What breed for home security?

[Boberama]

I don't want a pitbull, and most of the GSDs around here are in poor condition or have congenital defects.
Would an Amstaff x Bulldog mutt like this guy be OK or just disobedient?
It needs to be trainable and not paranoid of strangers.
Also needs to come from the pound or a shelter (no money).

What do you think of this guy? (Turn off sound, there's annoying music).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D54BHCi1rSE

I don't want a breed that attacks strangers or is difficult to manage.

 

[45Fan]

I don't want a breed that attacks strangers or is difficult to manage

Its not so much the breed, but the dog. I have a Rotti that would be more likely to lick a person to death than attack. I grew up with Great Danes, and they were equaly friendly.
If you look, you can find just about any breed of dog at a pound. Mixed breed dogs are supposedly less trainable, and their temperment will be less predictable.
It really depends on what type of security that you are looking for. A detterent would be just about any dog that has a nasty bark. I had a Lab/retreiver mix for a while that would keep the post lady from knocking on my door. If you are looking for a dog that would be a physical/visual detterent, bigger usually is better. Unfortunatly, the more effective in that role, the less social the dog tends to be. If you are simply looking for a dog to alert you to problems, a small "yip" dog might be worth a look.

 

[Boberama]

It has to be visual (he'll be sitting in the yard), and this dog looks mean. I just don't want him to BE mean.

 

[2WheelsGood]

Look at a Belgian Malinois or a Dutch Shepherd. Like German Shepherds, they're used as police dogs in various areas. We have a Dutch Shepherd.

 

[2WheelsGood]

My Dutch Shepherd

 

[Boberama]

Nice dog.

 

[2WheelsGood]

Nice dog.

Thanks. She's been the perfect combination of friendly and protective. And we were lucky enough to have found her at the pound when she was 4 months old.

 

[GrimmLV]

Dachshund. Mine will tear your lungs out....!

 

[USAF_Vet]

American Bulldog. Anything else is just a dog. But of course, I am biased
I have 2 males. My 4year old is about 80 pounds, 21 inches at the shoulder, 24" neck. Looks like a beast, but is the sweetest dog I've ever owned. Only aims to please. But, will still gnaw an arm off if pissed.
My 9 month old 'puppy' already weighs about 82 pounds. Solid muscle. 19 inches at the shoulder, 22" neck.

They are loyal to the death, very god with kids, very easy to train. My 4 year old "Spanky" is a retired UKC Champion in both confirmation and weight pull. The puppy "Monty" is in training now for his 1st UKC show in March.

Do a Youtube search for 'American Bulldog weight pull' and American Bulldog hardest hitting contest'. Simply amazing dogs.

 

[TX expat]

When you say 'difficult to manage' you may be limiting yourself out of a lot of the breeds that have the mean dog look. Most dog breeds that exhibit low stranger aggression tendencies are not going to have the fierce look of the 'attack dog'.

That said, a well bred pit bull has generally lower stranger aggressive tendencies than the GSD or Doberman, so I wouldn't write them off if it's just the pit bull stigma that has you bothered. They can be great companion animals, but like any other dog, you have to be a responsible owner and do your part to get them properly trained.

As someone else already mentioned, the American Bulldog could be a good choice and the Dogue de Bordeaux might be as well. Both breeds require conscientious ownership and good early socialization though, so neither one would be effortless in that regard.

 

[Wedge]

If you are picking up from the pound, just look for a decent sized mix. It is a pound dog and will be extremely high drive (that's why those end up in there...you'll have some work to do) So you need to channel that with some training.

I have a mix. He's a good dog, looks like a coyote and I have him pretty well trained. He has a nice loud bark. Downside...long hair...

I volunteered at a shelter years ago and helped get a great looking dog that was a white version of Biscuit adopted to a family. He was a good dog, just needed some structure and exercise. He was good with people, but had a nice loud bark and definitely looked the part.

be good to your dog and he'll be good to you.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I think every dog can be difficult to manage. You have to work at training them. It can be hard work.

This girl here is almost too friendly but she still barks when anything is amiss. Took 2 years to housebreak. I dont ever want another puppy again.

I adopted an older Corgi a bit back who has the same mannerisms as the puggle. Friendly but barks at strangeness. Perfect in my mind.

 

[2WheelsGood]

He was good with people, but had a nice loud bark and definitely looked the part.

When selecting a dog, this is absolutely the most important part. As long as a dog barks at strangers outside of your house and at the sound of someone breaking in, you're already 90% there. Very few thugs are going to rob a house that has ANY dog making a lot of racket on the other side of the door. My friend has a very mean looking pit bull that for whatever reason never barks at anything; won't even get off the couch for strange noises. I'd rather have a poodle that makes a lot of noise than that dog.

 

[sm]

Though in a "work" I am familiar with, trained, German Shepard's were used, I am partial to Black Labs. This is what I had ( and miss them all *sniff*).
But, if'n I were to really need serious, home protection, I would go with a Fila.

I know some, and some are members here, that do have Filas. We are talking serious, serious, security dawg here folks.

 

[Shadow 7D]

It isn't about the breed, it's about the dog, that said, a known 'mean breed' like rotties, GSD, Dobermans etc. probably have as much deterrence from their looks as from their attitude.

 

[kali13]

I have a boxer/lab mix that looks "pit bull-like" and is generally quite sweet to all. However, he will bark at anything he feels needs barking at, and will not allow strangers to come into his "turf". Cornered a yard guy. Caused a workman to drop the knife he had pulled out to cut some carpet. He is a shelter rescue. You can find the dog you are looking for at your local pound/shelter, I have no doubt

 

[Birdmang]

Its not the breed of the dog, its how it is brought up/raised and trained.

