how good/bad is you're border collie as a watch/guard dog?

[adadrian]

how good/bad is you're border collie as a watch/guard dog?

 

i have a doberman and a border collie and the doberman is a excellent guard dog, protective of everyone barks at anyone who comes to the house etc,

 

while my border collie doesn't care about who's here , she would more likely jump and lick the intruder then anything else

[Donald McCaig]

Genetics will out.

 

Donald McCaig

[alligande]

Mine is an extremely good watch dog especially when I am home alone. When my husband is home it takes a bit more to get him aggravated by outside noises. I have no idea what sort of guard dog he would be, but if cornered by someone strange I think he would bite.

[gcv-border]

Torque will alarm bark, but then if he is let outside, he will rush the person (usually I have already asked if the person likes dogs) and sit at their feet, then try to crawl up their body to get pets. If he is petted, he will flop over to show his belly and try to lick hands or face (whatever is within reach).

 

Guard dog? Total failure.

[Gideon's girl]

Gideon will alarm bark at everything, EVERYTHING! Micah waits to see if there is a real reason to bark. That's it, nothing else, but then BCs aren't supposed to be guard dogs, so no loss there.

[CptJack]

Yep, Molly fits most of the other dogs mentioned here. She will alert/alarm bark at 'weird things' (read: people who aren't usually around vehicles, stray or loose dogs and the like) but she is absolutely not protective of either people or property (if she bit anyone, it would be because they frightened her and wouldn't let her leave, not because she was being protective). As Gideon's girl said, BC aren't supposed to be protective, and most aren't going to be.

 

That's okay. I have 100+ lbs of GSD/Livestock guardian mix who does a pretty good job on the protection front (and by good job I mean he's got a good head on his shoulders, is friendly and safe with a proper introduction, but IS protective of property, his people, and even the other dogs).

[Tommy Coyote]

My dogs bark. I would be really surprised if one of them actually tried to protect me. They run to the door and cause a big commotion but that's about all. I have noticed that door to door sales people tend to stand about 20 feet back and don't mind hurrying on to the next house.

[GentleLake]

There's a saying that a border collie will greet a burglar at the door and offer to help him take out the loot.

 

My 2 (presumed) border collie mixes are (or were in the case of the old gal who doesn't hear much these days) more than willing to bark at just about anything...the neighbors going in or out of their driveways, people walking their dogs on the street, etc. I don't consider that a good watch dog. It doesn't give me useful information because I'm likely to tell them to shut up because most of the time they're not barking at anything that's actually alarming, well, to me anyway. But neither of them would be good guard dogs.

 

 

My purebred leaves the barking up to his sisters. In the rare event he joins them I know that there's something I should look into. If for some reason the girls aren't around, he'll bark once to let me know someone's at the door. So I blame the girls' barking on their non-border collie parentage.

As others have said, border collies weren't intended to be watch dogs, much less guard dogs, and it's not reasonable to expect them to be.

[CptJack]

Molly is actually really good about not barking at everything. She does, however, not necessarily find the same things worthy of alert as I do. Like someone at the door she may or may not bother barking at - but 'the neighbor got a new boat' is totally worth telling me about (she'd never seen a boat and it was just THERE, clearly I needed to know aliens were invading)

[medic09]

"Watch" and "guard" dogs are two different things.

 

Golan is a fair watch dog. He will often raise the alarm when someone approaches the house; though I wish he would learn that across-the-street doesn't belong to us. Many times, though, he only starts barking after Runt (our terrier mutt) does so.

 

I don't think he would be a good guard dog, at all. He isn't a fighter. But Border Collies aren't bred to be guard dogs. That's a different character; and I suspect that most Collies aren't guard dogs. Even guard dogs vary, depending on who or what they're bred to guard.

[moosikins]

Callie alert barks and will growl and go down into a ready-to-pounce posture if she doesn't recognize the person coming in right away. My husband has to talk to her as he's coming in the door if I'm napping after work, otherwise she launches herself off the bed where she sleeps with me and snarls at him until she recognizes him and then bolts back to me to "report" (bark directly in my face to notify me) that he's home. We also talk to her if we get up at night and she's in a deep sleep because when she's startled awake, she tends to guard/snarl first and then wag after she recognizes the person.

But she wasn't so intense until recently. She's gotten more and more protective and guarding, of me in particular, as we get closer to baby's due date.

 

She has always alert barked to an extent though. We get warned when the neighbors come too close to the house with a "big dog" bark and if they don't continue to approach, she just warbles to herself and puffs out her cheeks. When strangers come in unexpectedly, she needs to be commanded into her "place" on dog bed or she won't stop barking at them. Once they're greeted by us, she'll approach as a friendly dog.

 

Cal is part BC and part yellow lab (with who knows what else in there because the DNA test was stupid).

