# Does Your Dog Make You Feel Safer



## Gharrissc

This question applies to all dogs,not just those with PPD training. I like the fact that Casja will alert when someone is at my door,but I know that she would basically give anyone the grand tour if they wanted to take something. So I don't feel 'safe',but don't feel 'unsafe' either if that makes sense. 

How much more secure do you feel with your dogs?


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## Loneforce

Ginger is my fire detector, and Jonas can hear everything They are my alarms  So Yes at home I feel more secure.


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## Mary Beth

With a 130 lb. 32 inch high GSD very secure. I had to laugh when I had some remodeling done last spring, I had the door unlocked. So one day the carpenters came early (and my Sting who knew them had let them pet him) - well they opened the back door and the growling/barking started - I heard the door slam shut, and came out to find Sting standing by the closed door and the 2 carpenters respectfully standing outside. After that, they always knocked first and waited for me to come to the door if they came early.


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## elisabeth_00117

I am a single girl living in the city, I live in a good neighbourhood but there is a mall near me so lots of different people.

I walk a lot at night due to my schedule at work so I do feel a bit safer with my 2 dogs with me.

They are a deterrent, for sure. People give me a wide berth when I am walking around the busy streets.

Stark would probably shut down if someone came at us or run, but I know Zefra would relish in the fight... LOL. I also feel a lot better knowing that Zefra has done some hidden sleeve work and real life scenarios in training and will listen to a recall or a bark and hold if I ask, and if necessary.. a bite.

I protect my dogs first, but they definitely make people think twice.


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## Anthony8858

No. 
If someone entered my home, I would fear for Kira's safety. Since she is a GSD, most would expect her to be protective, and may try to inflict harm on her.

On a bright note.... She would alert me, and give me enough time to choose between "Smith & Wesson" or a "louisville Slugger"


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## elisabeth_00117

Oh, and wanted to add... I usually walk at night with a friend of mine (Wild Wolf on this forum) and her dog Hunter.... so it's us two girls and our 3 German Shepherds..... yeah... people think twice... or three times for that matter.


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## Shade

As much as being around people makes me feel safe, the fact I have two sets of keen noses and ears makes me feel even safer . 

It doesn't hurt Delgado can back up his bark with a nasty bite if needed . Though I'd never ask him to


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## Lilie

All of my dogs are my first alert. We (hubby or I) will take care of things after the initial alert. 

Nothing says, "You are NOT welcomed here!" like four madly barking dogs.


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## bryant88

Anthony8858 said:


> No.
> If someone entered my home, I would fear for Kira's safety. Since she is a GSD, most would expect her to be protective, and may try to inflict harm on her.
> 
> On a bright note.... She would alert me, and give me enough time to choose between "Smith & Wesson" or a "louisville Slugger"


Smith and Wesson is always a better choice


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## Bear GSD

Yes. People on the street will usually give me the wide berth as I am walking with Bear. Also Bear is very sensitive to sounds in close proximity to the house and lets us know if something is up. 
Not too long ago my daughter came home from college to surprise us, she came through the garage and was having a hard time with the lock. Bear went ballistic because someone was trying to get in, he couldn't hear my daughter's voice because he was so worked up, needless to say my heart was racing a mile a minute because I thought someone was trying to break in. He finally heard it was her and calmed down.
I think if anyone heard his bark it would definitely be a deterrant.


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## 1sttimeforgsd

Yes, I feel more secure as my boy's sight and hearing day or night can alert me to any problem that may occur, and then it is up to me to address that problem by any means that is necessary.


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## Wolfgeist

Very, very secure. 

People avoid me and Hunter, most cross the street. Very secure doing our late night walks just me and him (midnight to 2am range usually). 

People who don't know him are afraid to come in the house. He will not allow entry without me allowing the person in, but will sit and watch them intensely when in the house.

If I ask him to defend me, he does so confidently and very enthusiastically.


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## Gharrissc

I always love the extra space you suddenly get when you have a large dog with you. I've seen some people run across the street when they see me walking Paddie,and she's in a wheelchair.


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## Yuna

Yes. They absolutely do...even if I KNOW they wouldn't do anything. 

Case in point: One evening (during my college days) there was a random knock at the door and my shepherd started going off as per usual. I couldn't tell you why I did it, it was really stupid, but I just opened the door. There on the other side of my glass door was a very large man. A complete stranger. 

He made eye contact with me then proceeded to look down, made eye contact with both of the dogs. A glance to my left. A glance to my right. Made eye contact with me again, and promptly said, "Uh, sorry. Wrong house." He then quickly turned and walked away. I was left standing in my doorway thinking, "Oh, ok. Sure."

Later I realized how stupid a thing I had done. However, it goes to show that most people avoid you when you have large, intense dogs whether you're on the street or in your own home. My shepherd will stare down anyone she sees. I know she just wants attention and scratches, but no one else knows that. They just see a large, black german shepherd staring them down from across the street. I'm more than ok with that. In fact, I love it.


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## Caledon

At home, yes.

She is a derterent.

She will bark at people at the door, and she has different barks depending on the person's actions. (she can see as my front door is full patterened glass and they can see her, although more difficult).

Walking, I've never had the need to want to feel secure with or without my dog, but, if I were to meet a questionable person I'd want her with me.


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## Anthony8858

Since we're on the subject:
Just pulled this off of MSN

Secret Service dog falls, dies, while protecting Joe Biden


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## Gharrissc

I just read about this online. Very sad.


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## hunterisgreat

Yes


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## jen1982

Absolutely. We were the victims of a home invasion a couple of years ago and our two older boys alerted my husband that something was amiss downstairs in enough time for him to handle the situation before any harm could come to us. They absolutely make me feel safer when my husband is not at home, which happens pretty often with his job in the military. I don't think we'll ever not have a dog (or two, or three) in the house.


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## JakodaCD OA

at home, no, my male aussie is the alert button and wouldn't hesitate to corner a male intruder he wasn't familiar with. Masi, nope, "come on in" is her motto, tho if salesmen come to the door, she will stand there staring at them which can make a stranger nervous for sure

Out in public, yes I feel very safe, walking/hiking, whatever. THo she's never been in a situation where she's 'had' to defend me, she is very very stand offish, aloof, does alot of staring if I'm stopped talking to some"stranger",,but she does make me feel safer out in public.


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## kiya

Yes I feel safer. I would definately not go hiking or riding my bike deep in the trails by myself, with all 3 dogs I have no problem heading out in the dark.


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## mehpenn

Yes. 
Right now I have a labrador, a great dane and a toy poodle.
The lab is a love bug, came from a neglect situation, the great dane is old and came from an abuse situation, and the toy poodle is your typical neglected yappy dog..... but the fact alone that they're there makes me feel safer.
I wouldn't expect my lab to protect me, I've seen the great dane show aggression towards certain people, before her health started declining... and the poodle...well, she'd maybe bit their shoe laces... but their presence makes me feel safer.


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## TrickyShepherd

Oh they sure do.

3 GSDs that are not particularly thrilled about strangers during walks (especially at night) is pretty intimidating. I walk often at night because of work and the weather here. During summer months it's just WAY to hot to go further then the end of the driveway. Although our neighborhood and general area is very nice.... it's not gated, and anyone can walk through. You never know who could show up one night.

For the most part, people usually avoid using even the same street as us. lol! If anything was to happen, I would at least have a warning to do what's necessary. I would protect my dogs first, but I know Duke would bite (probably wouldn't hold... but he would rip a good chunk out), Zira would freak out and probably just bark... or run away peeing herself. However, Storm lives for the fight, and the more you go at her... the more she fights back and the stronger her bites are. I have a feeling, as an adult... Storm will have no problem protecting and staying in the action. 

Even without them doing anything, I feel they are a good deterrent. I don't understand why anyone would pick a fight with a person and 3 large GSDs. Joke would be on them anyways, I don't carry cash and I never wear any jewelery when I workout or go for walks. All they would win is a hospital stay. lol!


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## Piper'sgrl

elisabeth_00117 said:


> Oh, and wanted to add... I usually walk at night with a friend of mine (Wild Wolf on this forum) and her dog Hunter.... so it's us two girls and our 3 German Shepherds..... yeah... people think twice... or three times for that matter.


Do you live near conestoga mall or fairview? Love the pic!

As for the question do I feel safer having gsd's. I know for a fact that Piper would not let anyone she didnt know into the house and if you are that unlucky someone coming unannounced into my home I wouldnt want to face my girl. I dont believe she would ever bite anyone but she sure looks like she would!( barking growling, hackles up, baring teeth) Zeus is a social butterfly and would allow anyone to come into the house. But I feel safe because i have two large gsds with me and know that alone would deter people from doing anything bad. I live out in the country and behind a cemetary so I dont think anyone would want to come to my house anways lol.


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## elisabeth_00117

LOL I live near Fairview - right near it actually.. lol.


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## Piper'sgrl

elisabeth_00117 said:


> LOL I live near Fairview - right near it actually.. lol.


That's awesome..would be neat living so close to a mall..Sorry if I've creeped you out lol..I work in Kitchener at a vet clinic and am there 5 and a half days a week. Also used to live in Waterloo when I was a kid until I moved out by Innerkip/Bright area...Was just curious  I love your pups..beautiful dogs


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## elisabeth_00117

No problem!  

If you ever have Piper and wanted to do a walk or something let me know.  Am always up to meeting other GSD owners!


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## Midnight12

Yes my dog makes me feel safer, it is hard to sneek up on a dog at night. So a good warning system. She makes sales people go away fast though she only gives one alert bark and sits by me when I answer the door. They don't know the danger of all the licks they might get if she could get to them lol She is a people lover. Only once did she go crazy at my door when some man knocked and I did not answer because I trust her judgement and one time she really barked at a man walking down the street and this is in only times the year that I have had her.I am glad she does not bark at every pasery by but alerts when they come on my property.


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## yote54

My one GSD is working line. The other day two fellas came to install my new HVAC. I was absolutely not thinking and let my two out to greet them. Off leash, Ziva would not do anything initially but hide behind me. However, Jethro took off at high speed and penned the one guy against the side of the house with his best Schutzhund bark. I swear he loves to see people jump! He is not Schutzhund trained but has seen dogs work. Note to self: do NOT allow my dogs to greet people off leash for awhile, especially if they are wearing cold weather coveralls, which could be mistaken for a bite suit.

My two are good about 'alerting' me to strange noises outside. Not the same as being 'yappy' at all. 

Do I feel safer? Most definitely!


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## Jag

I am very hard of hearing, so it was nerve wracking for me not having GSD's in my house. Grim still doesn't bark if someone's at the door, but the girls do. He just hangs there... and waits. I think that's more intimidating (for me anyway) and something my bitch used to do. He's always been more 'alert' on night walks, which I really like. Now that he's 'found his bark' it's even more fun, LOL! Nothing like a dark faced GSD barking at you.  He has no fear, either. Even at just shy of 7 months, I feel MUCH safer with him here. The hotel on our one side is blocked by a tall row of bushes. The other side is nothing, especially after the hardware store down the way closes. Behind us is a UAW hall. So we're really isolated, and this isn't the best small town. However, I wouldn't hesitate still to walk him at night here. He's handler protective already...so my biggest fear is someone hurting him when he's trying to protect me. I hope we're never in that situation. Over all, though... yes. He makes me feel very safe. :wub:


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## OffgridAlex

My pup makes me feel emotionally safe. Just having him near me stops me feeling lonely and makes me feel secure in a way that I never have on my own. 

He is only 5 months so when we are out and about he attracts attention rather than warns it off at this stage


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## Good_Karma

Oh definitely yes! At home, if my husband is out with my male dog Niko, Rosa is on high alert and she lets me know if anything is going on outside that I should know about. There is NO WAY any of my neighbor's cats will go through my property without me knowing. 

Niko is really perfect for me as a running partner. I run in a very rural and secluded area, I very rarely see anyone on the trails I run, and if I do they are just driving through as a shortcut to somewhere else (unless it is hunting season). If someone wished me harm, my habits are pretty regular so it would not be hard to hang out and wait for me to go by. But with Niko and a canister of pepper spray and my cell phone always with me, I don't worry about being assaulted. Not that I think Niko would protect me, but I know he mistrusts strangers and he looks intimidating. He has a very loud bark and is kind of reactive, so it doesn't take much to set him off on an aggressive display unless I am actively managing him.


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## Piper'sgrl

elisabeth_00117 said:


> No problem!
> 
> If you ever have Piper and wanted to do a walk or something let me know.  Am always up to meeting other GSD owners!


Would love to at some point for sure!


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## Verivus

Kaiser definitely makes me feel safer. Whether or not he'd actually engage a threat is questionable, but looks alone are a good enough deterrent. It also helps that his bark is deep; if he weren't my dog I'd be scared of him, lol. That's part of the reason I chose to own a GSD, since I am a single female and used to live by myself.


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## DixieGSD

Yes she does, even tho she's only 7 month's everybody think's she's older and will protect me, cause if somebody "new" come's in or somebody she dosen't really know she'll just stare at them and sit by me. On walk's it's great I must say. Anybody that see's her will get off the sidewalk and walk by rather fast, or cross the street  Even when i have her off leash and she see's somebody going by she'll just run over to me and watch them walk by lol


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## llombardo

My oldest one(non GSD) generally likes everyone, so if she barks or shows signs of not being comfortable, I know something is wrong. The golden thinks he's a rott, he really loves everything, but one wouldn't know that if they tried to approach me..he is probably the best deterrent vocally. The GSD is quiet, but will stare someone down and she doesn't let up until they are gone. Most people are afraid of her, but she isn't a mean dog at all. If all three of them are together in the house and barking, I can't imagine who would be stupid enough to try to come in. So yes I do feel safer with them, even if all they do is alert...most of the time that can be enough.


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## Simbas Bro

yes i feel alot safer hes only 9 mos people say hes huge for a full grown im only 14 and once these drunk guys approached me he knew something was up so yes i feel very safe with him around


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## Daisy

Sort of, because of all of the noise she makes when someone is at the door. It would seem it would be foolish to enter my house the way she carries on. But, she tends to be lab-like once we let them in. Out on walks, not so lab-like, but hasn't had to act tough.


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## TommyB681

as of right now shes a puppy so...to me..not really. but as she grows she will be more intimidating. Its not really for me its more for my gf, I work nights so shes home alone at night 5 days a week. I dont intend on doing PPD with her so shes really just a show of force.


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## Jack9211

Even a friendly dog gives you the time you need to react. So definately feel safer with my dogs. If I have been asleep for 3 hours, the warning from the dogs gives me time to clear the cobwebs & do what's needed. i m sure they would do what they need to also. The world is changing. No more unlocked doors, etc.


