Anyone have a dog for protection?

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While I do carry almost daily, I have been looking to get a dog for awhile. Top of my mind has always been a GSD a) because they are beautiful and b) they are bred for service and protection.

My real interest in the GSD revolves around the Schutzhund training. I find is amazing a dog can do these kinds of things. (And possibly some training beyond Schutzhund for protection)

I've been wanting a pet I can keep at my place and take with me everywhere I can for awhile. It sucks I live in an apartment and next year probably a townhouse, but not much I can do about that for the future.

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Eventually, I'd like to get a Tibetan Mastiff... just don't have the space yet.

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If you have the time to train and the patience

two words:

belgian malinois


In my short 25 years on this earth, my family has owned 3 dogs. Starboard (Belgian Malinois), Kelly (Siberian Husky), and Jessie (Belgian Malinois/Golden Retriever Mix).

as far as protection is concerned, Kelly was very submissive and was probably the sweetest dog ive ever encountered. Starboard was very protective from what i can remember, however she was older and thus more docile. My parents never had to worry about Starboard being rough with my sister or myself. And Jessie is an A+

Jessie...was a handful at first and is still very protective! When i take her to Burke Lake Park for walks, she will attempt to lung towards runners and cyclists, however i am able to keep her from doing so. Jessie does well for the most part with other dogs that are either much smaller than her, or much bigger than her. I used to take Jessie to the dog park, until she got into it with a GSD and i got bit when i got between the two. Kinda my fault but oh well. At home Jessie will let me know if someone is outside/at the door/walking another dog/driving by/ or if another family member is home. She is very welcoming when a guest is over, but only if a family member is present. She figures that if we are present and welcoming them in, then all is ok. She does have her instinctive traits (hearing and whatnot). If i try and run away from her, she will very quickly catch me and run along beside me barking. She does have separation anxiety and will stay in the same room as you. However if the doorbell rings or she hears something, she will go to investigate. A series of whines means a family member is home and a fury of barks means UPS/Mail/Another Dog/Bad Guy is approaching the house. She tends to be more attached to my father and myself, and my father's previous BM was very attached to him (never left his side when he was home).

Overall I really enjoy BM's and i think they are wonderful dogs, however the do take time to train and are VERY ENERGETIC!


happy carrying,

jason

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imperialism2024 wrote:

Eventually, I'd like to get a Tibetan Mastiff... just don't have the space yet.

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Beautiful animals as well.

From all I have read and asked, GSD's can live in apt's, you just have to dedicate the time.

Walk them in the AM. Take off lunch to walk them. Exercise them at night.

Lot of work, but well worth it.

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KodiakISGOOD wrote:

If you have the time to train and the patience

two words:

belgian malinois


In my short 25 years on this earth, my family has owned 3 dogs. Starboard (Belgian Malinois), Kelly (Siberian Husky), and Jessie (Belgian Malinois/Golden Retriever Mix).

as far as protection is concerned, Kelly was very submissive and was probably the sweetest dog ive ever encountered. Starboard was very protective from what i can remember, however she was older and thus more docile. My parents never had to worry about Starboard being rough with my sister or myself. And Jessie is an A+

Jessie...was a handful at first and is still very protective! When i take her to Burke Lake Park for walks, she will attempt to lung towards runners and cyclists, however i am able to keep her from doing so. Jessie does well for the most part with other dogs that are either much smaller than her, or much bigger than her. I used to take Jessie to the dog park, until she got into it with a GSD and i got bit when i got between the two. Kinda my fault but oh well. At home Jessie will let me know if someone is outside/at the door/walking another dog/driving by/ or if another family member is home. She is very welcoming when a guest is over, but only if a family member is present. She figures that if we are present and welcoming them in, then all is ok. She does have her instinctive traits (hearing and whatnot). If i try and run away from her, she will very quickly catch me and run along beside me barking. She does have separation anxiety and will stay in the same room as you. However if the doorbell rings or she hears something, she will go to investigate. A series of whines means a family member is home and a fury of barks means UPS/Mail/Another Dog/Bad Guy is approaching the house. She tends to be more attached to my father and myself, and my father's previous BM was very attached to him (never left his side when he was home).

