How Many of You Think Big Dogs Scare Away Burglers/bad Guys??

we have a big one and a little one and they are both effective, the little one jumps at EVERYTHING and the large one follows suit.
lab/weimeriner mix
chiuawawa/pom mix
adding pomeranian/maltese mix this summer he is a new born.

Yes. A big dog barking is scary. i have a Great Dane because i adore the breed, but it is an added benefit that she is very intimidating if she's running at you and barking.

I used to have two Golden Retrievers, they would just help them find the good stuff so long as they pet them.

I have an alarm, it scares the carp out of me when we accidentally trip it off.

At my house-my money's on the pit bull and if all else fails-Smith and Wesson!

Maybe sometimes, but I think an alarm is better.

Have you ever seen the Discovery Channel show, "It Takes a Theif"?
2 former theives break into peoples' homes (with their knowlege) to show them where their security vulnerabilities are. They broke into several houses where there were dogs with no problem at all. One house even had 1 (or maybe 2) dobermans, and the home owners were pretty confident their home was safe with the dog(s) there to guard it. They alway manage to lure the dog into another room and close the door.

If you're nervous, get an alarm system, like ADT,so the police will be called if your alarm goes off and you're not home (or even if you are). My MIL and FIL have an alarm system where they have a panic button on the control panel and on their keychains. My FIL accidentally set off the panic button- twice :) -and the police showed up reasonably quickly. Even a really good dog won't call the police :D
http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/ittakesathief/about/abo...

Dogs that bark don't necessarily "scare" bad guys, but what happens is that the barking alerts people that someone or something is outside. They will likely run because they don't want to get caught.
Sensor lights can help accomplish the same thing.
I'm sorry your car was stolen. How awful.

Dogs aren't alarm systems. They are living, breathing, feeling beings. If you want to bring another into your family, go for it. I know many people feel safer having dogs.
My ex has a huge Mastiff and trust me, people are afraid of him. He's a big baby, but he's also very protective so I guess he's worth the tons of dog food he eats. I could never live with the drool.

Anyway, I hope you get some great responses and again, sorry this happened to you.

I do.

Better than any security system you can buy! Our black lab is 13 now and deaf, so not much security here. Dogs are especially effective when they are loved by the family and your kids and they feel that "extra" need to protect what they love and what loves them!

I didn't read all the responses but agree with Victoria that they are at least a deterrent.

I have 2 big dogs. A Golden Retriever/Lab mix (100 pounds) and a Lab/Husky Mix which is about 75 pounds. Now mind you, not only are they a mix of some of the best natured breeds, but BIG BABIES! I can take food, bones and toys out of their mouths. I can scoot them across the floor with my feet when they are in the way. I can look at them cross eyed and they settle down. They will do anything to please me and make me happy. But they do look intimidating when they come with me to the door. I've even had people back off the porch and comment about the 2 big dogs.
Granted the joke between us, is that if someone broke in just don't steal their favorite sofa (yes, they are allowed on the furniture). But to be honest, they are smart enough to know that 'friends and family' come and go through the back door and anytime I open that front door they are at attention. So maybe they would be protective in the right circumstance.

They won't burglar proof a home, but they're absolutely a deterrent. We had a very scary incident once when I was home alone at my mom's house. I called my mom and she came home from her trip with a white german shepherd / russian wolfhound mix. I took him for walks (at 6 months old, he'd put his paws on my shoulders and look DOWN to kiss me) and that kept the neighborhood crackheads away---they didn't want to mess with him. He went through a window at someone once, and we never had an uninvited guest again.
At the very least, they can alert you. After Hurricane Katrina, things were completely haywire (MUCH worse than anything reported on national news-MUCH worse). We had to teach my mom how to shoot a gun just in case (she didn't want to, but we just had to, since my brother was on the river 16 hours a day and I was on a pile driving crew on the levee the same hours), but we had her keep the gun in her nightstand drawer and bring the dogs in. The theory was the dogs would wake her if an intruder came, and she would have time to get the gun if needed. Thankfully it never came to that (she lives in the back of sugar cane fields and noone knew there was anything/anyone back there unless they were locals). Having the dogs in the house during the first 2 weeks though were a real comfort. Not that they'd be able to definatively stop a guy with a gun, but they could alert us all.

