JUST BEING PRESENT in the home deters most robbers. They go to easier targets. ALARMS help, but only alert the intruder that the police will eventually arrive. They also alert you to take precautions. Weapon-wise, a SHOTGUN is effective, but clumsy. A small HANDGUN is better in close quarters. A loud DOG always adds a sense of drama. The answer to this question is relative to how knowledgeable you are with weapons and self defense. For MOST folks, I'd recommend a handgun, and an ESCAPE ROUTE. Only an idiot confronts an unknown number of assailants who have the advantage of surprise, when the better option is to retreat, call in back up and wait it out

Handgun.

A German Shepherd, most killings in burglaries are with the owners own gun

Big ol' dog. A parrot isn't bad too. They can be quite loud. Just as loud as an alarm. Plus, many people are afraid of them.

In my home or in yours?? I'll tell you what I do also. In your place, use dogs or alarm systems with very loud sirens, or if you have to, firearms even, if you just shoot one and don't even aim. Between the loud noise and the "muzzle flash" if it is dark, 95% of them would run away quickly. "IN MY HOME" assumes they got past the burglar alarm with battery back up and 125 decibel siren. But assume they got in and I hear that go off. I do not answer the phone when they call me 30 seconds or less after the alarm is tripped, which means they will send at least 1-2 cars out ASAP. I then hit a code quickly on my alarm keypad upstairs or down, to silence the siren. Then I get out one of 2 pistols which are loaded and which I know how to use. I'd probably be upstairs. From my bedroom doorway I can flip a switch from my bedroom doorway that will flood the downstairs with lights. I would quickly do that. If I hear any noise on the stairs after that point I would peek around the doorway, and if I saw anyone coming up the stairs, I would fire 3-4 shots in their direction. If that did not get them or the rest of the people either down or out of the house, by that time the police would be there, or I would have 9-10 more shots to protect myself. I haven't had to fire any of my guns in this home since I have been here 10 years. But things are pretty well planned out, and with the alarm system, I am not worried.

Big dogs, alarms are useless as everyone seems to ignore them these days. Mind you they can always bait the dogs anyway, but they are a good deterent.

Two Dogs...Two handguns...Two people trained to use the guns...AND we have parrots too...lol

Shotguns (AKA SPLATTER guns) are the most effective goblin repellant. Wide dispersal and not much chance of overpenetration into a neighbors house. Remember kiddies, the right tool for the right job. Hoewver, it is more effective to prevent the afore mentioned goblin from gaining access to your residence in the first place. Install a QUALITY alarm system and USE it!

Here's just an added little trick: if your car has an alarm with one of those panic buttons on your key chain, keep it at your bedside when you sleep. If you hear a prowler, you can immediately trip that car alarm which might scare them off. Most of these remotes will reach, but you might want to try it out first to be sure.

if the ubaitable rottwieler don't scare em off the 12 gauge will!

In our country, most of the dogs here are small and a Labrador is an unusually big pet to have inside a middle-income home. It also makes an unusually nice surprise for a burglar who attempts to get into our house. But I've thought of burglars getting into our house myself, and most of the time I just think of putting out the lights to take advantage of the "terrain" [Read: I know my way around our house's furniture; they don't] and bring something nice, shiny and hard to hit them on the head with.