I say all the time, if someone breaks in here Finn will make them a sandwich and show them where we hide the good silver!!!
The funny thing is 1. We don't have nay good silver! and 2. I know he, along with our other two would AT LEAST bark up a storm and maybe more. Finn is sweet and gentle, but they all bark when someone comes to the door or walks through our yard. But I have seen it happen once... I was watching TV and someone came to the door. They knocked once and then walked right in. Finn lost his head!!! He ran to the door barking, but meaner than usual and wouldn't let the person any further than the door. When she tried to pat him he snapped at her. I always praise them for barking when someone is around the house... and that day Finn got extra love!! I knew the person coming in, obviously and they were scared to death and very confused by my praising him. I told them, hey, I know you, but next time it might be someone I don't know. He's doing his job. I encourage them to bark untill I have opened the door, seen who it is and given them the command to sit. Even then I don't expect them to "be nice" unless I give a formal introduction and tell them "this is my friend". That way if the telephone guy comes to the door today, they can't bite him. But if he breaks in tonight they can, because he isn't a friend.
But I guess you never know if it works unless someone breaks in. Perhaps I could get someone to climb in a window sometime to see what they do....
Vicki