A bit off topic, but I woke up the other morning to someone trying to kick down our door and pick our lock! It was absolutely terrifying but luckily they did not make it in. The first thing I did once the attempted intruder left was check that Aspen was okay. He was, but he was crying. Now, everyone keeps telling me to train him to be a guard dog! That's crazy to me. I got him to be my companion. Telling me to send him to meet a stranger at my door who might want to hurt us is like telling me to send my human toddler to the door! They also keep telling me to get him to bark at people at the door but he just doesn't like to bark and loves people too much to show territorial agression. This morning he sat at the top of the stairs and watched me get ready. I think he knew I was still uneasy and stayed close to keep me company. Are any of your guys dogs very protective of you and your family? Do your dogs bark at strangers? I don't know where the line is for barking for uncertainty and barking for aggression. I want him to like people! Either way, I guess it doesn't matter much because he rarely barks and loves people.
This must have been so scary for you , and for him too , so pleased that they didn't get in ! Sam rarely barks , only if he is very uncomfortable in a situation . Only this afternoon on our walk, he barked when a strange man appeared out of nowhere , which for me was great, but I doubt very much that he would have followed through if called upon because he isn't confrontational . Its unfair , I think , to try and toughen up our dogs when they aren't made that way so ignore those who suggest this to you , let him be your pet as you want him to be x
That must have been so scary - so glad you're all ok! Stanley barks when there's a knock at the door or the doorbell goes or if someone comes in before he can see them. I think it was a learnt behaviour from daycare. That's the only time he barks. To be honest, my OH works nights and when Stanley barks you can tell it's a big dog barking and it might deter people. But I would have never trained him to do it. However, if someone did come in it would be a different story. They'd be met with a big wagging tail and lots of kisses. And he'd probably lead them to the valuables if he thought he would get a treat and fuss
That's terrifying! I would think a home alarm system would be better than a lab puppy... Quinn didn't start barking much at all until she was over a year (other than some frustration barking as a puppy). We started to notice her barking a bit more in the last 6 months (she is going to be 2 in December). She now runs to the door and let's out a few deep barks if the doorbell rings. She has a couple times heard something at night and run to the front window barking (giving me a heart attack) but as far as I could tell, it was nothing. She also looks out the window and she has barked at certain people outside, but it is not consistent and she does not stand there and bark (which I would not like). She does not bark if she recognizes the person from the window. We say "it's OK" and she stops barking. It seems like a warning bark, but she would be useless if someone were to actually get in. Aspen may change as he matures, but my opinion is the less barking, the better. I would never encourage barking.
That sounds serious. If it happens once, it can happen again. Have you considered buying (or do you already own) a firearm? Living where you do, my lab would be my "early warning system", and my firearm would be the last-ditch defence tool for myself and my dog (maybe more so if I lived in Milwaukee). Living where I do, my lab is my "early warning system", and firearms have to stay in the steel cabinet. But still, we live in a relatively safe country. Whatever you do, keep safe.
@Snowy I am only 19, so I can't own a handgun yet, but my boyfriend is 20 and is looking into maybe a shotgun or something else. We are also getting motion sense lights and a camera at al of our doors! Luckily, we live in a pretty nice city, unfortunately we have a large methamphetamine problem in the community! Thank you for your input & suggestions, we will definitely try to keep safe!
@QuinnM15 I always wondered if frustration barking was a thing that dogs actually did or not! Aspen seems to have two toys that he will bark and whine over because he can't manipulate them the way he wants to. I'm sure that as he gets older he will start barking a bit more. My boyfriend's mom was watching him and she said he barked at people through the window which he almost never does at home. I just don't want him to be a dog that barks at every single noise because that's how my sisters Belgian Malinois is and quite frankly it's very irritating! I have seen people try to "train" their dogs to bark when the doorbell rings but I don't see why you would want that, personally. I also think that Aspen would be useless if someone actually got in...he is just too trusting, especially as a pup. I want him to be confident around other people, so I am not worried about that. It gives me enough comfort and security just knowing that he is with me.
