I believe it is a good thing that there is a gun in your home.
It is a small caliber rifle. You don't need to be proficient at close range and with a double barrel shotgun you don't even need bullets because it is kinda hard to miss at 10 ft or less and a criminal is not going to ask if it is loaded. However for personal protection I prefer dogs because they can smell a bad guy from 100 yards. There is no way one is going to break into the house while we are there. And if we are not there and the perpetrator survives it is law enforcement's job to chase them down with their guns.
I would hate to get shot by a small caliber rifle. Even a .22LR can be fatal with a well placed shot. Proficiency.
The myth of shotguns being error-free at 10 yards is just that, a myth. at that range the shot spread is still rather narrow. Proficiency IS required, even with a shotgun! Besides, you said you "used to have a shotgun". Where is it now? A double barrel? What if there were 3 BGs? What if there were 2 and your first shot missed? What if there was only1 BG and you're using quail shot? You're very possibly the dead husband of a dead woman.
You are assuming that the BG is thinking rationally, while chances are that he is very irrational. Very likely the BG is high. He very possibly has a gun, too. He has also heard of the myth that an empty gun is supposed to be scary. His gun is loaded. A meth-head can get to you in less time than it takes for you to load the thing. He can get to you even before you take the safety off, if you're frozen with fear. It is foolish of anyone to rely upon a display of falsehood when the life of your loved ones and yourself are on the line. It might work, but it might not. You're gambling life and the cards are stacked against you.
I also have a dog. A large, very faithful hunting dog with lots of big, healthy teeth and loud, fierce bark. He's part of my security system. But only part of it. You see, dogs are mortal beings, too. The are subject to the same laws of nature that you and I are. They can make errors. They can be fooled. They can be afraid or timid. They can be killed.
A loaded weapon in my proficient hands gives me a fighting chance. An unfamiliar, empty .22LR in your hands is quite possibly a club that will be taken from you and used to beat you, your wife, and your dog over the head, to die long before the police get there to file a murder report.