As devil's advocate, there are dog owners that have their animal specifically for security or protection and treatment of them as a family member is a far secondary consideration.

My lab can go in/out on its own and has a inside bed. He is well loved but spends little time laying on the floor in the family room. Of course dog breeds vary greatly but my dog goes barking nuts when someone comes to the door or enters the backyard and he has not 'cleared' them. If the person is not family he sounds quite aggressive. And we like it that way.

No one would get into our house or backyard w/o him knowing and alerting us.

So yes I agree with ireckon that buying a dog for security is misdirected from the point of view of the owner buying the wrong kind of dog for the job, or treating it differently than its purpose, but a dog is a very good investment in long term security.

Maybe we need a destructive dog topic My current little girl (70 lb black german shepherd) has eaten two seatbelts out of my wifes car, too many of the kids toys to mention, a pillow, some shoes, a coat, several christmas ornaments, about 6 of the kids mittens (but never a matched set) and some blankets. Even with all of the above she isn't the most destructive dog I have ever owned, but her size, breed, color and enthusiasm make her the scariest (for those who aren't into shepherds). She is very attentive to and gentle with my son (who has special needs) but I rest a lot easier knowing my wifes daytime companion around the house and out walking is a bit intimidating.

-Eric

If you are able to actually plan ahead not to be home when the bad guys get there - that is a fantastic solution! You are already miles ahead of the rest of us. Just make sure your insurance is paid up and you are insured for "full replacement value" of your home's contents.

The last dog I had, a springer spaniel/black lab mix, ate (2) apple trees, half the pear tree, and half the family room window sill. She also kept digging under the side gate; rocks, soil, and all. Daily walks weren't doing it, and we ended up giving her away to a family with a large plot of land and a jogging habit.

There's a reason I prefer cats.

EDIT: Haertig, my car's been broken into 4 times, all while parked unattended. This visit occured while the house was obviously empty in broad daylight. I haven't had violence used against me in a very long time. Experience has shown me I'm more likely to be the victim of the sneak thief then the raider.

Sometimes seldom used cars can be used to advantage. Having cars randomly moved around between several houses can go along way to confusing the issue on exactly who is, and who is not, home. In my experience every third household seems to have one too many vehicles for the driveway space and many of these people are willing to rotate parking around neighboring houses. A local development, and its ever-loving homeowners association, has a rule about having more than two vehicles. Moving the extra car around helps keep both thieves and and HoA off balance.

I don't place much faith in alarms. Even the 'armed response' services are highly questionable. Even if the have a response team close by, most won't, you also have to consider their motivation. Rent-a-cop types are known for their macho airs but push comes to shove they are usually smart enough to be slow to respond when it comes to facing down a robber. A thief that might be armed and on crack.

If they get there late they can lament the delay as they fill out the paperwork. Getting there early means they might get shot. You can sort of figure out which side of that they are going to lean toward.

Audible alarms usually scare off kids and amateurs but professionals will know the police response times and be in and out in half that. That assumes they don't bother to disable the alarm.

A radio playing and lights on timers can help but you need the noise to be loud enough to hear but quiet enough that they can't easily tell it is a radio.

Isnt there very few ways to "trick" burglars since they kinda figure out and learn all the tricks people use since it comes with the trade? Also cant Dogs be easily befriended with some deli meat and such? I hear all the time how dogs have just let people break in and either be friendly towards them or ignore them all together.


Oh And i forgot to add Dont leave out the possibility of the neighborhood kids being the breakies it has become a suburban "game" these days to steal from garages sheds and cars for bored teens and has happened alot around here. They also steal car emblems...like some sort of card trading game..

Frisket is correct. Most burglers know all the tricks of the trade. Like you and me, they get a lot of info from the net. They learn what windows, doors, locks, alarms etc are the easiest to access and bypass.

As for a having a dog and it's inherent expenses, there was a news show on TV a few years ago where former burglers detailed that the average family dog and most "trained" dogs are easy to distract. Some of the burglers favorite tools/toys they carried and used against dogs were everyday things such as tennis balls, chew bones, dog treats etc.

One of the burglers also stated (I'm paraphrasing here) "If the home or building contains something we really want, no dog is a deterrent and we will take any means to remove the dog from the equation."

The more I think about it, the more I think it was bored teens. The immediate neighbors kids are all straight arrows, but there are a lot of teens in the neighborhood.

If a pro or pro-am for lack of better words wants in, there's nothing I can do to stop them. But I did come across a number of studies about burglary methods below and there seems to be a couple of noteworthy points.

1) Burglars prefer to be not visible from the street, but will enter from there
2) No preference between doors or windows for entry
3) Unlocked or open anything is a common way in.
4) Hinged entrances will be kicked or pried open
5) Sliding entrances will be rocked off the tracks
6) They don't like deadbolted doors
7) They really don't like double paned windows, but will break single paned windows on occasion. Double paned are probably noisy as all getout.
8) Dusk to dawn lighting is detrimental as it's helps them see what they're doing.

Keep your doors and windows locked (duh!), install anti-lift devices on all sliding entrances, install deadbolts with high security strike plates on hinged entrances, replace single pane windows with double pane (or install security film), and don't rely on stock window locks.

The Chula Vista Residential Burglary Reduction Project (largely blue collar community south of downtown San Diego)
http://www.popcenter.org/library/awards/goldstein/2001/01-12(F).pdf

State farm
http://www.statefarm.com/learning/be_safe/home/burglary/learning_besafe_athome_doorlocks.asp

Motion lights / lights with timers inside. Radio on and alert neighbors?

I don't agree so much with the idea of criminals being ahead of the curve with all the tricks. Perhaps a small percentage of criminals are well prepared, but I certainly don't think that's the norm. The vast majority of criminals are lazy. They don't want to earn money the honest way. They choose to take the easy way to getting paid right now. Heck, oftentimes they'll down a few beers or get high on drugs before they go get the loot. Their lack of work ethic is reflected in how they go about committing crimes. Thus, they get caught.

Regardless, it would be prudent to outsmart the unusually prepared criminal. However, if you take that idea to the extreme, there is no end to the layers of security you can add. Even with all your layers, the unusually prepared criminal who is casing you specifically can get the goods eventually. At some point, I have to rest assured that my insurance will cover a loss of stuff. Physically hurt me or my family, and then we have a much bigger problem...