Protection Trained Dog or Handgun?

[House Cat]

My husband and I are having a bit of a debate on how to effectively protect our home. Simply put, he would like to get a handgun and I would like to get a protection trained German Shepherd Dog.

He feels that a handgun would be more effective in a dangerous situation. He is a former marine and for a time, he trained marines in marksmanship. I feel that handguns are very, very dangerous. The injury they cause is very instant and finite. While this might be great when aimed towards someone who is looking to do harm to your family, it is catastrophic when that injury is inflicted upon a loved one. It would be in a small safe by the bed.

I guess I should say that we have firearms in the home for hunting. They are unloaded, with trigger locks in them, and in a gun safe. The ammo is in a totally different part of the house.

There is a 9 year old in my home.

I feel a trained dog is best. They can sense an intruder before we can. They are a fantastic deterrent. They can be just as deadly as a firearm. Then there is the added bonus of having a loyal pet!

What do all of you think?

 

[marymm]

Why not both?

To my way of thinking, a protection-trained dog can protect more than one person and is on duty basically 24/7.

It is unclear from your post, but my assumption is that only your DH is trained and able to utilize the firearm. If he is not there at the time of a break-in, or is in the shower, or anywhere in the house away from the safe, then you'll have the dog there perhaps winning time for your DH to get to the safe and for you and/or your child to call 9-1-1.

If your house is the target of someone who's been watching your household, then the criminals will have knowledge of your dog, which may act as a deterrent so that they pick another house... or, if they are intent on your household for some reason, then they'll make plans for dealing with your dog. So having the gun as back-up protection may help save your lives. Of course, this is the worst scenario and, again, the gun is only useful if there is someone there who is trained to use it safely and quickly.

 

[AprilBaby]

Every day I read stories about accidental shootings by kids in the house. For me, the dog.

 

[azstonie]

I wouldn't put my pet out there to be injured or killed and BTW if the cops show up and they think your dog is still showing aggression, they'll shoot first/risk bite second.

I'd get a shotgun because its more forgiving in terms of the quality of your aim.

 

[partgypsy]

Just curious, why either? Do you live in a high crime area or have some other reason to believe you are going to be targeted? I picked other, which is prevention. Have a policeman come to your home and they will point out all areas of risk, that you can do to make your home less of a target (I have to admit I haven't done this, but keep meaning to!). There are also alarm systems, which have the additional benefit of calling police in case there is some reason you are not at home or unable to make a phone call.

We have our pet dog who is very vigilant and barks. Especially for our youngest whom is incrediblly attached and protective of, I know he would defend us, but anyone with a gun can take out a dog, so it is more of a deterrent than can completely prevent something.

So, make your house less of a target (secure outside windows, doors, etc, no good hiding places near outside like unlit areas at night, bushes, etc). Inside have at least 1 room that you can run to that is a secure location that you can call for help. Review with 9 year old what to do in case of emergency. Third, get a dog. I know your husband feels secure about guns, but just reading in news, a sheriff shot his wife in the back by accident in bed, because he kept the gun near the bed. And looking at his record he was very safety-conscious person.

 

[Autumnovember]

I voted dog. I love German Shepherds but you can have a lot of various breeds play the "protector" role. I have an English Bulldog and while he isn't as tall as a German Shepherd, I know he is very capable of doing some serious damage if he wanted to. I feel extremely safe with him around when I'm home alone. I don't have issues with people having guns at home but I personally wouldn't want one in my home. I love the company especially because in the winter, I spend a lot of nights home by myself till around 11 pm. Also, keep in mind that it's going to take time and lots of effort on your part during training.

 

[momhappy]

Just curious, why either? Do you live in a high crime area or have some other reason to believe you are going to be targeted? I picked other, which is prevention. Have a policeman come to your home and they will point out all areas of risk, that you can do to make your home less of a target (I have to admit I haven't done this, but keep meaning to!). There are also alarm systems, which have the additional benefit of calling police in case there is some reason you are not at home or unable to make a phone call.

