What is a Watch Dog?

Posted by Jeanne on April 15, 2009

The purpose of a watch dog is to watch for something. He can watch your house to keep out burglars; he can watch a baby sitting on a beach or a lawn; or he can watch for soldiers to see that no enemy troops appear without warning.

Any dog can be a watch dog. Some are better watch dogs than others – and some look like they’re good watch dogs. I think I would prefer one that looks like a watch dog.

If a dog just looks like he’s ready to tear the seat out of somebody’s pants, he’ll do a good job of keeping away intruders. If you have a dog like this and you put up a “Beware of the Dog” or an “Our Dog Bites” sign, nobody will ever bother you. Sometimes you don’t even have to have a dog. All you have to do is put up the sign, and a salesman will think twice before coming up to your door.

If your dog barks when anyone approaches your house, he’s a good watch dog. I once had a dog like this. But, he’d bark at someone approaching only after dark, and then he’d bark at everyone, friend or foe. He’d bark especially loud at me. First, he’d bark a warning because I was someone approaching the house. After he realized it was me, his bark of warning would change to one of welcome. By this time, he’d awakened not only my family but my neighbors as well. We called Smokey a watch dog. The neighbors called him lots of other things.