ikor, I really thought this thread was going in the wrong direction, until now. You said it exactly- TIME. If we are talking about real life encounters, then the dog should engage immediatly and attempt to bite the intruder. That is what you should train for. In this situation it is life or death. A determined threat with a gun, or a bat, will just not be stopped by a dog alone, no matter what happens. This situation is also what you must train for. The protection dog is a barrier, not a solution. His job is to deter by his very presence, alert, and engage to BUY YOU TIME. If someone knows that you have an aggressive dog and still attempts to enter your home, or assault you in public, then you are in big trouble. Fido is not going to stop this person. He may buy you enough TIME to escape, call 911, secure your family, arm yourself, or maybe all of the above. Also, what makes an easier target- One, a trained dog attacking without regard for his own safety. Or two, a dog circling and barking or circling for an angle of attack. With out question it is more difficult to shoot, or hit, a fast dog bitting or trying to bite you. I know this from bite suit experience in close quarters. Doorways, living rooms, bed rooms, whatever. It is hard as hell to get him before he gets you. In the ensuing fight you may very well kill the dog if you are armed, but even gunshots will take time to end the fight - TIME.

One last point that ikor made, a good dog will attack right away anyway. This is true because the situation will cue all of the dogs combat drives. The attacker won't be standing there "still", worrying about the dog. So I would say, train for that response, and no other. Anyway, if by some chance, this situation is not life or death serious you can always call Fido back.

Ikor & VanCamp,

I think your posts make good sense. And it goes without saying that a dog is not going to prevent a bound and determined individual from inflicting harm. Thanks for your thoughts.

Ikor excellent post. Do you guys think that in this sinario a 150 pound dog would buy you more time then a 80 pound dog?

No

milt;
Cannot speak for others, but I personally prefer smaller dogs. For GSD's this would be from 55-70lb. in lean, HARD condition. Waaay too much BS floating around about "big" dogs.

The smaller dog is quicker, faster, can jump higher, search longer, get into more places, less succeptible to heat, (a big problem with work dogs in warm weather!) seems to be less prone to hip/elbow/back problems (although I cannot document this as fact), and will bite just as hard. He is also a damn sight easier to pick up and carry, or lift over a fence.

Having said that, I will note that I have a friend who has a 20mo. Fila male that weighs an honest 147lb. on the vet scales with very little fat. He doesn't show me that much, but I would hate to tangle with him if he ever got serious! Still, just too much dawg for me, much easier to keep a normal sized one near you at all times.

Like you said IKOR, the smaller dog is quicker and thus gets to the target faster giving the perp less time to react. As well, of course, smaller dog = smaller target for the perp to shoot. In many cases bigger is NOT better but rather worse.

I agree with you guys concerning the speed and agility of a smaller dog. i have a 55 pound bitch. I was just referring to Pats'
scenario.I was just thinking that a 150 pound dog jumping on someone crashing through a door has more stopping power. I also feel that he could take a blow from the bat better then a smaller dog.In this particular scenario bulk and strength is more important then speed. At least in my mind.

Milt

Milt, you might be right. A big, bruising rottweiler might be the dog to have in that type of encounter. But if the dog had some distance to traverse in the house to get to the perp, then a smaller, quicker dog might be a harder target to shoot. The main thing is the dog should get to the perp as quickly as possible and bite the living S*** out of him! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Patrick,

You have it backwards. A smaller dog is of more value in a smaller space because of the agility issue. A large dog is more useful with more room so it is difficult to "hide from the dog. In the described scenario, it would depend on the area of the entrance and where the dog is. My dogs sleep at the door. If someone comes in through they are comming in to an angry dog. A larger dog is more able to physically control the bad guy. Many people can lift 50 lbs with one arm, not many can lift 120 with one arm. Plus a larger dog can take down a man with a shorter run and physically move them around with their strength and size. Part of what helps a dog defend it's self is the ability to keep the bad guy off balance and limit their abilty to move and target the dog.

The reality is that it doesn't really matter, it comes to personal preferance and some idea about the area to protect. If you are looking at a smaller area go for the smaller dog. In a larger area go for the larger dog.

Richard, I stand by my statement. In virtually any confrontation the smaller of the adversary would prefer more room to work in order that they can take advantage of their quickness and agility. In a small area confrontation the advantage of brute force is multiplied as the quicker and more agile opponet has less room with which to use his qualities. If I had a choice as to which dog would confront the thug bashing down my door, I would choose a big Rottweiler over an agile Malinois.