Does your dog make you feel safe?

[hoppingmad]

Just that really. We have a gsd, a great big fluff ball and muck spreader. She does bark occasionally and can look very menacing if you are a leaf or a cat (cat must be a minimum of 3 feet away).
Someone coming up to the door or even walking straight into the house can do so safe in the knowledge of either being ignored or greeted with licks & tail wags.

Luckily we didn't get her for security, good job as she'd be crap. Unless we got burgled by a tree or the local moggy

Anyone have an equally useless canine companion?

[tabulahrasa]

Not by anything he does, no...

But, I do think having a large dog worries other people which would make you safer if you see what I mean, especially if it's a breed that's a bit demonized like a GSD or a Rottie (what I have).

It's absolutely not why I prefer big dogs, but I do think it might make people decide to break into a house without one and it does make me not worry about walking at night where other people might be bothered.

But if I was relying on barking, he'd only be effective if we were burgled by a carrier bag stuck in a tree by the wind, christmas lights or buses

[lougle]

No, he'd be a bag of excitement wanting hugs and kisses. You know, these aggressive Staffies

[lougle]

In fact, once we were walking down a gravel path, with houses backing on to it on either side (so no 'people' near). He heard a noise, was spooked, so wrapped himself around my legs with his lead, cowering behind me.

[NCISaddict]

Mine barks when he hears someone coming to the door or up the path, once they got in he would be hiding but still making a noise.

[iseenodust]

Yes he makes me feel safe. He barks at people coming to the front door. He's a big black lab and people who don't know him definitely exercise caution when I open the door. However, he rarely barks at any other time, loves Postie when we see him on walks and if you were to let yourself in the back door you would be knocked over only by the wagging tail.

[hoppingmad]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a softie.
I must agree with a pp that I feel much safer on walks in the dark and she is definitely more on guard then than she is at home.
Perhaps I had too many deliveries when she was a pup because the doorbell doesn't even register.

My cat is the opposite, pricks her ears up and goes wide eyed at the slightest thing. Then curls up and goes to sleep leaving me panicking about what she's heard

[aliciaflorrick]

Mine is frightened of his own shadow and wants to play with everyone he sees, he's only two. However a few months ago he woke me up in the night, when I went downstairs he calmed down but was still agitated. A couple of minutes later a burgler thinking all was safe continued to try and jemmy the dining room window. He was so engrossed on his task that he didn't see me and by then very aggressive dog until we opened the window and dog was snapping at his face. He nearly crapped his pants and legged it with dog barking furiously. I saw a very different side to my scared fun loving pooch that night and I feel really safe having him with me in the house. He is back to being scared of his own shadow but it know he can produce the goods in case of night time intruders.

[NurseyWursey]

Yes

someone tried to make into my dads once, all 3 of them pinned the man down until my dad came home.

I have 3 boxers and they're my babies.

Not even that but when I have bad mental health days they comfort me so much, make me feel so much better.

[CEvert]

Mine are totally useless.
I have asked a friend to come in the side entrance to the garden and see what they would do. (The gate is usually locked)
They'd bark and then jump on the person wanting to play and licking them to death.
Wouldnt surprise me if they run off with a stranger!

[ormirian]

I feel slightly safer when walking or running with him in quiet places or in the dark. Not because he is fierce but because he looks as if he could be - staffy lab cross so big, with wide strong shoulders. I wouldn't want to test his 'fierceness' as he is scared of many things - pushchairs, tree stumps, other dogs, people crouching down talk to him - but I hope if I was physically threatened he would at least bark!

[GemmaTeller]

Boxers here as well, they look the business but are really rather soft.

We used to have a GSD who barked like crazy if anyone knocked at the door wearing hi-viz or a hat of any sort,
She once wouldn't let my (adult) son in as he was wearing a baseball cap.
He had to shut the door, take his cap off, come back in - she was all waggy tail and 'hey, great to see you'

[papalazaru]

Yes mine makes me feel very safe. He's an idiot mutt who barks like mad at anyone at the door. If I put him in his crate to open the door (cos he's a bolter and the neighbourhood moggy likes to sleep on our porch!) then he goes even more mental and is very off putting for most people. They think he's very fierce. But when I let him out once they're in then he's all over them like a bad rash and lies down for a belly rub! He does bark if her hers noises and foxes at night so I think he's a good deterrent.