We have our pet dog who is very vigilant and barks. Especially for our youngest whom is incrediblly attached and protective of, I know he would defend us, but anyone with a gun can take out a dog, so it is more of a deterrent than can completely prevent something.

So, make your house less of a target (secure outside windows, doors, etc, no good hiding places near outside like unlit areas at night, bushes, etc). Inside have at least 1 room that you can run to that is a secure location that you can call for help. Review with 9 year old what to do in case of emergency. Third, get a dog. I know your husband feels secure about guns, but just reading in news, a sheriff shot his wife in the back by accident in bed, because he kept the gun near the bed. And looking at his record he was very safety-conscious person.

Crime happens everywhere. Sure, prevention can help, but crime still happens.

Personally, I wouldn't expect that I could successfully protect my family with a dog - any dog - even a "trained" german shepherd.
For every article/news story on accidental shooting, I can find you one about how someone successfully protected themselves from a home invasion with a gun.

 

[House Cat]

There are options when it comes to trained GSD's. While you can certainly train them yourself, you can also get one that is fully trained and you can also get young dogs that are prepared for protection training. It just depends on what the prospective owner wants and feels they can put into the dog. I am having a difficult time seeing a fully trained protection dog showing aggression toward police officers. The dog would be following a command. The command at the moment that the police arrive on the scene would be one that would tell the dog to stay. I think the dog would obey.

Again, I am not talking about having an untrained pet.

I do no know how to use a gun. I don't want to know either. I am actually very good friends with a large circle of waterfowl hunters. Many women hunt within that circle and have invited me many times. I am too sensitive. I think I would cry the moment I fired the gun.

The home across the street from us was robbed during the day. I was home that day, didn't hear anything or see anything. We got an alarm the very next day. I want something more.

It seems like men just instantly go to the gun option.

I like the idea of a safe room with a lock. My alarm system has a little remote with a panic button on it that can be used to call the police. We could take that into the safe room and use that if needed. Thanks for that idea!

 

[momhappy]

Every day I read stories about accidental shootings by kids in the house. For me, the dog.

and every day I read stories about innocent people being shot/killed by bad guys during home invasions, robberies, etc….

 

[House Cat]

Every day I read stories about accidental shootings by kids in the house. For me, the dog.

and every day I read stories about innocent people being shot/killed by bad guys during home invasions, robberies, etc….

This seems to be the problem, right here.

Gun safety isn't 100% and there are criminals out there ready to do harm. What is one to do?

 

[baby monster]

I'd choose a dog. Someone i know trains malinois, which are kind of a Belgian shepherd breed. They can disable an intruder very effectively. I'm personally petrified of those dogs because they are only loyal to their owners.

A gun can be taken away from you very easily if you don't know how to control the situation or the gun well. Handguns have tremendous recoil so you need training and wrist/hand strength to actually shoot them. If your husband is not home, can you take the safety off and actually shoot someone?

 

[tyty333]

I'm not against guns by any measure but I would probably get a dog as a first line of protection. They can alert you to any noise
that you may not be aware of.

Our neighbor across the street has a doberman that has been trained...not only does she bark loud when something is going
on in her yard, she also looks very menacing.

 

[missy]

I wouldn't put my pet out there to be injured or killed and BTW if the cops show up and they think your dog is still showing aggression, they'll shoot first/risk bite second.

I'd get a shotgun because its more forgiving in terms of the quality of your aim.

I completely agree. And of course you would be fully trained before getting a gun in the house and take the appropriate measures to keep your child safe and away from the gun so you won't be an accident statistic. So yes I vote for the gun over the dog. Of course adopting a pet to be part of your family that's another story and gets my vote too. But not as an attack dog.

 

[TooPatient]

I wouldn't put my pet out there to be injured or killed and BTW if the cops show up and they think your dog is still showing aggression, they'll shoot first/risk bite second.

I'd get a shotgun because its more forgiving in terms of the quality of your aim.