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## Lauri & The Gang

Even my Chinese Cresteds make me feel safer. They are my early warning system. Gives me time to get to my gun.


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## blehmannwa

I live in a cul de sac about 3 blocks from a drug/prostitution corridor. There are also a lot of homeless and car dwellers about plus a large low income housing project around the corner. Havoc is a huge comfort and deterrent and he is somewhat discerning. Most sketchy people simply assume that he is a ppd and his aloofness adds to that impression. Quite a few questionable folk call him the "K-9" and avoid him. On the other hand, he is very happy to see some the homeless folk that he's known since puppyhood.


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## Capone22

Having large dogs absolutely makes me feel safer,simply because its a huge deterrent. 


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## katdog5911

Absolutely feel safer with Stella and Ruben. Don't know if they would actually do anything, but a GSD and a big black 120 lb newfie mix look pretty intimidating. 
Although a dog is no guarantee. A lady in one of my dog classes has a big barky dog. She was a victim of a home invasion. The 2 invaders basically said control your dog or we will shoot it.


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## GregK

They sure do!!


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## onyx'girl

The reason Onyx was brought in was for deterrent/security. My 11 yr old daughter was having issues with the neighborhood and was very fearful. One of our neighbors was murdered(13 yrs old) by another transient neighbor a year before and then there was a weird van canvassing the hood. 
We live in a fairly safe place/cul-de-sac, but crazy can happen anywhere. So DH thought a GSD would make daughter feel safer. 

I always had family gatherings/parties and our house was the place everyone gathered. Since GSD's entered the house, the parties/gatherings and drop-in company has all but dissappeared.

Even with obedience on the dogs and knowing they are under control, people are too intimidated to visit. I feel bad, but it is what it is. 
DH carries so if really necessary, the dogs alerting will be enough. I don't expect them to protect me, just be a good deterrent/alert system.


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## RocketDog

Most definitely. Ever since I moved out on my own I've had a dog. I don't like not having one around--they hear, sense, and smell much, much more than I could ever. Every dog I've owned so far has made me feel like, while they might lose the fight, or back off if a human ever fully engaged them, they'd at least make the attempt. And with a wild animal that was rushing us? For sure. As that bond develops, you just know when to trust their instincts. I still feel many areas are my job to protect him, and as he ages someday into a senior, his senses might diminish. But still....dogs are dogs. 

Rocket used to bark more all last fall and winter and spring as he was going through puppyhood at little noises in the night, but it's steadily gotten less and less until now, he rarely barks at all. And when he does, we get up and look. (This is during daytime too). He hasn't barked in the middle of the night for several months now, which shows me he's maturing and able to discriminate now between "normal" sounds outside, deer, moose, etc and stuff. 

Also, I've met several people who've come up to me in the grocer etc and said "Say, don't you run in our neighborhood?" and then make comments about him--usually along the lines of "Well, keep HIM with you and you'll be alright! He sure is intimidating looking!" That's a big part of it. Deterrent. I don't necessarily tell them he's a pretty friendly dog. First, because he's still young, second because I don't know exactly how he would react if someone rushed me, and third, reputation is everything.


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## Shaolin

Very much so. We always had dogs growing up, so I don't feel comfortable without n 'early warning system'. Right after we moved, someone kicked in the front door and walked into the living room. Finn let lose a torrent of 'big boy' barks and growls while standing his ground and the intruder turned tail and ran. When I walk him, the questionable folk don't come anywhere near us and I doubt he'd let them, even though Finn doesn't have a mean bone in his body.


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## julie87

Of course I feel safer but not because she is a dog, but because she is a GSD and doesn't like strangers especially if they come near the house. Whenever there is a nock at the door she goes crazy, barking and running ahead of me to the door, then she inhales trying to smell the person through the cracks in the door (so loud lol) if somebody new comes to the house the dog has to be crated or else.. the other day my husband was working in garage and one of his friends came over and the dog was hanging out with him, he was sitting with his back facing the street so he didn't see who is coming, anyway the dog went NUTS lunging at him and snapping, glad she was tied. His friend is now terrified of our dog and she is only 9 months old. It just comes natural to them to protect their property. Even hubby said that he feels safer with the dog whenever he is working in garage cuz you never know who can sneak up on you while you aren't watching.I am alone most of the time, we live in bad neighborhood...And I don't know about the rest of women here but I am scared to take a shower when I am alone, now that I have a dog I feel much safer because if the water is running I can't hear the intruder and Im naked!! I definately hear dog's bark if there is ANYTHING suspcious. I don't care if anyone thinks its silly, things happen. When I didn't have her I relied on my beretta only....now I have my girl alarming me and I will take care of the rest... As far as walks, let me tell you I wouldn't walk at all if it wasn't for my girl... just not safe at all... When we go for a walk I have a knife on me, pepperspray and Im working on getting concealed weapon permit...you can never be too safe when it comes to walking alone with dog at night...you can't have too much protection for your life.


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## volcano

No, I cant take her anywhere without everyone walking up to me= shes 8 weeks old.


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## Gharrissc

That will change pretty soon.




volcano said:


> No, I cant take her anywhere without everyone walking up to me= shes 8 weeks old.


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## volcano

I went to one shutzhund session to watch so far. If someone doesnt submit to the barking they are certainly have bad intentions. These dogs are scary. Ive had my girl 8 days and shes barked 3 times, once to potty while I was upstairs, and 2 at a sqeaky snake toy in the bathroom when I turned the light out. I was surprised how dang loud her bark is at this age! The neighbors gsd arent trained and they just bark all day at nothing so ill be happy if she stays quiet.


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## KZoppa

This question has me laughing honestly. We presently have five dogs in the house. Two hound mixes, two GSDs and a GSD/Border Collie mix. Riley barks his head off at everything, the hounds are followers and bark whenever someone else starts barking, Shasta is generally pretty quiet but likes to "sing" when the other dogs get going and Zena is old and grumpy and usually leading the charge even though her hearing is going. Simple answer, No, I don't feel safe actually. None of them bark when its actually necessary so I don't trust the barking for anything but giving me a headache. When Zena was my dog and in her right mind so to speak, yes I felt safer because she'd proven a couple times she'd go after an intruder. She's the only one who would. BUT anyone thinking on trying to get into this house would be an idiot. A deer could fart in the next county and it would be cause for a barking spree but when the doorbell rings, nothing. Not a peep. Kind of defeats the purpose of alerting....


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## msvette2u

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Even my Chinese Cresteds make me feel safer. They are my early warning system. Gives me time to get to my gun.


:thumbup:
My Dachshunds wouldn't let anyone sneak up on this house, and that's the signal to get our guns and dial 911!


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## Cheyanna

Yes. Friends say I don't need a gun, because I have Fiona. 


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## Klamari

Yes. I'm young, single, live alone, and I know just her presense is a deterrent. I work nights, so I'm out walking at all of the night on my days off, and Rayne being always with me means my other form of deterrent gets to stay tucked away. 

Even though my neighborhood is full of LEOs (it seems every other house has a SO or PD car parked in the driveway), she makes me feel safe. There is a K9 officer that lives one street over, the kids in the neighborhood have seen him, so now they all call Rayne the "police dog!". 

When she was a baby, people would always approach and ask to pet her.....that stopped after about 1 yr old.



Lauri & The Gang said:


> Even my Chinese Cresteds make me feel safer. They are my early warning system. Gives me time to get to my gun.


Amen. I don't know for sure how Rayne would react to an actual threat, but even if she wanted to engage, I'm not letting her!! That's what my gun is for, to shoot you before you have a chance to hurt my dog


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## Bigdogsolo

My opinion for what its worth......Certain breeds are natural deterrents often by reputation deserved or not. Whether a certain GSD is actually trained to any degree or not, I think their reputation earns them respect and in that a certain caution by most people even idiots whose intentions are not good. Unless one has a dog that cowers or otherwise has shy behaviour, most would be troublemakers would be wary.
Now add the natural instincts of GSD to be protective or even territorial of its surroundings, I feel my dog makes both me and my wife feel confident she would step up. She is also interestingly discerning about who comes around the vehicle when she is in it. Acts different when confronted by different kind of "vibes" (my description).


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## Longfisher

Wife worked in Medicare Fraud investigations for a few years. With successful fraud prosecutions came threats on her life and on the lives of her colleagues.

It's been years now since she left that field, but, the mental imprint of those threats wears on. Until you and your children's lives have been threatened by someone anonymous but seemingly quite sincere you just haven't any idea what it can be like.

Since then neither she nor I take any chances either at home or at play or at work. Grudge holding inmates released from prison have a well-deserved reputation for revenge.

At home, at least our primary defense is me, an ex-Marine with plenty of experience and with no hesitation whatsoever to confront and shoot, as necessary. But I'll admit I'm getting older now and that I sleep more soundly now than at any time in my life, particularly more so than when I was in the service.

So, the dog is a welcome addition to the security plan. He will, at least, give me those 5 seconds I need to be up and armed. And, HIS security perimiter seems larger than the property itself (suburban home) which would probably be mine. Healerts at people and vehicles at least a house away. It's comforting.

We bought a GSD not because of their reputation for security or their threatening looks or their ability to train to protection dog status. We bought him because they're so darned smart and so beautiful. The loyalty didn't hurt any either.

But really, our Laborador, God Bless Her Soul, was a great alarm bell too when anything was amiss at night.

It's like I say about fishing, the fish doesn't know the quality of rod and reel you use as long as the bait or lure is spot on. Same with alarm dogs. The bark is the deterent, not the breed necessarily, particularly if the bad guy can't see the dog.

But as many have said here, the real threat to an intruder or vandal is the homeowner. That's certainly the case here.


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## fuzzybunny

Absolutely. They look very intimidating and they have a loud bark to announce if someone is at the door. Can't imagine someone would be stupid enough to mess with that.


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## RidgeWalker

Without a doubt my dogs make things safer. A dog doesn't just present the threat of attack, they alert me. Right now my GSD is far from being a defense animal (being only 7 weeks old!!) but she comes from a line of protection dogs, and her older sister that I had last year and sadly lost at 9 months old was already becoming defensive, especially of my wife. If someone came into the driveway that she didn't know, she'd sit on the porch and watch, and if I saw the hair on her spine rise up, that meant it was time to pay attention. Dogs have an amazing ability to sense danger, often long before a human will. Our outside dog, Tasha, a boxer/lab mix we adopted in 2007 is a great alarm, especially considering she only has three legs.  The coyotes got to her a couple years ago and crippled one of her front legs, but she still gets around. And if there is someone she doesn't know, or a vehicle driving in the cul-de-sac that she doesn't know, she'll be barking. 

While reading this thread I told my wife that, had I gotten a male pup, I would have named him Gaston. That way any threat would meet Gaston first, then the Glock. :laugh:

Before I got my first GSD years ago, I adopted a shepherd/lab mix from the rescue league, and although he would sleep more than just about any animal I know, he was great in the woods. Once he and I were out hiking along a trail, and all of a sudden he stopped and alerted. I looked around, and saw a water moccasin slithering away just a few feet in front of me just off the trail. He saw the danger before I did and let me know. In many ways, I'd rather have my dog with me in the woods than some people. If there are bears, cougars, or any other predators around, a dog will sense them probably before I will.


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## angelas

Lucky always made me feel safer. I never worried about being home alone or walking after dark. She had a halfways deserved reputation among the rubbish element of the city and most of them believed she was a police dog. Not something we every denied (though we never said she was, we just let the less than desirables assume it).

There was only one time when someone really tried to break into the house where they weren't deterred by her vicious sounding barking. Thankfully they were caught on their way back to the house with weapons when we wouldn't open to door to their assertions that they were police officers (idiots should probably not use that when a police car is parked in the drive way half the time).

What's funny is I always felt safe camping with her because I figured she would tear out of the tent if someone came into my site (I usually camped alone). Then one day I woke up to the sounds of someone in my site fairly close to my tent. Listening for a minute I figured out that it was park staff shovelling out the fire pit but Lucky didn't get up or bark. She just lay there listening. Good that she didn't scare the **** out of park staff, but kind of "thanks, you're supposed to tell me about that kind of stuff."

Now, when I'm home alone with the two small fluffies I am not comfortable at all. Every little sound makes me jump and flick on the lights because they don't always bark at someone in the yard or at noises from the door.


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## Valerae

Definitely. While children walk right up and pet my GSD, adults steer clear on walks.

That said, my GSD is a baby. When someone was breaking into my neighbor's home last summer in the middle of the night, it was my year-old rescue mutt who alerted me to call 911 (my neighbor is elderly and likely hard of hearing) - so he stopped a robbery in progress while my GSD didn't move a muscle sleeping out on the porch.


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## Cheerful1

I feel secure with Joey in the house, just for the fact that he has a loud bark, and great hearing for anything outside.

I don't know, and never want to find out, how he would be once confronted by an intruder.


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## MichelleMc

My dogs make me feel very safe. One of my neighbors said that " a person would have to be an idiot to try to break into your house." 
I have 5 dogs! 4 large 1 small. What no one knows is that only one would do anything about it. But they do all bark. As a single mom they make myself and my daughter feel much safer.

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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom

I thought I had posted but guess not. When i had daisy and Lucky and they were pre 10 yes . Daisy was an ADT alarm system on steroids. Luckywas more discerning but still pretty an excellent alarm. He held my dad who came in the house w/out invitationthe first time Lucky met dad.One day about a year befor Daisy passed a friend stopped by and they came into the house befor either dog woke up. I dont know what Chevy or Thunder would do we will see. My answer is maybe.


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## jourdan

Avery gives me piece of mind when we are at home while my husband is gone tdy for work. Rarely does he bark at the door bell but he always barks when he hears someone walk through the front door. After his sad sounding wake up bark his big boy bark is pretty intimidating I think. I've left him at the kennel I work at once over night when my husband was gone, I woke up to every last noise and had nightmares of being abducted. I have never left him over night while hubby is away since. 


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## Alsations

I have three GSD's , I always say, if you come to my home, bring a gun, if you get past me , you have to get past my guys, and good luck with that


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## VTGirlT

Yes, she does. But mainly because I know that I am also in protection mode because of her. 
If someone were to break into my house and being that Zelda is in there with me, it would make me have a huge reaction because of my wanting to protect her. 
But I suppose Zelda's barking and growling would also cause a person to retreat.


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## Ceasar

1. I absolutely do. I always say that unless someone comes in here with a gun, the odds are against them. Ceasar and Ally (GSD & pit/lab mix) are EXTREMELY protective. Emma will either follow their lead or try to show them where her treats are. 

