Why do so many people think they need personal protection dogs? - Page 6

“Lots of interesting discussion here but many people are still overlooking the obvious, that the major deterrent is the dog's presence and not its training.”

Good point in general terms. But if someone wants  you or what you have, good ole Rex is not going to stop them, he is going to run.

I know everyone thinks their loyal pet will lay down their life for them, some will but they are few and far between.

Who is responsible for your safety and peace of mind? Law Enforcement?….No, no fault of theirs but they mainly provide “after crime support”.

Law Enforcement, think about that word. Laws cannot be Enforced until their broken!!!! Duh

The person responsible for your safety and peace of mind is You!

I have an alarm system, guns and four protection dogs. Why, I love working with these dogs, we train them under gun fire and an alarm system is just another tool in my safety belt.
 
Before you ask, I have no problem with the size of my penis in case anyone is interested in an overweight grey haired guy.

My wife works alone and thankfully has never been robbed or assaulted, one of dogs is with her everyday at work. Provides me with peace of mind.

I would hope that none of my personal protection dogs ever has to be called in to action, until such a time we will keep training and having fun together.

Bottom line is that, if owning a protection dog makes you feel safer or more secure in a world of very sick people- get one, or get four like me.

Remember, any dog let alone a Professionally Trained Personal Protection Dog is a liability.

I'm willing to live with that

Kim

When I said protection trained, I probably should have made the distinction between schutzhund protection, in which I also train for most of the same reasons mentioned by VKGSDs, and PPD (which at this point has arguably become a sport as well).

Lots of interesting discussion here but many people are still overlooking the obvious, that the major deterrent is the dog's presence and not its training. I take issue with the suggestion that if a dog knows someone, this type of training will be the deciding factor if he feels his owner is being threatened. The dog will either be conflicted or it won't.

Keith, I get what you are saying/asking, but for me even using a dog as a deterrent can be a liability.  What about that one time when someone does try something on me or my home?  I guess I just need to know.  For me it's more of an all or nothing thing.  If I expect my dog to bark and appear menacing, then I need to know if he would actually follow through.  How much pressure can he really take?  Too many GSDs that are too sharp, nervy, have too low a threshold (react to things that aren't really threats, or work so much in prey they aren't really "thinking").  For me it's a breed thing.  It's not an issue with my mutt because I already know he's a big pansy, I didn't need to bring him out to Schutzhund club for a protection evaluation to know that. 

For me it's not an issue of disarming someone, or needing a dog for support or the sense of security b/c of past experience, or because I am in real danger, or because I want to exercise my right to possess and train a dog to attack intruders.  Like I said I simply enjoy GSDs and doing protection sports and more realistic protection work.

That said, we do have a registered sex offender across the street and I have very much intentionally walked my dogs in full obedience mode past his house a few times to make it crystal clear what he'd be up against.  We don't live in a terrible neighborhood, just a place with many transients because it is mostly blue collar rental properties.  Our home has never been robbed, I've never felt unsafe or had to run anyone off my property.  We had a serial arsonist here over the summer who torched about a dozen places in a few months.  I could walk a 1/4 mile in any direction and pass a burnt out house just like mine but he never came to our house.  I don't completely attribute that to my dogs but I think they do help deter the types of people and crime that would happen around here.  Not someone specifically after me but stupid kids scoping out places to loot, the arsonsist sneaking around for a place he can light up quietly, etc.  I lived in this same neighborhood during college, never had dogs then, and walked home from my night classes and work in the dark all the time with no problems. 

Because anyone at any time may be on the 6 o'clock news making the statement, "He was such a good neighbor. I'm in shock".


Fredo, this is why you were passed over, you did not see it coming, LOL

"Because anyone at any time may be on the 6 o'clock news making the statement, "He was such a good neighbor. I'm in shock". This has to be one of the most true statements ever spoken.

Law Enforcement, think about that word. Laws cannot be Enforced until their broken!!!! Duh

Enough said

Kim

 I have had several German Shepherds and I do like their deterrent value.  People in my neighborhood are afraid of the dogs and that is not a bad thing.  We have had more than our share of "police tape" on the street.  

