Trespassers

[Amber]

Have you ever had someone trespass on your property? Not like..come door too door selling stuff or anything like that, but, you're not aware of them and they're not supposed to be there. What did your dogs do?

I just let the dogs out and Amber went running up to the fence barking her head off and through the fence I could see that someone was sitting or standing right up against it (it's a wooden privacy fence, but I could see the movement and clothes through the boards). The fence isn't really near the border of our property, so he was defiantely on our land. I'm home alone so I didn't go up to the person or anything, I was kinda hoping that Amber barking and growling would get him to leave. He stayed there letting her bark for like 3 minutes and then I guess he got the idea and left, because she stopped barking.

Is this bad for me to do? I feel Aloott safer with Amber when I'm alone, but should I not let her guard the house like this? What do you let your dogs do?

[colliewog]

Originally Posted by Amber

Have you ever had someone trespass on your property? Not like..come door too door selling stuff or anything like that, but, you're not aware of them and they're not supposed to be there. What did your dogs do?

I just let the dogs out and Amber went running up to the fence barking her head off and through the fence I could see that someone was sitting or standing right up against it (it's a wooden privacy fence, but I could see the movement and clothes through the boards). The fence isn't really near the border of our property, so he was defiantely on our land. I'm home alone so I didn't go up to the person or anything, I was kinda hoping that Amber barking and growling would get him to leave. He stayed there letting her bark for like 3 minutes and then I guess he got the idea and left, because she stopped barking.

Is this bad for me to do? I feel Aloott safer with Amber when I'm alone, but should I not let her guard the house like this? What do you let your dogs do?

IMO you did the right thing. It's not like she's outside barking at leaves falling and being annoying. She was doing her job, to take care of her home, and shouldn't be faulted for it. Now if it were a child or something, you have to curb the behavior because untrained kids do stupid things (like poking dogs through the fence, etc) and end up getting bitten, but the dog is responding appropriately to a threat.

[Criosphynx]

I actually do this alot...I tell them loudly "whos there? Go git em, go find em!"

that way the intruder first of all, knows I know hes there. Two, you acutally putting it on cue, so they don't go nutso for every person they see from the yard.

[Gypsydals]

She did the right thing, I would have done/do the same thing as Criosphynx. And if at that point they don't move alone. I would say OK I'm calling the cops now.

[Dogs6]

Originally Posted by Criosphynx

I actually do this alot...I tell them loudly "whos there? Go git em, go find em!"

that way the intruder first of all, knows I know hes there. Two, you acutally putting it on cue, so they don't go nutso for every person they see from the yard.

I actually do that even if I suspect someones there. If I am home alone and Fudge has been growling, barking and prowling round the house I will send him out and hope that is only foxes he is scaring away
His cue 'go git em' means charge round the yard barking your head off unless you see something that you can chase away.

Although my mum does the exact same thing LOL

And sometimes if it's late and I am taking him out I will send him to check out the yard except I will give him the added cue 'quietly' . I hope my neighbours appreciate it LOL

[Xandra]

If there is someone on the property Roman barks and charges. I've never had someone not back up so I'm not sure if he'd bite or not, and most times I had time to call him back.

I also have a cue that makes him go on serious alert but I've never tried to get him to go after people before, only raccoons.

It is certainly the highlight of his day when he gets to do this, I like to see what he does and they should get off my property anyways... so as long as I have control over the situation I don't see a problem. That said if there were someone out there right now (and Roman wasn't at the kennels still) I'd get him on excitement-alert and then hold his collar and go out there.

[DanL]

Most people avoid my property due to the dogs. I have alerted Gunnar before when someone was lingering a little too long for my liking, he ran out there with his serious bark and the guy left.

[Spiritwind]

This is one thing I love about my dogs. I live alone, and out in the middle of no where. NO ONE can sneak up around my house without at least one of the dogs hearing it first. Their barks are different for different things -- if its a person, verses a stray dog or other animal running around -- We have had a lot of stray dogs recently, actually I'm pretty sure they are owned, but allowed to roam -- as one little terrier shows up with a sweater on, on occasion LOL

Anyway, Paris, my oldest smoothie is best at alerting to people. She is actually very people friendly, but is a very good watch dog. If I know someone is out there, she usually just watches quietly. If I don't know someone is out there, or I'm asleep or whatever, she usually goes crazy barking and jumping on the door, or she'll look out the window doing a very low growl. She is also my traveling buddy, if I'm traveling alone and far from home, for the very same reasons.

[MafiaPrincess]

We have 6 ft tall gates beside the house locked from the inside.. so there is never anyone coming in that way that doesn't belong. The neighbours directly behind our house have 4 ft chain link and a 6 ft tall cedar hedge and losers for children. Last year I caught movement around 11pm in our yard. The kids and their drunk loser friends had climbed over the fence. I let the dogs out and Smudge sounds much bigger than he is barking. They panicked and dove through the hedge while screaming at the top of their lungs. My two though it was the most fun game ever.

[Lolas Dad]

Years ago we had a Chihuahua that I trained in every aspect and their was a guy that came over looking for my father. Instead of knocking he just walked right in. She seen him come in and went right for his ankle. She let go when he walked back out. After he walked out I told him had he of knocked that would not have happened and that you have a hell of a lot of nerve just walking in someones house. He then knocked on the door was let in and she was fine. She never did that to anyone before and never did it after as long as you lived their and walked right in or if you did not live their and knocked first and was let in by someone that lived their.

As for Lola she does not bark at anyone that comes to the door or at people that are outside in the apartment complex whether or not they have been here before. If someone was to walk right in that she did not know she would probably go up to them with her tail wagging and want to say hello. Their is a light on each side of my truck that comes on whenever I have the battery switch on. One night I left the switch on and a neighbor comes over knocks on the door and he said Lola came out of the bedroom with her tail wagging. She did not come and wake me up. It was one of those nights where I fell asleep with the lights and TV still on.