Here's me with my youngest dog Gizmo.
So many dog owners spend much of their time and some of their money trying to get their dog to stop barking. But what dog owners might not realize (and your neighbors as well) is that sometimes barking can be a good thing. That is the case when someone is trying to invade your space. For example, a break in. Dogs bark to protect their home and their owners so if you hear a dog barking maniacally at 3 in the morning it probably means something is wrong. Now this is not to say that all dogs barking all the time is okay. Dogs should be trained to bark when something is wrong or unfamiliar.
Here’s what some of our Facebook fans had to say about their dogs and their barking –
Daniel Russ said –
That’s what dogs are good for. Mine is my “ears” when I’m asleep. We live in the boonies. Any human activity anywhere within a 1/2 mile of our house, after hours, is cause for alarm. Here, a man’s house, shop and rolling stock is part of his castle. I’d rather scare them off with my alarms. But if they want to invade my home they will have made their intentions clear.
Ronday Rowan said –
A two hundred and twenty pound Great Dane barking will get your attention no one comes near my house.
Larry Anderrson said –
I have a security system on my home and a 5 pound Yorkie dog. His bark will not scare away a harden thief, but it does give me ample warning so I can load and cock my 40 caliber glock!
Elias Arismendez –
My Doberman usually scares people away except the one time my wife locked him out back. That day our house was broken in through the front door. Our neighbors heard our dog barking but no one did anything. Everything was gone. Now in addition to leaving the dog INSIDE the house religiously, we have every door window and room wired. We have dual technology PIR sensors throughout the property, 8 night vision security cameras, remote iPhone access, and home automation to both the security system and camera system. I’m working on finishing the moat in the front with alligators but having trouble attaining a city permit. Ok so I embellished a little on the moat. But the rest is accurate and I’m still adding onto our system! I’m a techie and it’s become a bit of a pet project. It’s fun!!!
All this dog barking business may prompt the question – Can a dog replace an alarm system? Well, here’s what I have to say on the matter. Mind you I have three dogs of my own, I still indeed have a security system in place. Here’s why –
Whether you opt for a watch dog or guard dog it is certain that having a dog is a benefit to your home security, but what about when you are not home? Who is a barking dog going to warn? And if a thief is casing your house, he is sure to come up with a way to entice or hurt your dog. That’s where a home alarm system comes in. A home alarm system does not stop working when you leave the house, granted you arm it!
Second, an alarm system can go beyond door and window sensors, it can have contact pads under carpeting and is likely to have motion sensor lights outside the home. In addition an alarm system can be instructed to call a monitoring agency, police, or a homeowner in the event the alarm is triggered. As much as I love them, can you say the same for your dog?
