Reason to not get a dog?

[Goldens4ever]

I wanted to ask you your thoughts on reason to not get a certain breed, a work friend is going to get Dobermann purley because they are protective of there owners , shes not going to train him for protection work and she says they protect naturally if well trained and shes going to put effort into training and socialization but this concered me , am i right that you should never get a certain breed just so they can protect you?

Her insecurities come from being burgled at knife point in her own home and read that Dobes are naturally protective but i just dont think people should choose a breed just in hope it will protect them or there house

 

[JoanneF]

Any dog may be protective but equally may run and hide.

If your friend wants a dog in her life, with the possible added benefit of being protective, then that's fine. If she just wants protection, a good security system will be far more effective and a lot cheaper.

 

[Goldens4ever]

The reason im concerned is if the dog doesnt protect her when needed then she would rehome which is why i thought learning self defence and having an alarm in the house would be better. She gone for a dobe purley on storys of them protecting there owner but im not sure if all dobes are going to protect though

 

[Finsky]

Well...lets say, I've known few Dobermans and all they were capable to protect was their biscuit tins.. And if there was any indication you would have something to feed them with or have something to fill those tins, they would love you to 'death'

It is no different to any other 'working dogs'....those that would be capable to perform any specific tasks are carefully selected to be trained for it. I don't know what are the odds for how many from each litter would make it in those situations.

 

[Goldens4ever]

I got more info from her so she told me that its not her first dog she had a lab who she lost last year 2 months after she was burgled and he hid when they got broken into and she was just thankful that he was ok.

She did put up CCTV after and did learn self defence but she has told me i got it wrong she doesn't want a Dobe to protect her as such or to attack and intruder. She was looking at protective breeds as she has never felt safe ever since it happened and she said a dobe would help her feel safe again and confident which what she wants to feel safe and happy again.

And the Dobe is the breed that suits her the most

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

Its surprising what a dog can do just as a visible deterrent without showing any teeth. I'm guessing that most burglars would rather give a house a miss if there was a Doberman roaming around.

 

[Biker John]

I tend to agree with Rinkydinktdo, provided that the burglars realize there is a dog in a property they will tend to try their luck elsewhere. Also your second post sounds a lot better to me than your first.

 

[Dibbythedog]

Ive found GSDs more guardy than Dobies. They certainly can bark and can be intimidating. However , I understand that if your dog did bite a burglar then you could be in trouble in this country.

 

[Goldens4ever]

Ive found GSDs more guardy than Dobies. They certainly can bark and can be intimidating. However , I understand that if your dog did bite a burglar then you could be in trouble in this country.

Thats what i thought, Correct me if im wrong but im sure as well that somewere in the law it state's a dog can be deemed dangerous if it attacks another person on your property ( even if the person is a Thief) so wouldn't you stand a chance of then loosing your dog or god forbid it being PTS if its "protecting you" or even be sued for compensation by the thief for injuries sustained?

 

[Hemlock]

If the dog attacks outdoors on private property, even if clearly protecting its owner or itself, it may be detained under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Even if the criminal "thinks" the dog may attack, the same applies. Ridiculous.

However, if in your house (not your barn, stable, shed, whatever) the law allows the dog to defend.

So all in all, using a dog for protection carries some pretty stiff risks.

 

[Goldens4ever]

If the dog attacks outdoors on private property, even if clearly protecting its owner or itself, it may be detained under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Even if the criminal "thinks" the dog may attack, the same applies. Ridiculous.

However, if in your house (not your barn, stable, shed, whatever) the law allows the dog to defend.

So all in all, using a dog for protection carries some pretty stiff risks.

So i was part right , thanks i agree i think its ridiculous and unfair if the dog only attacked because his owner got attacked , if his owner got mugged and he had barked but the thug didn't listern so he bites to get the thug off his owner , i think its unfair for the owner to then get prosecuted and unfair to the dog. Especially if its a guard breed whose only doing what they were originally bred to do.