Some dogs who'll watch over you . . .

Forget alarms - is Fido the way best to beef up home security? Which breed is best to beat the burglars? We talked to pet owners .

WHAT DOG would you choose if you wanted a watchdog, a pet who’ll do double duty as your protector? A slavering Doberman, with its bark as bad as its bite? A Rottweiler? Or a Chihuahua? Owners of Jack Russells and shrieking Chihuahuas will tell of workmen trembling on the far side of a gate after hearing a demented volley of barks from behind a door. Canvassing politicians hate ankle biters the most.

Dog owners’ notions that the family dog is a better deterrent than a security alarm may be mistaken: one wag says that a watchdog is a dog kept to guard your home, usually by sleeping where a burglar would awaken the household by falling over him.

So, can pets protect? Alas, a spokesman for the Garda crime prevention unit is not convinced that pet dogs are useful as watchdogs. “They can be asleep, they can even take a liking to intruders. To a large degree, it’s breed-dependent. Labradors and little Jack Russells can be useful. And German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers are very effective – but you’d have to train them and that’s only worth doing if a dog has a good pedigree, because it can cost a lot. It might be worth it if you have a big detached house.”

And all-important is to remember the legal issue: if your dog devours someone who enters your house, you may end up in the doghouse.

MAX: Labrador

ANYBODY WHO has laughed and wept their way through the film Marley Me will probably agree that Labradors may be the best family pet of all.

They are not aggressive dogs, but will bark to ward off strangers according to irishdogs.ie, a website with information about all sorts of dog breeds.

This is certainly true of Max, a one-year-old lab, says owner Alison: “He has a deep bark and uses it if anyone comes to the door. Of course if they come inside he won’t bark, he’s a big fool, he’ll jump up on them.”

But he is alert and saved the family from a possible fire at Christmas. “There was a burning smell that we put down to a cable that was overheating and unplugged it.”

But Max kept growling at the fuse box near the front door until his family paid attention. “And he was right, we found there was loose connection in the fuse box,” says Alison.

Apart from that, he chases foxes and birds in his back garden “but never catches them”.

Owner:Alison Conroy

ALI: Chihuahua

CHIHUAHUAS HAVE a high protection value, according to the experts, because they’re alert and will bark at strangers. “The other day Ali was sitting at the window going bananas, trying to jump through the glass, because the gasman was in the garden. Mother of God, he was worse than a big dog,” says Una Kelly, the owner of this Long-haired Chihuahua puppy. “Would I stop him? I don’t think so – they say Chihuahuas have a feisty character, it’s in them.”

Owner:Una Kelly

COCO and ROXI: King Charles Spaniels

SPANIELS OF this breed are sweet-natured, sociable and great family pets – but they’re rated low on the “protection” factor.

The owner of Coco and Roxi, two 18-month-old King Charles Spaniels, confirms this view. If anyone approaches their home, they set up a storm of barking. “They sound great,” says Ann, “but burglars are probably only in danger of being licked to death.”

Owner:Ann Harte

BONNIE: German Shepherd

“GERMAN SHEPHERDS have a bad name because of their size. Bonnie is very, very placid, as most German Shepherds are. She’s a good watchdog but she’s not a guard dog,” says her owner, Noel Hutchinson. “She would bark and probably defend our back garden. Mainly, she’ll bark and let us know someone’s there.”

Ray Darcy, president of the German Shepherd clubs of Ireland, explains that German Shepherds (also known as Alsatians) have a built-in instinct to protect but make great family pets when they’re bred properly. The important thing is to buy one from a responsible breeder who isn’t breeding them from stock that’s over-aggressive.

Owner:Noel Hutchinson

SAMBA: Jack Russell

JACK RUSSELLS’ tendency to bark makes them effective watchdogs, say the experts. Most owners of these small, lively dogs will say that’s a bit of an understatement.

Samba, a Jack Russell with a bit of Labrador and spaniel in her background, is about nine-years-old and used to be a clerical dog – she lived in a C of I rectory in Co Kildare until her owner retired from parish ministry.

She now spends most days sitting in the bay window of her owner’s southside Dublin home, barking aggressively at all dogs and most people who pass by.

“But if someone comes to the door, she goes absolutely crazy,” says Rev Virginia Kennerley. “That’s particularly true if she doesn’t know them; even if she does, she can be quite belligerent, eg to the postman.”

Owner:Rev Virginia Kennerley

ROXI: Cocker Spaniel

SHARON HUTCHINSON has a reputation as something of a dog whisperer, and has been training dogs – unofficially – all her life. “Sharon always brought home strays . . . growing up we had a large Labrador Collie cross that was very protective of Sharon,” says her brother Noel.

Right now, Sharon’s dog is Roxi, a one-and-a-half-year-old spaniel.

As a breed, spaniels are rated “medium to effective” as far as protection goes – and Sharon confirms her pet’s usefulness. “Roxi will warn you if anyone’s coming . . . she’d take the leg off the biggest burglar.”

Owner:Sharon Hutchinson