Picking & Training a Guard Dog

[Blast]

Mother Earth News has a very informative article on guard dogs including how to pick one, how to train it, possible concerns, and even a bit about how it may affect your homeowner's insurance.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-H ... dium=email

-Blast

[Ziggs]

I am a firm believer that a well trained dog is one of they best home defense tools that you could have in your toolbox. My german shepherd Sasha has already defended me from a stray pitbull that tried to attack me , also knows if anybody is near or around my house before the security lights have time to react. She also has a vicious bark! My neighbor doesn't like it but what he doesn't know is shes keeping his house relatively safe because a burglar will most likely not try to break into a house where loud dogs are present. Just remember you can always call a dog off of somebody you cant call off a bullet.

[RESCUE-K9]

I am a firm believer that a well trained dog is one of they best home defense tools that you could have in your toolbox. My german shepherd Sasha has already defended me from a stray pitbull that tried to attack me , also knows if anybody is near or around my house before the security lights have time to react. She also has a vicious bark! My neighbor doesn't like it but what he doesn't know is shes keeping his house relatively safe because a burglar will most likely not try to break into a house where loud dogs are present. Just remember you can always call a dog off of somebody you cant call off a bullet.

I agree fully I have two german shepherds we had a string of break ins on my block my house and the one on each side of me was left alone, And I know that was because of the 200 lbs of german shepherd inside

[Collie of Doom]

I've got a very good watch dog. As seen in my profile pic though in the pic she's still only half grown. She's a smooth collie. Same breed as "Lassie," only short haired version, much easier to care for. She's black and brown, so a lot of people unfamiliar with dog breeds assume she is a Doberman (yeah, I know, she doesn't look like one to me either, but that's the reaction she gets.) She is a herd dog, but not overly excitable. Collies are good because they can be very active, but they do settle down and are quiet for hours on end when nothing's happening. They are alert to their surroundings though. She barks in a sort of chipper excited tone at passing kids, cats, and other dogs. She sounds like a hell hound kujo demon dog when the mail man, meter reader, or other adult approaches, rather than passes. But she's NOT a guard dog/protection dog. She will defend herself from other dogs, I've seen this at the dog park. She would not hurt a child or adult, except I suppose in extreme duress, as seen at the dog park. I've had to deal with neighbors with more traditional guard dogs before, and when they get loose it's a bit dodgy. I can't very well go up and ring their doorbell to let them know their Schutzhund is out because approaching their front door make these dogs very unhappy. I know enough about dogs' body language and how they interpret ours to avoid triggering aggression in most of them (don't approach, don't look them in the eye, etc), but I worry about the neighborhood kids. I personally would hate to be responsible for a trained (or worse, untrained) protection dog hurting a child or really any neighbor of mine. I'll keep my dog as just a watchdog.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

I still want me one of these Ovcharka/Bear/Wolf crossbreeds they have here in Southern Helmand. I saw one sit quietly as we walked up,bark when we approached the compound door (sounded like a bear trying to bark) and then as soon as we came in the door, it dragged about 600lb of chain, plow (which was dug into the dirt) and scarp metal across the yard the way I'd drag a 200lb sled. That is to say, slowly enough to make me want to poop my pants. Then it laid down quietly when the owner's son came out and yelled something in Pashto.

For scale (not, I'm not named Hardesty, and I'm not a sergeant...)

[Ducky]

I have always wanted a Labb/Akita mix. I really like both breeds but dont want two dogs.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

^Pick a good one, in this case, one Säbel von Aachen - GSD MWD (German with Czech Lines).


^Train.


^Guard Dog (and conveniently also Protection Dog and Companion Dog/House Dog).



eta: I can see what Collie of Doom is saying, which is why the first software I installed in my Sabre 1.0 was the "out!" (let the fuck go!/disengage!) program and the "touch hands!" (come the fuck here, right now because coming the fuck here right now is the best thing in the world, better than breakfast time and chasing the ball put together - better even than biting what's biting your ass!) app.

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[Paladin1]

Woo Hoo! Another chance to post a pic of Ranger! He just turned 8 months and is 93lbs of puppy.

We are looking to buy a little land next year and build a house. We want to be out, but not waay out. That being said, I want to be able to let my kids run around in our woods without fear. As the article stated, a dog can be a deterrent in the first place, or if it comes to it, the first line of defense.

If all Ridgebacks are like Ranger I can certainly recommend them.

[Caenus]

Having a big dog (blue healer/lab mix) and a little dog (Boston terrier), they are on par with sounding the alarm. While the bigger dog has a more menacing bark, both do the job of alerting the guy with the AR.

The big dog eats far more food. Based on that alone, if I were choosing a dog for security NOT self defense, I'd stick with a smaller dog, probably a short haired Jack Russell. Less to feed when supplies dwindle, and they can hunt for themselves. That IMO is a very big + for small dogs when planning long term food storage.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

Forgot this one...


^I can haz game face.


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[WhatThaFrig]

My 145 pounds of true dedication!

[Collie of Doom]

I still want me one of these Ovcharka/Bear/Wolf crossbreeds they have here in Southern Helmand. I saw one sit quietly as we walked up,bark when we approached the compound door (sounded like a bear trying to bark) and then as soon as we came in the door, it dragged about 600lb of chain, plow (which was dug into the dirt) and scarp metal across the yard the way I'd drag a 200lb sled. That is to say, slowly enough to make me want to poop my pants. Then it laid down quietly when the owner's son came out and yelled something in Pashto.