Overall I really enjoy BM's and i think they are wonderful dogs, however the do take time to train and are VERY ENERGETIC!


happy carrying,

jason

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It is hard being mid-20's having a dog all your life and not having one. Just something about it you end up missing. Huskies are such beautiful animals. I grew up with a 1/2 dozen labs on our family farm

I think dogs are great because they provide you a dynamic "security system" which can detect threats while you sleep. If trained defensively they can also add another layer of protection to your family (granted they shouldn't be your only defense).

I think I want to get a pup at first, then a few years out get a rescue. Reading rescue stories are so sad. I feel worse reading those stories than I do about people! http://www.shepherdrescue.org/pages/available.html read those stories and tell me it doesn't throw a wrentch into your stomach. It is a shame what people do to defenseless animals.

stay safe,
hsmith

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I too love the GSD, but i prefer the more compact BM! Also, GSD tend to have more serious health problems (Hip and Elbows). BM's tend to be a more hardy of a dog and the only problem ive ever seen in either of our's is Jessie has skin allergies, which we take care of with Benadryl.

A great choice either way for a protection dog.

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Here is my little girl!

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hsmith wrote:

imperialism2024 wrote:

Eventually, I'd like to get a Tibetan Mastiff... just don't have the space yet.

Click to expand...

Beautiful animals as well.

From all I have read and asked, GSD's can live in apt's, you just have to dedicate the time.

Walk them in the AM. Take off lunch to walk them. Exercise them at night.

Lot of work, but well worth it.

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Hmm... *scratches chin*

It's not that I don't like GSD's, I do, but I've fallen in love with Tibetan Mastiffs.

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I had 2 and now have "adopted" my fiancee's for a third.

My first and oldest is a rott/lab mix. Short, stocky, good natured but very protective, 94 lbs of muscle and can still jump a 6 foot privacy fence at 6 years old.
Youngest is a pure bred black lab - almost 2 and hyper as a kindgartner after a pixie stick binge
Middle is my fiancee's golden lab rescue dog - or as we call him, "the metrosexual" although since being with my dogs he has come into his own and is becoming quite the outdoorsy and protective, yet still friendly guy.

I don't worry about someone breaking in when they are all at home.

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I have 3 mini-daschunds. Don't laugh, they will do a number on your ankles.

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You need a Sarplaninac! Check out my boy on this thread:

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum54/10609.html

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While having a dog at home is nice, and having one that is willing to act as your burglar alarm is nicer, there are more considerations that you need to look into if you are going to have a dog that is trained for personal/family protection.

There may be specific state requirements for licensing and training (for you, not the dog), as well as periodic certification for you and the dog. There may be local ordinances that you will need to comply with, such as posting your property with specific warning signs, fencing, and the like. Somewhere between state & local laws may be the requirement to keep the dog muzzled when outside the house - are you prepared for the effects this will have on you and on your dog?

Your homeowner's insurance company is going to want to know about this, based on their feelings of how this will effect your personal liability coverage - my experience is the effect is negative, as in cancelling your policy or insisting that you take out a hugely expensive rider to cover the dog's actions.

Even if you get a rider to your homeowner's policy, you face potential liability expenses. Check with a general insurance underwriter about the cost and coverage of tort insurance for maintaining a trained guard dog.

Once your neighbors find out, they may not be very happy with having you and your guard dog living amongst them. If you think the response to pit bulls is bad, wait till you see how they react to having an "attack dog" loose in the neighborhood.

AFAIK (and I've not researched this - just casual conversation with a very fewK-9 officers) most K-9 cops get a pass on most of the above because their department specifically designates them as being on 24-hour duty/on-call status, thus assuming the liability departmentally.

My personal preferance is to get one of those Italian sheepdogs (forget the name & too lazy to look it up) and raise it from no later than 3 days old in my home. It imprints as being a human, as opposed to beleiving its a sheep, and nature/instinct takes over from there. Of course, the same could be done with just about any breed or mixed breed of canine.

stay safe.

skidmark

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imperialism2024 wrote:

Eventually, I'd like to get a Tibetan Mastiff... just don't have the space yet.

