# Great Guard Dog!



## jjohnson

Does anybody else have a Vizsla that is an awesome guard dog? 

I know Vizslas are supposed to have a "strong protective instinct", but boy, "strong" is an understatement for our Gus! It's probably because he is scared of strangers in general, but now, when he hears a noise at night, not only does he bark, but he gets out of bed and sprints down the hall barking and growling to check it out! I am pretty sure that if a stranger broke into the house he would bite him. 

Just thought I'd brag a little about my boy, since I'm usually complaining about his fear behavior. There is a bright side- In the case of stangers coming to my front door when I am home alone, the fear aggression actually makes me feel safer. Who needs a rottweiler?


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## Kobi

Unfortunately Kobi is such a "great guard dog" that he has to be crated at night. Car doors, random noises, strange dogs... all trigger him leaping out of bed and barking. It's not quite as fun when you're trying to sleep. The only way he'll NOT do this is if I stay up like two hours later than normal and go to bed then. 

And ironically, once he's in his crate, he doesn't care to bark at anything at all


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## born36

If robbers melted when touched by dog licks then my Mac would be the best guard too! Mac will bark if anyone touches the door when we are in but once they come in he just jumps up and trys to lick them to death.


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## Skippy

Skippy is great at alerting us to noises and people around the house. He's especially alert when only one of us is home. But, like an alarm system, once you get past the sound effects, that's pretty much it. It's interesting that he doesn't bark when he's alone and we come home - it's only when someone's home that he makes sure that everyone knows he's there.


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## harrigab

I'd have no qualms about going to bed without locking the door, Ruby doesn't suffer uninvited strangers


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## datacan

jjohnson said:


> Does anybody else have a Vizsla that is an awesome guard dog?


NO, (not yet). Our V could be a burglar's best friend, even show where the good stuff is.... ???


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## R E McCraith

As long as they do not take PIKES' couch he feels their welcome 2 the rest-but not his kong-touch that and he will wear them out-with playing!


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## zigzag

Not my boy, but I have a German Shepperd mix for that. She is fully cocked at the drop of a hat, doorbells and knocks on the TV set is enough to set her off. While my V just wags his tail waiting to play.


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## threefsh

I'm not sure I would call Riley a "guard" dog, but she's definitely an "alert" dog. Any strange noise outside our house gets her immediate attention. At first, she lets out some low barks and if it doesn't go away she gets VERY loud! Now, if anyone came in the house she'd be more likely to *lick* them to death than anything else. : She sounds terrifying, so I'm sure someone would think twice about breaking in to our house.


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## kristen

Odin stands at the front window, looks out and wags his tail...

He'll have the burglar's singing "how much is the doggy in the window" while they steal my tv


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## redrover

Sometimes there will be somebody outside that Jasper finds disturbing, but mostly he loves strangers. He would make a terrible watch and/or guard dog. Frankly, if someone entered my home to steal stuff, he'd probably help them load up their vehicle.

Of course, I'd like to think that if somebody was threatening me or him personally it'd be a different story. He usually has a pretty good read on menacing body language.


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## Crazy Kian

About a year ago my gf was taking the pooch out for a walk in the morning. Apparently, there was a "homeless" guy walking behind her about 10ft or so, maybe further. She didn't really pay too much attention to him but Kian was constantly looking back at him and growling at him. All the while this "gentleman" was jibber jabbering too himself about whatever his inner voices were talking to him about.
Kian can get protective at times he has woken up in the middle of the night and growled and barked at the "shadows".
Oh and he did growl and bark at me one night when I came home late after a boys night out. 
He stood at one end of the hall and just growled and let out his warning bark. I then got down on one knee and said, "Kian, it's daddy" He ran up to me and licked my face ;D...then went back to bed. :


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## redbirddog

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/04/bite-got-teeth.html

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2011/04/vizsla-as-guard-dog.html

My wife feels safer that is for sure. 

RBD


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## jjohnson

@Crazy Kian - Gus does the same thing! My husband gets home late most nights, after I am in bed, and Gus jumps up and flys down the hall barking when he hears the door open. I Have to yell "It's okay, it's just Zac!" and he knows the name and the barking usually turns to wiggly-butt pretty quickly. 

I wish I could test it and have an actual stranger enter the house at night to see what he does...


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## texasred

Out of my three Vs only one could be considered a guard dog. The other two will bark if someone comes to the door but once they are in the house its all tail wagging. Cash my male is great with people out in the field or in a duck blind. He does guard our vehicle if were not in it and looks like a snarling mess if anyone gets close to it. If people come to our home and stand in the entry way he starts to have a dominate stance , like he is not sure they are welcome. If they come into the living room he will go lay down, like they must be okay.


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## pippa31

Pippa is definitely a good guard dog!! If someone rings the doorbell, she does her "deep bark" until I invite them in (then it is all love, all the time ) On the trail, she gives a warning bark for everyone she isn't sure about. When she started doing this, I was nervous, but now I see the benefits (she calms down once I say 'Let's go; it's okay").

If she hears a noise, she barks (even within her crate). My husband travels a bunch for work and I feel a lot better knowing my girl is watching out for me!!


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## datacan

redrover said:


> Frankly, if someone entered my home to steal stuff, he'd probably help them load up their vehicle.


 ;D Sam would love to go with them if they have a dog. They don't have to bring it along, the scent will do. Too funny, but true.


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## Mischa

redrover said:


> Sometimes there will be somebody outside that Jasper finds disturbing, but mostly he loves strangers. He would make a terrible watch and/or guard dog. Frankly, if someone entered my home to steal stuff, he'd probably help them load up their vehicle.
> 
> Of course, I'd like to think that if somebody was threatening me or him personally it'd be a different story. He usually has a pretty good read on menacing body language.


Sounds a lot like Mischa. ;D
In her credit, I don't like or need her barking at home, and so I correct her anytime she barks/growls at a noise. 
I go and stand in front of her to check out the "disturbance" and send her away. I've never seen anything, must be ghosts!


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## VictoriaW

Gotta say that Gracie has snoozed right through guests coming to the door...only to later stretch, shake herself off, and come flying up as she realizes she missed the chance to greet somebody! Living with three loud young children, I think she has adapted by blocking it all out. ;-)

On the bright side, she didn't flinch at the sound of the starter pistol at her last training session. We laugh that sudden loud noises are old hat to her!

I LOVE that she greets the UPS guy and the milk man with quiet, furious wagging instead of alarm barks.

Gotta say though that she does make me feel safer out in the woods, where I would not have felt comfortable walking alone without my Vizsla.


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## luv2laugh

I've been following this thread and today Oso tried to be a guard dog.  So I thought I would post...

My husband was walking home and Oso could see him through the window, but didn't recognize him. He gave 3 low ruffs and Oscar froze (on purpose). Oso continued to ruff and then Oscar moved towards the window, without talking to Oso. Oso gave a loud bark, ran quickly and frantically away while barking even louder and longer. At this point, Oscar came inside and then Oso was super happy to see him. 

It was really cute, wish I had it on tape. Oso is trying to be a guard dog, but is still very scared himself.


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## Firefighter

It's funny because recently I created a thread on how much of a Non-Gaurd Dog my V was, and it seemed to be popular among other Vs. lol


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## Ozkar

Coincidentally, as I jumped into this thread, Astro went and gave a few woofs at the front door as someone walked past the front of the house walking a dog.  Well, I thought it was funny anyways!


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