[cathpip]

My old lab, he was utterly useless would probably show a burglar were the expensive stuff was :). However after a rather drunken evening out I decided to walk him in the local park at 3am in the morning, I was approached by a couple of men who were threatening me, my lab appeared and stood in front of me and started snarling and growling at them. I mentioned rather drunkenly that he might bite so leave me alone, (he had never been aggressive in his life), 1 bloke listened and backed off the other didn't and got more aggressive. My lab took a chunk out of his leg, the bloke buggered off!. I did ring the police in the morning to explain what happened, I got a ticking off for being stupid and my lab got commended for his behaviour :)

[NurseyWursey]

This is enough to scare off any burglar...

[insanityscatching]

Eric is a small ball of fluff tbh and only a puppy but he is feisty and barks every time somebody comes to the door (which I reward) So long as the burglars don't manage to see what is behind the door then I would like to think he's a deterrent Out and about I'd imagine people would laugh rather than consider him any threat though.

[AdoraBell]

Mine do.

Also GS's and one day DH was larking about and kind of rugby tackled me in the garden. Teddy sauntered over and shoved DH away then slumped down in a very meaningful way and watched, closely.

Plus, having 4 of them, it's a bit full on when someone comes To the door. They do calm down when I let people in.

[hellymelly]

Nursey! How cute- what breed are they?

[hellymelly]

Oh- just realised the post above about the boxers was you too, so they are boxers? That is a great picture.

[NurseyWursey]

They're boxers, we have mum dad, and their son

[TheReturnoftheSmartArse]

Ours is completely useless. Someone stole 3 bikes from outside our back door last week, sometime during the night. Dog didn't make a bloody sound, and he sleeps right up against the back door.

Mind you, I have noticed that if I walk him in the dark, he sticks much closer to me than he usually would, and when a man came up behind me recently (innocently, he was just walking past!), the dog put himself between us and stayed close to me for a minute or two after the man had passed.

He's a devil with anything small and furry, though ... perhpaps if a squirrel had stolen our bikes he'd have reacted!

[TheReturnoftheSmartArse]

Nursey, I LOVE that photo! Are they all white?

[hoppingmad]

Oh . I don't see photo's on my phone and I love boxers. Beautiful dogs

I like to think my dog would be there in an emergency. Although part of me thinks just stay out the way and let them have the tv! Somebody I know had their cat killed by a burglar - I'd rather they took the replaceable stuff and just leave the pets alone.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Yes - certainly as far as detecting and deterring intruders. He's a dachshund, the most bark per pound of dog going - sounds like there is a much bigger dog on the premises (we have an inner door so he's usually heard but not seen).

He's actually a softie (some dachshunds would have a go).

[NurseyWursey]

Yeah TheReturn

The girl (red colour, spot above her tail) we got from a breeding farm that was going to get rid of her because she was white (it's bad for the breed apparently ) and she was even too young to take away from the mother but we got her so she wouldn't be destroyed - she's pedigree too!

The first male we rescued from someone on an estate who had been breeding but didn't have a clue about breeding, the puppies all have fleas and everything :( was horrible. I wish we could have taken them all.

And the tallest one is their lovely son

[CollieEye]

We have a border collie surprise surprise who barks at the faintest noise. We've never been burgled and I'd like to think it's down to her looking fierce whenever anyone arrives at the door. Especially if they wear hats, or have beards. The day she backed an Muslim paramedic (mentioning religion purely because of her beard hatred) into the corner of our garden whilst the non-bearded one was allowed in, that wasn't so good. MIL took her for a long walk while I got on with having a baby upstairs.

She's a total sweetie if you don't wear hats, beards, or masks. Trick or treaters scare the bejesus out of her..