2. I absolutely LOVE Zelda's name!


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## Msmaria

No, Dexter licks everyone. We got a Gardner last month. ( my sons too busy to do it now) and I realized he came and did the backyard when no one was home. Dexter was outside in the yard the whole time. He's only 5 months so this may change. But maybe not. Both of his parents were very friendly.


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## VTGirlT

Thank you Ceasar!!


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## Lauri & The Gang

My dogs, the GSD and the Cresteds, are our early warning system. If someone breaks in I don't expect the dogs to go all Chuck Norris on the bad guy. I just want them to give us enough of a warning so we have time to get to the shotgun and then they are to get out of the line of fire.


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## wdkiser

Of course. Like others have said, they are a good early warning system and then I can take control.


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## Kaimeju

I think Gypsy is too adorable to be intimidating. She likes almost everyone and is just aloof with the rest. It is also unfortunate that she attracts a lot of attention and gives people an excuse to approach/talk to me when I'm walking alone. I've had some really sketchy people call out to me on the street because they wanted to know what kind of dog she is. 

But do I feel safer with a 96 lb animal that can easily crush bones at my side? Yes. Even if it's a false sense of security. And she is definitely protective if something is out of the ordinary. She is very, very watchful.


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## TommyB681

wdkiser said:


> Of course. Like others have said, they are a good early warning system and then I can take control.


Perfectly said, all the intruder has to do is hesitate for a second at the sight of the dog. Then its night, night...


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## Malachi'sMama

Kai has definitely made me feel more safe. I know he will only give me more security as time goes by and we bond more.
I'm a single mom who lives out in the 'cut' on 20acres with no neighbors in sight. It is VERY dark out here at night. I'm surround by woods and two small fields. Before Kai, I spent many nights jumping at every 'bump in the night', and feeling for my 9mm in my bedstand  Not to mention my closest neighbor is a crazy 'The Hills Have Eyes' or 'Wrong Turn' type *******. 
I've had to be the tough, fearless mama for my kids, but now I feel like I get to SHARE that role with Kai, and having him by my side at night, on our walks of the property, and in the house while the little ones sleep puts me a bit more at ease. 

He's definitely helped in that department!!


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## ShenzisMom

Having Shenzi around makes me feel better. We've started going on packwalks with my neighbors dog, so everyone always sees Shenzi muzzled nowadays. (We had an incident with an aggressive offleash dog about 3 years ago, I know my dog and it likely wouldn't happen again. However, to err on the side of caution) Shenzi doesn't make me feel safe though. She's all bark, but with a little pressure she shuts down completely. I am waiting for a dobe pup to train in schutzhund, and dabble in pp since mondio isn't available here. I would feel much much safer with a gun, but this is Canada, where good people can't protect themselves and the crooks barely serve their sentence.


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## lyssa62

Anthony8858 said:


> No.
> If someone entered my home, I would fear for Kira's safety. Since she is a GSD, most would expect her to be protective, and may try to inflict harm on her.
> 
> On a bright note.... She would alert me, and give me enough time to choose between "Smith & Wesson" or a "louisville Slugger"




OH that was epic..that's how I feel too. Roxy would alert me. I want a sign that says "dog barks..owner shoots"


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## Msmaria

The other day I posted no ,that my 5 month old licks every one and I assumed he wouldn't bark at intruders. Well today I'm changing that. Yesterday my grill had its day and i went and bought a new one. We had to bring it in through the side fence. I opened the gate so my son could carry it in and I hear barking. Dexter must have ran outside through the doggie door and was running around the house with his hackles up barking towards us. The look on his face was priceless when he realized it was us. He went into full on greeting loving mode, ears back, tail wagging and whining. I think he was relieved it was us, but I was just impressed he was fearless enough to come outside to bark at an intruder as my other dogs stayed inside. I love my Dexter he surprises me every day. :hug:


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## angierose

Yes. Besides being a warning system, the dogs have changed my habits so that I feel safer. I'm in the yard playing with them or training them often, and the whole neighborhood knows they are here. I've met neighbors while taking them for walks, so I feel more a part of the community. We are close to a bad area of town, and there are multiple abandoned homes on our street. Since I'm outside more, I keep up with the yard better and it's obvious that this house is lived in, so not a likely target for thieves.

I've also got some mental stuff going on and find that my girl Kaylee helps immensely with my confidence, and being confident-looking will often keep you safe. Sam helps me because he isn't friendly. He's the dog I take on late-night walks. If I tell him "speak!" he lets out his big bark. If I try that with Kaylee, she uses her play bark, which probably isn't very intimidating but might shatter someone's eardrums.


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## MichaelE

I don't feel any safer, but Lisl provides a good early warning system.

When I am walking Lisl, sometimes late at night because of my work schedule, I do feel I have another level of deterence.


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## Merciel

Yes, my dogs do make me feel safer.

I'm not really worried about burglaries. For a variety of reasons, our home would be a very poor target for a burglar and I think our chances of being victim to a home invasion are basically zero.

Out on the street, though, I'm a small young person and not physically imposing. In that situation, yes, it helps to have 150 pounds of deranged furball as an escort. Dog Mob has chased off would-be muggers three times in two years and has deterred several other sketchy characters before I was sure of their intentions.


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## LaRen616

Yes, Sinister makes me feel safe. His size and appearance make him look like a wolf, he alerts me when he hears things and I have already been protected by him when 2 men approached me..


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## holland

I guess I am naïve-but I don't feel unsafe a lot-my dogs are more companions-I just enjoy my time with them


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## JackandMattie

Yes, I do. I have three, and over 200 lbs of fur and teeth are a pretty good deterrent.

They bark like mad when someone comes to the door. The irony is, it's my 60-lb wigglebutt snugglebunny weimeraner bitch who has the deepest bark of all. Even though Jack grown into his ear-splitting big boy bark, hers is still the deepest.

Was just going round and round with the BF last weekend. I had put the two young'uns inside, and Lillian started her slow and steady let me back outside bark. BF said "Jack wants out!" I said "No, that's Lillian." He said "That's definitely Jack." I lolled and said "No, that's Lillian." He looked way puzzled and declared it _Must_ be Jack. I said "Okay, let's go see." It was Lillian


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## MedicPup

Yes I feel safer, my son feels safer, & my husband feels better about us being home alone when he works nights. A dog (especially a big dog) is def a deterrent. When I had my old dog no one would go near us with him around (and he was very friendly). It's funny because kids loved him but you would see the fear of God in the parents eyes. I'm hoping my puppy will not only be a great pet but also be very protective of us & our property. But again I really think just the fact that you have a dog is a deterrent to people. 

And also my 2 guns help make us feel safe


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## TR6

I honestly don't want my baby to make me feel safe. Why? Well, in case **** happens I do NOT want her to get hurt in any shape or form. She is family and I love her too much to see her sacrifice herself for some **** money bought objects. 

Get a handgun, learn and properly train with certified trainers and keep them away from your children (if appropriate age, take em with you). My spouse does feel saver if I'm not home but still.. 


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## Freestep

Part of the reason I like GSDs is the feeling of security it gives to have one by your side. Even if it is a false sense of security.  A GSD is a good deterrent to all but the worst of people, I do believe.

When I was in college, I was homeless and living out of a broken-down van for a while. Since I spent the majority of my time alone, having a GSD was a livesaver. Possibly literally. I did all kinds of dumb things then, I used to walk and bike miles at night, alone, but I had my dog with me, so I felt safe. Nothing ever happened to me, I was never accosted, harassed or attacked, and I believe it was the presence of my dog.

All of a sudden I have found myself dogless, and being home alone at night feels strange. Used to be, whenever I heard a strange sound, or strange voices, I'd send a dog out to investigate first. Now I only have cats, and the best I can hope for is that they run for cover should a murderer break into my home!


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## hunterisgreat

Certainly


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## pets4life

my current one does big time my old gsd did not at all. So some do some don't. But I mean I would be more happy to walk with ANY gsd in a bad area rather than walk alone. Or any dog witht the scary looks like rottie or dobie. If i was walking by myself in an ally. I knew the dog was not the type to protect. I would way rather have them by side as we walked rather than do it alone by far. Even if i knew they would run. Id walk with a protection breed over other breeds also just because the image it might give out in a bad area. But at home by myself or in the yard only 1 gsd ever really made me feel safe but shes always tested and being trained also. I would feel even more safe with 2 than one, even if the second one was a scardy cat. If one is barking and ready for a fight the other is there standing beside it, would be a scary site for any person. lol 


2 dogs to me is very scary, 2 big dogs.


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## smhardee

Yes, I hope that Cora never has to protect me but its nice having her. I am a runner and not only is she good company and helps me keep pace, but she keeps look out. If she smells or sees something that I may not she gets closer to me or taps my hands. Her default mode is to alter not to attack. I like this because I would not want her to be so protective that she jumps to attack first. But I will says the best things is when someone she hasn't met comes over to the house she will not stop barking until me or my husband let them in the house. Once their in she knows they're okay and goes into lick you to death mode.


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## Cschmidt88

I definitely do feel safer with Dakota, even though I don't know if he'd actually bite if I was attacked. I know he would at least "put on a show" so to speak, that would make you think twice.

My Pit Bull Alice... I'm pretty sure she'd like the guy while he was stabbing/hitting me.


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## VanBuren shepherds

I feel very safe. I don't like taking my dogs to Petsmart but I do it anyway just so I can watch all the people stay like three aisle away from me. Some grab their children and run, but most young children run right up to them and start playing with them and you can see the parents start to stress out.
If I have one more Petsmart employee look at my German shepherds and ask me what breed they are or if they can give them a treat at the checkout I'm going to scream! They get offended when you say No! It's for their own safety. Lol



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## VanBuren shepherds

They keep the mother in law away too! That's the best security a man could ask for!


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## Big Sid

Knock on the front door and you are met with 600 teeth on the front window. Next to that and a good shotgun I don't know what security is...


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## Deno

There is no doubt we are safer with Dex & lexie. We live in a seculded area and the only time we ever had a problem was when we didn't have a dog. Dex & Lexie are our 3rd pair of Black German Shepherds. When my last Black male, Jet passed away, I swore I would never own another dog. I am not the crying type, but I cried for weeks, I just couldn't see putting myself and family through this ever again. As fate would have it we were broke into a little over a year ago, at the urging of my wife and daughter we got another Black male two days later. I have taken Dex to a level far above any of my other dogs as far as protection goes. I can take him anywhere off the lead and he is the perfect gentleman. He is a big baby and he loves everone but the Vet, yet at the mention of two words I can turn him into a serious threat that would scare the living snot out of any veteran dog person. There is no doubt in my mind that a burglar would have to kill kim to get into the house. Lexie is 6 months old, she may be more of a natural at protection work than Dex, I think it is a Czech thing. There is no doubt we are safer and our lives are much richer with them.


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## erfunhouse

I felt immensely safe when we had Metro. There were three distinct instances where I am sure I would have been harmed in some way had I not had him there, and one of them I swear he would have broken through the car's front windshield to get to me if he had to. He was the greatest dog ever. Sabo...it's a toss up between "I dont know who you are, so Im going to bark" (though it's getting better with regard to neighborhood kids at the door) and "OMG inanimate object i've never seen, MUST kill it!"...LMAO


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## Ceasar

Loved Dexter's little story! Adorable. Poor little thing! At five months old, he didn't know WHAT he was going to do but he had it in his head that he should do SOMETHING... thank GOODNESS it was his family! 

Van Buren, hilarious. I have friends who are afraid of dogs, to which I say, too bada, so sada -- this is THEIR house. 

At 80 lbs and four years of age, Ceasar is imposing. When it's just us and he wants something, his whine is truly one of the most pathetic things you'll ever hear. Sissy. Weenie. etc.. His bark however... ahhhhhhhhh people hear it down the block and it IS something to behold. 

Just now, as I was catching up on this post and reading, "early detection" one after another, his deafening bark boomed right behind me. I turned around to see a wild turkey walking down our driveway. He has several different alert barks. This was just "something is stirring" bark. At night if there's something out there he cannot see, it's a little bit more than that. There's a warning to his bark with increased alarm. He's not sure what is there but he's warning it. When a person or vehicle comes onto the property, there's his FULL ON ...WHO ARE YOU bark. It's very distinctive. 

This dog that I adopted a year ago has managed to really shape my canine preferences quite a bit. I'm very very GS swayed.


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## Klamari

Yes, I feel better because Rayne's dark coloring, and how intensely she tends to study people walking by us, mean we get a wide berth on our walks (I'm out and about late at night due to work schedule).



Lauri & The Gang said:


> Gives me time to get to my gun.


Amen, this is what makes me feel really secure. I don't care if Rayne would ever actually engage a bad guy, because I wouldn't give him the chance to get close enough to hurt her.


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## OutOfStep

This is my first time owning a GSD, she's still a young 6mth old pup. 

However, prior to having a GSD I've lived non-stop with rottweilers over the past 15 years (having owned 4 and fostered more than a handful). No one steps into a home known to have trained rotties without an invite. 

I managed to go two months without a dog in my house, before I picked up my girl GSD. I do still miss the security feeling of having a trained adult dog. Enjoying the pup factor as much as possible in the meantime.


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## Rbeckett

My GSD makes me feel 100% safer. I am disabled and she checks on me all the time. I know if I fall or something happens she will be right there to help me if she can. Just knowing I am not going to lay somewhere for hours alone is very comforting. So yes mine does make me feel safer all the time and especially when I am home alone during the day.

Wheelchair Bb


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## wyoung2153

Titan does mke me feel secure. We've never been in a situation where I need his "protection," thank goodness. However, when I have been in an uncomfortable position, like walking or running in the early morning by myself, when I'm home alone, when someone I dont' know comes to the door, etc., he always senses that and becomes very alert, very focused on me, and just very watchful. 

I was once in a situation where I was home alone and Titan was going crazy at the back door because of something. Right or wrong, I let him out (6 ft privacy fenced in yard.) He chased whatever it was out of my yard and I watched him do a complete search of my 1/2 acre lot. Then We went out front and he searched the whole front yard and came back and sat right in front of me very alert. That solidified my faith in him. 

He also isn't as comfortable with males as he is females, so that alone makes me feel a little better. 

He's my "little" security guard  and at the very least he is EXTREMELY intimidating and will make you think twice before approaching me or my property.


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## aphrodite

Yes! Very much so. I've been lucky that there hasnt really been any threats sent my way. But Ace and Ark will keep their senses alert for people who knock at our door and squirrels.  I am clumsy so when I trip and fall, I'll usually yelp and that's enough to send em running.


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## ODINsFREKI

max made me feel safe at home as a kid. dexter made me feel safe while alone in a strange place as a teen. ranger made me feel safe when i let my guard down. gustav and maggie made me untouchable and I left everything unlocked but this puppy does not do it for me yet.

