Bump in the Night

[Edward429451]

I would never call the police to clear the house unless I was positive that someone is inside. The dog lets me know if someone is just walking by, or comes into the yard by tone. Friend or foe. Foe is anyone not in the pack. I check his tone about once a month. My dog loves it when I back him up!

[Sheikyourbootie]

"hmmmm an agressive service dog ? I suspect this is a contridiction in training methodology, or terminology. You trained this service dog to be aggressive ? Intentionally ? On the other hand do you have an aggressive assault dog that you use your wife's condition to label your dog a service dog ? "

I trained him. The aggressiveness stemmed from the dog knowing who belonged and who didn't. As far as him biting the POS trying to break in...hell yes I rewarded the behavior.

Trained him to get her for answering the door, phone (tty), oven timer, baby crying. Trained him to stay on her left side whenever walking, and to only stop her if she was headed into danger. That dog would die to protect her or my kid. I miss that dog, as he was the best hearing dog/hunting dog and guardian we ever had.

As far as "labeling" him a service dog, for example...to get him into hotels/restaurants, no, we never did that. There are things I wanted him to do to help her around the house. Protection was one of them. He was docile to those who belonged in our house/yard.

[Nordeste]

Never did. I live in a block of apartments and have a Yorkshire terrier living inside with me. The door to the apartment is a hefty one, they'd need tools and make noise, and before they broke in the Yorkie would be doing their job of waking me up.

A couple of years ago, one of those terriers was a 45lbs (female) American Staffordshire Terrier. Break in, and you would have found out. She's now gone, but I'm planning on getting another Am Staff in the future. Love the breed.

[Hook686]

#52
Sheikyourbootie
Senior Member


Join Date: June 6, 2010
Posts: 156 "hmmmm an agressive service dog ? I suspect this is a contridiction in training methodology, or terminology. You trained this service dog to be aggressive ? Intentionally ? On the other hand do you have an aggressive assault dog that you use your wife's condition to label your dog a service dog ? "

I trained him. The aggressiveness stemmed from the dog knowing who belonged and who didn't. As far as him biting the POS trying to break in...hell yes I rewarded the behavior.

Trained him to get her for answering the door, phone (tty), oven timer, baby crying. Trained him to stay on her left side whenever walking, and to only stop her if she was headed into danger. That dog would die to protect her or my kid. I miss that dog, as he was the best hearing dog/hunting dog and guardian we ever had.

As far as "labeling" him a service dog, for example...to get him into hotels/restaurants, no, we never did that. There are things I wanted him to do to help her around the house. Protection was one of them. He was docile to those who belonged in our house/yard.

Impressive. It takes a lot of time, effort, patience and love to train a dog to accomplish all that. I've been working with the trainers, Four Paws For Vets, in training my service dog to be vision, hearing and mobility assistance for two years now. I understand the pack mentality of dogs, and am also aware that any aggressive behavior demonstrated by my dog would immediately disqualify his certification. The training team and I are constantly observant to this. I take my dog everywhere and kids are not the only ones who want to come up and poke my dog, or pull his tail. He has a lot of built-in tolerance. We could all benefit from his disipline.

My hat is off to you for your love, and determination shown to your wife.

[pturner67]

I'm with a few others here...I have a 95 pound beast who can smell and hear anything before it gets close...I sleep very well

with that said, I have had to get up once in the past before getting my dog...and it was for a real home invasion attempt

[wayneinFL]

I sleep soundly. It's got to be a pretty hard bump to wake me up. Sound usually doesn't do it. And I don't have a dog, so I have to rely on my wife.

It's happened probably twice that I can ever remember. Once it was a possum. The other time the A/C.

The incident with the A/C was funny. I should mention my wife does not particularly care for guns, and at that time, she did not allow them in our home. She woke me with some urgency. She followed me to the garage. I opened the door and looked inside, saw no one there, but did hear a noise- the air conditioner. I was relieved. "That's the noise? Sheesh, the way you woke me, I thought you heard a person in the garage."

That was the first time she noticed I had a gun in my hand. "Where did you get that?!" She said it with disgust, as if I had a dead rat in my hand.

"Out of the safe in the garage."

[OuTcAsT]

Maybe a couple of times per year, normally it is something benign but, you never know.

