Getting past the guard dogs

alleycat

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I don't know for sure, but from what I've seen of trained dogs, if one has become aware of an intruder, a steak won't make them go away (like it always does in the movies). It might be different if the dog is just a "vicious" dog that someone is using for a guard dog.

In any event, the "toss the dog a steak" trick seems a little hackneyed to me. Just an opinion.

We could offer some other possibilities if you like.
 

A.M. Wildman

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From http://www.worldwidecanine.com
Most of us have heard of "sentry dogs" or "guard dogs". An Area Protection Dog is similar to those dogs. An Area Protection Dog is trained to trust no one except its handler and one alternate. Should your place of business experience break-ins or burglaries, a dog trained as an Area Protection Dog can rectify the problem. "Meaning you'll get to pick up the pieces in the morning." An Area Protection Dog is placed into your securely fenced place of business, usually at closing, and left there until morning. The dog must be left and retrieved by a person assigned exclusively to that dog.
Area Protection Dogs are very aggressive animals. Signs are posted warning people that they will be attacked if they enter the area after an Area Protection Dog has secured it.

They are in the business of training and providing such dogs. To someone trying to infiltrate an area a dog is much harder to defeat or circumvent than an electronic gadget. About the only way to deal with them is a dart gun, or silenced pistol, and the hope that you spot them before they close on you, or raise an alarm.

In some cases the dogs roaming an area are under the direct command and control of a handler who is patrolling with them.
 

Tornadoboy

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I don't know any of this for a fact, but I wonder if professionally trained guard dogs are conditioned to only eat on command from their owner, sort of like the old trick of training a dog to balance a hotdog it's nose and not eat it until told.
If you want a character to take out some guard dogs, maybe you could have him/her get them to come close, then spray them in the face/mouth through the fence with something either lethal or that will knock them out?
Or if you don't care about making noise, there's always...
LEAD POISONING! :guns: <BANG!> :D
 
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Mae

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hmmm....
the "toss the dog a steak" trick seems a little hackneyed to me. Just an opinion.

We could offer some other possibilities if you like.

I agree it's become a cliche. Can you tweak to get the same end result? Blow a sleep dart?
 

PastMidnight

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It's not a professionally trained guard dog, just one that has been rumoured to be 'vicious'. I agree that the 'throw the dog a steak' bit is old, but it's a bunch of college guys trying to get past a dog in order to steal something as a prank. So I didn't want them to get too complicated (or too violent) in their attempt. But I want them to be successful in getting past the dog.
 

A.M. Wildman

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It's not a professionally trained guard dog, just one that has been rumoured to be 'vicious'. I agree that the 'throw the dog a steak' bit is old, but it's a bunch of college guys trying to get past a dog in order to steal something as a prank. So I didn't want them to get too complicated (or too violent) in their attempt. But I want them to be successful in getting past the dog.

If it's not a trained dog, then the steak trick might work. Many "junkyard" dogs, and others are kept at the point of starvation by their owners in the belief it will make them "mean". It would make him entirely suceptible to an offer of food.
 

alleycat

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Will it matter if the dog makes noise? If not, you could have a couple of the guys distract the dog on one end of the fence while one or two of the others makes a scramble over the fence.

If you do decide to go with tempting the dog with food, you might make it somewhat more interesting by what they choose to use . . . maybe old hotdogs (weiners), or pizza, or something else that college kids have handy.
 

Vanatru

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I'm no expert, but I've dealt with plenty of amatuer guard dogs, and a few professinals ones (they have business cards and a union).

The average dog I've seen is someone who's just conditioned their average dog to be a mean little bastard or gives 'em little love and attention so they're not as friendly as American type dogs (which are pampered IMO).

I saw some guys take a cat in a carrier, and let the cat out where the dogs where. Soon as the cat was running, the dogs followed, and they went into the house. Don't know what happened to the cat, but the dogs were back the next day.

This one local warlord (if you will) had these mean ass mutts that he'd feed scraps, so they were always hungry............BUT..........they'd eat the food and watch you. If you moved, they stopped eating and went on guard and would charge you if you got to close to the house/compound.

The trick with those dogs? They loved to play catch. One of the guys spent about two weeks getting the dogs used to him, tossing things ...balls, sticks, food, etc. One day during a big raid, he tossed the dogs a gernade, they caught it and ran off. You can image what happened next. He made sure to marinate the gernade overnight in some food I think.