IN time, he will make me feel safe when my daughter and son are walking with him in the forest and in town. Nobody will get out of line near them and their dog.

What goes around, comes around.. How great!


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## fredh

Jake makes my wife and I feel very safe. Since we got him she is no longer nervous at night when I have to travel on business.


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## Rbeckett

As an afterthought to the original question my shepherd does make me feel safer and more protected in addition to being concerned for my health and physical issues. She patrols the acreage we have set aside and fenced for them and she is definitely the undisputed Lord and Master of the yard. When a stranger or strange animal ventures too close she makes certain that they understand that inside of the fenced area is strictly off limits. That is about the only time she uses her "Big Dog" deep voice. Otherwise she uses her crisp bark to alert others to her presence. As long as I am home she will allow guests to come to the door without a threat, but if I am away at an appointment it is a different type of meeting all together. She is a pet me monster and demands attention and acknowledgement when we come home and she greets every guest with the expectation that they are going to pat her on the head and show her some affection. Then she is perfectly happy to go to her favorite spot and lay down so she can monitor the situation. Her spot is laying on the couch curled up next to me with her head either in my lap or up on the arm of the couch. When ever she is agitated I tell her "go get in your spot" and "calm down" and that is where she goes. If it is really busy and disquieting she will go to the bedroom and get on the dog bed and lay quietly till everything calms down a bit. Her training failure quark was a slow transition so her behavior is perfectly consistent with her dealing with her stress in a safer and more productive way than how she did before..

Wheelchair Bob


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## selzer

I live in the boonies. I like it out there. There are hardly ever any sherriff's on our road. And, while I have neighbors, I only know one set of them, and they are home only sometimes. 

I have the dogs. All of us have guns. The neighbor I don't know has a frieking elephant gun he blows off over there. The neighbor I know has a gun for squirrels. Mine is just a shot gun, but a couple of times when the mangies sounded off, I went and got it and loaded it before going out there to find out why. 

They have different barks for different issues. Like a stray cat doesn't get the same level and intensity as the Amish fellow who used to cut through to get to his timber lot. My dogs will bark at cars that pull into any of the three driveways, but it is just a "hey, how ya'all doing?" kind of bark. If someone gets out of the car in my driveway -- that is a different "Hey! who're You?!?" The Amish fellow driving his horse down the road, and his kids driving their ponies barely gets an honorable mention.

Mostly though, it's a quiet road. 

And when it really matters is when I watch a scary movie at Mom's and then drive home. The house is NEVER empty or scary.


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## sparra

We live in the sticks ......no close neighbours.....no bad people around.....but the other day I was on my way to town and this guy was driving drunk......all over the road so I dobbed him in ......he could have killed someone. He must have been onto me though cause he was following me when I got to the police. 
That night hubby wasn't home so I got to thinking about this guy.....small town ......he probably knows me. I felt safe though knowing Luther was here in the house......everyone knows we have a gsd.......and it makes us feel safer.:wub:


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## brembo

Ah yep! All their job entails is to make me aware. I have opposable thumbs and can use this 



very very well. It does not take much skill as laser scopes tend to be a very "point and shoot" sort of undertaking. A .44 Mag also has a lot going for it, huge bullet, huge energy and semi-jacketed hollow-points do evil things to flesh. I feel secure. I sure do.


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## Lucy Dog

Not really, but I live in one of the safest towns in this country (literally). Nothing ever happens around here. I do clear the roads when I'm out walking them, but it's most just other people walking around minding their own business too.


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## Sunstreaked

We live in a townhouse with a gated courtyard, so there is the sound of the gate when someone enters the courtyard. Eva has quite often "perked up" and given "woofs" that are alerting. We allow her to go out and investigate whatever sound she heard (we can see that the gate is closed before we do so) and then tell her "Good job!" once she's assured herself (and us!) that everything is ok. 

We have a "Beware of dog" sign on the gate and never get any drops in once they hear the huge barks she lets out! 

Outside on walks when she sees someone approaching she stops, gets a locked posture, *STARES*, and on a few occasions her hackles rise (and you can't miss that they do). We are given a WIDE berth!


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## PhoenixGuardian

I didn't get Phoenix to be a "Protection" dog, but that is kind of what he has turned out to be. He is territorial aggressive (though we are making AWESOME progress!!! :laugh but I hike all over the place with him. I live out in the country, and hiking by yourself can be dangerous. Not to mention, there are creepy people in this world, and I'm not very big. I do feel incredibly safe when he is with me; he is my extended eyes and ears. I love the security of having him with me; nobody messes with my dog!
(I'm not old enough to carry a handgun yet  Though I know how to use one and we have lots of guns in our house. You can bet I will when i'm old enough though!)


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## blackshep

My dog definitely makes me feel safer! I live in the country and one time someone came to the house really really late at night, a short time after I moved there. I was sleeping, he had been drinking and didn't know a friend who he was looking for no longer lived there. 

My dog was barking and growling. She will bark if someone comes to the house, but won't normally growl when I'm up and it's daytime and when I tell her it's ok. Something about night time and me being asleep, she was definitely really suspicious.

Anyway, I don't know if she'd actually protect me, but her ears are far better than mine and she will give me a good warning, so she can at least eliminate teh element of surprise and I also think she's a pretty good deterrent from most people.

Also, she LOVES my dad, but he was letting his dog out when I was walking her up the driveway and he was hidden by a little pine tree. He stepped out (he was a fair distance away) and said hi which surprised us both, it took my dog a second to realize who it was, she went nuts barking at him. Then she saw it was him and got all excited to see him. So she's definitely on the lookout for suspicious behaviour in people. 

I don't own a gun, and I don't ever want to own one. I think they kill more people by accident than on purpose, and they would make me feel more unsafe than they would safe. I by far prefer my furry security system.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom

Yes to a point. My three who are all seniors have slept through a visit from our neighbor. But if their awake look out.


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## Galathiel

My pup is only 5 months old and does alert to any small sounds. However, he also speaks on command and I can always whisper 'what's that?' and he'll bark. Don't know where he picked that up ... I think he just likes the idea of barking, although he doesn't do it indiscriminately.


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## Melissa98409

I'm sure my dogs would protect me if it came down to that, but I think there would be some negotiating first. Neither my Pit or my GSD have a great desire to get involved. The GSD will bark if he hears anything and the Pit will investigate the majority of the time, but I think they expect me to protect them.


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## selzer

I am not too sure that they will protect me from serious bad guys with weapons, but I can pretty much bank on the fact that they will deter the vast majority of people who are looking for an easy target.


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## lalachka

I doubt my dog would protect me and I wouldn't want him to, i'd be afraid he's seriously hurt. I'm ready to protect him though. 

However, his barking and lunging would probably deter most people and if it doesn't then he probably wouldn't be much help even if he was protection trained and I was willing to give the command.


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## trcy

safer? idk...maybe in the sense that if they alert I will have time to do what is needed to protect myself if there is an intruder. I would not expect them to attack.


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## Oisin's Aoire

Yes , I feel safer with my 90 pound boxer hound mix , my 130 pound Mastiff , and my growing GSD. I do not know if they would attack..but they bark and bluff. Which gives me time to get to the tools that I choose and train to use should my family , including my dogs , be threatened. Unless a dog was specifically trained to engage , I would not bank on it. Is it a possibility they would attack? Absolutely ( especially a Chihuahua lol ) Would not bank on it though. They do make me feel safer because they are reliable perimeter alarms , they make decisions based on clues humans can't pick up and they share that decision with me through body language , and their batteries are never dead ,and cutting the phone or cable lines can't shut them off.


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## GSDLover2000

Yes! Even though she is a 10 year old, ten pound toy poodle... I feel much safer! I don't know why... but she has a loud bark so... I am sure she can take on a burglar!


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## dogfaeries

I definitely feel safer with the dogs. And now that there are 3 GSDs in the house (insanity), it's even better. 

Of course almost 7 month old Russell is basically useless at the moment, but he does have a big boy bark and is as big as Carly. And Carly is dark and scary looking, and I wouldn't want to cross her if I was a stranger. Then there is Sage. She is the early warning system. I joke that if someone tried to come into the house unwanted, that they would probably break a hip falling over the herd of dogs.


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## arycrest

*YES*, I feel much safer with the Hooligans!!! *NO*, I don't think they'd protect me *BUT* other people don't know that because they act like they're going to eat someone alive if they come to the gate or the house.


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## Buggibub

Absolutely. Just the look of a GSD is intimidating enough for most people.

Last week some dump truck driver didn't like the fact that Kristen tried to pass him on a hill and blocked her even though she had a lane to make a move. At a light, he got out of his truck and started pounding on the passenger side window yelling at us. Buggi started going ballistic at him with the "I WILL MESS YOU UP" bark and the guy about pooped himself when he saw a GSD's teeth less than 2 inches from his face. Needless to say he shut up and got back in his truck cab. He was driving like a jerk.

I just am always comfortable knowing that if I'm not around, and even when I am around, we have a GSD who has the natural protective instincts.


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## Sarah~

Yes, Eko makes me feel very safe. He is very protective of us and his little sister Xena  Every once in a while just to be an idiot my roommate will slap me on the arm in front of Eko to instigate him and Eko will snap at him and stand in front of me. I always yell at my roommate for it but it is a bit comforting to know Eko would protect me if someone attacked me. Just the sight of him is enough to scare the bejeesus out of most people, and although it makes me a little sad most people are scared of Xena too. No one wants to go to the house with the scary GSD and the pit bull!


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## Diesel_Maminka

Absolutely! I don't go almost anywhere without Diesel. For the last 6 years he's been with me through thick and thin. Even on duty I take him sometimes. 

nope this is my son. my right hand. 

he's an excellent judge of character and he's gonna come first I don't care WHO comes in and out of my life.....probably why i'm still single lol


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## PixelGalileo

Echo greets everyone who is not family or pack with loud barking.
I can walk down the street and she will ignore everyone.
However if someone moves towards us or speaks to us
She's on her back legs teeth snapping.
She is VERY protective.


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## hchorney1

Of course I FEEL safer. Does that make me safer? Probably not.

Shadow's certainly a deterrent.


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## Montu

Yes, but not because she would actually bite an intruder but because she is a deterrent and an early warning system on top of my home alarm.

With the dog and the alarm I'm sure I have more than enough time to stumble out of bed and pick up my 45 or 12GA


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## davpratt

Skylar (our 5yo gsd) is very protective. Our UPS guy is scared of her, and approaches our front porch very cautiously when he has a package to deliver, then he gets back to his truck very quickly. As others have said, I don't know if she would actually bite someone, but her bark & menacing look has been enough, to scare many away. One night she woke us up barking at about 3 in the am. I looked out and saw an older chevy parked, but still running in the middle of the street in front of our house. Whe I went out to check it out the chevy drove off down the street, turned around in the cul de sac and came back and left.Wish I had gotten the plate #, but didnt. later that morning I got up and discovered that the 98 Civic in front of our house had been broken into & stuff stolen from it. I learned to pay closer attention when Skylar barks late at night now.


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## MichaelE

Now that Lisl is grown and matured, I do indeed feel safer having her with me late at night. I know what she is capable of and I think we each compliment the other.

I have learned about her drives and thresholds, her motivators, and what can stress her, and make her change drives or fall out of drive.

These dogs are certainly fascinating to train, study, and to bond and become partners with.


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## Bridget

She used to. Now Heidi is 13 and sometimes I am not sure she hears too well. Her hips keep her from getting up to the window to look also.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom

Bridget said:


> She used to. Now Heidi is 13 and sometimes I am not sure she hears too well. Her hips keep her from getting up to the window to look also.


 This describes our house. Lucky was a vigilant watch dog but at 12 perhaps 13 his back legs are so weak and he doesnt see very well. When he naps he's almost comatose.The girls are close to 12 years old as well and they dont wake up easily. If all three are up and they see someone they still can get their bark on. But its now my role to protect and watch them.

I always felt saferr in our house w/ Daisy and Lucky ,they were a defibite deterrent.


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## Lilie

Last night, we had reason to have a total stranger in our home. As he sat at the kitchen table, Hondo laid quietly in the living room...staring at him. The man stated, "The dog scares the *bleep* out of me." 

Yes, Hondo does make me feel safer.


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## WateryTart

Actually, yes...as long as they can't see her! She hasn't even hit 30 lb yet.

But the other night, I was at home, my husband was out of town, and I had the puppy out late at night. I do not know exactly what she heard or smelled, but all of a sudden she charged up to about ten feet from the privacy fence separating our yard from the neighbors' and she stared straight at the fence and let out a low, menacing growl I'd never heard from such a small puppy. Then she started barking in a voice I'd never heard from her.

There have been thefts in my area of the city, so it is entirely possible someone on the other side of the fence was up to no good. My girl is a tad small for her age, and slender, so she doesn't look at all intimidating, but the sounds she made had the hair on the back of my neck standing up!


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## jafo220

I would like to say yes. But in reality, no.

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## JanaeUlva

Zarek, definitely. Minka, somewhat.


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## misslesleedavis1

I feel safer when my SO goes away. 3 loud dogs that sound like they are ready to rip it up is always a good deterant,


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## AngelaA6

To an extent yes, Gunther does make me feel safer because he can alert me when someone is outside or near the house. It would give me enough time to grab the phone to call the cops and get the Ruger. I also notice when I answer the door (I always have Gunther by the collar so he can't lick em and get all excited) people stand further away from the door and leave faster  ... but on walks I still don't feel safe (I'm looking into conceal carry) being a 5'2 girl.


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## katieliz

nobody in their right mind would mess with the cashman. however, i do worry, with the proliferation of firearms, that someone would shoot him. so...i'm prepared for that too, if ya get my drift, lolol...we got each other's back.


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## Kovinator

Yes. Especially since he no longer uses the crate at night (he's about 18 months.) I feel safer because I know at the very least, he will buy me time. Most bad guys are not coming in a window in the middle of the night if there is a growling, barking GSD waiting for them in the dark. 


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## Ace GSD

Yes ! Since Ace stay outside the crate i never close my bedroom door anymore and he is only 5 months old. He is very alert !!


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## RileyandSadie

I feel more secure with my dogs because they alert me when something or someone is new. So they are a great warning system & visual deterrent. When we brought Sadie home, Riley would bark at her till he knew she was "ok". But Riley is really like a lab in a GSD's body, he just looks tough but he is pretty submissive. Sadie so far appears to be similar but she's still just a baby.

