An attack dog ( guard dog , patrol dog , or security dog ) is a dog trained to attack a person on command, sight, or by inferred provocation. They are used to defend people, territory, or property. Attack dogs have been utilized throughout history and are used today primarily in police and military roles. They have also been involved in a number of dog-related incidents and fatalities.
19-403: A guard dog or watchdog (not to be confused with an attack dog ) is a dog used to watch for and guard people or property against unwanted or unexpected human or animal intruders. The use of dogs as guardians is well known since ancient times. The Romans used to put mosaics ( Cave canem mosaics) at the entrance of the houses to warn visitors and intruders of the presence of dangerous dogs at
38-557: A competent guard dog. Warning signs of this sort have been found in ancient Roman buildings such as the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii , which contains a mosaic with the caption cave canem ( pronounced [ˈkäu̯eː ˈkänɛ̃ˑ] ). The Roman work Satyricon , written by Petronius , includes a passage mentioning the phrase cave canem painted on a wall with large letters, in
57-520: A large, dark-colored dog in a dark house (lights off) would give the dog an advantage over the burglar. It is claimed that female dogs tend to make better personal guardians than males, due to maternal instincts, but males are considered better for guarding property because of their greater territorial instinct. That may be true in general, but all dogs are individuals. Many currently prominent guard dogs started as general purpose farm dogs , but gradually developed into guard breeds. Some dog breeds such as
76-581: A reputation for being very intolerant of strangers and guests to the home and property. Other fierce guard dogs include breeds and landraces of the Ovtcharka type and other farm guard dogs such as the Boerboel . Some breeds who make excellent guards are more commonly having breed specific legislation passed against them, banning them from some communities and whole countries. The laws regarding ownership and usage of guard dogs vary from country to country. In England
95-512: A situation and react accordingly. In formal training, the dogs are exposed to gunfire, traffic and other distractions to increase their effectiveness. Attack training is condemned by some as promoting ferocity in dogs; a 1975 American study showed that 10% of dogs that have bitten a person received attack dog training at some point. Dogs trained for military use as attack dogs, most often called patrol dogs, can be trained to perform explosives detection as well. Military contractors have been supplying
114-650: The Dobermann and the Dogue Brasileiro were specifically bred to guard. Guard dogs are not restricted to mastiffs. Other dogs, like some shepherd dogs , Spitz dogs, cattle dogs and some catch dogs are also great guard dogs as well as being useful as multifunctional dogs, acting as attack dogs , personal protection dogs, police dogs, sport dogs such as schutzhund dogs, etc. Guard dog breeds tend to be territorial, averse to strangers, dominant, and protective and loyal with family. The Fila Brasileiro for example has
133-622: The United States of America was suggested by Benjamin Franklin . In South Africa under Apartheid , the South African Defence Force used wolf-dog hybrids as experimental attack dogs to combat guerrillas. Attack dog training is a variation of sentry dog training, only instead of bringing attention to an intruder, is trained to chase, hold and injure, or possibly kill, a perceived hostile target. Attack dogs are trained to interpret
152-574: The Department of Defense with nearly as many patrol and explosives detection dogs as the government trains in the recent wars in the Middle East. Various modern military groups also use attack dogs, primarily for sentry purposes. The dogs are trained to defend their post and attack any possible intruders. It is also reported that dogs have been used in psychological torture against prisoners of war. Attack dogs are used by almost every police force in
171-425: The best at watchdog barking: If the risk is from human intruders, a suitable dog can be simply trained to be aggressive towards unrecognized humans and then tethered or enclosed unsupervised in an area that the owner wishes to protect when he is not around (such as at night); the stereotypical " junkyard dog" is a common example of this. If the purpose of the dog is to protect against human intruders after nightfall,
190-505: The chapter Dinner with Trimalchio . Philippians 3:2 is translated as "beware of the dogs" or "beware of dogs" in the King James Bible and many other editions. For example: Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. This is often interpreted as a euphemism, bad people having been described as dogs in a number of previous biblical passages. Nonetheless, the yard signs are sometimes alluded to in reference to
209-862: The extinct bandogges , were chained during the day and released at night to protect properties, camps and villages. Both guard dogs and watchdogs bark loudly to alert their owners of an intruder's presence and to scare away the intruder. The watchdog's function ends here; a guard dog is then capable of attacking and/or restraining the intruder. Livestock guardian dogs are often large enough—100–200 pounds (45–91 kg)—and strong enough to attack and drive away livestock predators . Some smaller breeds (such as Keeshonden and Tibetan Terriers ) are excellent watchdogs, but not guard dogs, because they bark loudly to alert their masters of intruders, but are physically small and not given to assertive behavior. Guard dogs will bark to alert their master and to warn of an approaching animal or human threat prior to their interception of
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#1732859046036228-418: The main legislation relating to the use of guard dogs on commercial premises are contained within the 1975 Guard Dogs Act. The act specifies the requirements of kennels and the need to display guard dog warning signs at the entrance to sites. Attack dog Early in recorded history, there are records of dogs being trained for the purpose of attacking a target. One of the most well-recorded ancient uses
247-412: The military by individuals or families. These elite dogs may cost hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. Beware of the dog Beware of the dog (also rendered as Beware of dog ) is a warning sign posted at the entrance to a building or other private area indicating that a dangerous dog is within. Such signs may be placed to deter burglary even if there is no dog, or if the dog is not actually
266-460: The passage. The use of such signs in the Roman world may have influenced the author of the passage, and conversely the passage may have influenced the wording of the more modern yard signs. Under English law , placing such a sign does not relieve the owner of responsibility for any harm which may come to people attacked by the dog. Where a company employs the services of a guard dog, Section 1(3) of
285-475: The property. One of the first dog types used as guardians were the ancestral Mastiff -type landraces of the group known as Livestock guardian dogs which protected livestock against large predators such as wolves , bears and leopards . Orthrus is a famous example of a livestock guardian dog from the Greek mythology known for guarding Geryon 's red cattle. Some ancient guard dogs in more urban areas, such as
304-579: The trespasser. They are different from the smaller watchdogs in that they do not continue barking; they take action. Specifically, livestock guardian dogs such as the Kangal use loud alarm barks as a first line of defense against presumed threats; if these do not deter a perceived foe (either human or animal predators), other displays such as bluffing and charging are employed. For livestock guardians, proactive forms of defense such as bites are only used if all other forms of deterrence fail. The following breeds are
323-588: The world for apprehending and subduing targets (see police dog ). The dogs are trained to identify situations where humans are in danger and respond accordingly. Dogs are also commonly used by criminal syndicates , such dogs are often called "gang dogs". They are often used for guarding illegal narcotics operations , intimidating people to facilitate deals and collect debts, defending gang members and turf against law enforcement , and as attack dogs to intimidate and attack rival criminals. Today attack or guard dogs with military-level training may also be used outside
342-474: Was documented by Roman naturalist and writer Pliny the Elder , who wrote that the animals would not back down, even when confronted by swords. The Roman attack dogs were given metal armour covered in razor-sharp spikes, designed to force the enemy out of formation. Napoleon utilised dogs for their superior senses, putting them to work in roles similar to that of modern sentry dogs . The first use of attack dogs in
361-566: Was in a battle between the Athenians and Corinthians, in which dogs were used to keep watch over a fortress and despite being unsuccessful in opposing an enemy attack, were able to alert the sleeping soldiers to the attack. Ancient Romans first adopted the use of dogs as a weapon after hordes of dogs delayed their victory in the Battle of Vercellae . The Romans not only trained them to attack, but also bred their attack dogs for ferocity. The effect of this
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