Bump in the night.....

Speaking strictly from a military answer: the correct tactical decision can only be a defensive posture.

1. For all tense and purposes, . . . you are alone.
2. The opposition is an unknown quantity, . . . maybe 1, . . . maybe 10.
3. Your only support is the local LEO's, . . . at the end of a 911 call.

Defense, . . .Defense, . . . Defense!

You have a natural funnel for them as they come up the stairs, . . .

You may have the element of surprize, . . . at least the element of first shot.

Stay upstairs with your family, . . . let the LEO's do their job. They get paid for it, . . . wear body armor, . . . have more resources, . . . and most of them get a kick out of putting another bg behind bars.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Well it all comes down to this for me, how sure are you that there is someone in your house?

It sounded to me like you were unsure and wanted to know a good way to investigate. Ofcouse if you KNOW for a fact that there is someone in your house you get your daugter in the masterbedroom with your wife and dog, she calls 911 and you guard the bedroom from a tactial vantage point.

In the end you have to make a judgement call, the initial inspection down the stairs is gathering intel, thats why you dont leave actually leave the stairs or take the dog. If you dont think that someone is in your house you investigate and secure the perimeter. If you decide that someone may very well be in your house then go into defensive mode and either you can secure a room (the bedroom) and call the police.

Basically.

1.) Hear noise/Dog alert.
2.) Gather intel, do you hear anything else, hows the dog reacting ect.
3.) Judgement Call
A.)Intruder- secure family in bedroom, call cops. Let the police know where in the house you are and that you are armed.
B.) Non Intruder - sweep the house, secure perimeter.


Another good back up plan would be to have, if possible, a planed/practiced route to exit the house that you can quickly secure. For me, if a buglar comes through the back window I go out the front door, and vice versa. I live in a first floor apt so thats easier for me but I would conider it just in case.
 
Your house is laid out similar to mine. Only difference is I have two younger kids. Shotgun with bird shot is great, because like you I have the kids room across from my door so overpenetration is bad. I have two Glaser in my 9mm magazine with the rest being 115g JHP. My drill is check on the kids, and if they are asleep, I get my wife and tell her to go in the kids room with a phone and a gun and lock the door. My wife or I would call 911, as I covered the stairs (probably yelling to get the ____ out of my house). If I get to this point, I pretty sure that someone is downstairs. I'm not going to investigate until the PD arrives. Your better in a defensive position protecting your family then wandering downstairs and putting possible multiple badguys on the defensive against you.

Now if everyone is upstairs asleep and your not certain what that noise was downstairs but you feel its probably was not a burglar, then I would go check it out armed and let the wife know. If you live in your home long enough, you know what sounds are normal and what are not. You will know if someone is walking around downstairs, 99% of the time you will check a weird noise and it will be nothing bad. In that 1% chance that it is not, if you start screaming and shooting your wife should automatically get a gun and a phone and run in the kid's room and lock the door and call 911.

One big thing is to discuss it with your daughter. As long as she knows that dad may be checking on noises at night carrying his shotgun, then she will not be freaked out when you do it.
 
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