Dog Security System

Um, my boy alerts me when someone farts three houses over. No, seriously, he is the BEST at alerting us when something is up.

The pizza man was scared to death b/c of his bark. I never tell people, "Oh he's really friendly". Not when they are coming to my house. I want strangers to remember that big GSD lives in that house! A meter reader from six years ago still remembers our late GSD and asked me about him while I was at a store. I didn't have a clue who she was, but she remembered the day we were in the backyard when she came to read our meter!

If someone came into our house while we were sleeping or not at home, I have no doubt that Hans would bite. He might even rip an arm off.

But, I have no problem having him around my children and other kids. He is as gentle as a lamb with them. I always supervise, but I swear I think he can read my mind. I love my boy!

My dogs alert to the doorbell, cars in my driveway, and the back screen door opening. We live in a residential area, so they hear a lot of people next door and people in the yard, people going by, cars in the driveway right out our window, and they don't alert to that. If they alerting to every person within 10 feet of the house they'd be barking ALL day, lol, but somehow they can tell when it's our driveway, our doorbell, and our porch door.

They do not do anything to people who come in. Coke has a VERY loud, deep bark that is scary (like a Great Dane or a Bloodhoud), but he is not aggressive, that's just how his bark sounds. He greets people with tail wagging. Kenya has has a really short, hoarse, scrappy sounding bark. Coke will give a few deep barks and Kenya will stand in the doorway and do more of a "YAPYAPYAPYAPYAP!!!" typically 5 quick barks and then I say "Thank you, enough!" She also backs away from the doorway when someone enters.

I think the looks of my dogs and the sound of the very deep bark from Coke and the quick, yappy barks from Kenya are enough to keep a stranger out. People have come over while I've been out and the dogs still do a few alert barks but have never really defended the house. Unless the burglar acted aggressively toward the dogs, I don't think they'd do anything after the alert barking. This is how I prefer it. They are not protection dogs and have no formal training in that respect so I do not expect or want them thinking they have to defend the house. *I* decide who goes in and out, not them.

My old male Zeus woke me up in the middle of the night and ignored all commands I gave him. I was half way down the stairs when my doorbell rang. Turns out sherriff's police were casing my home before ringing the doorbell while looking for my cousin that used to live with me. They said they could not get around the house without Zeus barking. He was excellent at watching the corner I live on now as well. Sometimes I'd hear a few barks from him, and at first not see anyone. Then someone would round the corner! And he only alerted to men. He also was willing to do something if someone came in. How committed he would be to the fight, I'm not sure.

Diesel has a bark that shakes the house. Deep, loud and serious. He watches all activity outside intently. Multiply that by three if I am not home and my wife and or daughter are. He goes from window to window looking for me and making sure nobody is trying to take advantage of the fact I am not there. He does not really bark at women or children unless they are dressed to look like a man. He would be more than willing to engage an intruder. Unless the intruder had a gun, and was able to shoot him quickly serious damage would be done.

Lowen is still a question mark since she is young.

I had a survey crew come early. I had told them I had dogs (note the plural... because they didn't). They rattled the fence and Meagan came out of the dog door, ball in mouth, tail wagging so as one of the guys threw the tennis ball for her, the others jumped the fence and started setting up...

I came home from work later and found two happy dogs and survey equipment scattered over the backyard. A strip of someone's shirt was hung on the fence. My answering machine had this message. " We were playing ball with the sweet dog you have when the BEAST rocketed through the kitchen dog door. Thank God he stumbled coming out of the other one or we'd all be dead. "

You have to discount some of what the survey crew said as sheer exaggeration (I've never seen smoke or flames coming from Ki's mouth) but apparently Ki charges head-on with a "I'm going to kill you now" expression and a low growl if you come into the part of the yard he can get too.