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Try an Italian, no drool, no/little shedding. Mine's 5 months old, beautiful brindle, and about 35 pounds now. We think she'll hit 100-130 but aren't sure.

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3 words

South African Boerboel





and No, that's not shopped... those things are more horse than dog, lol.

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skidmark wrote:

While having a dog at home is nice, and having one that is willing to act as your burglar alarm is nicer, there are more considerations that you need to look into if you are going to have a dog that is trained for personal/family protection.

-snip-

stay safe.

skidmark

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skidmark,

Thanks for the info, it will help me evaluate how far down past Schlutzhund I want to take my animal. It is a fascinating sport if you can get the right dog.

I know some insurance companies have issues with German Shepherds, as they were the "Pit Bulls" of the 70's. It all comes down to breeding and training - but not so easy to get past insurance companies!

It will be nice to get a pet again!

thanks,
hsmith

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Bravo_Sierra wrote:

3 words

South African Boerboel

and No, that's not shopped... those things are more horse than dog, lol.

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Holy! My friend has St. Bernards and they are just massive, I can't even imagine one that big! That yours?

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imperialism2024 wrote:

Hmm... *scratches chin*

It's not that I don't like GSD's, I do, but I've fallen in love with Tibetan Mastiffs.

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Word of warning: You can easily do it, it is just a time investment. You need to be willing to walk it in the AM and PM, and play with it in the PM (depending on the level of exercise needed). Even a mid-day walk is necessary for some dogs. It can be done, just how much are you willing to commit is the real question.

It sickens me when I see dogs locked up all day and never played with. While I will crate the animal while getting it used to the place, hopefully the amount of walking I am willing to do will make time confined to the crate minimal.

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Bravo_Sierra wrote:

3 words

South African Boerboel

and No, that's not shopped... those things are more horse than dog, lol.

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Holy smokes, do you have to feed that thing road killed elk and mule deer?

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Some advice when considering a larger dog, especially one that may have a tendency to have a higher dominance level - research research research. Read as much as you can. Go see what a pure bred looks like. Know what your supposed to be getting. You can easily get ripped off when buying a dog that is not your typical everyday dog. We ran into a guy who was selling other peoples dogs he didn't own, without them knowing about it - ask breeders who their competition is.

When looking for our breeder we ran into many places that sold Cane Corso's (Italian Mastiffs) for a wide range of prices - up to 4.5K for some "Show quality" dogs. They look to be about the same size as the SAB. Knowing that this breed would require more time and training than your standard dog because of it's heritage, I didn't want any side effects or quality marrs in it's traits. I also didn't want to pay out the rear but was willing to pay for quality. The time I put in prior to buying has been worth it. The dog can be very determined, and when it comes to a favorite food as they get older training will become key. At 5 months mine has started to display some food aggression - in otherwords, if I start trying to take her food away as the dominant figure I do get growled at and on occasion when taking away a pigs ear I've been nipped pretty good. I've learned that a spray bottle of water helps when aggression is beginning to be displayed to get the puppy to do what I want. I continue to put my hands in the dog bowl despite this so next time when you guys see me if I'm missing my trigger finger you'll know why - guess it's time to switch hands, lol.

I walk our girl 3 times a day, and am beginning to do it in the rain too - which is a joy for me and the pup. She does great with the kids, house breaking is more our fault than hers. It is definately a lifestyle adjustment. In the end though it is my belief that the results will be well worth it. Also - be careful what the dog gets into. Lawn fertilizers, grass that has been recently fertilized, leaves etc are not your dogs friend and can cause lots of problems - including waking up at 5 am to give your dog a bath cause they had to go and slept in "it", many days in a row.

The TM may not drool, but 5 weeks of shedding may be something to worry about lol

http://www.tibetanmastiff.org/HTMLfiles/Breedfacts/whytmisnotforyou.htm

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That dog is about 29" at the shoulders and just over 200lbs. 8-12 CUPS of dry food twice a day is what my Cousin used to feed the bastard.