[bikerbill]

I can't recall the last time I got up to check something inside the house, but I do get up once or twice a month when the Hound of the Baskervilles (AKA Shiner the beagle) alerts on something going on outside. I've never actually seen anything outside, but we live in a rural area and have tons of wildlife (deer, skunks, coyote) wandering around. I always take my nightstand 1911 and my Surefire 9p, have never had any reason to use the .45.

[Old Grump]

When I lived in San Diego it was a regular occurrence. Neighbor girl was raped and killed and we were broken into but nothing taken. Shootings and cutting were a regular occurrence in our neighborhood.

In Chicago it was 3 times in 10 years. Group of drunks trying to get in the back way through a patio door nearly got shot, they had the wrong address. Amazing how fast a drunk can sober up when faced with a barking golden retriever and my irate wife with a pistol.

Here in the woods 3 or 4 times every summer and maybe once or twice in the winter. So far a stray dog, a handful of raccoons and one drunk. The rest of the time nothing found.

[CMichael]

Approx. 2-3 times a year.

There are times I wake up too a strange noise. I can't fall back asleep until I check it out.

However, I have a chocolate lab. She is a good alarm. Of course, she would probably lick an intruder too death. I think she is more a watch dog than a guard dog.

[briandg]

When you have a great big century old house and 4 cats, the days and nights are full of noise. having a house full of cats is like living in the haunted mansion, anyway. You hear a yowl, a bit later a thud, some foot steps on the stairs, and a door will creak open, all in an hour or so.

bump in the night means laying awake for a while, and maybe counting the cats on ther bed, and it sure as heck doesn't mean calling in police.

If the situation seems to merit it, I will go check the doors and basement. I won't call in police unless I hear voices or positive evidence of an intruder. after I do, I will remotely turn on lights downstairs while concealed at the top of the stairs, and wait out anyone who chooses to come up after me.

I am at my farthest possible point of retreat. They know I'm there. they have been warned. there is nothing left to do but fight if they even step on the stairs to come up, and I can take no prisoners. these people would be shot the instant they become visible on the stairs, and that will mean head or upper torso from a matter of a less than 20 feet. I have no choice there, because I'm a clear target, too.

A short pump with heavy shot would be perfect there, but i'm not interested in blowing the stairway clean to hell.

[Mr Dish]

Once.

I went downstairs because I heard a squeaky door. I knew my daughter was already home and asleep (she had come home after hanging out with her friends). I walked down the stairs and scared the crap out of a friend of hers that she allowed to spend the night in the basement rather than driving home after drinking. He instantly dropped to his knees with his hands over is head like a good boy should when a girls Daddy points a gun at him.
Now she wakes me up and tells me when she has a friend over.

[Rifleman 173]

About 6 times a year I check out bumps in the night. Most of the time its something my kid is doing that wakes me. Not a big deal.

[FairWarning]

Maybe 3-4 times ever. I make a habit of living in proven safe areas, so I usually don't have much cause for concern when I'm locked inside.

I've probably heard noises more when visiting relatives in the country, although those were more likely animals. Any investigation from me will usually involve 12 GA 00 Buck backed up by 9mm.

If someone was really scoping you out, it may be a bad idea to go outside and make yourself an easy target! I would never go outside if I thought that was the case.

[GM2]

Sometimes I am awaken by a bump or thump But if Hodges my 105 lb German Shepard isn't raising cane I just go back to sleep.

[45_auto]

You guys lead interesting lives. Since I moved out of my parents house in 1975, I've NEVER had to go investigate a bump in the night.

My father did go to the front door with his Remington 1100 once back in the mid-1960's. The doorbell started ringing constantly at about 3 AM. Nobody was there, a spider had climbed into the doorbell and shorted it out.

[Old Grump]

You guys lead interesting lives. Since I moved out of my parents house in 1975, I've NEVER had to go investigate a bump in the night.

In San Diego I lived on K street because a junior ranked sailor newly married doesn't have a lot of options. K street back in those days, (late 60's early 70's), was pretty bad. Today I live in the woods but I am only 7 miles from a Super Max prison in a sparsely populated county with a small sheriff's department. Average time to see a deputy pull into your yard is 35 minutes and for a non emergency it can be several hours. 50 miles from the Iowa/Minnesota border, a mile from the Wisconsin River, surrounded by a quarter million acres of DNR land and 100 miles from 3 large cities so meth makers like the isolation. It pays to be vigilant. It helps that most of my neighbors are hunters and shooters and many of them ex military.