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Does Your Dog Make You Feel Safer

63K views 256 replies 208 participants last post by  ADogCalledQuest 
#1 ·
This question applies to all dogs,not just those with PPD training. I like the fact that Casja will alert when someone is at my door,but I know that she would basically give anyone the grand tour if they wanted to take something. So I don't feel 'safe',but don't feel 'unsafe' either if that makes sense.

How much more secure do you feel with your dogs?
 
#60 · (Edited)
Without a doubt my dogs make things safer. A dog doesn't just present the threat of attack, they alert me. Right now my GSD is far from being a defense animal (being only 7 weeks old!!) but she comes from a line of protection dogs, and her older sister that I had last year and sadly lost at 9 months old was already becoming defensive, especially of my wife. If someone came into the driveway that she didn't know, she'd sit on the porch and watch, and if I saw the hair on her spine rise up, that meant it was time to pay attention. Dogs have an amazing ability to sense danger, often long before a human will. Our outside dog, Tasha, a boxer/lab mix we adopted in 2007 is a great alarm, especially considering she only has three legs. :) The coyotes got to her a couple years ago and crippled one of her front legs, but she still gets around. And if there is someone she doesn't know, or a vehicle driving in the cul-de-sac that she doesn't know, she'll be barking.

While reading this thread I told my wife that, had I gotten a male pup, I would have named him Gaston. That way any threat would meet Gaston first, then the Glock. :laugh:

Before I got my first GSD years ago, I adopted a shepherd/lab mix from the rescue league, and although he would sleep more than just about any animal I know, he was great in the woods. Once he and I were out hiking along a trail, and all of a sudden he stopped and alerted. I looked around, and saw a water moccasin slithering away just a few feet in front of me just off the trail. He saw the danger before I did and let me know. In many ways, I'd rather have my dog with me in the woods than some people. If there are bears, cougars, or any other predators around, a dog will sense them probably before I will.
 
#61 ·
Lucky always made me feel safer. I never worried about being home alone or walking after dark. She had a halfways deserved reputation among the rubbish element of the city and most of them believed she was a police dog. Not something we every denied (though we never said she was, we just let the less than desirables assume it).

There was only one time when someone really tried to break into the house where they weren't deterred by her vicious sounding barking. Thankfully they were caught on their way back to the house with weapons when we wouldn't open to door to their assertions that they were police officers (idiots should probably not use that when a police car is parked in the drive way half the time).

What's funny is I always felt safe camping with her because I figured she would tear out of the tent if someone came into my site (I usually camped alone). Then one day I woke up to the sounds of someone in my site fairly close to my tent. Listening for a minute I figured out that it was park staff shovelling out the fire pit but Lucky didn't get up or bark. She just lay there listening. Good that she didn't scare the **** out of park staff, but kind of "thanks, you're supposed to tell me about that kind of stuff."

Now, when I'm home alone with the two small fluffies I am not comfortable at all. Every little sound makes me jump and flick on the lights because they don't always bark at someone in the yard or at noises from the door.
 
#62 ·
Definitely. While children walk right up and pet my GSD, adults steer clear on walks.

That said, my GSD is a baby. When someone was breaking into my neighbor's home last summer in the middle of the night, it was my year-old rescue mutt who alerted me to call 911 (my neighbor is elderly and likely hard of hearing) - so he stopped a robbery in progress while my GSD didn't move a muscle sleeping out on the porch. :)
 
#63 ·
I feel secure with Joey in the house, just for the fact that he has a loud bark, and great hearing for anything outside.

I don't know, and never want to find out, how he would be once confronted by an intruder.
 
#65 · (Edited)
I thought I had posted but guess not. When i had daisy and Lucky and they were pre 10 yes . Daisy was an ADT alarm system on steroids. Luckywas more discerning but still pretty an excellent alarm. He held my dad who came in the house w/out invitationthe first time Lucky met dad.One day about a year befor Daisy passed a friend stopped by and they came into the house befor either dog woke up. I dont know what Chevy or Thunder would do we will see. My answer is maybe.
 
#66 ·
Avery gives me piece of mind when we are at home while my husband is gone tdy for work. Rarely does he bark at the door bell but he always barks when he hears someone walk through the front door. After his sad sounding wake up bark his big boy bark is pretty intimidating I think. I've left him at the kennel I work at once over night when my husband was gone, I woke up to every last noise and had nightmares of being abducted. I have never left him over night while hubby is away since.


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#68 ·
Yes, she does. But mainly because I know that I am also in protection mode because of her.
If someone were to break into my house and being that Zelda is in there with me, it would make me have a huge reaction because of my wanting to protect her.
But I suppose Zelda's barking and growling would also cause a person to retreat. :)
 
#69 ·
1. I absolutely do. I always say that unless someone comes in here with a gun, the odds are against them. Ceasar and Ally (GSD & pit/lab mix) are EXTREMELY protective. Emma will either follow their lead or try to show them where her treats are. :D

2. I absolutely LOVE Zelda's name!
 
#70 ·
No, Dexter licks everyone. We got a Gardner last month. ( my sons too busy to do it now) and I realized he came and did the backyard when no one was home. Dexter was outside in the yard the whole time. He's only 5 months so this may change. But maybe not. Both of his parents were very friendly.
 
