Lame break-in attempt

[decodancer]

A dog is your best defense against petty thieves. My Poodles are very friendly but the 60 pounder looks large enough to do damage and the little ones make a lot of noise. I had a Golden Retriever for eight years. Not a mean bone in his body. I'll never forget the vicious teeth bared growl he did when he felt I was in danger. The would be attacker just backed away with his hands in the air. I was walking a Standard Poodle in a sketchy neighborhood when I was 20 years old. The dog was groomed in a show clip and looked like a giant cotton ball. I was waiting for a light to change and a car full of guys pulled up. Door opened and one guy grabbed my arm to pull me in the car. Poodle bit guy, he let go, car took off. Dogs know when someone is up to no good. At the very least they warn me that someone is nearby.

 

[GotSmart]

I guess you do not know the history of the Poodle. They are classified as War Dogs.They are a working bred and highly protective.

I had a Samoyed that once grabbed a pushy salesman that came up the walk too close to the kids. He would not let go until he was told to.

 

[decodancer]

Sorry Gotsmart, Poodles came from Germany and were bred as water retrievers. The name came from the word Pudel meaning to splash. The French used them as circus performers and bred them down to the smaller sizes. They are highly protective though and love any kind of work. I think most any breed will try to protect it's owner, size does matter though. A Chihuahua isn't going to do much harm but he will certainly warn you.

 

[Reducto]

I was parked on a street once at around 4am and messing around on my computer. Someone walked around my van banging loudly on each window. Not knocking and waiting for a response, just hitting each window a few times with something metal. I closed my computer to make sure I wasn't giving off any light. Next, he tried opening all of the doors, really yanking on the handles. Next, he spent a good good minute shining a flashlight through all the gaps in the curtains, trying to see inside. I don't think he was able to see me. Lastly, he grabs the side of my van and starts rocking it back and forth. I just keep sitting quietly, pondering what I had handy that might work as a weapon.

He finally starts walking off and I hear his police radio.

I don't know if he was trying to scare me to get me to leave or trying to get himself shot by a tweaker or what. I was parking in a spot where, if I read them correctly, was not covered by the various city and county laws against vehicle habitation.

Basically, it's a bad idea to come out firing anything without knowing what you're up against. It could be an aggressive cop, could be an armed banger, could be someone with Alzheimer's who thinks it's their van. Make sure you have peepholes or cameras or something so you can see what's going on outside your van.

 

[GotSmart]

Sorry Gotsmart, Poodles came from Germany and were bred as water retrievers. The name came from the word Pudel meaning to splash. The French used them as circus performers and bred them down to the smaller sizes. They are highly protective though and love any kind of work. I think most any breed will try to protect it's owner, size does matter though. A Chihuahua isn't going to do much harm but he will certainly warn you.

A poodle is smart enough to be one of the top choices for a guard or protection dog. One of the few pure bred dogs that is really smart. Most crossbreds are also intelligent, but we had a Collie that would never learn! One of those little ankle nippers (Chihuahua) will climb up and rip your face to shreds if given motivation. My sister had one, and it was good protection. I am more scared of the little ones. They have something to prove.

This little factoid is what I was referring to.

"World War II working dogs
Poodles have been used as working dogs in the military since at least the 17th century. During WWII, Roland Kilbon of the New York Sun, reported that other countries had used dogs in their armies for many years. In his column he quoted Mrs. Milton S. (Arlene) Erlanger, owner of Pillicoc Kennels, a premier breeder of Poodles "The dog must play a game in this thing." Eventually, "With the blessing of the American Kennel Club, the Professional Handlers Association, obedience training clubs across the country, and Seeing Eye, Inc., a nation-wide program known as Dogs for Defense, Inc. was initiated and became the official procurement agency for all war dogs used in the Army, Navy and Coast Guard."[10] Dogs for Defense procured the dogs who were then trained by the Army. In 1942, the Poodle was one of 32 breeds officially classified as war dogs by the Army."

 

[decodancer]

Very cool GotSmart! I never knew that. It's interesting that they say it had to be a game. Poodles get bored very easily, kind of like living with a 5 year old child. They need a lot of toys and people contact. Not a breed for everyone, they would wither away if tied out and a stern look is about the extent of discipline they will take without totally losing their spirit. They are very athletic and very fun to be around and I'm totally amazed at how smart my three are. I had a Chihuahua for 17 years and he hated everybody except me and I wasn't quite sure about that sometimes LOL.

 

[Unchained]

It's interesting that they say it had to be a game. Poodles get bored very easily, kind of like living with a 5 year old child. They need a lot of toys and people contact.

With pretty much all intelligent dogs, regardless of breed, training is a game. My two (rott x and pb apbt) were fully protection trained, but would happily play with the decoys when the game was over and there was no threat to me. That is as it should be with dogs of good temperament.

Dogs with less intelligence can learn conditioned response (ie. barking at strange noises, sit for a cookie), but those that have the capacity require both intellectual stimulation and fun to avoid boredom. Certain breeds also require a LOT of close contact with their people to be truly happy.

IME, nearly the worst thing that can happen to your personal possessions is to leave them in the presence of an intelligent dog who lacks both a 'job' and sufficient toys. That situation really never ends well for the owner's basketball shoes, laptop, bed sheets, bathrobe... you get the idea.

 

[decodancer]

You are so right! So many dogs end up in shelters or locked in crates for long periods because of destructive behavior. It's usually because they had nothing better to do. Separation anxiety is another reason but with training that can be resolved. I notice that you have so called "bully breeds". Every well trained pit bull helps to prove to the public that there are good dogs of any breed. I've seen aggressive dogs of almost every breed. In most cases it is the owner or a previous incident that caused them to be that way. Sometimes it's irresponsible breeding. If you have an aggressive dog, for Gods sake, don't breed it! It's a shame that some can consider an entire breed to be "bad". That's like calling every person of a certain nationality bad. Not true.