I think it depends on the type of burglar you're most likely to have. Most are very scared of dogs no matter the size because barking alerts everyone and even small dogs hurt when they bite. Very sohisticated thieves who would be most likely burgling pretty wealthy homes may be sophisticated enough to deal with the dogs, but most are scared if them. Having lived in a number of homes in a gentrifying area of Atlanta for the past 15 years, I will tell you that time and again during rashes of burglaries, the folks (including us) with dogs were left alone, and yes, larger dogs often scare even more.

Any dog will help actually, size does not matter. There was a survey done of 500 serial rapist and when asked what the number one thing was that would make them change their minds about a victim it was overwhelmingly a barking dog. They said if they heard a dog start to bark they would move on to a different house because that dog could have already woken up the intended victim as well as the neighbors. My husband often has to leave for long periods for his work and the dogs (ours are Jack Russels) really help me sleep better at night.

An old friend of my husband operated a doberman rescue. She then turned her sights to the mastiffs. She had two dobies, a great dane/dobie mix, a bull mastiff and a french mastiff.(she also had a yappy little Mini-Pin) ALL kept IN the house!!! (it still grosses me out)
She got robbed. They took EVERYTHING. The only thing left, essentially, was furniture. ALL electronics were GONE.
So, to answer your question?
NO.
Big dogs do not necessarily scare off "bad guys".

The way I look at it, they make A LOT of noise. If someone attempts to break into my house, are they going to try and do it through all the crazy noise...or are they going to hit a house that is quiet and easier to break into? The will almost always go for the easier target. Dogs are loud, unpredictable, and many people are scared of them. They make it hard to break into a home. My father's best friend is a veteran cop. When I was living alone before getting married, he told me dogs are better then security alarms. I believe it!

We have a deaf Boxer (useless, but adorable!) and a "fercious" Staffordshire Terrier that everyone thinks is a pit bull. She's the same kind of dog as the "Target" dog.

I'm sure her bark keeps the bad guys away. She only barks when strangers are near the house otherwise she's making sure the "couch doesn't fly away" the rest of the day. She's useless in the summer. Fireworks scare her to death and she's been known to hide in the bathtub. Once again, she's "fercious!" We tell her she's a pathetic excuse of a "pit bull." She just wags her tail...

I don't know about "scaring" them away...but they definitely are a deterrent. Why stop and mess with "that" house, when the one next door has no dog?
I certainly do not think that my dog would take down and incapacitate someone who REALLY wanted to come into my home and harm someone here. But, you never know. I am guessing that most home burglaries are committed by men, and our family dog (German Shepherd) does not like men she doesn't know. (she loves ALL kids and most women). She sounds the alarm if anyone comes to our property. And gets progressively more agitated and angry/aggressive barking the closer they get to the house/door.

I used to think dogs could see really well..but I read recently they can't. They actually see slightly LESS well than humans. It is their ears and noses that are so much more sensitive. Which explains why once when I went for a bike ride without her, and was returning home... I could HEAR her ferociously barking at ME as I rode my bike around the corner into view of our house towards our front door (we live in a cul-de-sac...dead end). I thought she was going to bust the dining room window out because she couldn't see who I was and couldn't smell me either!

She's barked at my husband when he comes home from jogging/running, too. But now that he is more regular about it (4 years now, and 3 x a week probably for the last year) she doesn't bark at him anymore.

I have had neighbors, that have played catch with her in the yard (and think she is the sweetest thing), come to my door to drop off mail of mine they received by accident, and tell me "I would NOT want to try to come in YOUR house without permission" because of the way she sounds. Our front door has a glass oval in it, so people can see that there is a BIG black dog inside and she is MEAN sounding if she doesn't know who it is on the porch. And when she is feeling protective, her hackles go up and instead of 65 lbs, she looks like she's about 85 lbs. She watches them from the dining room window as they approach (it's right next to the foyer/front door). NO one sneaks up to my house.