 

Side Story: My Father-in-Law was harassed by a BC in Ireland recently because a lamb he had fed the day before approached him. The BC flew by and nipped his leg because he had gotten too close to the lamb (even though the goofy little thing was following FIL). Luckily, since he wasn't hurt (just a scrape from a passing fang), it's a pretty cute story.

[D'Elle]

"Watch" dogs...yes. Very good at letting me know if anything is going on outside. "Guard"? Nope. Wouldn't expect it of them, either. Not in their genetic programing. But I do have signs that say "Beware of Dog!", because with four dogs barking how is anyone to know that they would not attack, and I would rather have people think they would, if I m not at home.

[SS Cressa]

Val lets me know when any dogs walk by. People he doesnt care about. He has also alerted me to strange occurrences at night.

 

I only have a 50/50 notice if someone comes into my yard. Both V and Cressa will sometimes just run to the door wagging their tails.

 

When i first moved in and didnt realize how hard i had to shut my front door. It got open before when i wasnt home and my dog had no problem going up to 2 complete strangers, being caught, and getting put back inside my house. :/ *my neighbor grab them and knew they were mine.

 

Cressa has if someone threaten me, guarded me and refused to let them get close. Once they relaxed she apologized and was friends again. She has also refused to let certain people come close to me. Refused as in growling, nipping, and putting herself between me and the threat.

 

Idk what V would do. He seems to view everyone as a friend.

[GentleLake]

Individual dogs can vary greatly when it comes to protecting their people, and, I suspect, their property (i.e. territory). And they can often be quite surprising.

 

Kathy Knox used to have a story she liked to tell. When she started working for Jack, she had a young female GSD named Tara. Her first border collie was one Jack gave her as a pup, a dog named Scot who was a singleton pup and extremely shy. Jack didn't think he was going to amount to much but Kathy liked him so he gave him to her.

 

After they were married there was a time when they were traveling and Kathy and Jack were in a large city at night walking on a deserted street. Kathy had Tara and Scot with her. Three men were approaching on the opposite side of the street, then crossed the street towards them in a manner that appeared threatening. Kathy was nervous but felt Tara would be protective if necessary. But she wasn't; Tara hid behind Kathy as the men advanced. But normally shy Scot walked out to the end of his leash and growled menacingly at the men who thought better of whatever it was they'd had in mind and turned and went away.

 

Jack was wrong, btw, about how Scot would turn out. He ended up being an excellent working and trial dog.

[CptJack]

I guess to some degree it depends on how you read the dog/situation and what you consider protective. Like, as far as the dog's motivation goes or just action.

If people are acting oddly and somehow threatening, Molly WILL lunge out to the edge of her leash and bark growl, but I know my dog. She's not being protective; she's being defensively fearful of HERSELF. Ie: She would have that same reaction if a stray plastic bag fluttered by and scared her (she hates plastic bags) and if she wasn't on leash she'd turn tail and run.

Thud isn't fearful of anything, ever. He is very watchful. He will bodily insert himself into a situation but he won't make a sound, not even bark, until the threat crosses a certain barrier. Then he will bark. Pushed further he will growl and face directly forward and get confrontational. But he won't escalate or get loud unless he's given good reason and he backs down, quickly and easily if *I* tell him to.

 

Molly? Just as good a deterrent, but I know that dog and frankly she's about as big a chicken as it comes when something strikes her as off or weird. That happens less and less often as she gets older, and she's not generally fearful of normal things, but. Weird stuff/something that seemed off to her? Yeah. I'd like to attribute it to protectiveness but I just can't. I know what her fear/spooekd reaction is.

And it's hackles up, barking and growling at the end of her leash trying to make the scary thing go away when she's stuck on leash.

 

Still keeps people from giving us grief, though!

[geonni banner]

My dog raises hell if someone is in the hall (I live in an apt. building) and comes to my end of the hall. There are only 2 apts. on the ground floor, and the doors are at opposite ends of the hall. I'm at the back end of the hall. If someone she doesn't know is "lurking" in the hall, she growls and hackles. If someone she knows comes into the hall, she barks once, occasionally twice, and wags and wiggles. Interestingly, if someone I know - a friend - comes into the hall or even up to the door when I am not at home, she does not bark - even if they come inside.

 

I rarely lock my door, even at night. The street door to the building is always locked. But my door stands open, with the screen door closed, but not latched. Both my dog and cat respect the screen door, though the dog will sometimes nose the door open to greet an especially dear friend.

 

My friends have leave (both mine and the dog's) to come in if I am gone. But strangers will be told off, with hackling and growling if they get too close to the door.

 

I dislike - hate? - barking dogs. So I have made it a priority that barking be only for a good reason, and abbreviated. I have no such prohibition against growling. It sends the message and doesn't bother the neighbors. Sugarfoot is quite intimidating when she growls. Works for me.

She learned from a pro - my Lurcher.

 

(Both these pictures are of playing dogs., but the expressions are the same when she's riled.)

[urge to herd]

Gibbs is delighted when people he knows walk up the front steps, (he can't see them, just smell/hear them) or the back steps. My frequent response when friends visit is to go for a walk, so he anticipates good times.

