House broken into.

[rpm]

I am sorry to hear about that, I have a special alarm system. She weighs 72 pounds and has a bite force of approx 1300 psi. If you are not known than I feel sorry for ya. I'd rather have someone grate my kahones with a cheese grater than have her bite me.

(Image removed from quote.)

She looks sweet but ... Looks can be deceiving.

LawnDart

I have the off switch, 1/4lb of raw hamburger laced with 2000mg of Xanex or (in more inhumane thief circles) a crossbow.

For every measure, there is a countermeasure.

[ebfd11]

I have the off switch, 1/4lb of raw hamburger laced with 2000mg of Xanex or (in more inhumane thief circles) a crossbow.

For every measure, there is a countermeasure.

You would think that would work, but she has been taught not to take treats from strangers. Hell the electric meter reader tried giving her some beef jerky and sh just looked at him like he was strange.

Now the crossbow thatsbgoing to the extreme...

LawnDart

[VonMessa]

I have the off switch, 1/4lb of raw hamburger laced with 2000mg of Xanex or (in more inhumane thief circles) a crossbow.

For every measure, there is a countermeasure.

That will only work for dogs that accept food from just anyone.

Crossbow?  Kinda incongruous and hard to conceal, don't ya think?  Jedi mind tricks do not work on police that wonder why someone is walking around with a crossbow, especially one that is drawn and ready to fire, which would be required for someone to bring it to bear in any reasonable amount of time.
Even if someone managed to get into my house, with a drawn crossbow, they had better be a marksman with it because they will only get one shot before there is 80 pounds of German Shepherd hanging from them.

Once again, these are dogs trained for that purpose and simply having a dog does not make one's home burglar-proof.

[rpm]

That will only work for dogs that accept food from just anyone.

Crossbow?  Kinda incongruous and hard to conceal, don't ya think? 

People like to think theirs won't eat stray food, but it happens. If not, then just kill the dog. (Most thieves aren't nice people...) A crossbow may be incongruous. Would you prefer a .22 with a Pepsi bottle silencer instead?

Just saying for every measure, there IS a countermeasure. There's no perfect plan.

[morfiend]

This is not about you, Jim.  It is just a good story to use as an illustration. 

Dogs are an excellent deterrent to intruders IF they are trained to do so. 

The simple fact of owning a dog, in and of itself, means little.  Some intruders will be deterred by this, regardless of it's size or how menacing it looks.

Until you've discharged a firearm in the presence of your dog, you will not know how it will react.  Some will be terrified, others aggressive or aggravated.  The desirable response is for them to do nothing.  This is the sign of a well balanced dog.  It is not something that is easily trained, if possible at all.  It is also a major part of the Schuzhund I obedience trials.  All the dogs I have owned have been taken to the range the day after I get them.  If they fail, they go back and I get another one.

Until you have seen your dog take a sleeve, you will never know if it will bite when it needs to or not.

All dogs bark, but if it lacks defensive prey drive or you haven't developed it in your dog, it will bark until the intruder gets into the house and then show the burglar where your valuables are hidden.

Also, if your dog will accept food from just anyone, it will be easily bypassed.

Most house pets just do not make good guard dogs, simply because of the fact that they are a dog.  They must be be shown what belongs to them, trained not to accept food from just anyone, know who and when to bite and the most important: TO OUT (let go) ON COMMAND.  As a guard dog, a timid dog is utterly useless.  An overly aggressive dog is just about as useless, perhaps even more so as they are a liability because they are as likely to attack a house guest or neighbor as they would an intruder.  If you read the fine print on your homeowner's policy, most do not cover your dog biting someone if you own certain breeds of dogs.

Anyone can do it, you just need to know how and have the patience to do it.  Check out this 7 year old girl...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTZmIFdgU2M

  Wise words indeed,however as someone already said any dog can be a deterrent,a good alarmdog is all you need in most cases.The simple act of barking will cause most would be thieves to look for easier pickings.

  Jimson,ya I understand you have a dog and still got broken into but as Rich said I would look to people who know the dog and or the fact the dog could have been drugged,easiest way to sub do most dogs BTW.

  I've lived in the same place for 25 years now and most my neighbours have been broken into,however I have never been. Our house is known as the house with those crazy white pig dogs,now I don't train them to attack but that's for liabilities reasons and I also know that my dogs know who belongs and who doesn't.


 Of course mostly the dogs do what all dogs do up in Canukville,they pull my sled around because we still use dogsleds up here!     


   

 PS: reference Ann Coulter's dogsledding in Canada!

[VonMessa]

People like to think theirs won't eat stray food, but it happens. If not, then just kill the dog. (Most thieves aren't nice people...) A crossbow may be incongruous. Would you prefer a .22 with a Pepsi bottle silencer instead?

Just saying for every measure, there IS a countermeasure. There's no perfect plan.

You are correct, most people like to think that.

I know it for a fact.

All of the dogs I have owned, excepting my new pup, have attended and passed Shutzhund trials.  They have all been proficient in obedience, tracking and protection.

I was raised in a house where we trained K-9 and Schutzhund dogs and have been doing it myself for many years, as well.  I am quite confident in the abilities of my dogs and in mine as a handler.