All that said, for security... I rely on my CCW. That's not to say my dogs wouldn't be protective if push comes to shove, but I'd be reaching for my gun once my dogs let me know danger was present


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## car2ner

Yes, because he alerts us to anything unusual. My hubby says, "it is not the dog you have to worry about but the owner with the gun that is behind him"

That being said, people who don't know me think twice before walking nearby.


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## Three Scoops

Yes, of course. I feel much safer with my dog.

He alerts me of people at my door, or even just walking past our house. Plus I believe that any sort of assault or mugging is much less likely to occur when you have a big dog next to you.


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## pyratemom

I feel very safe when I walk my dog or am at home with her. She alerts to strangers near by or noises I may not hear. I walk anywhere at anytime with her and don't worry about anything. One thing I learned while training dogs is that if the dog feels safe with you then it will be a better behaved dog. Not that I think my dog realizes I carry a revolver but that the dog has more confidence when the owner does. But, I would protect her with my life. I have a CCW permit and I practice with my handgun a lot just for being ready and I enjoy shooting as well as my father taught me about handguns and rifles when I was very young and I never forgot the lessons he told me. He is gone now to cancer but I'll always remember the things he taught me.


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## pyratemom

AngelaA6 said:


> To an extent yes, Gunther does make me feel safer because he can alert me when someone is outside or near the house. It would give me enough time to grab the phone to call the cops and get the Ruger. I also notice when I answer the door (I always have Gunther by the collar so he can't lick em and get all excited) people stand further away from the door and leave faster  ... but on walks I still don't feel safe (I'm looking into conceal carry) being a 5'2 girl.


I'm also 5'2" and weigh around 115 pounds. The concealed carry permit allows me to feel safe but I will not pull my gun out unless I intend to use it. Never use it to threaten a person. Never point it unless you intend to shoot what you are pointing at. Answering the door with a GSD by your side does tend to make people back up. They usually stay on the other side of the gate near my door as the sign says "Warning: Bad Dog" and just lean over the gate to knock.


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## Stonevintage

*Feel much safer*

My past GSD caught a guy coming over my fence one night (several years ago). I heard the racket, by the time I got my mace and was outside, all that was left was my GSD with a full face black ski mask in his mouth and an upside down trashcan by the back fence.

My new GSD (almost 7 mos) just started alerting in the house at night. Tiny woofs. Last night she was very uneasy about 11:00 pm. I walked the perimeter early this am and found raccoon tracks all around the outside of the house and under the bedroom window and backdoor. Well, they're little masked bandits too! LOL


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## Augustine

Kind of. I know that Butters would put her life on the line to protect us - aside from the whole velcro thing, she is VERY pack-oriented - but at the same time, she's a pretty bad guard/watch dog. 

She's very alert, but she never tries to alert *us* of anything. What's more is she's super people-friendly, so she'd probably welcome a stranger right into our home if they broke in.

Just knowing that when it comes down to it, she'd protect us makes me feel safe. But I do admit that I'd feel even better if she could watch and/or guard the house properly.


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## Waffle Iron

Yes. Both of my GSD's always alert to anything coming into the yard, on the porch, and so forth. So if someone is near the house, they let me know.


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## pets4life

yes but only this gsd because she will bite the other ones would never bite so made me feel not that much safer.


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## Gideon_the_great

Yes! I was recently out and about with my 5 month old boy, at a crowded public park. He was very relaxed until a rowdy group of teenage boys started paying us some (unwanted) attention...sat straight up to attention, positioned himself between me and them and his eyes did not leave them until they continued on their way, upon which he lay straight back down beside me as resumed happily watching the butterflies fluttering by ☺ Was great to catch a glimpse of the dog he will be when mature


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## LaRen616

LaRen616 said:


> Yes, Sinister makes me feel safe. His size and appearance make him look like a wolf, he alerts me when he hears things and I have already been protected by him when 2 men approached me..


Draven on the other hand, he wags his tail when people walk by the fence, the only time he barks is when there is another dog around, he'd protect me from another dog but I'm not sure when it comes to people. His appearance is welcoming, he's super cute and super sweet, he doesn't make me feel safe at all. :laugh:


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## gsdlover91

Yes, I feel comfortable walking around sketchy areas of Chicago at night with Berlin. People usually stay away from us. Without him, no way in heck I'd be caught out there at night.. Too much crime. I still carry pepper spray with me sometimes.


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## Girl_Loves_Hydraulics

My dogs make me feel safer, but not because they are aggressive or protection trained. I live in a shady area, and really just want a repellent. Best advice I got from my new neighbor from a police officer, "You don't need an aggressive dog, you just need a big dog". But I don't let my dogs take on all the responsibility. I also have a security fence around my perimeter, and also a security camera system. There was a night on Devil's Night (October 30th), and I saw a large crowd of teenagers doing stuff they shouldn't do. They had started coming up to my garage where my vehicles were, and looked like they were going to vandalize. All of a sudden, Lena comes out of nowhere, and lets them know she is there. Last thing I heard on the camera before they all ran was, "Oh s*** it's a wolf run!"


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## Neko

At home I feel very safe... Those two made sure that mailman or UPS guy don't ring the doorbell anymore. But when I go on walks...... well their wagging tails give them away and everyone comes up to me to ask, pet them, compliment etc... My two goofballs, love them.


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## MyHans-someBoy

Yes, he does make me feel safer when I am working out of town and staying in a camper. Campers aren't the most secure place to stay, but he is my alert system. 
Hans isn't a big barker, so when he does, I pay close attention, whether we are in the camper or outside walking.
There is a storage unit sitting pretty close to the camper and there are two guys who drive back to it regularly to get things out of it. He knows the sound of their voices and the sound of their vehicle and never makes a sound. However, one day Hans was in the kennel behind the camper while I was inside working and I suddenly hear a short, low growl. I looked out and a man I had never seen before (but was ok to be there) was approaching the storage unit. I guess he was letting me know a stranger was around. Good boy, Hans!
When people see us out walking, I get lots of compliments on what a good looking dog he is, but they tend to say it from about 15-20 ft away, lol. Nobody invades our space and that is fine with me. 
I think my husband feels better about the situation, because Hans does act as a good deterrent.


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## Mackinblack007

My pup is 5 months old, and acts a complete fool if anybody dares to walk down the street.


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## crsobrooks

Koa the GSD, not so much yet. He's 8 weeks, so I'll give him some slack  

Our lab makes me feel extremely safe. Friendly as can be but he has a *BIG* bark and can mean business. I'm a military wife, so my husband is gone quite a bit and for long periods. The lab 'goes on duty' as soon as my husband packs his bags and stays on duty until DH gets home.

The ONLY time I've ever seen him show his teeth, our son was less than a week old, we had family in town visiting, and I snuck off to put our 3 year old to bed. Duke must not have noticed me leaving the room, he walked down the hallway and saw a an adult in our daughter's dark room and he lowered his head, his hair stood up, he growled, showed his teeth and started walking very slowly and methodically toward her bedroom. There was a gate over her doorway and he was looking at the door trying to figure out how he was going to get in. I watched for a second, then said his name and he immediately snapped out of it and his tongue went out and tail started wagging. It was the first time that I ever really understood that if push came to shove he would protect us.


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## AKgirl

I'm waiting on a GSD pup and have a lab and the answer is no!! If she hears something alarming she barks a couple times and then hides behind me and looks at me like "go ahead mom, get him!"
Gee. Thanks. 
?


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## dhaney81

Slipped and busted my ass on the ice this morning and my 4 month old puppy whined and barked like he was the one that slipped. Think it scared him to see me fall like that. I dropped the leash and he could of easily took off too, but he was right there. I think it's kinda cool/cute that he was worried and was right there. First time I've seen that in him.


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## newlie

My boy, Newlie, always barks to alert me if he sees or hears anyone around the house. He likes people and is really a sweet boy, but he is big and looks intimidating, so his very appearance is a deterrent. There has only been one time when Newlie showed his true mettle. I had not had him very long and one night when he was restless, I thought I'd take him for a little walk down the street. It was dark outside but I wasn't planning to go far. So, we were walking and all the sudden, Newlie wheeled around, planted his feet, and by his very body language issued a silent threat. I had not heard anything and couldn't imagine what was going on, but when I turned there was a jogger coming up behind us. I pulled Newlie away and the jogger went on by, but I still wonder because I have never before or since seen him act like that. I have felt safe around him ever since.


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## Lobo dog

Lobo is pretty intimidating between his breed, bark and the fact that he is 100 lbs; I usually don’t worry about my safety, plus i live in what is considered a safe neighborhood. He is getting really good at alerting me to someone at the door and he is protective of the back yard. However he is only 8 months old so while I know that he would raise his hackles and possibly bark at a person acting strangely or erratically around us, I really don’t think that he would protect me (not that I really expect him to at this age) if his bark and size weren’t enough of a deterrent for someone. 

What I have noticed though is that he draws a LOT of attention. I have only ever seen one other sable GSD where I live, so people are always drawn to him because he looks so unique compared to what they are used too. It is rare for me to go out and walk him and NOT get a complement from someone. If I am honest I do enjoy the attention and the opportunity to educate people about the breed (many ask if he is mixed because they have never seen a sable), and what dog owner wouldn’t? All that is to say, on our walks this last week, I have been honked at twice; the first time by a truck with two men in it, and today by an SUV of at least 4 guys (the windows were tinted so I couldn’t see the back). It is pretty freaky being a teenage girl and getting honked at by men. So while I do feel safer with him at my side, I also get more attention (good and bad) from people who otherwise would not have noticed me.


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## Hineni7

I do.. Most definitely! Not only have pat dogs been excellent deterrents (playing ice hockey in the wee hours and walking in empty parking lot, having stranger approaching with intent change directions when my super super loving (everybody) Shepherd growls like she has a demon in here, lol - scared me.. And other times) for potential burglars, or harm doers, but also when riding out on trail.. In CA, the river bed had gangs, homeless and teenagers looking for trouble... But up here in a rural area, then wild animals are always possible. Having large confident dogs (and obedient; although teenage angst is in full session right now, grrrrrr, lol) flushing what's hiding in bushes and making their presence known helps keep scary critters away.. Of course I'm armed to the teeth as well to defend /back them up if need be (God forbid the need ever arises)... They also are good at finding home when out hiking and not paying close attention (ok, that happened once).. Anyhow, yes, I'm more confident


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## KathrynApril

I went for sunrise pictures this morning and took Dinozzo with me. There was a guy just standing at the top of the hill and we were farther down. Dinozzo & I watched him for a little bit. After awhile he waved and walked away. The person was most likely harmless but Dinozzo did seem to deter him from coming down to the shoreline too. 

Also when sleeping in the house I feel safer as he will alert me to noises. As a survivor, I use to have trouble sleeping in the house if I was the only one in the house. Him being there lets me sleep easy. Though when I use to have my cats them just being there was enough too. Grant it they wouldn't "meow" at an intruder, but if some stranger came in the house their bolting to hide would surely wake me.

I don't expect my boy to protect me and more likely would do my best to protect him if some bad person came at me. Either that or me and him would be fighting together. I also have some mace with me when I go on these early hour trips. With that said though, I did feel safer with him being there with me.


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## Marcm157

I am a retired police officer but when I was active, I worked a lot of midnight shifts. My wife left for work when I got home leaving me to care for my then 2 year old daughter. During the nice weather, I would relax in a lounge chair in our back yard while may daughter played. My GSD Smokey was my alarm clock! If he saw me even close my eyes he would bark and nuzzle me to make sure I stayed awake. He stayed right beside my daughter and almost instinctively kept her in a very small defined play area. I was 100% confident both she and I were in good hands.


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## marreromcp

Well, I don't see my dog big or intimidating at all, but I get 1 of two comments from people when they see us. #1 "Wow, what a beautiful boy you have there... (me: actually shes a girl)" or #2 I'm scared of dogs, you got her right??". LOL! I still think shes to young to show any REAL type of protection (7 months), but yes,... I feel safe and would walk sketchy parts of town as long as she was next to me.


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## Throwing_Machine

Defo feel safe when walking her at night.
Walking a GSD can be immense fun I have watched people cross the road or when over the park they suddenly turn and go another way.
Been happening since she was only 6-7 months not like she was huge then.
Oh and then there is the odd Muslim that gets on the bus we are on and gets straight back off.
But mostly I just get people that comment on how beautiful she is or her markings. Also had a fair few people stop and ask me if I am a dog trainer which fees really good.


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## Ruger Monster

I'm pretty sure I'll feel "safer" once Ruger is grown. Right now he's only 2½ months old and not very intimidating (or knows to "guard" the house!). I figure if anyone unwanted ever comes around as he grows, Ruger will alert me to go get my OTHER Ruger from the nightstand  

Our Rottweiler, Jasmine, is a fabulous "guard dog"... we needed the electricians to come by and fix the 3-way switch shortly after we moved into our house. I came home to meet them to find them standing at the bottom of the driveway looking like scared little kids holding their toolboxes in front of them because they saw her face in the window barking at them. The guy wouldn't even come near the door until I assured him I put her in the garage (and locked the door lol). She will bark even if a doorbell on TV rings, or if something sounds like a knock. Then her barking sets off the Boston Terrier into a frenzy, but she doesn't sound scary  

We live in a pretty small neighborhood, and there hasn't been any suspicious cars/people from what I've seen in the 2 months we've been there. It's about 50 houses (out of 80 total to be built) backed to a marsh. But the seclusion of it could also bring unwanted "visitors" as well!


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## Lilie

I was home the other day when the UPS driver delivered a package. Hondo happened to be in the back yard (the fence winds around the house so there is partial access to the front of the house). Hondo was barking until I came outside to meet the driver and told him to hush. He sat quietly, staring at the driver through the fence. The driver said, "He's beautiful, but he scares me. Has he ever bitten anyone?" I replied, "He hasn't had a reason to yet."


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## WateryTart

I can now say yes, I feel safer with my dog in the house.

Recently, the police were parked outside my house for a good hour and a half. I don't know why, never did find out what was happening. Two vehicles camped out with the lights flashing. My girl didn't sound the alarm (except for a couple of isolated barks when there was a noise), but she quietly placed herself between me and the door and just hung out there. I feel pretty confident that she'd let me know if something was awry and she'd respond protectively if needed.

Hopefully that will NEVER happen, but it's nice to know I have her eyes, ears, and intuition in my corner.


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## Chai

Throwing_Machine said:


> Oh and then there is the odd Muslim that gets on the bus we are on and gets straight back off.


Why do they get off the bus when they see your GSD??


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## Stonevintage

Oh yea, definitely. Mine's getting to the age now (10mos) where she really scrutinizes people walking by the house. You know how it feels to be on the other side of the stare of a GSD you don't know. Woof!