And she is protective of her "pack" too. She will get in between whatever she feels is a threat and whichever of us she feels is most vulnerable. I had someone in my house doing repairs once, and she refused to leave my daughter's feet. She SAT on daughter's feet because I made her stay back away from the worker. She also reacted when a plumber didn't head for the door to get another tool from his truck, but instead turned towards the kitchen (where I was wiping up the counter)... she had been observing him and was friendly as he went in and out about his work. Until he turned to go somewhere he "shouldn't". She was up and in front of him and barking harshly in about 2.5 seconds. He stood still, put his hands up, leaned away and said... "Oops....Mrs. W?" Once I chatted friendly with him, she was fine and let him pet her, etc.

Dogs can be unpredictable.....so no crook WANTS to deal with them. Sure they probably COULD. But why, if there is an easier 'mark' 2 houses down the street?

Yes, they do scare people.

Brings to mind a funny story from when we owned Boxers. We had a big (80 pound) male Boxer who was the biggest idiot who ever lived (dumber than a box of rocks, but very sweet), and a 50 pound female who would probably rip someone's arm off if she thought she could do it without getting in trouble. Anyway, one day the male got out of the yard, which I didn't realize until I heard a huge commotion in the front yard. I look outside to see a young guy on top of my car screaming and yelling, and our dog right next to the car leaping into the air and barking (happy barks, but clearly the guy didn't know that). I went outside, called the dog off (who promptly started rolling around on the grass, attack dog that he was, LOL) and the terrified guy climbed off the roof of my car. Apparently he had been out for a jog, and our dog saw him and came galloping down the driveway ("Oh boy! I like walks!"). Well, the guy saw this big dog coming at him and thought he was going to be attacked, jumped on the tallest thing he could find (my car) and started yelling for help! Well, this was super exciting to the dog, which made the guy even more scared... suffice it to say that after that, we dog-proofed the fence a little better!

But to answer your question, YES, the average person will not steal from you if you have a big (friendly or not) dog!

I think that it can HELP be a deterrant. But, I think that if someone wants to break in or is set in their ways about it, NOTHING can stop them. I would get a big dog if it makes you feel more safe and protected. But I would mainly invest in home safely measures to ensure that everyone is safe in your home at all times. Locks, door chimers, specialty lights etc. Best wishes and I hope that you get your car back safe and sound!

M

We have a very loving Doberman for this reason. I also have ADT, but that's just me. I definitely think our dog is a deterrent. Why would a burglar take the chance?

Well, I think if a person was going to randomly break into a house, hearing a big booming bark will definitely make them think twice! LOL! I had a dalmation/labrador cross who slept at the end of my bed every night. One morning when I was about 15, I woke up to hear him snarling and growling. It turned out that my dad was trying to come into my room because my fire had gone out (my fire was the main source of heat for the house, so if it went out everyone else got froze out too) and he was going to re-start it... It was pretty reasurring to know that no one, not even my own father, was able to come into my room when I was asleep. We experimented a bit, and if I was 'asleep' NO ONE could come into my room. If I was awake, he would bark when the door opened but wouldn't act 'mean'. My personal security guard. :)

A lot of times though, it's not the size of the dog that matters. A big dog is intimidating, BUT if a small dog is trained to bark correctly (barking at disturbances, not just yapping) it can be a pretty good security system. All you really need is something to wake you up. They even make/sell these things that will 'bark' at different intervals, also if they set of a motion sensor, so if someone is 'casing' your house, or tries to break in, they will hear the bark. you can call the police.

I have a two shepherds and a beagle. One bites and I have Beware of Dog signs. People notice. But if they wanted my car they could take it, I dont' keep that in the house with the dogs, although it is locked. And the girls wouldn't necessarily hear someone outside near the cars anyway. IN the house would be a different story.

I'm sure if the papillon heard someone in the house you would have known.

And I have always wanted a papillon, even though I am a big dog person. I think they are so cute.

We have two pit mixes and a border collie mix. The border collie mix and one of the pit mixes love everybody. The other pit mix is very leery of strangers and will bite. I have BEWARE OF DOG signs on my fence. I have had people walk up the drive, see the dogs in the back yard jumping up on the fence and barking, and turn and walk away.
They even discourage door-to-door evangelists.

I have little dogs, but if you come to my door and hear them barking you
would think twice about entering. Mr. Bubbles would tear off someones leg
if they tried to enter my home. So to ans. your question, if your dog barks
I think a burgler would think twice about entering a find a house without a
dog. Hope this helps.

