We had a break in on our property a few nights ago. My husband scared off the intruder, Jethro was asleep up in his crate and did not wake up.

Jethro loves guarding the front porch and is getting better and better at it. He rarely needs us to come out and help him figure out whether something needs attention or not, and he is very protective of the front gate.

He has a porch couch to lie on, I have him tied to that couch with a 4' leash. There is an x pen fence that serves as a gate, that blocks Jethro from going down the stairs (if he managed to get loose from the couch), and then there is a latch on the cast iron front gate that is always closed (if he managed to get into the yard). So I feel Jethro is well secured from breaking out.

I am wondering if there is a way to train him to spend nights on the front porch. I'm not sure how to go about doing this, I do think Jethro would be up for the responsibility. I would be willing to camp with him on the porch for a few nights to help him adjust, if that was a good idea.

Right now I am thinking that I could start leaving him out on the porch for short periods after dark, only long enough to begin acclimating to the new sights and sounds of the night.

I don't know. Is this a crazy idea?

I would not do this. I'd see it as ramping up his reactive-ness. (This is a dog who is being worked with to dial back reactivity.)

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be guarding anything, either, if he were mine. He has shown signs of resource guarding, and he is reactive to pedestrians and dogs. I'd be very concerned about adding territorial issues to the mix.

JMO!


I also look at a tied dog as a potential target, unable to escape from a loose dog's attack or from human tormenters, and worse.

I wouldn't do it.....

If you want the extra "security" why not just teach him to be free in the house at night? I know Ryuk will sleep through a marching band in his crate since he's been trained not to react to anything in the crate (one exception was housekeeping coming into the room while he was alone in a hotel room)....when I first started letting him free in my room he'd bark if something got to close...because I didn't want an actual bark until I commanded it (apartment living) I changed this to a nudge to wake me up and a growl....

I wouldn't be comfortable with my dog on the porch, especially tied, without supervision ...a tied dog with some reactivity issues sounds like a really REALLY bad idea....

What you perceive as guarding instincts is probably reactiveness and territoriality. Most "guard dogs" are actually terribly reactive, territorial bullies (and they might not even fight an actual intruder, but we don't tell the bad guys).

You have been working on reactivity, so this would be conflicting messages.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I would not do this. I'd see it as ramping up his reactive-ness. (This is a dog who is being worked with to dial back reactivity.)

I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be guarding anything, either, if he were mine. He has shown signs of resource guarding, and he is reactive to pedestrians and dogs. I'd be very concerned about adding territorial issues to the mix.

I agree with all of the above comments. But also... tieing a dog (even a dog that has the skills to do TRAINED protective work)is like expecting a fighter to fight an advisary with 1 hand tied behind his back .... & is setting the dog up for being a target for abuse & possibly killed more easily by any intruder.

Not what I would do under any circumstances.

If you are concerned about a possible intruder it would be best to leave the dog loose in the house to act as a deterrent, not a target.

A barking dog who is loose in the house in a room where he can be heard from the street is a pretty good deterrent, in my book. I'd certainly pick a different house to break into.

A barking dog, if he does nothing else, will bring attention to the intruder and that's the last thing they want.
Inside the house the dog can't be subjected to poison or abuse and the ONLY reason anyone would go beyond a barking dog is if they had a particular goal/objective in mind besides a random break in. They want convenience and quiet!

Thanks. We won't change anything for the time being. I see how it wouldn't be a good, or safe, idea to leave him out on the front porch tied to a couch overnight. Doh.