Audible alarms work in some neighborhoods and not in others. Poorly installed alarms are easy to defeat, even by amateurs. Most of the residential and commercial alarms I've had to deal with fall into this category. If your alarm goes off every time the wind blows the neighbors may send a note attached to a brick through your window.
Monitored alarms are hit and miss as well. Some police jurisdictions get so many false alarm calls from monitor stations they don't bother to investigate. Some monitoring stations employ the same people doing the burglaries. The list goes on.
Dogs are good in urban areas, not so good where the houses are spread out. Many burglars carry a small bore pistol to shoot the dogs. Multiple dogs eliminate this problem but then you may get barking complaints. Cattle dogs can be a good choice. Though small, they tend to sneak up and attack without warning.
Cameras work well in most places. But don't waste money on any system that can be disabled by cutting the power. Mine has this flaw so I have it running off a marine battery good for about 1 day after the power gets cut. You also need to locate the recorder where it can't be taken. And don't even think of buying fake cameras. The dumbest of teenagers can spot them.
Talk to your local law enforcement patrol officers. They deal with the problem and often have a good idea of what works best in your area.
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