#72 ·
My dogs, the GSD and the Cresteds, are our early warning system. If someone breaks in I don't expect the dogs to go all Chuck Norris on the bad guy. I just want them to give us enough of a warning so we have time to get to the shotgun and then they are to get out of the line of fire. :)
 
#74 ·
I think Gypsy is too adorable to be intimidating. She likes almost everyone and is just aloof with the rest. It is also unfortunate that she attracts a lot of attention and gives people an excuse to approach/talk to me when I'm walking alone. I've had some really sketchy people call out to me on the street because they wanted to know what kind of dog she is.

But do I feel safer with a 96 lb animal that can easily crush bones at my side? Yes. Even if it's a false sense of security. And she is definitely protective if something is out of the ordinary. She is very, very watchful.


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#76 ·
Kai has definitely made me feel more safe. I know he will only give me more security as time goes by and we bond more.
I'm a single mom who lives out in the 'cut' on 20acres with no neighbors in sight. It is VERY dark out here at night. I'm surround by woods and two small fields. Before Kai, I spent many nights jumping at every 'bump in the night', and feeling for my 9mm in my bedstand :eek: Not to mention my closest neighbor is a crazy 'The Hills Have Eyes' or 'Wrong Turn' type *******.
I've had to be the tough, fearless mama for my kids, but now I feel like I get to SHARE that role with Kai, and having him by my side at night, on our walks of the property, and in the house while the little ones sleep puts me a bit more at ease.

He's definitely helped in that department!!
 
#77 ·
Having Shenzi around makes me feel better. We've started going on packwalks with my neighbors dog, so everyone always sees Shenzi muzzled nowadays. (We had an incident with an aggressive offleash dog about 3 years ago, I know my dog and it likely wouldn't happen again. However, to err on the side of caution) Shenzi doesn't make me feel safe though. She's all bark, but with a little pressure she shuts down completely. I am waiting for a dobe pup to train in schutzhund, and dabble in pp since mondio isn't available here. I would feel much much safer with a gun, but this is Canada, where good people can't protect themselves and the crooks barely serve their sentence.
 
#79 ·
The other day I posted no ,that my 5 month old licks every one and I assumed he wouldn't bark at intruders. Well today I'm changing that. Yesterday my grill had its day and i went and bought a new one. We had to bring it in through the side fence. I opened the gate so my son could carry it in and I hear barking. Dexter must have ran outside through the doggie door and was running around the house with his hackles up barking towards us. The look on his face was priceless when he realized it was us. He went into full on greeting loving mode, ears back, tail wagging and whining. I think he was relieved it was us, but I was just impressed he was fearless enough to come outside to bark at an intruder as my other dogs stayed inside. I love my Dexter he surprises me every day. :hug:
 
#80 ·
Yes. Besides being a warning system, the dogs have changed my habits so that I feel safer. I'm in the yard playing with them or training them often, and the whole neighborhood knows they are here. I've met neighbors while taking them for walks, so I feel more a part of the community. We are close to a bad area of town, and there are multiple abandoned homes on our street. Since I'm outside more, I keep up with the yard better and it's obvious that this house is lived in, so not a likely target for thieves.

I've also got some mental stuff going on and find that my girl Kaylee helps immensely with my confidence, and being confident-looking will often keep you safe. Sam helps me because he isn't friendly. He's the dog I take on late-night walks. If I tell him "speak!" he lets out his big bark. If I try that with Kaylee, she uses her play bark, which probably isn't very intimidating but might shatter someone's eardrums.
 
#81 ·
I don't feel any safer, but Lisl provides a good early warning system.

When I am walking Lisl, sometimes late at night because of my work schedule, I do feel I have another level of deterence.
 
#82 ·
Yes, my dogs do make me feel safer.

I'm not really worried about burglaries. For a variety of reasons, our home would be a very poor target for a burglar and I think our chances of being victim to a home invasion are basically zero.

Out on the street, though, I'm a small young person and not physically imposing. In that situation, yes, it helps to have 150 pounds of deranged furball as an escort. Dog Mob has chased off would-be muggers three times in two years and has deterred several other sketchy characters before I was sure of their intentions.
 
#83 ·
Yes, Sinister makes me feel safe. His size and appearance make him look like a wolf, he alerts me when he hears things and I have already been protected by him when 2 men approached me.. :)
 
#153 ·
Yes, Sinister makes me feel safe. His size and appearance make him look like a wolf, he alerts me when he hears things and I have already been protected by him when 2 men approached me.. :)
Draven on the other hand, he wags his tail when people walk by the fence, the only time he barks is when there is another dog around, he'd protect me from another dog but I'm not sure when it comes to people. His appearance is welcoming, he's super cute and super sweet, he doesn't make me feel safe at all. :laugh:
 
#85 ·
Yes, I do. I have three, and over 200 lbs of fur and teeth are a pretty good deterrent.

They bark like mad when someone comes to the door. The irony is, it's my 60-lb wigglebutt snugglebunny weimeraner bitch who has the deepest bark of all. Even though Jack grown into his ear-splitting big boy bark, hers is still the deepest.

Was just going round and round with the BF last weekend. I had put the two young'uns inside, and Lillian started her slow and steady let me back outside bark. BF said "Jack wants out!" I said "No, that's Lillian." He said "That's definitely Jack." I lolled and said "No, that's Lillian." He looked way puzzled and declared it Must be Jack. I said "Okay, let's go see." It was Lillian :rolleyes:
 
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