Comments on: Would Your Dog Protect Your Home?

By: Peggy Frezon

Peggy Frezon — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 05:35:59 +0000

That must have been a terrifying experience for you.
Glad you found the video interesting! One thing I noticed is that the fake intruder in the video seemed so calm and non-threatening. I’d imagine a real intruder would project a dangerous aura that the dogs would sense, and they wouldn’t be so calm.

By: Jen

Jen — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:27:04 +0000

Interesting video. I do have a couple of issues with their “scientific” test….

1. the dogs were home when the cameras were planted, so they already had all kinds of strangers coming inside.

2. the front door was unlocked, as another commenter mentions.

3. If an owner was home, a dog might have behaved more protectively. A “personal protection” dog doesn’t care about the TV

Really, if you don’t want somebody to steal your TV, get a security system. If you feel unsafe, personally, than educate yourself, practice, and purchase a firearm (provided they’re legal in your area).

Also, that poor German Shepherd….he looked so very fearful from the time he was introduced (on the leash with his owner), and his hindquarters show the unfortunate characteristics of a show line breeding, so he’s got that floppy froggy gait that just makes me sad.

I’m interested in what Elka would do, and have anecdotes of people coming over (with our permission) when we weren’t home, and how she reacted. And some anecdotes of how she reacted when I WAS home…..hmm. I seem to have another blog post in the making, rather than just a comment on your blog. Thanks!

By: dawn

dawn — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:18:38 +0000

That was interesting…and funny. I don’t have the expectation that my dogs would protect me, but I do think they would bark enough to scare someone off based on how they react when people we know come into the house. Besides Malarky has a shriek on her that is like fingernails on a chalkboard. You don’t want to be anywhere near her when she gets going.

I used to have a cat that every now and then would growl and run toward the window and door when someone was approaching the house from outside. It was really surprising to see. And of course the dogs I had then weren’t concerned at all.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:06:10 +0000

Wow, great video to watch! I am assuming that Luna would be submissive and friendly and even offer her paw like one of the dogs did. Penny would most likely be crated, and she would probably bark up a storm.

By: 24 Paws of Love

24 Paws of Love — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:04:42 +0000

Interesting video! I have no doubt that all of my dogs would put up a fight if someone came in their home. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d love to have that suited guy come to our house and take the test!! 🙂

By: Karen Friesecke

Karen Friesecke — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 05:00:01 +0000

Dexter is a pretty good deterrent since he barks, but I’m pretty sure that he would tuck tail & run if it came down to it. Jersey? She’d be running to the hills.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:33:31 +0000

I know the answer for my dogs because it’s been tested.

Beau (the Lab) growled and barked when an intruder tried to just steal the bikes off our porch in NH. He never growled but when he did, no one would have dared tested whether or not he’d bite. Size and presence were the perfect deterrent and the guy took off. He also protected me a few times when we were out walking. Funny, because he was also the most gentle dog in the world – just don’t “f” with his family.

Bella (the mix) barks and growls and lunges when the UPS guy drops off packages so not much of a surprise there either. She barks (does not growl or lunge) at guests entering our home and only stops when we reassure her everything is okay. I don’t know if she’d actually bite but she’s big enough also to scare off most intruders. But since she over-reacts when anyone moves ‘aggressively’ towards me, so I’m pretty sure I know she will defend me – whether I need it or not. 😉

I do wonder if Beau would have behaved differently in this situation. I think he knew the guy trying to steal our bikes was up to no good. He’d probably also recognize that the intruder here had no malicious intent. (And that’s the problem with these set-ups – the dogs are reacting to a person they probably know is not a real threat.)

But as you say, someone determined to get something inside isn’t going to hesitate to shoot a growling dog. This is my biggest fear. Beau was big enough that someone might actually think twice that a bullet would be enough but Bella, this is my biggest fear – that she would be seriously injured trying to defend her home. Thankfully, we have never had our theory tested where we live now. I hope we never do.

PS – LOVE the tricksy Pittie!

By: Amy@GoPetFriendly

Amy@GoPetFriendly — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:31:39 +0000

My understanding has always been that Buster and Ty are more of a deterrent than actual protection. Seriously, who would break in if they cased the place and knew a big, black German Shepherd and his saucy little brother lived there? In actuality, I imagine Ty would show the intruders to the treat cabinet in hopes they’d start looting there, and Buster would run out the door to search for me.

By: Jackie Bouchard

Jackie Bouchard — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:26:22 +0000

It would be interesting to see what Rita would do (under that controlled environment, I mean – not “for reals”!). She is part German Shepherd and is very protective of me, but also afraid of a lot of things. She barks her head off when people come to the door, or at the men we’ve had in working in our back yard. If the workers have to get close to our sliding glass door, she really unleashes a “hound from hell” fury on them. So I think anyone would be foolish to attempt to enter, but if they did, I imagine she’d be like the GSD in the video – she might bark and snap, but then she’d look for an out.
The only time I’ve ever had a place broken into was when we didn’t have a dog, so here’s hoping it’s correct that the criminals are smart enough to move on when they hear a barking dog!

By: Flea

Flea — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:15:04 +0000

I’ve often wondered. Our two are big barkers, and look and sound fierce. I tell people, strangers who solicit, that they may bite. But when I’ve had friends come to take care of them when we’re away, they just wag their tails when the person comes in. When I’m here to protect, they bark their heads off. I’ve always just figured if someone wants my stuff badly enough to get past my dog, they’ll probably get past an alarm, too.