I completely agree. And of course you would be fully trained before getting a gun in the house and take the appropriate measures to keep your child safe and away from the gun so you won't be an accident statistic. So yes I vote for the gun over the dog. Of course adopting a pet to be part of your family that's another story and gets my vote too. But not as an attack dog.

Agree with every word.

I'd also wonder if you would feel comfortable with a dog trained that way around your kid. What about your kid's friends who may be playing and mistaken as a threat.

As to the type of gun, I would (and did) select a handgun because you have control of your aim and as opposed to a larger spread from a shotgun. We have cats, dogs, and a teenager in our house. I do NOT want any bits flying any wider than I need.

Your husband has training. Go to a good class yourself, get the safe, and trust your husband's judgement on gun type -- until you've tried a bunch and have a favorite that you are comfortable with. (We have his & hers because what felt best to me was different than what felt best to him and I felt that we should both be prepared if needed)

 

[momhappy]

I'd choose a dog. Someone i know trains malinois, which are kind of a Belgian shepherd breed. They can disable an intruder very effectively. I'm personally petrified of those dogs because they are only loyal to their owners.

A gun can be taken away from you very easily if you don't know how to control the situation or the gun well. Handguns have tremendous recoil so you need training and wrist/hand strength to actually shoot them. If your husband is not home, can you take the safety off and actually shoot someone?

I suppose a dog could disable an intruder - assuming that the intruder didn't shoot the dog first….
I don't need my husband to protect our home - I have been trained to shoot handguns. Anyone who owns handguns should have proper training. A gun is useless if you don't know how to use it.

 

[momhappy]

Every day I read stories about accidental shootings by kids in the house. For me, the dog.

and every day I read stories about innocent people being shot/killed by bad guys during home invasions, robberies, etc….

This seems to be the problem, right here.

Gun safety isn't 100% and there are criminals out there ready to do harm. What is one to do?

There isn't anything in this world that is 100% (except maybe death and taxes). I realize that there are positives and negatives of gun ownership (and the same could be said of guard dog ownership). It comes down to doing your research, engaging in proper training, and making decisions that are right for you and your family. Some people just don't feel comfortable with guns (and some people don't feel comfortable with guard dogs), so there is not one-size-fits-all approach to home protection.

 

[baby monster]

I'd choose a dog. Someone i know trains malinois, which are kind of a Belgian shepherd breed. They can disable an intruder very effectively. I'm personally petrified of those dogs because they are only loyal to their owners.

A gun can be taken away from you very easily if you don't know how to control the situation or the gun well. Handguns have tremendous recoil so you need training and wrist/hand strength to actually shoot them. If your husband is not home, can you take the safety off and actually shoot someone?

I suppose a dog could disable an intruder - assuming that the intruder didn't shoot the dog first….
I don't need my husband to protect our home - I have been trained to shoot handguns. Anyone who owns handguns should have proper training. A gun is useless if you don't know how to use it.

OP doesn't know how to use a gun and doesn't want to learn either.

 

[sonnyjane]

We have a gun. We don't have children, but if we did we'd keep it locked up as opposed to where it currently is, which is in my nightstand.

I would not get a dog to protect my home. Sure they *can* be effective, but if you have an armed intruder coming into your home, they will immediately shoot the dog, and now both your defense method AND your "loyal pet" as you put it is now gone. And as another poster mentioned, if someone breaks into your home and you call the cops, the cops VERY possibly will kill your dog also. I couldn't live with myself if that happened.

People fear what they don't know. My husband is a shooting instructor. Guns scared me until I had him go through at great lengths how to use them.

 

[momhappy]

I'd choose a dog. Someone i know trains malinois, which are kind of a Belgian shepherd breed. They can disable an intruder very effectively. I'm personally petrified of those dogs because they are only loyal to their owners.

A gun can be taken away from you very easily if you don't know how to control the situation or the gun well. Handguns have tremendous recoil so you need training and wrist/hand strength to actually shoot them. If your husband is not home, can you take the safety off and actually shoot someone?

