Can I have guard dogs in my home?
Yes, it is perfectly legal to have a guard dog in your home. It is easy to see why many people opt to have a dog as a pet, as they are naturally protective of their owners and over 35% of convicted burglars say a dog inside the home would change their mind before breaking and entering. However, if you have trained a dog specifically to attack unwanted intruders, you must have warning signs situated at every entrance that are easy to see.
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The Act imposes strict liability for any damage caused by an animal of a ‘dangerous species’, or by another animal in circumstances in which the resulting damage was likely to have been caused by such an animal (unless restrained), and was likely to be severe. In addition, if the likelihood of the damage or severity was due to characteristics not normally found in animals of the same species (or are not normally so found except at particular times or in particular circumstances); and those characteristics were known to the keeper (or whoever had charge of the animal).
A guard dog is defined bysection 7 of the 1975 Act as being “a dog who is being used to protect premises; or property kept on the premises; or a person guarding the premises or such property”. However, it is important to note that only sections 1 and 5 of the Act are in force – but this definition is a useful starting point.
Owners and handlers of guard dogs are subject to various laws primarily for the protection of themselves and third parties. The law relating to keeping guard dogs is contained in section 1 of the Guard Dogs Act 1975, the Animals Act 1971 and in the common law.
In addition to the above, the common law imposes civil liability for negligence on someone responsible for the personal injury, death, and or damage caused to someone else by their guard dog. If you own a guard dog which causes injury or harm to someone to whom you owed a duty of care, a claim can be made against you for compensation.
Disadvantages of Having a Guard Dog
If your dog tries to protect you then they could get hurt, possibly fatally, in the process which can be distressing for you and your family, especially younger children.
If your intruder isn’t just a chancer and has planned the break-in, part of the plan could be to take your dog. Not only are they beloved family pets, they are also worth a lot of money – especially if they are a pedigree dog.
If your dog is home alone and someone breaks in, are unable to alert the authorities. So, if their presence doesn’t make a burglar leave or alert a neighbour, an intruder will be left to their own devices.
If you are using a dog as your only form of security system, then they won’t be helpful in identifying an intruder if a break-in is successful.
They Could Harm Someone who isn’t an Intruder
The owner of a guard dog will be liable for any damage done by the animal. Which means you could be in trouble if the dog harms an innocent party, or even if it harms an intruder.
There are of course laws around owning a guard dog that you must adhere to. If you do have a guard dog in your home, then you must follow guard dog laws in the UK. You must have clear signs stating the fact at every entrance and fence to your home. This mean that you are completely covered if someone is injured by your guard dog. If there is not ample warning in and around your home signifying a guard dog, then any damage done while you dog is not restrained will make you liable. It is also required within UK law that there is a handler who has complete control over the dog present at all times.
There are certain breeds that must not be used as guard dogs, by law. As of 1975 dogs banned from being guard dogs are;
If you are found to have a guard dog of these breed then you could be prosecuted and fined up to £5000.
It is also in UK law that a guard dog be on a lead when out in public, this is in case an incident occurs and the owner isn’t close enough to respond quickly.
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Throughout the world of dog training, there is one very common misconception: that protection dogs are exactly the same as guard dogs. Many people fail to see the differences between a well-trained protection dog and a guard dog, and this can actually lead to some people buying a dog that isn’t right for their requirements. It’s incredibly important to realise that protection dogs are trained, raised and ultimately act completely differently to guard dogs.
But what are the main differences? Which one is better? Well, fortunately we’re here at Protection Dogs Worldwide to take you through some of the main differences between the two types of dog.
Firstly, we’d like to point out that pretty much any breed of dog can be trained as a guard dog- even though some may be more effective than others and typically small breeds are preferred. When it comes to protection dogs, however, only a select few breeds are intelligent enough to undergo such efficient training. A protection dog requires the right temperament, discipline and a certain amount of loyalty- which all culminate to give you one incredible canine.
The training between guard dogs and protection dogs is incredibly different, which makes it surprising that the two are mixed-up so often. Guard dogs are typically trained to stay in a particular place or property and to, well, guard it. A guard dog’s primary objective is to alert their owners to any incoming intruders and to attack anyone that makes the mistake of entering their territory.
In contrast, a protection dogs are trained to an incredible level of obedience and loyalty, and will literally act upon your command only. A well-trained protection dog will very rarely have to bite someone- but when they do, you can be assured that it will hurt whoever is on the receiving end. This is why it’s so important that the dog is properly trained and looked after, otherwise this level of obedience simply isn’t there. Protection dogs are notoriously calm, strong and intelligent- and they need to be cared for properly.
One of the huge advantages to owning a protection dog is how they not only improve your personal security, but are also great with children and fully integrate themselves as part of the family. Protection dogs are great at identifying who is part of the family and who is a threat, meaning that they can easily distinguish between the two and you don’t have to worry about anyone getting bitten. Due to their extensive training, protection dogs are actually much less likely to bite a loved one than a normal dog. In contrast, guard dogs are generally agitated animals due to the way in which they are raised, and therefore it is not recommended to have them around children.
With more effective breeds, better quality of training and a knack for settling into family life, protection dogs are by far the superior type of canine, and they are certainly more capable of improving your security.
We provide a wide range of protection dogs that are all fully trained and can significantly improve your personal security. For any further info on the canines that we have available, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!