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## Katy1985

I hike alone a lot. It wasn't until I lost my last gsd that I started feeling a bit uncomfortable and vunerable. Now, 1 yr after a new puppy.... all is great.


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## Ace GSD

Yes !!!! Very much . I used to sleep with my room locked with weight behind the door and sometime closet light on. Now i never close my room anymore at night. Not so much because i think he will protecr me , i just feel safe and comfy with Ace around.


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## danica

I dont know what I would do without my dogs, I already know this is the most loyal dog I have ever had [black German Shepard] he is my heart. :wub:


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## Double Trouble

I absolutely feel safer with my dog. Even though he is just going to lick you to death, he is like an unloaded shotgun. Not leather but EXTREMELY intimidating.

Here is Dargun:


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## selzer

So, today, Babs and I got into work, and in the lobby I put down my cokes so I could put her diaper on. She then trotted off as I picked up my cokes and followed. I am halfway down the hall when I hear, "Whoa." 

I said, it's just Babs, she's going to her spot. She didn't scare the lady, but seeing an almost 10 year old GSD with a diaper on and no person with her walking down the hall in a building might give you pause. Usually, I keep her right by my side, but today, I just let her go on ahead. 

Tonight, I turned on the alarms on the fourth, third, and second floors, checked the roof door, and then got Babsy out and we checked the doors on the first floor. My car was parked right outside the Lobby, so I left in the dock doors, and checked them, checked the back door, and then walked outside to the lobby doors. I left Babsy loose and went in and set the alarm there then came out, put her diaper on and put her in the car. I drove the car around the parking lot and opened Babs' window all the way, and stopped just outside the gate so I could pull it to and thread the chain through and padlock it. 

You bet I felt much safer with Babsy with me. This is a neighborhood where the church affixed bars across its front doors. Not a good sign. And Dave's Market, if you have to pick up alcohol there for an event, there is a big steel door and you have to ring a buzzer and they look at you through this little window before letting you in. Scares the daylights out of me every time. I may have been born in the city, and I may have lived there for ten years, but the decades I have spent out here in the sticks has spoiled me.


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## wick

Yep, mostly because people avoid me more  I am a young female who travels constantly, darn strait I feel safer when even the big guys avoid me and my terrifying 6mo puppy lol. It helps that Wick gives everyone "the stare"... even his favorite people haha. Although he licks anyone that comes near us, so definitely an unloaded gun.


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## Jessiewessie99

I do feel much safer with my dogs. They are good deterrents. Once a salesman for a home security company came by and went up to talk to my dad and Tanner began barking. The man said 'Seems like you got a good enough home security system to me."


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## Muneraven

When I answer the door, I have a sable GSD head on one side of me and a black Belgian/GSD head on the other side, peering out the screen door, pressed against me. People I don't know step back, and I like it that way.


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## GSDourBestFriend

I don't think my GS would hurt a fly but being that German Shepherds have the image of being police dogs, etc. I think people would think twice about trying to do something with a GS around.

While walking her around town people do give a double-take or step out of the way. They do have an intimidating look about them and I'm fine with that.


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## selzer

Well, while Dad and I were working on the electricity, we had to climb in and out of the window in the area where Karma is situated. Karma will not attack anyone climbing into the windows. She was perfectly ok with that. Probably would show the burglars where all the goods were. But that's ok, she is sweet and can discern by my demeaner that it is perfectly normal to have an old guy climbing up ladders, yelling at the dogs, and climbing in and out of the windows.


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## RubySlippers

Yes, Ruby makes me feel safe when we are together. Not because I think she will tear someone apart - though she is protective- but honestly... I'm focused and alert when I'm with her. I'm paying attention to my surroundings when we are walking, I don't want other dogs or people surprising us, or dogs trying to cause trouble with her. I want to keep HER safe so I think this makes me more confident and strong... and she feels the same way to boot. 

And yes, I never worry about answering the door, you can't hit the property line (where the front lawn starts) without Ruby letting you know you better have a good reason to be heading up the walk and knock on my door. I have one hand on the door knob and one hand securely holding her when I answer the door. She pops her head out like "Ya??!!" LOL! 

And she patrols the house at night. She hits all the windows and noses every door in the house. If she hears something, she does the whole circuit again. Those big ears don't miss a beat.


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## cammo

I'm probably sounding similar to many on this thread...
I guess I feel somewhat safer with my GSD around, but I feel that my FAMILY is much safer having my (our) GSD as a part of the pack. When I'm working shift work or up north doing contract work for weeks at a time, I like knowing he's a part of the family doing what he's instinctively bred to do and also trained to do.

He's a mellow, quiet, confident dog and he is liked by the neighbours because of that. A few years ago, when I was away at work, a drunk fella apparently got an address very wrong and came to the back door of the house via the back alley and started pounding on the door to be let in. The dog lit up with a very aggressive bark. When the GF opened the door to see what the noise was about the dog was right there with her barking loudly. When the drunk waved his hands in the air (he STILL hadn't realized he was in the wrong place) the dog lunged forward, all teeth. when the drunk stepped back and put his hands down the dog eased. 
yeppers, my home and family is safer with our dog around.


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## Charlie W

Yes.. My husband is working away for 3 months and since he left, I have had Norah sleep in the same room as me. The dogs normally all sleep in a room at the back of the house and our bedroom is at the front. I sleep much better knowing that there's a really good set of ears next to my bed, listening out for anyone coming up the driveway to the front, and two sets of ears covering the back! None of them are great guard dogs, but all the deterrent I'm after is a good bark!


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## halifax

Riley, my 1 year old male, is just starting to get what we novices call "all German shepherdy" ... expressing that deep resonant bark at (some) strangers and things that are out of place around the property. He had a bobcat encounter within the last week - going out for his late-night constitutional and the cat was around the side of the house - surprise! ... and he did exactly what I wanted him to do: get into command position and light up the place with an alarm bark. He didn't charge, he held his place - Riley, HEEL! - but he scared the living bejeezus out of that cat. Great!


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## Bjorneo

Steffi is only 4 months but might still raise an alarm. Given another two to three months her protective instincts will kick in. If someone wants to volunteer breaking in just to see how she would react please PM me! Hellya' I feel safer.


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## ausdland

Never. I protect the dog.


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## kelliewilson

Absolutley! I just bought a new coat and I was in my room bandit was chewing a bone in the livingroom I put my coat on with the hat, not thinking anything about it, walked into the livingroom and he seen me out of the corner of his eye and thought i was a stranger jumped up growling and jumped mid air at me then realized it was me, boy we were both happy!!! so anyone breaks in my house will get an 88 lb gs hanging off their neck. and with that i have to be very responsible with him.


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## BalkanBoy

Even just walking next to a German Shepherd will make you safe. Pretty much anyone who knows dogs or has ever had one knows about a German Shepherd. These dogs are respected and revered throughout the world. When you see a German Shepherd, you know you better not mess with them or their owner (Same applies to a Doberman, Rottweiler and Pitbull).


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## faith5

Definitely. But not so much about people. I live in the middle of no where and people don't come around much. My dogs make me feel safe when I walk through the woods, knowing they'll sniff out that rattler or copperhead under the log before I get to it. They won't let ***** or possums steal the catfood. They'll keep any dangerous stray dogs off our land. And they'll alert us in case of unexpected hazards like fire.

There was once, though, when I lived here alone, that my dogs made the "Intruder Alert!" bark pretty late at night. The one they reserve for people, not just stray critters. They were outside in the pen. I was startled and concerned enough that I turned on the floodlights & shouted to identify yourself or I would turn the dogs loose. Silence, so I let the dogs out. They went tearing off and I didn't hear any cries of pain, so I guess it was okay. That night I definitely felt safer with them around!

Off topic of dogs, but on topic of feeling safe: Not long after I moved up here, we got a pest control company to see about covering us for termites. They sent a guy up to look at the place. The man was late 40s & very friendly. Walked around the perimeter of the house, asked me about everything. Asked if I lived here alone (this was before I married). Asked if I were married. if I had a boyfriend. Where my dad lived (he was out of state). Commented that there wasn't really anyone around. I got spooked at all the unnecessary questions and slept with a loaded .22 by my bed for a week! Come to find out, from a coworker who happened to know the man, that he was a sweet but harmless goofball who had faint hopes of setting me up with his son! Good grief!


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## Way Too Quiet

I live in the country and I really appreciated having a big dog again that was intimidating if someone wanted to cause trouble. Years ago I had an Akita and she was truly a wonderful, thoughtful hunter. Very quiet, cat like. But when she meant business, look out! 
The reason I looked into getting a GSD after she passed was there was a lady murdered in her home not far from me. She was home alone and some crackheads decided they wanted her car and decided to kill her first before driving away and getting caught. 
I also loved having Gunnar walking beside us for a hike in the park, or wherever. But, as a deterrant only. I always said I need a sign that stated, "Don't mind the dog, watch out for the wife." 
Between the big bones in the yard, massive paw prints in the snow or mud, not to mention the nose prints on the inside of the window of the house at approximately 3ft off the ground, you'd have to be crazy to enter this house if you weren't invited.
Like my name says, without him here, it is way too quiet...


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## Longfisher

*Absolutely!*

Actually, that was the purpose of the purchase and training of Zeus and of Max before him.

GSDs are scary sensitive with their hearing and intuition of people, including being able to read my emotions without any deliberate cues.

And, Zeus is perfectly huge, utterly obedient and and instantly willing to bark his head off on command at anyone of anything.

We used to keep a loaded long gun near the bed a night. We still keep the long gun...but unloaded...as Zeus sleeps immediately outside of our bedroom door and seems to have a clairvoyance about anyone approaching the house within the property line.

When Zeus is quiet I sleep like a rock as does the wife.

But when Zeus barks with that particular bark that is no longer a warning, but rather, is ferocious as if he wants a piece of someone...I load the twin AR-15s with 30 round magazines, charge the weapons, open the lens covers, trigger the Red Dot Scope and the rifle strobe light on mine, hand the other one to the wife and then follow Zeus to the problem no matter whether it's in or out-of-doors.

He's just what we needed. He gives me the time to load the weapons if I feel I need to and to leave the weapons unloaded otherwise.

LF


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## Longfisher

*Perfect*



RubySlippers said:


> Yes, Ruby makes me feel safe when we are together. Not because I think she will tear someone apart - though she is protective- but honestly... I'm focused and alert when I'm with her. I'm paying attention to my surroundings when we are walking, I don't want other dogs or people surprising us, or dogs trying to cause trouble with her. I want to keep HER safe so I think this makes me more confident and strong... and she feels the same way to boot.
> 
> And yes, I never worry about answering the door, you can't hit the property line (where the front lawn starts) without Ruby letting you know you better have a good reason to be heading up the walk and knock on my door. I have one hand on the door knob and one hand securely holding her when I answer the door. She pops her head out like "Ya??!!" LOL!
> 
> And she patrols the house at night. She hits all the windows and noses every door in the house. If she hears something, she does the whole circuit again. Those big ears don't miss a beat.


Absolutely perfect.

Best,

LF


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## Jenny720

Definitely. Max bark alone is very intrusive. It was always very loud and deep but i always felt it was unusually loud and deep. Now that he is larger even more so. Even now when he hears something outside and barks that deep alerting bark I am still get thrown off for a second.


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## Mudypoz

The dogs I have now are getting old and don't really make me feel safe anymore. Their bark would probably still scare some people away, but if they knew how friendly my dogs are they could just break into my home any time  Some of the dogs I have/had made me feel safe just because I knew people thought they were bad ass, but in reality they were big wusses, lol  Any of my Dobes, Rotties, GSD mixes would be thrilled if someone would break into the house, my one Pit Bull and ACD not so much. Those 2 would never even let anyone look at me sideways, and I felt completely safe sleeping with open windows with them around, and I could walk them anywhere at night without feeling scared. I always knew they had my back.


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## ruger123

My GSD has some police K9 work under his belt (before I got him) and has proven on a couple occasions that he is ready and willing to protect his home and family. He definitely makes me feel safer. 

I have other dogs too, including a doberman/Great Dane mutt, and he is the friendliest guy ever, but has a very menacing bark and appearance. (Just picture the biggest doberman you've ever seen.) He is no threat to anyone ever, for any reason, but he's our main alarm system. Bruno sounds the alert and Ruger takes it from there.


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## Wicked Seraphim

I always felt very safe when my dogs were with me. The male always followed our girls lead, and she was the protector (heck, she outweighed the male by 20lbs easy and was taller even). On the home property, Pele was a force to be reckoned with if she was "guarding". Gollum would simply follow her lead.

UPS honked for deliveries. I had to go out to them, given Pele's history before I got her, I took no chances, and strangers on her territory was a chance we did not take lightly, no matter the situation. If someone simply had to come over, Pele had to be crated in a room the stranger had no access to. I loved my dog, but we were her last chance at life, and I would risk nothing in making sure that wasn't taken from her. Nothing.

She had a huge yard with a 6ft privacy fence to play in, fully secured. She got walks where people were instructed to please leave her be, though off the property, she was a whole new woman, again, chances we don't take... and my son would take her into work with him so she could play with other dogs (he is a certified vet assistant that just recently was working at a vet clinics boarding facility) and have some fun and get social skills as well. We never had a bite incident from age 3 when we got her, till she died at 11, 8 years later, not even anything remotely close. The male, we had for 10 of his 14 years... same, never an issue. They were just helluva great companions and boy, Pele really did protect this property and us.

I felt safe.. until they both passed. We all recently went and got our conceal carry permits, and I still don't feel as safe now as did when I had the dogs with me..I miss the watchful eyes and the quick bark, letting me know to pay attention.


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## Thecowboysgirl

Totally. My female literally has saved my bacon a couple of times. I am not so sure she would actually bite if it came to that, she has no training for that. But she absolutely recognizes when things are amiss and gets deadly serious and her bluff, even if thats all it is, is impressive. I was at an ATM once and a man tried to approach me. The window crank was broken so I had the door open and standing @ atm. As he started to walk up (and I don't think any proper man would approach a woman WHILE she is using an ATM, I think he meant to mug me). My girl stuck her head out the door and pinned him with this nasty glare. She didn't even bark. Sometimes I think she is scarier when she doesn't bark, he stopped in his tracks and went away.

She has alerted me to creepy lurkers in the woods while hiking and put on quite a show barking a perimeter around me. She is a very social dog under normal circumstances, very confident, really likes people but she knows someone hiding behind a tree in the woods is up to no good.

She is AWESOME because she is so solid, I totally trust her, there have been several other incidents in our lives where something may have happened or may not but no need to wonder because she handled it.