I suppose a dog could disable an intruder - assuming that the intruder didn't shoot the dog first….
I don't need my husband to protect our home - I have been trained to shoot handguns. Anyone who owns handguns should have proper training. A gun is useless if you don't know how to use it.

OP doesn't know how to use a gun and doesn't want to learn either.

Yes, I am aware that OP has said that she doesn't feel comfortable around guns (and doesn't care to get comfortable with them). My contributions to this thread are simply to express my thoughts. OP has asked for others to vote on and share their opinions. My posts are not meant to sway OP (or anyone) to buy a gun - it is just commentary on the subject. I'm perfectly fine if someone chooses not to participate in gun ownership - in fact, I'd rather see someone avoid them all together, as opposed to someone who obtained one without the proper training on how to actually use it. I know that Concealed Carry permit courses have become more popular and some folks seem to think that as long as they put in a few hours on a Saturday and a $75 fee that they are al of a sudden a gun expert. That's not how it works - or at least, that's not how it should work. My DH takes training courses each year (the same courses that our local law enforcement and military guys use) and we have a membership to a shooting range, so that we can continue to practice/learn.

 

[Karl_K]

Relying on an animal to defend you is a mistake.
You will notice all those cops with trained dogs still carry a gun.

A dog is a good alarm system to let you get your properly secured firearm in time.
A mutt from the pound does that just as well as the best trained dog.
So my vote is a mutt from the pound, a gun safe, handgun, and lots of motion lights outside the house and high grade doors and locks.
Obedience training for the dog and your family(dog obedience school is really about training the owners not the dog) and lots of firearms training for the whole family.

If you get a trained dog tread very very carefully a badly trained or short fused dog is more dangerous than any firearm. There are a lot of bad trainers out there!!!
A properly trained dog will be in the $5000 range and will need professional refresher training every year($500 or so) as well as less intense training by the owners weekly as well as a lot of love and exercise daily.
They are high energy dogs and need a lot of exercise and interaction every day.
A well trained protection dog with the right temperament is a joy to love but a lot of work and a ton of responsibility and liability. You will need a 10 million dollar liability rider on your insurance as well as posting your yard.

 

[movie zombie]

agree with Karl.

dog is a great alarm system but easily taken out by the bad guys.

a handgun is a good but a handgun is supposed to be the weapon that you use to get to the rifle which is your real protection.

neither will do you any good w/o training.

your husband being the only trained individual won't help you when you're home alone.

both a dog and a firearm are great responsibilities.

both require time and effort.

if you're not willing to train with a weapon then you shouldn't have one.

all the above is meant in the generic "you" and my rambling thoughts of the moment.

Kudos to you both for discussing this important issue. too many people don't.

 

[WinkHPD]

I am a former Marine, like the OP's husband.

We have always had guns at home, and I trained my children in their use when they were quite young. Bullets and guns, separate locations, but QUICKLY available should I need them. Emergency alarms scattered throughout the house so you can not trap me where I can not notify the police. (The emergency alarms go straight to dispatch.)

Got a noisy dog too. She will not bite, but if you come to the door, you will not know that. By the time you quiet her, I will no longer be asleep, or unarmed. (I may not be properly dressed though, which could be traumatic to the bad guys in its own way...)

Still, if you want me bad enough, you can get me, just plan on it not being easy.

You may choose not to have a gun or a dog, just do not rely on the police to get there in time if you are not able to slow down the bad guys. There are times when you must rely upon yourself. It is better to be prepared than to wish you had been prepared.

Semper Fi

Wink

 

[momhappy]

Excellent post, wink.

 

[JulieN]

They do different things.

Dogs are deterrents. You are extremely unlikely to be robbed or burglarized if there is a dog present.

Guns are for use when a situation is already in hand.

 

[lyra]

Ideally, you should never have to depend on either option. But the protection trained dog is not the way to go unless you have a dog trainer among your household staff. Plus as stated already, they are not 100% reliable, they age, they get sick, they need a lot of care and ongoing training.

