Will, I totally agree with you. A great alarm system (lasers, lights the works) is better than any dog for home protection. But you can't take it with you outside, it won't get rid of bad boyfriends who won't leave OR help you if the 'pizza boy' has a gun. A dog will and he will kiss you afterwards if you got scared too! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hence I own both and feel *really* secure! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
( and the kisses from him are nice....except that he eats poop...)

What I have to add to this post is this, you have to watch your action around a working bred dog.

For examle A friend of mines wife and I were working on my arceage. My friend wife had been scared by a GSD once, and was afraid of Mat until she saw him helping move cut trees from one point to the next and me playing fetch with him with the tree logs. As she saw this she got closer and closer, he seem to like her advances. So I let her play fetch with him.

Minutes later she picked up a red rock, Mat came up to her to see what she had picked up(this was after playing fetch with him), she panic and placed her hands on her chest (this is the command I use to get him to place his paws on my chest to get a rub or hug). Before I realized it he jumped up and placed is paws on her shoulders, the difference is a unbraced 115lb woman can't hold up a moving 90lb GSD.

I asked if she was hurt, and she said she was only shocked asking why he do that? I showed her the command (patting my chest and him jumping up for a hug/pat) I then told Mat go get in the truck and he did.

I apologized, she kinda felt like it was her fault that it happened, getting scared and panicky. But she doesn't want to play fetch anymore with him. Not that she is scare of him, its that she thinks he is too big to play with and the flash back of her past fears didn't help.
The most she will do is pat him as he walks by her.

So even a socail dog you gotta watch what you do, I can't see Mat bitting anybody that didn't need bitting, but he does play rough, at times.

By the way he didn't growl or snap, he was looking like what happen, the human usually don't fall down. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

In response to those who say to never protection train the family dog I say this.

If your dog has the temperament to bite someone he’s SAFEr, and so are you, if he’s received proper protection training, than if he hasn’t received any training at all.

Here’s why. An untrained dog will make decide on his own when a bite is appropriate. It may be when one of the children run screaming through the yard. It may be when Mom and Dad engage in a “tickle fight” on the living room floor. It may be when the paper boy tosses your paper onto the front step.

A dog that’s been properly trained for protection will bite in only a few circumstances. When you’re physically attacked or when he’s physically attacked, or on command from the handler.

And what’s more important, if he responds to a training cue and moves forward for a bite that you don’t think is necessary or appropriate, he can be stopped with a voice command.

The untrained dog will bite whenever he feels threatened or he thinks his pack is threatened. And he can’t be stopped with a voice command.