Most big dogs that I know, mastiffs, rotts, GSDs. dogue de bordeaux, are way friendlier and gentler than the little yorkies that my family has.

The american bulldog was the most popular dog on the frontier and most popular family dog until they got demonized and thrown in with pitbulls. You can thank the media for that one, and we all know how it starts *cough evil black rifles cough*

Anyways just go and get one that you like and one that isn't cowering in a corner. It will be hard but you will make a friend for life.

 

[2WheelsGood]

Its not the breed of the dog, its how it is brought up/raised and trained.

Of course that's partially true, but there's a reason you don't find Yorkies at dog fights. There are certain undeniable qualities in different breeds that make them better as police dogs, agility dogs, frisbee dogs, lap dogs, seeing-eye dogs, sheep-herding dogs, sled dogs, etc. And it's not just a size/strength thing. Pitbulls weren't picked out of a hat by the media to demonize. Their combination of power and temperament make them excellent fighting dogs. Of course training and environment are huge factors too, but to suggest there are no differences in breeds is greatly oversimplifying things.

 

[Birdmang]

I could get any dog breed and raise them and they would be completely safe.

 

[2WheelsGood]

I could get any dog breed and raise them and they would be completely safe.

Then you're suggesting that every single dog bite case in history involved a dog that was trained specifically to attack someone? That's just silly. I'll agree that it has as much to do with training as temperament, but to suggest that every time a pitbull kills someone it was trained to do that is way off. Maybe they weren't trained NOT to do it, but again to suggest nature of the beast doesn't play a part is false.

 

[ryanrichmond]

When I was growing up, I had a German Shepherd (Casey) who followed me around everywhere. She was very protective of my family. She hadn't been trained to be protective, it just came instinctively. German Shepherds are naturally protective of their owners and will die protecting you...it's instinct. Police use GSD's because they're smart...sometimes too smart for their own good. They're easy to train and their loyal to their owners/handlers.
One day my mom was walking Casey down the street. I was walking towards them with my hoodie pulled over my head and walking very aggressively. From under my hood, I could see Casey eyeballing me. Suddenly I lunged at my mom and the dog didn't even miss a beat; she jumped up and put her paws on my shoulders while making this god awful "I'm going to kill you" noise and when I yanked the hoodie off to show her my face, she immediately changed her demeanor and started licking me. Unfortunately someone decided to poison her in my back yard. That was 17 years ago
I'm bias because I grew up with German Shepherds. I'm actually looking for another GSD right now because I think they're so great. I now have a house and a wife of my own and the GSD is the first dog I would consider.

Obviously your situation may differ from mine. I hope I gave you some insight.

 

[wrigh003]

I could get any dog breed and raise them and they would be completely safe.

I thought so, too, then the chow mix (mystery black pound puppy, initially thought to be lab, maybe part chow, grew into mostly chow) I'd raised by hand and trained hard from a puppy went and bit my 18 month old son. Fortunately, it was just the hand, not his face, or neck, or anything else, but that was Bear's last chance.

If it was just me, I'd still have him- I miss him all the time. Everyone else (postman, UPS, FedEx, pest control, wife's extended family) was terrified of him, probably rightly so. Went just that little bit past "acceptable" levels of aggression and/or forgetting his place, and that was the end of that. Reality being what it is, I have to protect my kids, even from the dog that on any other day would have been protecting them.

Get a dog for companionship, teach him his place in your family, and most anything will work to say "here, master, I'm making a bunch of racket because something is out of place." I hear boxers make great family pets and "look the part" pretty well. Great Danes are supposed to be super-mellow, etc.

 

[Shadow 7D]

EWW
ok, so it's mostly the dog,
Chow chow (actually, if you think about it, their name means food, wonder what they were bred for...)

The only dog I was scared for others with, she was a bit, um, 'over protective'

 

[Girodin]

Would an Amstaff x Bulldog mutt like this guy be OK or just disobedient?
It needs to be trainable and not paranoid of strangers.
Also needs to come from the pound or a shelter (no money).

I would say that largely depends on you and whether you train the dog or not. Dogs are not for everyone.

Then you're suggesting that every single dog bite case in history involved a dog that was trained specifically to attack someone?

I'm not sure how you go that out of his comments. That is not even close to what they suggest. It is suggesting that most "unsafe" dogs are a result of the way in which they were raised. I would add that most dog bites are a result of fear biting.

If you are going to get a dog make sure you are able to train the dog. A well trained dog that understands its place in the pack is nice to have around. A large untrained dog or one with "authority issues" is a menace.

Any large dog that is well trained is a pretty effective visual deterrent. Breeds with a reputation are often particularly effective. Any bigger dog will likely serve the same purpose.

Look at a Belgian Malinois or a Dutch Shepherd.

Malinois and dutch shepards are probably unmatched as working dogs. A high drive serious working dog takes a certain kind of owner. They are not IMHO dogs that are well suited to the average dog owner.

 

[arcticap]

kali13

Boxers are known to be among the best natural, instinctive watch dogs.
Mostly just intimidating growls & barks unless it's a real threat.
Otherwise they're extremely friendly and playful.
They were trained as US Army dogs along with German Shepards during WWll.
Look for a Boxer Rescue shelter or a Boxer mix located near you.