Do get a dog if you love dogs. Any small barky dog will do. I know for a fact that Chihuahuas work great for deterrence purposes.

A safe room sounds like it would give you a sense of security. It's also reliable if built properly, etc.

My only problem with all the solutions is you have up to 3 people that need to come together in a very short amount of time. So consider that in your planning. Maybe upgrade your security system to like what Wink has done. Otherwise, if people are in different parts of the home, on different floors, what is the plan? It needs to be like a fire plan. It needs to be quick and viable. So alarm + dog for advance warning, then what? Just thinking out loud. It's good to be prepared, but you shouldn't feel like you have to scared 100% of the time either. A dog alone stops a lot of simple burglaries. CCTV might also fit in there somewhere, so you can see the exterior/interior of your house at all times. They even have a cell phone app. for viewing.

 

[momhappy]

They do different things.

Dogs are deterrents. You are extremely unlikely to be robbed or burglarized if there is a dog present.

Guns are for use when a situation is already in hand.

I don't think that it's fair to say that you are extremely unlikely to be robbed/burglarized, but I agree that you are probably less likely than a home without a dog.

 

[WinkHPD]

Ideally, you should never have to depend on either option. But the protection trained dog is not the way to go unless you have a dog trainer among your household staff. Plus as stated already, they are not 100% reliable, they age, they get sick, they need a lot of care and ongoing training.

Do get a dog if you love dogs. Any small barky dog will do. I know for a fact that Chihuahuas work great for deterrence purposes.

A safe room sounds like it would give you a sense of security. It's also reliable if built properly, etc.

My only problem with all the solutions is you have up to 3 people that need to come together in a very short amount of time. So consider that in your planning. Maybe upgrade your security system to like what Wink has done. Otherwise, if people are in different parts of the home, on different floors, what is the plan? It needs to be like a fire plan. It needs to be quick and viable. So alarm + dog for advance warning, then what? Just thinking out loud. It's good to be prepared, but you shouldn't feel like you have to scared 100% of the time either. A dog alone stops a lot of simple burglaries. CCTV might also fit in there somewhere, so you can see the exterior/interior of your house at all times. They even have a cell phone app. for viewing.

Pepper Spray, Bear Strength is also good, but it really ruins a room if you have to use it inside. It will make the user just as incapacitated as the usee in a closed space. Nasty, nasty stuff!

Still, better than actually dying. It only makes you wish you were dead for a while...

Wink

 

[sonnyjane]

They do different things.

Dogs are deterrents. You are extremely unlikely to be robbed or burglarized if there is a dog present.

Guns are for use when a situation is already in hand.

I don't think that it's fair to say that you are extremely unlikely to be robbed/burglarized, but I agree that you are probably less likely than a home without a dog.

I'd also argue that a large sign saying "Beware of Dog" would also have a deterring effect even if you don't have a dog.

 

[TooPatient]

If you don't want to learn to shoot, I would suggest a combination. Do a safe room for you to use if you are there without your husband but also do the handgun in a safe next to his side of the bed. He can get a safe that only he can open (I haven't seen them, but there had been talk of handprint recognition safes).
That gives an added level of security when he is home but still leaves you a safe place when he isn't.


I would very much suggest against the dog. Think about these scenarios:

Your kid has friends over to play and they wrestle or play a tackle game or just have a disagreement...

You are gone and your kid has friends over.

You can't find a place to board the dog while you are on vacation and have to use a house sitter who may not know all of his commands.

A friend comes to stay at your house for a visit and you give the a key to come in while you are gone...

You leave the dog alone for an hour and he manages to get out when people are walking by or kid's have just been let off a bus...


I love dog's and do not fear them but have met a well trained dog alone. It was almost a very bad day...

 

[arkieb1]

If someone wants to break into somewhere enough they can always poison the dog or in the US shoot it (they poison them here). Dogs are wonderful wonderful alarm systems but I would not be relying on one to save the day in a crisis situation.