[quote]sluicy wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
Professor X wrote:
<<< On the dog issue, I was in the 6th grade when someone poisoned my massive German Shepherd (big enough for me to ride at the time) in an effort to break into the house. What stopped them was the security (lead lined) door my dad installed.
Pets are great…but it isn’t like they are invincible.
There is a point here and one which argues for starting a puppy early when you know he’ll be a working adult. Food refusal is tough to teach to an adult dog, but is a snap when you start young. I’ve worked with dogs, a couple my own, that you could put in a down stay with their nose resting one inch from a steak and go out for the evening and come back to them still in the same position until they’re told they can eat it. Of course she is not in a position to have this with her current dog, but I’m just talking what can be done.
Bottom line is a really good dog with some really good training can do some security work that would make the general public’s hair stand on end, but even then I would not rely on ANY animal over an armed human to save my life. If her dog is under 2 years it could probably be taught to bark if somebody were trying to get in and in the hands of a very good (and well paid) trainer to go get her up too. In any case, no, they are not invincible, but can be a useful tool.
Titus is the first dog I’ve had that is not a retriever or shepherd and it is so much fun to learn how he learns and how he is motivated differently than dogs I’m used to. I’ve really learned not to rule out what a dog can learn and what they can’t learn regardless of age.
In regard to this subject though, I’ve learned that no matter what you haven’t trained a dog to do, if you establish the correct connection/hierarchical position with them, they will defend you, I imagine because in their mind they’re defending their pack. Two examples. Our last dog was a rescue, a really screwed up fear-aggressive shepherd mix. He could grow to accept anyone over a period of time, except for this one couple, even though we spent more time with them than almost anyone else, yet he always responded to them with extreme aggression. They turned out to be untrustworthy “friends” who stabbed us in the back over a huge business/personal situation.
Then, our current dog Titus whom we adopted six months ago barks about once a month. He’s not particularly affectionate or protective, very very laid back (it’s so cute when you draw him out and get him kissing and romping like a puppy!) not to mention VERY lazy. If he whuffs at a particularly close noise, like someone knocking on the neighbors’ door, he’ll usually go right back to sleep. But about two months ago he woke us up in the middle of the night barking repeatedly. We got up and he was standing in the middle of the living room, and looked pointedly at us then back at the window.
It was so out of character for him to put two, let alone eight or ten barks together, not to mention getting off the couch and looking alive, we knew he was telling us to pay attention to something. He hasn’t done it since and it is still a chore to drag his butt off the couch, the lazy monster.
Bottom line, even without guard training, establish a proper rapport with a good, sensible dog and they will tell you what they sense, if you are know how to listen. There have been other episodes with Titus (his reactions to people, etc.) that make me really trust his instincts. He visibly assesses people before accepting them or not, and he doesn’t accept everyone.
All that said definitely not to put down guard dog training. A well trained dog is an incredible asset, especially with kids, and many dogs need high level training to feel fulfilled and doing their job. Shepherds and many other breeds are just drawn into their full potential by training much more extensive than “Sit, Down, Roll over baby!”
I love dogs and could talk about them forever. 
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You are too nice, to live where you do.
