Best dog breed for intruder alarm
 

Here's a question for you dog lovers. Which breed is best at alerting it's sleeping owner about attempted break ins. Not asking about trained attack dogs or the like just something to buy an extra minute or two when something aint quite right in the middle of the night. This would be in addition to being a good companion of course.

Our German Shepherd alerts us to the door bell, turning of the knob. Her hearing is amazing. I assume she would go bananas with the breaking of glass, etc. She is a very curious dog but is friendly to all humans we greet. I don't know what she would do if either of us were abused, I can only hope.

Great Danes. Mine bark when they hear something out of sorts. It's a big booming heavy bark and most people that come to the door step back up 2 or 3 steps just when they hear the bark. They back up more when the dogs come to the door and are eye to eye with them. As companions you couldn't ask for more loyal loving dogs. But being a large breed the vet bills are higher and transport and general care requires a bigger vehicle and more time. I would do some heavy research in any breed you select so you get one that fits you best.

I have a Cairn Terrier that not much gets by. She'll even start a bark a split second before I hear the phone ring. Not a big dog in size, but she's the first one out to see what's going on.

A small yippy dog is a good choice too. Any flavor will do. They bark their little heads off and unlike a big dog, most can't be distracted by a steak or treats ;)

Most any terrier.

My pack of small dogs do a pretty good job of alerting: toy poodle, minature poodle, and Yorkshire terrier. In training is our standard poodle pup bred out of royal poodle stock (extra large!) who should end up northward of eighty pounds. The little dogs are training him to alert to sounds. Won't be long and he'll have a big bark and a big bite!

I really can't say...seems like all dogs can do the job pretty well.:)
Allie perks up if anyone comes up the stairs....she goes to the door and listens,if the person stops in front my door,she alerts.Her hearing amazes me;she recognizes the the difference between me hitting keys and shutting off the monitor-and comes into the room when she thinks I'm done ;f
She knows the sound of my truck,jeep and roomate's car when we get home from work,hauls ass onto the deck,then the door,back and forth.
It's great.

One of the reasons I ask about particular breeds is that from what I understand of dogs different breeds are better suited for different tasks (hunting, guarding, competitions, etc.) I remember growing up my family had a yippy little dog who would bark incessently when friends&family came to the door but would scurry under the couch when a stranger showed up. :)

Funny little dog but not much good for an intruder alert.

I vote for German Shepard. I've heard good things about the Belgian Malinois breed as well. Very alert and protective of family.

Here's some information on them.
http://www.puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/belmalinois.htm

Watch-dog: Very High
Guard-dog: Very High, will protect their family and property, but will not attack unwarranted

German Shepard:
Watch-dog: Very High
Guard-dog: Very High
http://www.puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/grmanshpd.htm

Both are very obedient and very loyal. I have a malamute/german shepard mix that is excellent. He has the best of both breeds.

I agreed with the small dogs being good dedicated watch dogs. A pomerian makes agood intruder alarm.

She only barks when needed. It is a pretty fierce bark too. She won't atttack. She barks so I can.

MF

Goldendog, That is a great photo ;a

She is obviously teaching the kittens the finer points of napping. To stay on the topic of the thread, she will awaken and alert us of anything unusual. Since she is not a barker, she always gets praise when she barks in the house.

MF

From what I have seen, any dog that weighs under 5# will do nicely.

%@#$ ankle-biters.....$#&@%.

http://www.reloadpress.com/images/dogs/sid_chair_sm.jpg

Here's our alarm. Being only 5 pounds he's got no problem calling for backup. A couple yips and the rest of the herd comes running. He doesn't bark too often, so when he does there's a reason.

I wonder what breed smells the least. And, I'd wonder this from the view of people that VISIT the dog owners; since the owners themselves have probably gotten used to the smells in their own house.

I'll bet small breeds end up smelling better. Ever try giving a 70lb dog a bath? We've got two that size and I've taken to filling up the kiddie pool in the backyard rather than flood the bathroom. On the other hand I can dunk my chihuahuas in the sink and all I get is a concerned look.

What I'm getting at is that small dogs are easier to bathe, thus get baths more often. They also don't leave giant landmines in the backyard like larger dogs. Less in, less out. ;f

nhglocker,
Pick the breed that best suits your lifestyle or better yet adopt a dog from the local pound.
The question you are asking is more a product of good training than breed charcteristics. Hope this helps


FThorn,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...n/trolling.jpg
;f

Hey, I don't fish.