You are absolutely correct.   There is no perfect plan but, the fact of the matter is that most would-be criminals are trying to get in and get out quickly/quietly and most aren't Annie Oakley, either.  The average criminal will have time for one reaction to a dog that is bearing down upon them at 25 - 30 mph and that is a reaction of fear.  I am much more confident in the ability of any of my dogs to guard my home than I am in the abilities of the average criminal being a successful criminal but, then again, I am not the average dog-owner, either.

A .22 would be just as effective as the crossbow with respect to being able to get off exactly one shot.  Again, it had better be a good one.  Everyone thinks that they are a good shot until placed in a situation where their safety is in question.  It's certainly fun to try, though.  If you want a good rush, come on down, I'll get ya sleeved up, hand ya a paintball gun and a stick and we'll send a dog after ya.    

Yet again, let me reiterate that simply being the owner of a dog will only prevent those scared of dogs from entering your house.

[Slate]

  When my house was robbed in 2007 they broke in the closed bedroom through the window and got most of the Wife's jewelery but where my 86 lb. dog was in the living room the laptop and flatscreen TV were not taken. Coincidence I think not.
   We searched local pawn shops the next day and found some jewelery and because the dumb perps went to the bank next to the Pawn shop to cash their check we had a Photo.

  Those tards at Pawn Shops know when they are taking in stolen Items and would not help us until they found out Police were investigating. They gave them $40 for thousands in Jewelery the Bastards.   

[VonMessa]

  When my house was robbed in 2007 they broke in the closed bedroom through the window and got most of the Wife's jewelery but where my 86 lb. dog was in the living room the laptop and flatscreen TV were not taken. Coincidence I think not.
   We searched local pawn shops the next day and found some jewelery and because the dumb perps went to the bank next to the Pawn shop to cash their check we had a Photo.

  Those tards at Pawn Shops know when they are taking in stolen Items and would not help us until they found out Police were investigating. They gave them $40 for thousands in Jewelery the Bastards.   

I never have cash in the house that is not in my wallet or wife's purse.

Any jewelry not worn is in the safe.

The safe is hidden.

No expensive TV.

Furniture is from the early 70's.

Not much to steal in my house except the machine tools in my shop which are awfully heavy 

[jimson]

Jimson,ya I understand you have a dog and still got broken into but as Rich said I would look to people who know the dog and or the fact the dog could have been drugged,easiest way to sub do most dogs BTW.

If you have a dog that is trained as a guard dog that is one thing. I didn't, she is a pet. She does seem very territorial. I should create a sound recording of her when someone comes to the door.

If you heard it, I'm sure you would agree, you would have to be nuts to enter the house.

Obviously, my first thought was that it couldn't have been a stranger, but seeing that I cannot ID a single suspect. I can't assume that.

My theory is that the dog is all bluff. One whack from some object was all it took to send her running.

Of course it would have still required someone desperate and brazen enough to come through the window with a dog viscously carrying on on the other side.

Like I said, not a trained guard dog but her demonstrated actions led me to believe she would indeed be very protective.

I still believe that any sane person who heard the dog would bypass my house, but my luck is to have gotten an insane psycho whose need for a few bucks for dope was greater than his fear of dogs I suppose.

Or the possibility that the burglar wasn't a stranger but I'm not going to assume that.

In any case, being burned like this, I will never again rely solely on any dog and will take all measures to protect my property as if I had no dog.

Now if I can only get over the disgust I now feel for my dog, since the family loves her and replacement is not an option LOL.

[morfiend]

Jimson

  I hear you and agree for the most part,even a trained dog is no guaranty to stop intruders.


 I'm fortunate enough to live in a place with a relatively low crime rate,most of my neighbours I know by name and we look out for each others property whenever someone's away. That said quite afew have beeb broken into over the years but my place has been avoided and I can only explain that by the fact that I've always had a dog or dogs!



   

[jimson]

I should also add that I suspect the reason my house was targeted above others is that on the day in question no cars were parked outside and the driveway was empty.

That might have made may house a choice even though there was a dog in it.

[VonMessa]

I should also add that I suspect the reason my house was targeted above others is that on the day in question no cars were parked outside and the driveway was empty.

That might have made may house a choice even though there was a dog in it.

The easiest pickings are the best 

[rpm]

I should also add that I suspect the reason my house was targeted above others is that on the day in question no cars were parked outside and the driveway was empty.

That might have made may house a choice even though there was a dog in it.

If they know your work patterns and where you work, there's not much you can do about it. You could change your schedule, hide your car and wait inside. But working that out with employers isn't always easy and there's no guarantee they will hit when you're there waiting for them.

That was the problem I had at my old house. It was on the highway plus they knew where and when I worked. Now, my house isn't visible from the road and my schedule is very flexible.

[VonMessa]

If they know your work patterns and where you work, there's not much you can do about it. You could change your schedule, hide your car and wait inside. But working that out with employers isn't always easy and there's no guarantee they will hit when you're there waiting for them.

That was the problem I had at my old house. It was on the highway plus they knew where and when I worked. Now, my house isn't visible from the road and my schedule is very flexible.

I'm sure that everyone that has had a break-in would like to lie in wait to see if it happens again, perhaps even making it look like no one is home...

Only the LOE's are beholden by entrapment laws 

[Jayhawk]

Here's a question for you dog owners/trainers.  How do these dogs react to invited guests in the house?  Can you welcome someone, even small children outside the family into the house without worrying about the dog attacking?  What if that person stays the night in the house, can they not leave their room during the night over risk of getting attacked?  I ask because I have no experience with well trained dogs.