[Steph]

Do pitbulls make good guard dogs? Do they have that natural drive. I read a story once that a woman had her house broken into and her rescue pitbull killed the man. Lots of people replied to this and said their dog would do the same. I highly doubt my two dogs would ever do that. Would yours?

 

[gazar]

Mine would bark and put on a good show - but have no idea if
she would actually attack. But sometimes all you need is a
"good show" to scare off an intruder.

 

[BastienBully]

I dont think many dogs would go to the point of killing someone, but would defenetly warn the intruder first by barking, and then if that doesnt work, some dogs would go in attack mode (again, probably not to kill).

I dont think my 5 month old pup would mind an intruder much, but a full grown dog that knows whos supose to be there or not might.

Thats my personal opinion btw.

 

[Tina]

Hells no. Hudson would give scary warning barks, but more than likely try to jump on the intruder for hugs and kisses, or run and hide if the intruder got aggressive. I don't think the majority of dogs have that in them... The fact thus dog is untrained and killed the person is a bit scary lol who knows what this character did to it. On the plus side b&e's are normally done by amateur crooks so maybe Hudson trying to jump on them for love may be seen as scary haha.

 

[wilonso]

On the plus side b&e's are normally done by amateur crooks so maybe Hudson trying to jump on them for love may be seen as scary haha.

:like:


I think it depends on what the dog has been through in its life, the age of the dog etc, in saying that i don't think there is a solid answer to this as each and every dog is different and who knows what could happen unless they are put through that situation, i think certain breeds are more capable than others in different area's certainly bull breeds, but who's to say that a poodle wouldn't give it a go if someone was intruding.

 

[wilonso]

I think any dog can be a good guard dog, i think a lot of burglars would decide there and then whether to carry out the job if they saw the dog that was waiting inside, what i mean by that is if they saw a chihuahua im pretty sure they would just go about there business as usual where as if they saw a rotty or a pitbull then they would possible think twice ?

There was a case a couple of years ago in the UK where a guest was holding a party at his manor and he had 2 rottweilers who lived outside (trained guard dogs) that patrolled the area around the manor, during the party a guest left her baby unattended and the baby wondered outside outside to play with these dogs, the girl ended up being killed by the dogs.

Now i understand if you are going to be holding such an event the dogs should be kenneled, however who in there right mind leaves a baby unattended, these are the stories that give dogs the bad reputation they have today.

Another very similar case also including a rottweiler, a mother and father left there 7 year old daughter babysit there 2 year old daughter whilst they were out, only to come home and find ambulances and what not outside there house, the baby had been killed by the rottweiler! WHY because the 7 year old girl when into the kitchen where the dog was crated and took him our placed the baby on him so she could ride him like a horse. lucky they were not both killed.

To summaries i think any dog is capable of attacking a burglar or intruder, what damage they cause is a different story.

 

[Nebguy]

First off, I highly doubt if the dog killed the guy. Sounds like an internet legend to me.
I don't know what Lilly Sue would do. At 8 months, she's just now starting to show any interest in what's going on outside the house. She wanted to kill the flag what I fly outside (I mean she was REALLY PI**ED!). After I took her outside to show her that the flag wasn't a threat, she patrolled the house growling making sure that no marauding flags managed to get inside.
I had a real life situation at my house when Lilly was about 4 months old. I was in the master bedroom while Lilly was in the living room. I herd her jumping around and figured she was chasing a cat. I turned the corner from the hallway into the living room to find two "older" gentlemen had come into the wrong house. Lilly Sue was jumping all around them trying to get their attention to play with/pet her. Had I heard them while I was still in the bedroom, it could have ended very differently and violently.
If I was an intruder, I'd be more afraid of our Heeler pup. Especially if I'm swinging him by his tail like a weapon.

 

[Steph]

You have to think realistically though. Would your dog actually ATTACK someone/something?

 

[JohnJ]

I would say it's on a dog to dog basis.
I had a large Weimaraner that would have undoubtedly killed an intruder. I also had a Pit that would have smothered an intruder with kisses.
Bubba is still young, but as of now he'll stand in the doorway, bark, hackles up and block the entrance unless I go to the door and let them in. He hasn't snapped at anybody but nobody has attempted to push their way in either.
When it's a friend who's been over or a neighbor letting themselves in, he'll bark at first and then starts the kisses.