@JenBainbridge It is funny you say that because my boyfriend and I were laughing about people telling us to let Aspen roam free at night so he could bark to scare people because A: He'd be too busy chewing on shoes to care and B: He still has that puppy bark and almost never uses his "grown up" bark. These labs love humans too much to be guard dogs
@alschwahn Sorry to take a labrador forum off-track, but if you have any questions about suitable firearms, firearms ownership, firearms safety or firearms training, I'm more than willing to offer advice (maybe by PM is best). I'm both a hunter and certified competition shooter of semi-auto pistols and rifles (both AR and AK platforms). If you need a guard dog, a lab probably isn't the best choice. On the subject of guard dogs, I don't have much advice to offer
For me, and coming from a culture where the thought of owning a gun for self defence is, quite frankly, bonkers, I would suggest that the best way to prevent opportunistic burglaries is by making it very obvious that your home is secure. So, obvious security cameras and/or alarm system with a sign, obvious locks on windows and heavy-duty locks on doors. These things won't put off someone who is intent on getting into your house for a particular reason, but would certainly put off your casual burglar. A firearm might be a perfectly reasonable form of defence where you are, but unless the potential intruders know it's there, and that you are willing to actually use it (which everyone says they are until they get to the point of pulling the trigger), it doesn't do a jot to deter them from entering in the first instance. And, no, I wouldn't want my dogs putting themselves in potential danger, either. A trained bark on cue might not be a bad thing, though. Or simply a convincing recording of dogs barking. Dogs do make opportunists think twice.
@kateincornwall See, I think it is nice that your dog can give a warning bark. I would like Aspen to naturally develop a response like that!
Coco is SO annoying with his barking. He barks at everything and nothing from inside the house or in the back garden. Yes, he stops people from even stepping into the porch to ring the bell which I suppose could be seen as a deterrent - he has a huge bark...but I don't really want that. He doesn't bark when we're out walking, thank goodness! I'd be going for the really stand-out security measures if I were in your situation. A firearm is abhorrent to me, but I don't live in a country where firearm ownership is the norm, it's purely for sport or vermin control here. Stay safe @alschwahn
Harley sounds like a big dog too and barks when people come to the door, but gets all waggy tail when she sees who it is if she knows them, but continues to bark if she doesn't know them and isn't sure of them.
Our first two Labs would always bark when there was someone close to the house or at the door, if they could not see them. Ginger had a huge, intimidating, bark until the door was opened and she licked you. Tilly makes a lot of noise also. Cooper doesn't always bark, but when she does it can be blood curdling when she add a bay to the end of the bark. They are all good watch dogs, but certainly not guard dogs. Many years ago when I had a Malamute, our house in Chicago was broken into while we were out to dinner with some friends. The household was mostly packed up into boxes for our coming move to Oregon. When we got home we found Sundance sitting on the front steps which was odd since we left him in the house. After we went in the house we found that the back door had been forced, but nothing was taken. I assume that the burglar met Sundance at the back door when he opened it, and decided he had better leave quickly. I don't think Sundance cared about the burglar, he probably just wanted out. He did not care about our property, but you would not have wanted to take a bone away from him. Most any dog serves as a deterrent. I don't know about the UK, but most US houses don't usually have any where near the burglar resistant doors that we saw everywhere in Italy.
@edzbird I was always iffy about guns, and I still am as guns in America are a really horrible situation. I am definitely upping our home security and getting pepper spray and a big metal flashlight to use as a weapon if I have to. I hope it doesn't come down to us getting a gun, but if it makes us feel better...then maybe. I guess another neighbor was broken into last night. The man actually got into her home and she lives alone.
Be mindful that a weapon can also be taken from you and used against you. I wouldn't have a gun in my house for a million bucks. Just sayin.
I think that's the biggest problem. Most normal people would really struggle to fire one at another human being, whatever they think, and that's where the danger is in having it taken off you. I have punched someone and broken bones (nose and arm) in self-defence. I'm still pretty sure I wouldn't be able to shoot someone though!
As a puppy Homer loved everyone, as he got older and found his bark he does warn us of anyone at the door, useful as our doorbell goes to work. Even just his presence at the door deters some unwanted visitors especially if I kept my hand on his collar and only open the door wide enough for just his head to poke through. If I let go of his collar he'd rush out tail wagging. When we've had overnight visitors he sometimes barks at them as the come downstairs, even if he'd been playing with them all evening the night before.
I have a really strong heavy frying pan I always imagined would be my weapon of choice if needed. I might practice on OH..