Some of the dogs we've meet don't bark english......and didn't respond to commands in english. Though, sometimes it's the tone of the voice that will make 'em respond. SIT! With street tough dogs, sometimes a strong verbal prescene will back 'em off.

As for shooting them........lots of the guys won't shoot 'em, even if they think the dog deserves it..........mainly because it'll indicate thier position.

A few of the MPs have carried vinger or ammona in spritz bottles if they know they're going into a bad area with dog packs. Spritz spritz in the muzzles. It's a deterrent.

One trick another gal had was that she found a dog is sesson and used it to lure the street dogs away from the house we needed to go into.

It's easy getting in.........sometimes the getting out part is tougher.
 
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MidnightMuse

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If this is a dog only "rumored" to be vicious, why not offer up something more fun that the cliche'd steak. Have the dog rush these guys, knock one over, and lick them to within an inch of their lives?

If the dog is trained, nothing short of shooting it will work. If the dog is just nasty, nothing short of killing it will work. If the dog is just bluffing, a steak will work but it's been done to death.
 

Tornadoboy

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If you want to just be silly and put a different spin on the old cliche, have them throw the steak to the far end of the yard in order to lure it there. Then the next thing they know this "mean and vicious" dog is their best friend and relentlessly follows them around the property with it's favorite squeaky-toy, making noises that they worry will give them away to the owner.
 

FloVoyager

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I've always heard that guard dogs were (or should be) trained not to take food from anyone but their handlers, but the female in heat trick might work. Instinct runs deeper than training.
 

Parkinsonsd

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Go with peanut butter instead. I don't know if it would work, I just love watching dogs eat peanut butter.
 

Tish Davidson

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If this is a dog only "rumored" to be vicious, why not offer up something more fun that the cliche'd steak. Have the dog rush these guys, knock one over, and lick them to within an inch of their lives?

If the dog is trained, nothing short of shooting it will work. If the dog is just nasty, nothing short of killing it will work. If the dog is just bluffing, a steak will work but it's been done to death.


Why not have them toss handfuls of dry dog kibble over the fence. The kibble will scatter and it will take the dog would take more time to snuff around and eat all the little bits than to gulp down a steak. And ditto about trained guard dogs - they won't go for food from strangers.
 

Mom'sWrite

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My sister-in-laws guard dogs were killed with anti-freeze and strychnine (they suspect, since no autopsy was performed). The bad guys plan was to kill the dogs one night and break in the next, before the owner could obtain new trained dogs.

It was very sad.
 

Vanatru

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Go with a variation of that one SpongeBob bit where they have to get Mr.Krabs mattress back from the junkyard and they have the guardworm. That had some good slapstick humor and gaffs.
 

Festus

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I know of a case where law enforcement had to get two huge dogs out of the way. Used a compressed barreled Ruger with .22 sub velocity bullets (No Stingers or other high velocity bullets). Gun can barely be heard standing next to it.
 

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What if instead of a steak the college boys toss a cat at this mean dog?
 

Kentuk

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Give them what they want. If its a sheep dog, give them one, bird dog? chicken. It gets a little complicated with bull dogs. Play to their breeding and instinct.
 

flannelberry

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Does the old cartoon trick of tossing a steak to distract the guard dog really work? Or does the steak need to be laced with something first for this to realy work?

If it's a real guard dog - a tranq gun would be the only realistic option (if you want the dog alive after). If not a .22 with CB Longs if no one is in the immediate area. Even then - if it's trained properly it will be aware of a gun that is in it's field of view and will act in accordance with training.

Even if it's bred from guard/Schutzhund kind of lines you're not going to be able to trick it easily. To wit: My family has a Schutzhund bred family pet dog (I have a relative with a thing for GSDs and she picks excellent ones). They had some people working at their house for a few days. One guy played with the dog every day he was there working. he came back - by agreement - to pick p some stuff that couldn't be moved. Although only the dog would be home to meet him no one really gave it another thought. Dog would not let him cross the threshold to get his stuff. Absolutely no way. He has in no way been conditioned to "guard" and is very much just a wonderful companion dog but that knowledge is in there. If you're not part of the pack you don't come across whatever line when no one is home.

If it's been starved etc. it might go for the food.

Re: female in heat. A lot of working dogs are either female or neutered really early to prevent exactly that.
 

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I wanted to add that I loved the alternate ideas - if it's rumoured to be vicious have fun with it.