My old man Ruger was awesome too. Also a very social dog. I trai ed them both a greeting ritual (hand signal and command), which means, this is out guest. So that if I didn't tell them the secret handshake they knew. My younger daughter let my father in the house unbeknownst to me, did not say the right thing to Ruger, and he had never met my father. So as far as he knew this was a strange man. He put my father up against a wall and barked impressively. I ran out to see what was going on and took Ruger for a minute, calmed him down and gave him to command to welcome our guest and he ran right up waggi g his tail like nothing ever happened. Perfect dog in my opinion. He did 't haul off a d bite him, just held him in one spot until I told him the deal. 

We trained Ruger to do his big shepherd bark on command to the word "guard". It was a game, meant nothing to him, but he went jogging with my daughters and they never needed to use it but I doubt many people would have doubted that he had protection training if they had.

I could go on and on....no better dog to have around.

Oh, and my girk woke me up sitting on my chest a few weeks ago. The woodstove was malfunctioning and the house was filling up with smoke. She woke us up almost 10 mins before the fire alarm went off. She even tattles on the other dogs when they are doing something they should 't. She is like Lassie.


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## KillRbee18

*Bark harder than his bite*

To All,
My Poo-Bear (aka Titan) has a bark that would make an intruder think twice of entering our home. Although, I am a little skeptic if Titan would do anything if the intruder would proceed on and enter my home. However, seeing that he is really close to my wife, and seeing how he reacts when I am playing around with my wife; I could only imagine what he would do if my wife wasn't playing scared. I would like to believe he would go ballistic. And when we are asleep (Titan also sleeps in our room) he does react when he hears noise; which gives me time to grab my home defense; thank God we haven't experienced that scenario yet. So "YES" I do feel safer that he's with us.


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## Seth&Co

Of course -- even though our dog is very sweet natured and less protective than many GSDs, I know nothing will sneak up on me because he's very alert.


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## Michael W

Whether or not your dog would physically come between you and an attacker, most any dog will alert you to an intruder and will be a vocal deterrent. So, yes, they make me feel safer.


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## joulsey

I defo feel safer, I just don't know if/what he would actually do if there was an intruder?


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## Cameo

I always felt safer. All Shayla had to do was pop her head up at the window and people backed down the driveway..........Shayla was great with people, So was Snickers. But I believe that dogs know when someone means harm, or if there is something a little shady tho, because when one girl knocked on my door at about two in the morning with a very unbelievable story Shayla kept putting her face into the girls face........so I had to remove the dog from the room. She made no attempt to harm the girl (woman) but knew there was something off. I ended up calling the police to help the woman, she went with them but I don't think they believed her story either. It was the opinion that the girl was "casing" the place. I lived in a small country village with very few neighbours close


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## milaneechan

Baymax loves people, so I often wonder if he would actually be protective in a situation that called for it. But I have noticed recently that he is being a little more selective with who he lets pet him. In the last month he has pulled away from 2 people when they tried to pet him, something very uncharacteristic of him. One man he pulled away from, then stood himself between the man and my 11 year old niece, and wouldn't move until I walked my niece and myself away. He didn't get aggressive, but he definitely wanted to keep in between my niece and that guy. Stuff like that makes me sure that he will protect me if/when the time comes. 

But, he makes me feel safer just by existing. Since GSDs have that reputation of protection, I feel much safer walking by myself when I have him with me because I know other people know better than to try anything. His very presence saved me from a bad situation of this guy with road rage. He was only 16 weeks old, but was starting to get that older look in his face, and I had him in the passenger seat of my car and he was laying down. This guy in a car in front of me gets out of his car to come up to mine to yell at me about something I had no control over, and when Baymax felt me getting nervous, he popped his head up, and the guy back up and turned around, and yelled at me from his car door. So, he definitely does his job with his looks without even knowing it xD


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## rafi_ktt

yes mines does


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## astrovan2487

My dog always makes me feel safer. Her senses are a million times better than mine so just by having her around and watching her tells me whats going on. She is still young, 10 months and at this point absolutely loves everyone and everything but really surprised me at how she immediately picked up on when to have appropriate aggression for IPO. Definitely genetic. While I would never want to put her in harms way to protect me I feel that with more training/maturing she would eventually bite someone at the appropriate time, heck she might even be capable of it right now. Though I'd much rather use a gun for real life protection than risk my dog getting hurt.


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## zetti

The value of a GSD to make us feel safer lies in the dog's appearance and bark. Owners who believe their dogs, without the right genetic stuff and training would physically stop an attack are deluding themselves and potentially taking risks they ought not to be taking.

Finding a pup with the correct genetics for protection work is not easy--selective breeding is required. Teaching a domesticated dog to bite a human takes serious work. Biting a sleeve is one thing. Biting a man is quite another. Our dogs have strong inhibitions against biting humans.

In my adult life, I've only owned one GSD who would naturally bite the man. He was very civil in his work, definitely not cut out for sport. He was a reasonably safe dog in public as I had socialized him well. But he was highly defensive and if he fired up, he was for real. He was also very sweet and devoted to me. That dog would have bitten for real. 

He was also a huge liability. I had to thoroughly obedience train him on and off leash and maintain it for his entire life. I had to be ever vigilant, not knowing when he would perceive a threat and go off. I didn't get him to be a PPD, I wanted a nice pet and sport dog. This was many years ago and my ability to evaluate a pup wasn't very good yet.

But, I loved him and he taught me a lot. I was also offered lots of money for him.


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## KathleneDewberry

I really feel very luck that I have a dog. No matter what the situation is, he's always there. Makes me feel loved, safe and never makes me feel alone. Luck to have a dog and I love him a lot.


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## wolfy dog

Last night not so much. My hubby was out of town and I was alone with Deja (we live rural). Suddenly she jumped up from a deep sleep, hackles up and growling and barking at the garage door like I have never seen her do before and she wasn't calming down when I told her (and myself) that everything was OK, which normally stops her barking. It scared me to death. Turned out it was a skunk outside and she hates the scent. She just smelled it before I did. In these cases I miss my sight hounds who never over-reacted but I could see cues from them if something was going on.


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## car2ner

there is something calming watching a dog sleep comfortably and peacefully.


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## Ace626

Yes Yes and yes
When I had my dog (before it passed away) I would feel much more protected


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## Nurse Bishop

Inga is eleven months old and we live in the country. When she senses that something is wrong, something is out of order, she leaps completely up off the floor with each thunderous bark. It is quite a show when a stranger comes to the door. At night, she runs out barking into the dark on the What Is It? command. She has plenty of schutzhund3s in her lineage. But she is still a puppy, so I feel it is my job to protect her from loose pitbulls and random dogs, and from being petted and given treats by strangers. Fortunately she is developing that natural aloofness. I did choose the breed for security reasons. I will be living by myself in a forest. There are druggies in this river valley, one known nest of tweekers five miles away. I am not going to train her to bite people, I just want her to alert me to weirdos and to defend the area of my home giving me time to get the shotgun and jack a shell into the chamber. That sound alone on the other side of the door will give a home invader pause.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom

Charlie's bark lets me know when someone is her. Her contribution to a safe feeling is her alert as many have said on this thread and her bark and her on guard appearance is intimidating.


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## Stevenzachsmom

It's funny how a dog will make us feel safer. In her last days, my poor Annie couldn't see or hear well, would be blown over by a stiff wind, and probably had some doggie dementia going on. But - I was well protected from those dangerous garbage cans sitting on the curb. Annie did not trust them.

My current two are very loud, when guarding the house - from cats, babies in strollers, and the mailman. They 'sound' scary. Natty Boh, the beagle/JRT, is the most likely to bite, because he is a snarky butt. In a crisis, he would be more likely to run and hide.

Yep, my dogs make me feel safer. No idea why. I must be crazy.


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## Lanky

I believe the feeling is mutual. I feel safer around him and I believe he feels safest around me.


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## car2ner

I have always had large dogs that made me feel safer during walks. I didn't expect the dog to fight for me. They did add something extra that an attacker would have to deal with and they are usually looking for easier targets. My dogs also alerted me to people coming up from behind, important if I was reading a book while walking. 

The first time I had a smaller dog it was an odd feeling that instead of my dog "protecting" me, I had to protect the dog.


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## Jenny720

I was walking in the woods near the trail in my house two dirt bikers were riding in there all decked out in the bike outfits. When we were waking back the bikers were just hanging out on both sides of the trail parked. I had to walk by and it was real tight narrow trail. Max stood really tall and would not take his eyes off the guy when we walking by seemingly inches away. Luna of course wanted to say hi to the biker closest to her -friendly pup she is. Not that bikers were threatening in anyway one was a big fan of German shepherds but it just made me feel safe that Max was so alert and looked like he was ready not to skip a beat.


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## Sunsilver

I don't know what I'd do without my dogs. I'm a single woman, living alone, and I'm severely hearing impaired. When I take my cochlear implant off to go to bed, I can't even hear the smoke alarm beep, so one of my dogs is trained to alert me to it. They also bark up a storm if they hear anything strange outside. I' probably hear that, even if I was sleeping.

A barking dog is a wonderful deterrent, even if they wouldn't carry through and attack if someone actually broke into the house. One of my profs in university had a Sheltie. His house backed onto a ravine, and it was the ONLY one on the street that hadn't been broken into. The burglars didn't want the dog to draw attention to them.

Many years ago, when the Scarborough Rapist (later found out to be Paul Bernardo) was prowling the streets, I lived in Scarborough. Two German shepherds slept beside my bed every night. One night, they detected something on the back deck, just outside my room, and they went RIGHT THROUGH the screen door to chase it off! 

It was probably a raccoon, or a stray cat, but if it was a two-legged prowler, well, I'll bet they probably had to change their pants when they got home! 

If the intruder had a gun, yes, a dog is no match for that. But I live in small-town Ontario, and most people don't pack guns in this part of the world. Or if they do, it's a .22 rifle for shooting varmints...


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## Kazel

My dogs make me feel safer in my house, especially if I am home alone. They also make me feel safer on walks. 

However this isn't because I think they'd protect me(although I certain they would) but just the fact that a large dog especially of certain breeds is a large deterance just because of its looks. Well and the fact that it means I have company. 

If somebody breaks into my house I know my dogs will bark their fool heads off(alert system) and at least one of them would attack the person, however I do not expect them to and is rather they didn't. It's my job to ptotect them, and unfortunately I don't know if a shotgun pump would scare somebody off if the dogs didn't but I could try. Along with calling the cops of course.


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## Dracovich

For appearance, yes, but I keep a loaded 30-30 by my bed just in case (child free home).


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## car2ner

Kazel said:


> My dogs make me feel safer in my house, especially if I am home alone. They also make me feel safer on walks.
> 
> However this isn't because I think they'd protect me(although I certain they would) but just the fact that a large dog especially of certain breeds is a large deterance just because of its looks. Well and the fact that it means I have company.
> 
> If somebody breaks into my house I know my dogs will bark their fool heads off(alert system) and at least one of them would attack the person, however I do not expect them to and is rather they didn't. It's my job to ptotect them, and unfortunately I don't know if a shotgun pump would scare somebody off if the dogs didn't but I could try. Along with calling the cops of course.



I know a gal who has a couple of dobermans. She was taking a nap on her couch with the dogs when someone foolishly tried coming in her front door. When she and both dogs looked up, the intruder decided he was mistaken and left in a hurry.

DUH!>


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## astrovan2487

I do feel safer with my GSD around in that I can use her better senses to be aware of whats going on. She is very nasty/intimidating in protection and her bark and hold could be used as a good deterrent too. If it actually came to some kind of physical danger I would rather put myself in harms way than risking my dog getting hurt. For actual protection I have guns.


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## Vagus

I currently live in a super safe country but used to live in an incredibly dangerous one. We had to stay on alert 24/7. 

I recently went out of town for a week and couldn't take my GSD with me. I was up all night, most nights, hearing each little sound, creak and footstep. I realised after a few days that even though I now live in a country with minimal violent crime, my GSD still does a lot for my sense of personal security. He's my eyes and ears at night and lets me have a proper night's sleep. 

Now that I'm back home, I sleep soundly. Even my partner (who's lived here all his life, and doesn't know fear for personal safety like I do) agreed that he will always have a dog in the house.


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## ausdland

Not at all. I have a heightened sense of awareness to keep her safe and out of trouble.


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## Raisedbyshepherds

Absolutely. Always have for the most part. Its our job to protect them too, but its nice knowing you have something watching your back if you ever need it. To me its a tit for tat in a way. I'll watch your back if you watch mine type deal. My dogs know I can pretty much anything that comes our way, but the times the dogs have " spoken up" so to speak with strange people or animals I thought it wise to listen. And I can think of three times as a kid when our dogs saved me or my family from what could have been bad situations. Twice where strange people came to our house " uninvited" and once with a rattlesnake. So yes they make me feel safer....


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## selzer

Ok, we got GSDs because of their kool power and guarding ability among other things, right? So my dogs bark at the other dogs, and occasionally when the neighbors are out, but they are weenie-barks, like, "I want to play too!!!" Occasionally when the neighbors have their dogs it is a little amped up, like "I REALLY want to PLAY, NOW!!!" But when the UPS or FedX man or God forbid, a salesman or contractor comes over, or meter reader, they give me the business bark! So I know if there are strangers about. 

And for some reason, they manage to do the business bark. more often than not, when I am in the shower, getting ready to shampoo my hair, and on schedule (or late) for wherever I need to be. So, do I jump out of the shower and peek out the window, or say to heck with them, and finish my shower and figure out later who called. 

Today was a "to heck with them" day, and it was fedx bringing Christmas for a certain little boy and girl. Ah Chewey.com. Yesterday, he came with the cots, and I got one made up for Jenna and Kojak this morning, and today they brought the bone with a rope, and the nylabone dino and the little squirrel game refills, that we are calling chipmunks, one of which went to Kojak, one to the werewolf, and the other will be an inside toy, named Chipmunk. 

Not sure if it made me feel safer or not to KNOW that someone was out there while I was showering though.


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## trewqwert

As a 5ft2 girl, I definitely feel safer, even though my area is pretty safe. I can go for walks at night or in the woods without having to go with other friends or family.

It's mostly for show though. My 1-year-old pup is such a softie. He loves every human he meets, so I'm not sure how much he would actually help with if I was ever being attacked...


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## texxas guy

Saw a sign online that said:
You might get in, but you won't get out! (Had a pic of a GSD and an AR15). That would work.:wink2:


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## selzer

texxas guy said:


> Saw a sign online that said:
> You might get in, but you won't get out! (Had a pic of a GSD and an AR15). That would work.:wink2:


That is what I have, but no AR15, just a BIG paw print.


