Your furry best friend is there for you at all times. They provide you with comfort, entertainment and can even help ensure your safety. Your dog also plays a vital role as a burglar deterrent, even when you aren’t around.
You may wonder, how effective your pup is at serving as a guard dog for our home. Even you can get livestock guardian dogs from reliable providers.
Here are some watchdog studies, dog training tips, and other home security techniques that will help reduce your risk of a break-in:
Watchdog studies
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Burglary of Single-Family Houses report, a dog is the closest substitute for human occupancy, so most burglars avoid dog-protected houses.
The report mentions that small dogs, who are more prone to bark at potential threats, will attract the attention of neighbors and scare the burglar.
Larger dogs are helpful, as they may pose a more physical threat. Most burglars are novices and can be easily spooked, so a guard dog is useful for theft deterrence.
A burglar survey study by the University of North Carolina’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology explored why burglars make certain decisions when they target or break into a home.
The study found that a guard dog is more of a deterrent than high-volume foot traffic, visible security signs, proximity to neighbors, an office nearby, or a car in the driveway.
A dog inside the house is almost equally as effective as people inside the house and only falls behind security alarms and surveillance cameras.
Training
Your guard dog doesn’t have to be a breed that displays threatening behavior, as a burglar most likely won’t know what kind of dog is on the other side of the door.
Choose a dog that is friendly and will excite whenever someone arrives at your house. Don’t try to stifle your dog’s barking habits.
The more they bark at any potential visitor or intruder, the better. Ensure your dog is aware of all activity outside the house, not just by the front door.
You can test your pup in this area. Leave your house and, after a few minutes, start making noise around the exterior.
See if your dog can pick up on the discrete noises you make. If it doesn’t react as much as it should during your test of its guard dog skills, consult a professional trainer on how you can enhance its attentiveness and reaction.
Deterrent signs
Burglars will usually watch their target houses for days, or even weeks, before their intended hit.
Ensure they see you have a dog in your home so they are immediately deterred and won’t pursue you as a target.
Have a dog house in the yard or dog feeding bowls near the backdoor. These are clear indicators that a guard dog lives in your home.
Leashes, dog toys, and any other kind of doggie gear are additional items that the burglar will notice. You can also purchase and post a “Beware of Dog” sign.
Supplementary security
A guard dog dramatically reduces the likelihood of a break-in; however, you should also take some additional security measures.
The presence of security cameras on the exterior of your house will be a clear sign that burglars won’t go unnoticed.
Choose security cameras that you can access and monitor from your computer or smartphone so you can have a constant eye on your house.
A solid alarm system will also help protect your home from burglars.
Choose a system that will notify you whenever anyone breaches your outdoor property line and will sound off whenever the entrance points of your house are breached.
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