[Catspaw]

One more reason to let kids have a Dog......... small nervous little barker is worth it's weight in gold if backed up by a twelve gauge.

A Lhasa Apso is good nervous little barker. Don't even think about coming near the house or coming near the yard without him going into a barkin' frenzy. The golden we had as kids would probably invite the guy in & show him where all the valuables were as long as he got petted.

[buffyt]

You all have a great point about the little barking dogs. I was in LA for the weekend and I noticed the little nervous dogs barked all the time. We were eating at an outdoor restaurant. The big dogs just laid there. But the little dogs barked every time another dog walked by. Little yappy dog backed up by a shotgun is a great idea! I speak as a mother of three. And my sons can shoot straight, and ask questions later!

[Squantos]

Oh yeah, size is not an indication of intelligence in doggy world. I was a K-9 handler my first 3 years in USAF (AFSC 81150A) and you could not convince me that anything existed other than a shepard.

But my wifes little chocolate colored toy poodle had to be the smartest dog I ever encountered. She had named it Prissy and when I teased the dog and said Prissy is a sarcastic way that dog actually was embarrassed and tried to hide it's head under the pillows on the sofa. Anyone that got within five feet of the front door was yapped to oblivion fer sure !

Small dogs are worth their weight as a cheap little alarm IMHO and experience.

Stay Safe ...........!

[scholar]

I have a Chow-Golden Retriever mix. He can hear a mouse fart a mile away so I tend to ignore his warnings. He is also so docile he would probably lead someone to the family treasure.

Recently found out that I need to pay more attention to his growls in the middle of the night. He may be a wuss but he is my early warning system.

[American in Israel]

The golden we had as kids would probably invite the guy in & show him where all the valuables were as long as he got petted.

I had a golden/rottie cross, he looked like a shorthaired golden on steroids. Solid gold, sweet as pie. Thought he was worthless but lovable till one day the propane guy drove in the yard without me hearing. I just heard this "help, help" in the front yard. Came out and the dog had the guy backed up against the tank truck with his jaws at full slaver at his "family jewels". Never bit him, but the guy was a white as a sheet. I called the dogs name and he licked the guys hand and came over to me and leaned on me in full "pet me" mode. Gosh I miss that dog...