 

If I let someone in the house, he is cautious, and takes his time to get to know them, but he's okay with them coming in.

 

Luckily, I haven't had this tested, but I believe he would growl his serious growl if someone he didn't know tried to enter while I wasn't here. And a couple times, when I tensed up while walking, he put himself between me and the person approaching.

 

Good dog!

 

Ruth and SuperGibbs

[Maralynn]

My dogs are both good, sensible alarm barkers. They ignore the normal night noises but readily react to the abnormal ones. Like the coon that tried to get in the porch at 1 AM. I don't know that they'd make good actual guard dogs by I didn't get them for guard dogs and I'm quite happy for sensible alarm barkers

[aschlemm]

I dislike barky dogs so mine have all learned to bark for a good reason. My first male BC was (as far as I am concerned) absolutely perfect. He was protective of the house, car and me. But not obnoxious about it. Bark, growl, show teeth, stop when told to and friendly when told the person is OK. I hike a lot and I always felt safe with him. He was a great judge of character and only did what was necessary. But, I have no doubt that if anyone had aggressively confronted or grabbed me he would have nailed them good.

Both my current female BC and my previous female were very good about deciding what was worth barking about but only when in the house or yard and only when I am home. My current female BC woke me up at 1 a.m. to let me know that someone was stealing gas from my neighbors. Once I was up and handling the situation she went back to sleep!

My current male BC hates strange men on my front porch. They don't even get a chance to knock!! He sounds awful, like he plans on crashing through the door and eating them alive!!! Best thing is, when I get to the door and say "OK, that's enough" he's done and if I let the person in, they are his new best friend. But if someone broke into my place I'm not sure if he'd bite but I think he'd scare the living crap out of them!!

I like a good, intelligent watchdog so I have always encouraged that type of behavior. I think that perhaps that is the difference. Naturally they are neither a watch nor guard dog but with encouragement and praise and guidelines they can be pretty good at it (like anything else.)

I've had the thought that both my previous male and the current one would have been good Schutzhund dogs. Now, a 45-50 pound Border Collie wouldn't stop too many bad guys but I really think they could be trained to do it.

[Gloria Atwater]

Guard dogs? None of mine. I think they'd all panic and run if a *real* bad guy burst in, fists flying.

Watch dogs? All of them. Nick has this huge, baying bark that sounds like he's 6 feet tall and puppy Nell sounds just like him. The Aussie of course raises seven kinds of hell and tries to pinch people on the hocks, while Gael just kind of backs them all up.

We live in the country with only 2 neighbors, however, so if anyone shows up at the front gate, it's an Event. They have varying degrees of bark, too, from the semi-interested, "Hey, I think I might hear something ... oh, never mind," to the somewhat sharper, "Hark, someone is down near the mailbox," to the full cry of, "OMG, they're right here in the driveway." And of course there's the sheer hysteria of, "HOLY CRAP, THERE'S A BEAR AT THE BACK FENCE!"

So, if they bark, we look to see what it is. Though a few times, we've looked up to see someone standing at the yard gate and only then do the dogs wake up in a panic of barking ...

~ Gloria

[mum24dog]

My two collies have learned to bark at people coming to the house from the other non collies. They showed no natural inclination to do so. I wouldn't call any of them a guard dog.

[Tommy Coyote]

We have a lot of rabbits around this year. Tommy is really good at letting me know when there are rabbits in the yard. And cats. And dogs walking down the street.

 

People don't seem to interest her very much.

[rushdoggie]

Mine sounds like a much bigger dog when he barks and growls at the door or strange noises. He is fearful of strangers, though so he backs off and hides behind me if I let someone in.

[teresaserrano]

Tess is very good at letting me know there are bad guys around. I trust her judgement.

As a guard dog, I don't know. We do bite work and she's fearless, not bothered by whip or ratling bottles. The few times we did defense work she imediatly diferentiates it from biting tug or sleeve, and turns into a snarling lunging devil. I have noticed that, although she does have the bc sensitivity, when she's aroused she forgets about being sensitive and gets down to business, so I kind of think if the need ever arises she might just rise to the chalenge and go after the bad guy, for real.

[Pam Wolf]

Depends on the dog. But mine are more 'rural' than many on the boards and therefore do not get the socialization of many dogs. My Butchie doesn't bark much, BUT do not touch me without permission!!! I actually had to teach him a command so that people can even shake hands. He learned this fast and I don't have to repeat it with people he knows have permission. His warning is subtle. He is rather friendly although not 'outgoing' unless you try to touch me.

 

I did learn he came from a grandsire with a 'tough' attitude and that doubled up with his granddam who had a no nonsense attitude produced a tough little boy.

 

Many years back, I know the UPS, Fed ex and mail men NEVER wanted to get out on farms where there was a BC, Aussie or Heeler cause they were likely to get bitten. I still see quite a few farm dogs that are quite protective of their homes