. It is not the dog as much as it is the love and training.
 
A dog is like any other defense system: the more physically imposing, the less likely the BG's threat will evolve into anything real.

All dogs, regardless of the breed, can be raised to be gentle and a general non-threat to strangers.

The most fearsome breeds in appearance and actual ability would be the Canary dog and the Tosa. These are very large and very powerful molosser breeds that were also bred as true fighting dogs. These are formidable animals and no un-armed man, or group of unarmed men, would stand a chance against one of these beasts. If one is looking for a livestock dog or a guard dog for a more rural, large property environment, then the Anatolian shepherd dog, Komondor, or Tibetan Mastiff would all be good choices.

Don't forget, a mere taser gun can bring down any of these animals.
 
We had excellent results with our Boxer as a guard dog, but I agree with CJ and RGRAY that the way to go is with respect and affection. Raise the dog like a child, with lots of love and play. Then he will be totally reliable with family and friends and totally unfriendly with anyone menacing them.

By the way, our Boxer hardly ever barked. He discouraged burglers by s m i l i n g at them. :D
 
While I agree that the the breeds mentioned above have a good reputation for protection, I'd like to share with you a story about a dog that was never expected to be for security purposes.
My sister gave my niece a black lab for her fifth birthday. For two years they lived without any real training with "Molly".
Then one night, my brother-in-law came home late, tried to sneak in the house, and found himself face to face with his black lab who REFUSED to even let him pass through the kitchen, until my sister woke up and called her off. You see, it's not the dog, is the amount of love that is EXCHANGED between the family and the critter. Research your lifestyle, the time you have (or your wife) to spend with this animal, and get the dog that will be the most natural, not necessarily the most aggressive. Good Luck.:)
 
Originally posted by RGRAY
First of all, you shouldn't get a dog for a security system.

The dog should be a companion and member of the family.
Click to expand...

Truth. A dog which loves you will warn you of danger and try to protect you from danger. Even a small family dog will at least make a good alarm system, my scottish terrier won't even let a leaf fall to the ground unheralded.
 
Originally posted by komondor
Don't forget, a mere taser gun can bring down any of these animals.
Click to expand...

Are dogs more susceptible to eletric shock than humans? Because those devices are anything but reliable when it comes to two-legged predators.
 
Originally posted by RGRAY
If I had to choose a bred; a small female rottweiler can't be beat.
Click to expand...

I could not agree with you more. Mine has a companion dog title, takes new training easily, is a sweetheart with people we welcome, yet is quite protective. Great with kids.

I could not DISAGREE with Stilleto more. It would appear that you haven't had much experience with Pit Bulls, or your experience has differed DRASTICALLY from mine. Of course people get impressions of owners based on their dogs; every dog out there is primarily influenced by their owner's personality. You show me a Pit Bull that is viscious for no (apparent) reason, and I'll show you and owner that is a complete ass!! :mad:

Sorry to others on this list, but it drives me insane when someone blames a dog or breed for irresponsible owner(s). :mad:
 
Originally posted by Stiletto Raggio
pitbulls are just vicious, ugly animals.
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Wrong. They are just dogs. They love their master and family just like other dogs. And they are not ugly. Just look at those pitbulls (they belong to a friend of mine), are they ugly?

Flav03.jpg


Dogs are very good guardians besides being your best and true friends. Here is my dog "Glad" looking very serious ;)

Flav11.jpg

FLAV06.JPG
 
Someone mentioned Boxers and I have to agree. My family has had Boxers for over twenty five years. They are awesome dogs IF they are trained and disciplined correctly. They are very patient and protective of all children in the house since they seem to love kids. They are also very good natured and just downright "goofballs".

However, these dogs are not easily intimidated by strangers and they can look mean as snot when they need to. Their short hair makes it easy to have them indoors if you want but they do fart a lot! They are natural gaurd dogs so they really don't need any aggresive gaurd dog training just a lot of positive attention and exercise. If you get a male Boxer you may want to nueter him ASAP since they love to fight if they are not nuetered.

The only thing to watch out for is a lot of people mistake them for Pit Bulls especially if the dog has brindle stripes but that is not always a bad thing.

;)
 
Bichon Frise, they certainly can act like they are attack dogs.

Hey how about dogs on airplanes, if we dont want guns how about a nice big dog, i would how some guy with a box cutter would react to that
 
Nobody ever tried to invade my house and my neghboors can't say the same. Maybe it has something to see with the eleven dogs I keep at home? How did I got them all? Enough to say that I have worked for a good while with the Animal Protection Society of my town and was their official dog catcher.
And, of course, I thoroughly agree with Flavius' post about pitbulls - I recently saw my lawier's female pitbull and her puppy and they couldn't be more friendly, to the point that someone would have a hard time finding out their breed if he were to use the stereotypes connected to pitbulls. The owner's personality is mirrorred in the dog's behavoir.
 
Hi All, I'm getting in a little late here but I'm a dog owner and lover of 44 years and I agree with Chris and the others that if you raise your dog as a family member you can't lose. I've mostly owned German Shepards or Shepard mix and they are the best, they are an obvious deterant. More recently we've added a Carrdigan Welsh Corgi, he's about the size of a Basset, at 1 1/2 years old, hes very cute and funny looking, but he won't let any stranger near. Out for walks or in the car I've watched people approach to pet him and he's in their face and will back them down. He won't bite but he gets the point across.
 

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Why do people always bad mouth Pits-We had a neighbor that had a female pit and we used to short cut through the yard to avoid a crazed COLLIE-go figure. A dog should be part of a complete home defense system/mindset.
 
... have been vilified and demonized by the media.

In some areas of the country, they are raised by certain undesirable elements as "cop stoppers". Abused, underfed, and neglected, these packs of half-wild dogs become dangerous to anyone in their territory who hasn't already established dominance.

Any breed of dog (or a human, for that matter) reacts badly to this sort of environment.

Unfortunately, Pit Bulls seem to be the dog of choice. They have great drive, size, and muscularity and are intelligent enough to be truly dangerous when aroused.

Several children have been mauled when coming into contact with this sort of dog... As have several police officers in the course of their duties. In such cases, the Owner is liable for the actions of their "security system"

Please, if anyone is considering a similar "feed and forget" style of ownership, DON'T.

Canine companions have been a part of human culture since prehistory, and they deserve the respect and care we extend to our human companions. Social training will make them more pleasant to be around and more useful. Anyone who has a child will understand this.

Just like humans, love and loyalty will inspire them to far greater service then fear and agression.
 
hmmm... maybe i should be looking for a dogbreeder's forum, but most of you seem know a bit about dogs.

i've been thinking about getting a dog for myself and the family for xmas, and have narrowed it down to four breeds that i have interest in (while home security is a consideration, it's toward the bottom of the list. mainly, these are breeds that several friends and family members have owned, and i found the dogs to be great companions.):

rottweiler
boxer
american staffordshire terrier
staffordshire bull terrier

if anyone can recommend reputable breeders in the new york area (preferably long island), i'd really appreciate it.

of course, there's always the north shore animal league, but i'm doing a little research on purebred options first.

thanks,

steve
 
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