 

[Nebguy]

Like I said, I really have no idea. She's been "clingy" with my wife and seems like she's being protective of her since she's been pregnant. She's still a pup and she spayed (does this make a difference)? I really think that if the situation called for it, she might bite someone, but kill them? I doubt it. That being said, my FIL was seriously wounded when he bent down to pet his friend's black lab. Stupid dog grabbed him by his throat! I guess you never know.

 

[mstngchic2012]

What do you consider a guard dog as? It depends on the dog.

To me all the guarding that I need Mater to do is bark because it is up to us (humans in the house) to protect the home. Mater doesn't know a stranger and would probably charge an intruder to get some lovins then get shot - gotta think that many intruders aren't going to go into a home unarmed these days if they are really serious IMO. Brian's dad's Min Pin however puts on a show for anyone that comes into the house and will sometimes go in for a bite.

 

[forever_pit]

In my opinion most dogs do not have what it takes to neutralize a threat on their own. It is however true that 90% or more of the time a good threat display or just the site of that big dog barking through the window will deter someone with bad intentions. Why hassle with a dog if you don't have to?

Pit Bulls haven't really been bred for guardian work, so it doesn't make sense for it to be in them by nature. There are some lines that are perhaps more prone to guardian type behaviors but it seems to be because at some point someone decided they were going to select for that trait.

I'll break down what I think about my three dogs and their potential reactions. Keep in mind that all of my dogs have had some sort of protection training.

Dylan - He will definitely bark and put on a display if there is someone is outside the house. He sounds big and he's very vocal so I think his value is in being a potential deterrent. That said, I highly highly doubt that he would ever bite an intruder. I would be very surprised if he did.

Cairo - I believe this dog would bite someone though I can't say for sure since he has not been in a real threatening situation. There are a few reasons I think this dog will bite. First, he is pretty serious in his work and he continues to gain more power and aggression as he is reaching maturity. I'm really starting to notice that he is out to hurt the decoy not just play a game. The dog will go after someone with no equipment on as fast as he will go after someone in a suit, obviously the suit is a trigger for him since it is what he is trained on but by-and-large he responds to body language. Several police and military trainers and brokers have already offered me money for this dog because of the potential they see in him for "real" work.
NOTE: CAIRO IS NOT A PIT BULL. OR A BULLDOG OF ANY SORT. HE IS A MALINOIS.

Gigz - He is too young to tell, but if he turns into the dog I am hoping he will be then yes he will nail your butt for breaking into my house.

 

[Lisa]

Without knowing what the OP means by "guard dog" it is impossible to answer this question.

Depending on a person's expectations, I could offer a variety of dogs I know personally as examples of "guard dogs" including miniature poodles, Westies, Dachshunds, Labrador Retrievers, Border Collies just to name a few. Get my drift?

 

[Steph]

I mean attack an intruder.

 

[Lisa]

I mean attack an intruder.

a threatening one or a passive one?

 

[Steph]

idk. either i guess. i mean if the intruder has a gun, does it really matter if hes threatening or passive.

 

[forever_pit]

idk. either i guess. i mean if the intruder has a gun, does it really matter if hes threatening or passive.

Yes. If the intruder is passive you may have control of the situation, you may not need the dog. Plus, do you want a dog who will just go after a passive person? I understand and appreciate the value of a dog that will bite a passive person when commanded, but on their own, no.

Plus, that person with a gun could TOTALLY kill your dog. In fact, a police K9 was stabbed to death by a perp just this week.

 

[Steph]

Right thats what Im saying. My opinion is I wouldn't want a dog that will attack an intruder. A) I'll probably wake up before my dogs do, B)they will probably have a gun and shoot the dogs, and C) a dog that does this without command could become a liability. Especially since I have my father in law take the dogs out when I have a meeting at work. I would never want them to attack someone coming in the house, regardless of threat.

 

[2bully]

My APBT Ava, long before she had any protection training while living the good life as a family pet had a live bite on an intruder. She would most certainly bite an intruder for real. I can have company over and she doesn't need to be put up, you just wouldn't want to try slipping in through a window or come barging through the door.

 

[Lisa]

When it comes to engaging it most certainly matters if the person is passive or threatening. It also matters how quickly the intruder will retreat after the dog comes forward at them with aggression or even just perceived aggression. If a person were to break into my house, they would certainly be met by a dog that will be barking and growling at them. However, how the intruder reacts will determine how my dog reacts. My dog which is quick to bark, growl, and charge would be very quick to retreat at the slightest amount of forward aggression by an intruder. Without giving specific expectations it is impossible to answer. The answer would also vary from individual dog to individual dog. There are strong dogs and weak dogs in every breed.