For scale (not, I'm not named Hardesty, and I'm not a sergeant...)

That.... is some SERIOUS dog, Doc.

[Collie of Doom]

Forgot this one...


^I can haz game face.


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Good lucking Hund there.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

Forgot this one...


^I can haz game face.


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Good lucking Hund there.

Thank you very much.

Yeah she's pretty awesome. Sometimes it freaks me out a little when she goes from mooky cuddlysoft house dog to the focus and drive monster you see in the three "train" pics below (from above) but with power comes responsibility and all that (Sabre can't get out, I assure you lol).



I like your Collie of Doom. Neat dogs, smooth collies.

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[Doctorr Fabulous]

I still want me one of these Ovcharka/Bear/Wolf crossbreeds they have here in Southern Helmand. I saw one sit quietly as we walked up,bark when we approached the compound door (sounded like a bear trying to bark) and then as soon as we came in the door, it dragged about 600lb of chain, plow (which was dug into the dirt) and scarp metal across the yard the way I'd drag a 200lb sled. That is to say, slowly enough to make me want to poop my pants. Then it laid down quietly when the owner's son came out and yelled something in Pashto.

For scale (not, I'm not named Hardesty, and I'm not a sergeant...)
{PIC}

That.... is some SERIOUS dog, Doc.

They get bigger. Some of the farmers have half-bred those with Ovcharkas or something, because I saw several that make Beethoven look small, and an alligator look cuddly.

[We'reWolf]

German Shepherd or Doberman Pinscher. Rotty's are cool but as for a inside dog they are large and smelly(farts a lot).
I haven't been disappointed with German Shepherds or Dobermans both awesome breeds.

[Collie of Doom]

I still want me one of these Ovcharka/Bear/Wolf crossbreeds they have here in Southern Helmand. I saw one sit quietly as we walked up,bark when we approached the compound door (sounded like a bear trying to bark) and then as soon as we came in the door, it dragged about 600lb of chain, plow (which was dug into the dirt) and scarp metal across the yard the way I'd drag a 200lb sled. That is to say, slowly enough to make me want to poop my pants. Then it laid down quietly when the owner's son came out and yelled something in Pashto.

For scale (not, I'm not named Hardesty, and I'm not a sergeant...)
{PIC}

That.... is some SERIOUS dog, Doc.

They get bigger. Some of the farmers have half-bred those with Ovcharkas or something, because I saw several that make Beethoven look small, and an alligator look cuddly.

They must grow some CRAZY stuff up in those mountains. Afghanistan must be like a different planet... I've only been to sunny Mesopotamia myself. Nothing weirder than jackals and oddly elongated jackrabbits there, unless you count the ragged vestiges of Saddam's old menageries that are still staggering around here and there (we had a mountain lion near the Baghdad airport.) But those aren't native.

[Collie of Doom]

Forgot this one...


^I can haz game face.


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Good lucking Hund there.

Thank you very much.

Yeah she's pretty awesome. Sometimes it freaks me out a little when she goes from mooky cuddlysoft house dog to the focus and drive monster you see in the three "train" pics below (from above) but with power comes responsibility and all that (Sabre can't get out, I assure you lol).



I like your Collie of Doom. Neat dogs, smooth collies.

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They are pretty awesome. Not that I'm biased...

[omega_man]

Watch out Villains! Omega_dog!



On a serious note, though, she's part chow and very protective (unless you have bacon )

[rabbitinthemoon]

We have two dogs. One that would be the alert system (border collie/retriever mix) and one that would be the security dog (great dane/pit bull mix). Between the two of them, nobody and nothing is getting in our home without severe damage to themselves.

[NC5thcav]

I love my GSD. He has two barks, one for the "hey I'm being goofy" and one for "I'm gonna f you up as soon as I get loose." He stays on a 50 ft. run line in the backyard. Looks alone do the job with him so far.

This was him as a puppy on the couch.


This is him now.

[NC5thcav]

I still want me one of these Ovcharka/Bear/Wolf crossbreeds they have here in Southern Helmand. I saw one sit quietly as we walked up,bark when we approached the compound door (sounded like a bear trying to bark) and then as soon as we came in the door, it dragged about 600lb of chain, plow (which was dug into the dirt) and scarp metal across the yard the way I'd drag a 200lb sled. That is to say, slowly enough to make me want to poop my pants. Then it laid down quietly when the owner's son came out and yelled something in Pashto.

For scale (not, I'm not named Hardesty, and I'm not a sergeant...)
{PIC}

That.... is some SERIOUS dog, Doc.

They get bigger. Some of the farmers have half-bred those with Ovcharkas or something, because I saw several that make Beethoven look small, and an alligator look cuddly.

Their called Koochee dogs. Check out the pictures on this website.

http://www.koocheedog.com/galleries.php

[Silverbug]

I had always wanted a Bearnese Mountain Dog, but I was worried about their long fur with our hot summers. Then I was turned on to the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. We have a small yard with small kids, rabbits, and chickens, and the GSMD has a similar temperment to the BMD and the Great Pyrenees; pack oriented and protective, but gentle within it's pack. Now I just have to convince the wife on a large dog, she had a very bad experience with Rottweilers when she was young and has a distrust of large, mastiff type dogs as a result.

[outrun]

I've always liked Siberian huskys big dogs and my last one I had was a real good guard dog. You can't beat something with wolf mixed into it (unless its that giant bear dog posted earlier)