(but I do like to poke fun at some topics)

But really, I don't want a dog that stinks us up and nobody tells us. Plus, I've developed this unhealthy fear about bringing disease/dirt/etc into the house. So, I'm struggling with what breed to get.

I grew up with tons of animals. But, I've changed since then.

Okay, any breed better/worse around loud noises - ie Gunshots in self defense? Has a police dog ever been known to lose it and turn on his master during a ruckus or gunfight? Or, not be able to be healed if attacking a BG?

FT,
I hear ya ;)
Let me try to get you some answers.
As far as smell, well that comes from things like brands of food, type of shampoo used, how often, etc. Bottom line, feed good quality food, (I tell people, "if you can buy it in a grocery store, you can do better"). Shampoo's same thing, stay away from Hartz, stick with middle of the road type products from a pet store and nothing too harsh. What I use, I can bathe my dog weekly and it wont hurt him. Some of the stronger shampoos you can't do that and will cause itching and flaking of the skin. I would also stick with a short hair breed or any breed that has to get groomed (clipped). Schnauzers, Cockapoo's, Poodle's, Jack Russell's, etc.

Ok I know I will get flamed for this, (but that's ok) but here goes.
Look for a stable dog. While looking at puppies drop some keys around them and if goes ok, work up to louder noises from a distance going up to a portable type boat horn at say 40 ft. What you are looking for is a non-reaction. Not necessarily disinterest but not running away cowering with tail embedded in its stomach and not aggressive. Somewhere in the middle.
Here is the where the flames will come. Dogs do not "turn" on their masters ever. This is my professional opinion backed up by actual experience working with dogs and owners. Aggressive dogs push their Alpha to see who is in charge and to see if they can "win" some dominance. If they do "win" AND the owner tries to get the dog to do something that they don’t want to do, the dog will usually give a warning snap or bite. However in my experience the dog has given many clues before this incident happens.

I am sure this has happened somewhere at sometime, but I seriously would not worry about it.
These working dogs spend the first 2 years of their lives learning their jobs and most perform flawlessly. If you are thinking about getting a "high speed" type of working dog, then you too will have hundreds of hours of training ahead of you and will learn how to handle your dog in all kinds of scenerios.
This is referred to as the "out" command. In professional type "high speed" dogs, working this is a double edged sword. If the out isn't worked enough or properly the dog will not want to out properly. If it is overworked, the dogs willingness to bite will be diminished.
Again this is only the working type dogs from say you local K-9 program. If you are talking about going to your local breeder and picking up a Rott or GSD from a show dog background dont worry about it. Again in my experience, most of these dogs will NOT bite an intruder... (nomex on)
Clients would tell me all the time "oh my dog will protect me if something were to happen". I would say ok lets try it and put the bite suit on and walk into the house unannounced (to the dog) on the next lesson and start yelling and screaming. Bottom line I never had a dog take a serious bite yet. Because that takes training by a professional trainer and time. I would tell most people use your dog as an alarm and teach him that the leave blowing across the yard is not a threat but the guy sneaking around the front door is!! It wont be long before the dog can distinguish someone walking down the sidewalk and someone jiggling your door handle!!
I hope this helps you out and feel free to pm me for more info.
I dont want to hijack this thread anymore than I have...;f

In my book you can't beat a German Shepherd as being the best all around dog...my dog don't miss a trick...

DD~

G20man,

Sounds like you have some experience, I especially like the key dropping suggestion. Since you brought it up how would one train a dog to distinguish between squirrell in yard vs. stranger at door?

After reading these posts my personal choice would be a german shepard however I will need to get a bigger place first I think. My Grandfather trained this breed back in WW2 and owed his life to one.

Thanks all for the informative responses.

I'll bet you don't get bothered by strangers much!!


As to good "alarm" dogs, DON'T get a Boxer. Most boxers bark rarely, and usually only when playing. We go camping (at campgrounds) with our 5 year old boxer, Scarlett, a lot. The surrounding campers are usually surprised that we have a dog, because she rarely makes a peep, even when other dogs are walking by or through our campsite.

I agree with others who have said small dogs, especially terriers (sp?).

nh,
good question, and the answer is???
Speak with a professional trainer in your area. Maybe a Schutzhund club or French Ring type trainer and express to them what you want. A GSD is a fine choice but do lots of research before plunking down your hard earned cash!!! Also speak to the trainers about a good dog that maybe has flunked out of the local police department training...
Good luck to you