Big Dogs at Home

[yuri gagarin]

I love the show and watch every opportunity I get, but I have never seen a show or even a magazine article discussing the use of dogs for home or street defense. I've lived in a bad neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY and my Rottweiller had an imposing presence when I walked down the street. He was always alert, and was my first line of defense in my home, car, and on the street. He was backed up by my Springfield XD .45. My rottie has since passed away, but my big, black giant schnauzer is carrying on the tradition. Is there a show planned on dogs for defense? Does anyone know of any good books or programs for the civilian use of dogs?

[JdePietro]

Welcome aboard, don't forget to introduce yourself in the Cafe section.

I am sure I am the first of many who will chime in on this thread, I just happen to have the first free moment. Dogs are great! I have a large German Shepard Dog myself, he is a great companion and a wonderful deterent, however that is where his usefulness ends when it comes to reliable self defense. Since I never spent the money or time to have him properly trained I cannot rely on him 100% to get the job done. That is not to say he hasn't or won't but it is not something I trust my life on. If persay you were to invest in top notch training and have the ability and mindset to treat your dog like a guard dog it would be a different story, still I prefer relying on myself because I know that I have a better shot at taking the appropriate action.

I don't know who said it but applies in the same fashion.

"Just because you can play the guitar, it doesn't mean you are a rockstar."

So replace a few words and you have your answer.

[fightingquaker13]

In this case its more like "Just because you own a guitar doesn't mean you can play it". The dog, untrained, is good for detterence and a burglar alarm, nothing else. (although mine will lick an attackers face, something I refuse to do, no matter how "tactical" it might be. Rob may disagree). Thing is, a big scary looking dog should help you avoid some trouble, but if that doesn't work, its up to you. Jde is right here. Unless you want to go to the time and trouble (as well as considerable expense) to get your beast trained to police dog standards, don't count on him. And again, its a lot cheaper and easier to acquire and maintain pistol skills than to train and maintain a working dog in top form. My experience is with bird dogs, but the principle is the same. Hours of work every week, no shortcuts.
FQ13

[Timothy]

Dogs are great and I own a 10 pound "Tacticool" Yorkshire Terrier.   

On the street, he's good for picking up chicks and the chasing off field mice......at home, if a squirrel farts in the middle of the night, he wakes up the 250 lb fella with a 1911 on the nightstand!

 

Either way, he serves the intended purpose for his existence and keeps the wife company.

[twyacht]

Had a very good discussion with another member here about the pros and cons of dogs both big and little.  Depending on your plan for protecting yourself and your family during a break-in, home invasion, etc,... there is a good chance the dog may also get shot, injured, or stabbed, if the BG(s) have a weapon.

Granted, a 150lb Rottweiler, will scare the crap out of an intruder or two, there is a chance the BG(s), if armed, will just shoot the dog.

Dogs are great for back up "Brinks Security", my little "Toto" aka "rat dog", makes a lot of noise, but he will run away, as he's a big wuss.

But that's OK, he hears better than me, and will provide a precious few seconds to implement my home defense plan. However, I have to prioritize my families well being first, dog second.

Regardless, if your big dog attacks the BG(s), follow your plan to protect yourself and family. As much as I love my damn dog, I love my wife more,.. (Yes the wife is watching me, so to avoid the "ding" to the back of my head, I am going to protect her first).

 

Welcome to DRTV yuri, post a pic of your schnauzer, dog pics are almost as good as gun pics.
tw

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[m25operator]

Uncle Jeff put it down like this, dogs are early warning devices and very good at it, never depend on them to face the BG, it really sucks if they get hurt, but it sucks much worse if a human loved one does. Been on the other end of a dog being released on me, in the end, nothing died, but that female pit had a .40 with the trigger 3/4 back at her head, as she approached me her demeanor was all smiles and happy and she turned back to her owner at not a 10th of a second too soon, learned a valuable lesson that night. The main thing the dog did was divide my attention between her and the owner, both active, and not cool. On the other end, had my dog been dividing attention away from me, well that's a bonus and appreciated, if they live they get a full steak from me, if not, a very decent burial in the back yard. Not that I would not cry and stuff for their sacrifice.

[callithump]

Rottweilers are great dogs. It is a shame Germany abandoned the breed registry, there's nowhere for the breed to go now.
My favorite Rott story was the big boy who kept his masters home safe. When the dude arrived home one day he found the slider part way open and a severed human hand on the floor with the dog lying close by.
If you think your dog might have the right stuff, (defense, aggression, prey) then you should have the dog tested by a knowledgeable trainer. The most important thing after capability is obedience in drive and good outs. Grip development is part of the deal and it is "easy" to train your dog to sit quietly until you tell him to fight. A good dog is part of an organized home defense, not a melee. Like a poster said, the sad part is that they can be first for the bullet. A really good dog likes to fight and does it from strength but these are hard to find.

[tfr270]

I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, about 105 lbs of solid muscle. He protects mom and he is her constant companion. When he is laying around the front courtyard no one comes in without permission. I've seen the UPS guy just put down the ammo deliveries at the gate, very gently so as not make the dog alert, and now no solicters or mexican strawberry sellers ever come through the gate anymore.
Just his mere presence is a deterrent. I have him trained to many voice and non-voice commands that both of us use on him...but I don't have him trained to "attack". His insticts are so good for his "animal, dog, breed" ancestry that I am confident he will do his part. But I don't want him "attack trained" as that would be a red flag in his defence.
His imposing presence, loud voice, and that ridge going down his back seem to impress all the right people.
And, in about two weeks, he's getting a "little" sister. Were getting a Ridgeback female puppy that would be like a third or fourth cousin to him. The females are even more protective and definitely more coniving than the males. She'll end up about 85 lbs. I pitty the fool who tries to enter a house protected by two Ridgebacks, let alone one, and doesn't have permission to be there.
 

[Paraguy]

As you can see from my Avatar, mine is nothing more than a good friend for life!

[2HOW]

If you're a long time dog owner you know that its pack mentality. 1 dog is useless if not properly trained. Two dogs will feed energy off each other and owners. They compete for affection. They can be very competitive in their social life and there fore very vicious as a team. I like a small dog large dog team, I have 3 dogs now. Small dogs are fearless and big dogs protect small dogs, so you have to understand their thinking and instincts.  They will protect the pack.