We have mini schnauzers and our female (although only 25 lbs) most likely would attack if we felt threatened and for small dogs they have pretty big barks. People think we have 100 lb dogs until we open the door.

well they will def bark if something or someone is tehre then u get up and check whats going on. we have two dogs, a pitbull and a german shepherd. the german shepherd barks at every little thing (i guess he's bored) it is very annoying, but our pitbull barks only when a stranger is near the house, and when he barks we know somebody is outside...so when he barks we def go out and check it out. Dogs are all different..but train them well and i guess they can alert that something is going on?? Sorry about what happened. I know how it feels. Good day

I do!

I have a BIG dog and he is the BEST guard dog! I love it! I feel very safe when home alone with him, he hears everything and makes sure myself or someone home is always aware when someone steps one foot inside our property...its great, VERY comforting! I absolutely believe just his bark alone is an effective alarm and heaven forbid anyone enters my house un-invited his sheer presence is enough to stun someone for a minute or two and if he tangled with someone I know it would give me enough time to to at least get to the phone...or the gun...

He is a Catahoula leopard Dog/Rott Mix and it is in his nature to be protective and guard our house...he truly thinks of it has his 'job'!

~Added bonus, he is very handy when dealing with solicitors who come to the door...I allow him to stay at my feet and he gives EVERYONE a warning growl and bark as soon as he sees them when I open the door :)
They generally don't stick around very long!

**It absolutely depends on the dog though...my sister has a purebred pit bull and her and her husband always joke that Rowan would help you rob their house, you could just strap the TV to his back and he probably want to go with the robber for a ride too! He doesn't bark at anything and lets anyone and everyone come into their house.

Burglars and thieves prefer an easy target. I think a large barking dog shouts "too much trouble" to many of them.

I've heard that just buying a giant water dog dish and writing "Tiny" or "Killer" on it makes thieves think twice. ;)

I think it depends on the dog. If it's a bigger dog and has a "scary bark", it could be a deterrent. But, if it's a little toy dog, probably not so much.

Every delivery person is afraid of my mutt dog. She is the biggest baby/old lady you ever did see. It makes us physically laugh that they think she is so scary. (she's a German Shepard/Terrier mix). BUT, when we walk down our road and there's any sort of danger - other dogs, etc. She gets between us and the offender. I have no doubt whatsoever, that she would go all Cujo on anyone who tried to hurt us.

Our house was broken into 2 summers ago. Unfortunately, the dogs were in the garage at the time due to some allergies my sister's family had, who were staying with us at the time. I think that if they had been in the house, those *bleeps* wouldn't have gone inside the house. We have, since, installed an alarm system. My older kids will be home alon this summer (the oldest babysitting) and I am more confident in my dogs as defenders, than the alarm system.

Our police always say that the best deterrent is a noisy little dog - or two. They say this is because intruders are scared off by sounds before they are scared off by sights.

On the other hand, we have had big dogs and sometimes the sight of them is a deterrent. The bad people don't know that any dog of ours would LICK them to death, and I'm not telling!

I def think my big dog HELPS keep our family safe. I know that at the very least, she would give me a chance to react because there is no way you could get past her without some sort of fight. I am also a big fan of motion lights. If ours go off, I open the door and let the dog out. I have a neighbor with a small dog that barks at everything, so between the two of us we like our "security system". Also, lots of burglaries are cased out or done by people in the neighborhood. If you live around a big dog, you generally know it.

I have read some responses - obviously, sometimes it might, but it's no guarantee. Sometimes a yappy little dog makes enough noise to alert you that someone is there. Sometimes just seeing a huge dog, or a "tough-looking" dog, like a German Shepard or Doberman, is enough to make someone think twice. However, like someone else said, it's a dog, not an alarm system - they are living creatures with needs that depend on you for everything. And the bigger the dog, the more expensive they are to keep.
Some dogs will still allow someone to break in and do whatever - some burglars are smart enough to toss them a few treats and then they and the dog are best friends. Some dogs are total wimps and even the "tough" breeds will just as soon hide under a bed or run out the back door if someone breaks in. And worst-case scenario is if the burglar has a gun - then it doesn't matter what kind of dog you have or what the dog does.

I once had a boss who had 4 Dobermans that always hung out in front of their big picture window next to their front door. He always wondered why they never got any kids coming around for trick-or-treating on Halloween.