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Fake Dog for Home Security

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Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#81

Post by cptcobalt »

kqr wrote: post #62
Hippocrates wrote: post #60

Most family dogs will just roll over for belly rubs once the burglar is inside, but the barking is a great deterrent because it draws attention. The burglar has no idea if that is normal or not, and if someone else might hear it and come investigate.

In this spirit, I remember an ex-burglar on reddit saying that small dogs are the best guard dogs, because big ones typically have to be trained to be nice, but small ones just don't shut up.

Actually, I wonder why the consistent barking is more easily trained out of bigger dogs than smaller dogs. Anecdotally, my big husky rarely barks (usually only during play, or when "talking" with us), but my small shiba will never shut up if she hears a noise at the door.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#82

Post by jimt1234 »

koolba wrote: post #51
teekert wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are many variations, near my place there is a sign with a picture of dog saying: "I don't bite, I amputate." I also saw a sign with a picture of a Gun: "Forget about the dog, I rule here."

There’s also the classic: “ Dont beware of the dog, beware of the owner ”

My sister, who has 3 big dogs, always says: "They (the bad guys) might get into my house. But they're not leaving."

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#83

Post by tacitusarc »

teekert wrote: post #48
omginternets wrote: post #37

I saw a rather comical sign posted in the first-floor window of a Philadelphia apartment. It had a silhouette of a German shepherd and text beneath, which read: >I can get from the second-story floor to the front door in 1.2 seconds. Can you?

There are many variations, near my place there is a sign with a picture of dog saying: "I don't bite, I amputate." I also saw a sign with a picture of a Gun: "Forget about the dog, I rule here."

In case this isn’t common knowledge, advertising you have a gun on premise makes you a more attractive target for burglaries

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#84

Post by Nextgrid »

duxup wrote: post #53

When I bought a house I picked up a dog dish and put it by my walkout basement sliding door. Also the pond next to my house has old tennis balls show up in it now and then so I put them next to the dish. According to the local cops break ins in my area are mostly just kids going into open garage / garage side doors / back doors that are left open and stuff to steal is out and obvious and so on. I figure just the sens…

A "beware of the dog" sign would probably be just as (if not more) effective regardless of whether there's an actual dog.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#85

Post by 101008 »

duxup wrote: post #53

When I bought a house I picked up a dog dish and put it by my walkout basement sliding door. Also the pond next to my house has old tennis balls show up in it now and then so I put them next to the dish. According to the local cops break ins in my area are mostly just kids going into open garage / garage side doors / back doors that are left open and stuff to steal is out and obvious and so on. I figure just the sens…

After living in a dangerous city my whole life, I think living in a place where break ins are consequences of owners being lazy would be awesome.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#86

Post by pxc »

sharkweek wrote: post #36
mallomarmeasle wrote: post #13

"The dog has a lot of false positives" Wow, just like my real dog!

A sampling of things my lovable labrador has barked at over the last 48 hours: - Birds - Packages being delivered - My neighbor, who he knows well, working in their back yard - Me banging a door closed too hard - A neighborhood cat taunting him on the sidewalk - My kid dropping a toy on our hardwood - ??? (He was barking at a closet door) - Anytime I touch the hook where his leash hangs - etc. Still, love having his…

When it's really, really windy, my dog likes to stare out the window and bark at the trees for moving too much. (It took me a long time to even figure that one out.)

At the same time, he likes it when trees drop little pieces of fruit or seeds, like mesquite beans or pine cones. So on windy days sometimes he gets into a loop with a tree where he

  * stiffens up and barks at a tree for shaking its leaves
  * cautiously approaches the tree, sometimes growling
  * snatches something the tree has just dropped and runs away with it
  * runs around in circles with the tree debris, pausing and play bowing wvery now and then, batting it around with his paws, etc.
  * ... cautiously approaches the tree again
and so on, where he gradually gets bolder and more casual about approaching the rustling, swaying tree on each iteration.

(He's pretty suspicious of wind-related movement generally— he'll also yell at flags and banners sometimes.)

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#87

Post by duxup »

101008 wrote: post #85
duxup wrote: post #53

When I bought a house I picked up a dog dish and put it by my walkout basement sliding door. Also the pond next to my house has old tennis balls show up in it now and then so I put them next to the dish. According to the local cops break ins in my area are mostly just kids going into open garage / garage side doors / back doors that are left open and stuff to steal is out and obvious and so on. I figure just the sens…

After living in a dangerous city my whole life, I think living in a place where break ins are consequences of owners being lazy would be awesome.

The sleepy suburbs have their downsides, but also their upsides for sure.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#88

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #79
runjake wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I say this tongue-in-cheek, here but I feel like you're being "breedist”, here. I have a That said, this is a feature, not a bug. "Early warning system" was in the top two features I was looking for in a dog.

Your dog may behave uncommonly for its breed but dog breeds exist precisely because of common and predictable physical and behavioural traits. Great Danes are famously couch potatoes but mine could not stay still and demanded a ton of exercise - still it was the exception rather than the rule for that breed.

Have owned four litters of labs and some goldens. They behave the way you train them, with one or two personalities being more "out there" than others. Ours were incredibly loving to new people, but barked at anyone that approached our house, attacked people who entered without us. One golden was so well trained we loaned him out as a therapy dog for people who were scared of dogs. He nearly attacked a mailman running towards us (sorry mailman!). One black lab in particular, Princess, she was a... well, a bitch, and kind of a bully. Animals have personalities too.

The myth of breed behavior is not good. It's the reason so many pitbulls are put down. They are absolute sweethearts until you abuse them and train them to fight.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#89

Post by jedberg »

cptcobalt wrote: post #81
kqr wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this spirit, I remember an ex-burglar on reddit saying that small dogs are the best guard dogs, because big ones typically have to be trained to be nice, but small ones just don't shut up.

Actually, I wonder why the consistent barking is more easily trained out of bigger dogs than smaller dogs. Anecdotally, my big husky rarely barks (usually only during play, or when "talking" with us), but my small shiba will never shut up if she hears a noise at the door.

For all dogs barking is a defense mechanism. As the bigger dogs grow up, there are less things that they find threatening, whereas the small dogs always feels threatened because most things are a lot bigger than they are.

Re: Fake Dog for Home Security

#90

Post by lupire »

cptcobalt wrote: post #81
kqr wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this spirit, I remember an ex-burglar on reddit saying that small dogs are the best guard dogs, because big ones typically have to be trained to be nice, but small ones just don't shut up.

Actually, I wonder why the consistent barking is more easily trained out of bigger dogs than smaller dogs. Anecdotally, my big husky rarely barks (usually only during play, or when "talking" with us), but my small shiba will never shut up if she hears a noise at the door.

Napoleon syndrome. Small dogs feel much more threatened and not on control.
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