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## ksotto333

We absolutely feel safer at home. We sleep upstairs, and feel comfortable leaving the windows open downstairs at night. I've come up the steps at night unexpectedly, my girls scare even scare me then until they hear my voice.


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## 1Sasha

This dog is specially trained to alert to pending pterodactyl attacks. She originally was in the house and barked until I let her out or guard perimeter watching bird on piling poised to attack. Lol


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## acurrie

I'm in a fairly safe neighborhood even with the moderate price tags on homes here, but we get lots of reports of cars rummaged through on the neighborhood FB group because people don't lock cars then get mad. On occasion someone reports hearing their front doorknob tried but not finding anyone there. Mainly its just people checking cars for drugs and guns to steal (Texas problems). 

I keep everything locked because I know if they get in the car they can get into the garage and into the house via the garage opener, so mine's always locked and I've never had a problem. I do feel a bit more safe with Breaux here because I know that if someone tries the door his bark will set them straight before they can come in. These are suburban wannabe burglars after all. Sub-burglars if you will, lol!

I'm looking for a sign I like for the yard. Even though I have kids I'm leaning towards "Beware of dog (the cat is shady as f*** also)" but its not censored lol Nothing a little black electrical tape can't censor.

I'm in a cul-de-sac with a state trooper living across the street whose cruiser is parked outside each night when he's not on border patrol, and two fire fighters. I mean, it's safe here, kids run freerange through the neighborhood all day like its the 90s, but it doesn't hurt to have a good big doggo even if he's a goofball more than a guard dog. I mean look at that face, so fierce right? lol


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## Adamance

I feel a lot more secure not just with a German Shepherd or any sort of breed that is naturally intimidating. I feel more secure with any positive presence around, as I have a bit of anxiety, but having my old GSD Hero at my side did bring me a lot of courage I didn't know I had. He made me get out more, explore places I normally would've never gone, and with that dog I knew that if someone or some large animal was being aggressive, he would come between us and try to protect me. He was not trained to do so, but he was very aloof and weary of new people and animals. He would let me know if something was coming, too, or if he heard an out of ordinary sound I could always tell.

I'll share an experience. Once my dog and I were walking back from a hike through the woods surrounding my old house. The neighbor BYB had a huge pack of maybe 20 dogs at least, who sometimes roamed freely as a pack. They were assorted breeds, some large some small some aggressive some not. You get the jist.

Well this PACK was blocking the entire road to get back up my driveway, every pair of eyes just watching us walk every step of the way. Hero was off lead at first, as I normally let him hike off leash. The first thing he did was start trotting towards them, ears and tail up. Bad. I recalled, leashed him, and with him at my side and a heavy stick on the other, we managed to walk past the dogs without any touching. They gave us a wide berth because I was yelling a lot lol. 

Stupid as the situation was, Hero didn't duck his tail and run. He would've marched right up to them and chased em all home, I'd seen him do it before. I think both of us made each other braver in that situation, honestly. Without one or the other, neither of us would've been able to pass those dogs out of fear. But I wasn't gonna have a fight, and he behaved perfectly when I took over. 

So yeah, with the right dog I will feel secure.


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## ACarney

Adamance said:


> I feel a lot more secure not just with a German Shepherd or any sort of breed that is naturally intimidating. I feel more secure with any positive presence around, as I have a bit of anxiety, but having my old GSD Hero at my side did bring me a lot of courage I didn't know I had. He made me get out more, explore places I normally would've never gone, and with that dog I knew that if someone or some large animal was being aggressive, he would come between us and try to protect me. He was not trained to do so, but he was very aloof and weary of new people and animals. He would let me know if something was coming, too, or if he heard an out of ordinary sound I could always tell.
> 
> I'll share an experience. Once my dog and I were walking back from a hike through the woods surrounding my old house. The neighbor BYB had a huge pack of maybe 20 dogs at least, who sometimes roamed freely as a pack. They were assorted breeds, some large some small some aggressive some not. You get the jist.
> 
> Well this PACK was blocking the entire road to get back up my driveway, every pair of eyes just watching us walk every step of the way. Hero was off lead at first, as I normally let him hike off leash. The first thing he did was start trotting towards them, ears and tail up. Bad. I recalled, leashed him, and with him at my side and a heavy stick on the other, we managed to walk past the dogs without any touching. They gave us a wide berth because I was yelling a lot lol.
> 
> Stupid as the situation was, Hero didn't duck his tail and run. He would've marched right up to them and chased em all home, I'd seen him do it before. I think both of us made each other braver in that situation, honestly. Without one or the other, neither of us would've been able to pass those dogs out of fear. But I wasn't gonna have a fight, and he behaved perfectly when I took over.
> 
> So yeah, with the right dog I will feel secure.


I have heard this sentiment echoed many times and I have come to agree with it. I believe a dog makes people feel safer from two stand points. The first being the security and safety stand point, and the second being from a perspective of quelling anxiety. I am yet to get my shepherd, it's proving to be a long process because my room mates and I can't agree on a pupper yet. However, from my experience with shepherds in the past, they usually help in both of the above departments. They are very loyal and loving breeds and this helps put their owners at ease. Also, they can be very intimidating to people (and other breeds) that are unfamiliar with them. This is an asset that most big dogs possess, which makes them great companions and the perfect means for people to feel safe while they are at home or walking around late at night. All in all, I do believe that the right dog can make you feel so much safer


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## Jackal

YES- way safer. My 13yr old told me a 'creepy man' aka peadofile on her school bus was asking her innappropriate sexual questions. I asked her to call me n i can meet her off of the bus n not to get off bus. 3 months later, i got the call. I ran with 2 large male rotties n a giant male gsd to bus stop. Bus pulled up i got on with 3 dogs to a shouting bus driver saying i cant bring dogs on. Ignored him. Walked to where my daughter sat crying. Man had just asked her "do you fxxxx urself with ur fingers?". She pointed to the man sat behind her. I opened up all 3 dogs to 'hold n bark' till police arrived. Or i lost control. He was covered in saliva. But not bitten. Dogs were under my control but I wanted to kill him. So tempting to give command to bite - held off in case he tried to run. Im not an aggro sort of person. But my dogs n i knew "we got this". Scum bag on bus arrested charged n incarcerated. I know tales of females protecting their young. But i am a natural coward n know i only was able to do this as had 300lbs of teeth n muscle backing me up. For intruders im more worried about poisoned food or stabbing of dog or other horrendous injury.


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## Jenny720

Jackal said:


> YES- way safer. My 13yr old told me a 'creepy man' aka peadofile on her school bus was asking her innappropriate sexual questions. I asked her to call me n i can meet her off of the bus n not to get off bus. 3 months later, i got the call. I ran with 2 large male rotties n a giant male gsd to bus stop. Bus pulled up i got on with 3 dogs to a shouting bus driver saying i cant bring dogs on. Ignored him. Walked to where my daughter sat crying. Man had just asked her "do you fxxxx urself with ur fingers?". She pointed to the man sat behind her. I opened up all 3 dogs to 'hold n bark' till police arrived. Or i lost control. He was covered in saliva. But not bitten. Dogs were under my control but I wanted to kill him. So tempting to give command to bite - held off in case he tried to run. Im not an aggro sort of person. But my dogs n i knew "we got this". Scum bag on bus arrested charged n incarcerated. I know tales of females protecting their young. But i am a natural coward n know i only was able to do this as had 300lbs of teeth n muscle backing me up. For intruders im more worried about poisoned food or stabbing of dog or other horrendous injury.


Why was this man allowed on your daughters school bus? Did he work for the bus company ? Crazy. This is where cell phones and I can see bark and hold can come in real handy. Good for you!!!!


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## LuvShepherds

How did an abusive male get onto a child’s school bus? What kind of training do your dogs have? You are very lucky a child didn’t panic and get injured while you were using your dogs to hold someone off. That kind of action worries me a lot, for our breed and for Rotties. They get enough bad press as it is. You also defied bus company policies. If that happened here, the dog owner might be looking at charges.


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## Arathorn II

Do any of the guys feel like female dogs look to us for security much like our "women" look to us for security?

When I walked our previous GSD I didn't feel I had to be on as high alert to our surroundings with him as I have felt when walking girl dogs.

Ranger is still young so I still feel like i have to be on alert for him if we see a cat or rabbit or even a butterfly flutter past our path.

Maverick felt more like my bodyguard - like he was on alert for me. If that makes sense


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## Jackal

We dont have school buses. Just ppublic transport buses.


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## cloudpump

Arathorn II said:


> Do any of the guys feel like female dogs look to us for security much like our "women" look to us for security?


No. My female is still alert as much as my male.


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## Sabis mom

Arathorn II said:


> Do any of the guys feel like female dogs look to us for security much like our "women" look to us for security?
> 
> When I walked our previous GSD I didn't feel I had to be on as high alert to our surroundings with him as I have felt when walking girl dogs.
> 
> Ranger is still young so I still feel like i have to be on alert for him if we see a cat or rabbit or even a butterfly flutter past our path.
> 
> Maverick felt more like my bodyguard - like he was on alert for me. If that makes sense


Umm.. I don't look to anyone for security and the best partner I ever had on patrol was my Saboteur, also female.
It has been my experience that it depends on the dog, not the gender. Although some of the older K9 guys I know swear that the females give up, won't stay in the fight, my personal experience is that females defend their people and males defend their territory.


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## selzer

I find bitches are more likely to be protective of the den and pups, translated in our families, the house and the family, especially children. Dogs, in my experience, seem a little more easy with human strangers, and a less accepting of male canines, neutered or not. Dogs seem a little goofier where bitches seem more serious. But then I have Quinnie, the goofie werewolf, who is fine with strangers and dogs, and I wouldn't trust her to protect my house or myself if masked burglars were robbing it.


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## Digs1

A dog's the only legal protection tool we have in the authoritarian nightmare that is the UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/04/man-arrested-fatal-stabbing-suspected-burglar-london

A dog and bare hands is better than just bare hands!


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## Sunsilver

My old girl sleeps leaning against the front door of the house at night. Anyone who wants to get in will have to actually push her out of the way to get the door open. And yes, she HAS been known to bite!

My insurance co. actually considers my GSDs as part of my home security system...


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## Beau's Mom

I feel somewhat safer with a dog, yes. The degree depends on the dog. I’ve had a smallish GSD rescued female, Xiao Mei, who was absolutely fearless when it came to protecting me. She saved me twice from serious threats. The first time she completely surprised me, as her normal response to strangers was to assume they were new best friends. But Xiao Mei knew that guy was trouble before I did, and she was in front of me with hackles raised and making the scariest sounds I’d ever heard, before I’d even understood that he was planning to hurt me. The 2nd time she scared off a car-jacker, again before I realized his intent. So yes indeed I felt safer with her.

Beau may be a different story. People find him scary *looking*, and he is the worlds loudest and most sensitive early warning system. I know when a piece of paper blows into the yard, never mind the mail man. So he is a deterrent, and I sleep better having him around. I hope he’s never put to the test, though, because he’s so sweet and sensitive I just don’t think he’d be fierce enough to survive an encounter. I’ve never seen him growl at a human being, ever, no matter what the situation. Only warning barks from inside the house. So I don’t feel the same degree of safety with him as I did with Xiao.


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## Mame

Beau's Mom said:


> People find him scary *looking*, and he is the worlds loudest and most sensitive early warning system.


This is where I'm at with my pooch. She's intimidating to people and dogs who get too close to our castle. I also don't want the intruder experience in order to find out if she'd defend us, thank-you-very-much-universe. Definitely feel safer, though. I have *never* slept with a first floor window open before owning her.


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## woopiee

Yes for sure, especially in the dark time of the day!


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## McGloomy

Absolutely. He's LOT safer than having a gun.


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## dave2336

Our GSD is the gentlest animal I've ever seen. He knows he can play a bit rough with me or other adults, never bites. But with the kids won't even open his mouth. If they try to feed him he'll lick the food out of their hand until it drops and then pick it up. He was afraid of strangers, noises, or even a piece of paper blowing in the wind. About the time he turned one that all changed. He is still a kind, gentle dog. However, if he perceives you as threat to me or the family, you're in deep doo-doo. There is an instant switch big furry pooch to Cujo. The first time I saw him go into Cujo mode it startled me. But, is nice to know he'll be there if things go bad. Is this typical GSD behavior?


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## GSDchoice

Mine (part husky) also discerns what is "OK" and what isn't. 

I think "OK" means: me opening the door to them, and saying Hi in a friendly voice.

What's "NOT OK" is, for instance, the HVAC guy coming back in to check the thermostat within knocking first. Or the plumber, who went back to his truck to get some tools and let himself back in. Or the tree cutting guy who had a ladder up on the side of my neighbor's house. In those cases, my dog will follow them around, watching them constantly, and letting out deep barks and growls. (I can get him to calm down, but I have gotten some nervous looks and comments from people).

So I guess I do feel somewhat safer? 
At least, I won't be taken by surprise!


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## Jenny720

I have had the flu all week and really hit me crazy hard especially today. Topper, Luna and Max all keeping me company making me feel safer! Photo of max and Luna the other day making me smile through the haze lol!


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## xthine

She is only about 12 weeks old but she has her big girl bark for sure! I feel safe taking her and her sister out for walks even though it’s dark outside. She can spot a javelina in the dark before I can that’s for sure! I still carry self defense items when we’re on our walks just in case certain desert creatures get any funny ideas. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Gregc

Yes, though it works both ways. We have each other's back*


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## mkculs

Having a dog greatly reduces your risk of being victimized by opportunity criminals. It does not have to be a big dog--it's the noise they make, first, and the additional risk of the perpetrator being bitten, 2nd. 

That being said, I love having my big dogs with big barks around me and my family. You'd have to be an idiot to take on my dogs to try to get to one of us. My running dogs have also intercepted and/or deterred other dogs that might have posed something of a risk to me while running (mostly dogs are just curious, but you never know). No one has ever gotten hurt.

On the other hand, I'm quite sure my dogs are at risk if there ever is a confrontation, b/c too many people carry guns and would not hesitate to use them on a dog, b/c they don't hesitate to use them on people. Maybe it would give me a better chance, but I don't want to risk my dog's life unless there is no other choice. I am pretty skilled at de-escalation so while this is still true, I have never had a public confrontation that left me fearing for my safety--never had one, period.  I'm not into insisting that I'm right when clearly the other person doesn't have the mental capacity to appreciate it. Best to side-step and move on. Nothing to prove here.


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## ADogCalledQuest

Although this isn't one of the reasons I ultimately wanted a GSD, I have to admit he does make me feel safer. I'm liking that aspect of the breed a whole lot. I picked them for their loyalty, brains, beauty, and movement. This is just a great bonus!


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