Pizza delivery guys, mailman, FedEx, lawn workers... all keep a healthy distance from the front door.  I have never felt the need to have  the dog be a "personal protection dog".  I have a bitch with high aggression and a relatively low threshold.  She is easy to turn on even on a passive person if I prompt her. Her pack drive is intense and she is watchful of all that is "ours".  Would she attack someone, I think she might if I was threatened, but I again I have never felt the need to work on that.  People are afraid of her.  

I have other dogs that also are protective naturally and who own real aggression.  It has always seemed enough to me as far as me feeling that the dog's have an effect against those who might think of coming in uninvited or approaching me on the street.

 BEcause my dog has already saved me from multiple situations.  One, when he was 7 months old, a drunk man who tried to hit me despite my dog barking at him.  My dog caught his arm in the air and threw him on the ground.  And this is a show dog as well.  Jerland's Tucker.  He's also caught a man in the act of breaking into my brother's Camero when I visited for Christmas last year, and caught someone trying to break into my house when I just arrived at home.  I have taught him how to search the house on command if I take him out with me.  I gave him the command and he alerted by the back door.  I let him out and he was growling and scratching by the fence where he had escaped.  My doorknob was out of the door on the ground.  This is the same dog that I take everywhere with me and have children play with him and love him all over.  My neighbor's kids come over all the time to play ball with him and he loves it.  There is a big difference between a protective dog and an aggressive dog that is nutz.  I do have a gun, but the dog is going to take care of business in less time it even takes me to get a loaded gun and point it at someone and shoot.  Most people won't even enter the house knowing the dog is there, but I have had a few idiots who have tried.  I live in a good area right now, considered safe, but still had that man coming through my backdoor as I was just getting home.  I got the dog because I grew up in a so so area, where I had to as a child point a loaded gun at someone who was breaking in as I was home alone.  If we had a shepherd back then, I doubt the man would have made it that far.  I had called 911 too, but of course it took police 30 minutes to come to the house.  ANy damage would have long been done.

Good point on guns AtlantaWD
 
Things to think about- a properly trained protection dog will not hesitate to engage an assailant

-   a properly trained dog, unlike a gun cannot be taken from you and used on you

Hesitation = losing!

Be honest, how many of you people could really use a gun on another person? No time to think-action

Never pull out a loaded gun that you are not prepared to use to kill someone lest it be used on you.

If for no other reason, a PPD buys you precious time to decide what your going to do in a bad situation

Ugh, these stories and links are giving me the chills. All of these possibilities,are why I have GSD's and prefer them PP trained. No I don't run around screaming the sky is falling but why not be prepared for anything? No one who scopes things out, is going to try anything at my house. But who is to say I wont fall victim to some dummy who turns up at random? I'm betting 99.9% of carjackings are random. The kind of sleezballs that hang out on trails and parks looking for prey to walk or jog by are highly random as well.

So many people feel they need protection dogs,is probably because random acts do happen and why not be as ready as one can be? If your going to have a dog, he may as well be a good representation of his breed and a well trained friend.

I only see value in a dog that does what it was bred for, be it hunting, saving lives or quarding the flock. I have no use for a foot warmer and would be dissapointed in having to feed and clean up after a dog, not capable of doing some sort of job, other than cute hand slut/slash foot warmer. I don't have a "flock" at the moment, asside from my family, so I gave my dog a job.

The reasons to have PPD's 1.my choice, not yours 2.i live in a area where needed 3.my beautiful wifes saftey 4.my 2 beautiful daughters saftey 5.our local govt fills our area with pediiphiles refer#2. 6.i travel 7.my PPD's are well trained only bark when strangers r in the yard, they know the mailman, that doesnt sound good, lol 8.im sure most here ,if they call it a PPD its trained, if they bark at everything there not trained, then they have a watch dog. Still better than a gun "preventative," nothing against guns, i have them also. 9. I love my gsd's like family, there the most loving loyal companions a man could ask for, they would lay there life down willingly for there master, did i mention i love my dogs!!! btw whats your point