What breed for home security?

[shiftyer1]

Please don't use a pitbull for a guard dog, they weren't bred for it.

I've had several very good watch dogs, I don't think they were scary but several people told me they were. They were various breeds, currently a lab but i've had golden retreivers, an american husky(he was GREAT and looked like a wolf) I miss him, and a couple heinz 57's.

If they feel they are part of the family/pack they will do their part.

My lab, I think he's a cross but i'm not sure, if someone pulls up he barks a couple times, if it's someone he doesn't know he won't stop and at night he goes nuts. He runs off varmits also. But he is NOT a guard dog, he's a watch dog, he tells me all about the problem but he won't do a damn thing about it

A great pyrenes may be a good choice because they are pretty large and they take good care of the flock/family. But they don't look mean!

 

[BWarwick]

I have a boxer myself that is a great guard dog. Always know when someone is around because he will be pacing and/or barking. He is also very big and scary looking but its all looks. Great with kids and everything and smarter than he has any right to be heh.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I've had 3 boxers over the past 20 years and will likely never own another breed. They define what a working breed dog should be. They are happy to please you. Mine have all been very protective of home and property. As pointed out above, they are great with kids.

 

[maxx]

It's hard to go wrong with a Rottweiler.

Smart, protective and very family oriented.

 

[Skoob]

We have an American Bulldog, my 3 year daughter sits on him, sleeps on the floor next to him, she's even slept on top of him. She used to try to eat out of his bowl with him on occasion before she could walk.

He sleeps all day and is the leanest 85 lbs I've ever seen; he wouldn't last long outside in the cold.

I've never seen a dog get more agitated when someone knocks on the door. (He hates birds, too, for some reason. lol). I'm really not sure what he would do if someone broke in. I think a lot, if I weren't home. If I were home, I think he would expect me to take care of it.

They're a great, scary looking dog. A lot of fun and great with kids. Not the smartest dog in the world, I would say about average.

We had a rottweiler at one time, and she was a great dog. But it's not easy to find a good rottweiler anymore, and it's not cheap.

 

[cambeul41]

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."

You, too, are part of the equation. Dogs are pack animals. Your family is the pack. What sort of dog is suited to be part of it? The abandoned dog rescued by my son was not quite suited to his family, his pack, in his absence when he got sent to Iraq, but is perfectly suited to my wife and me, our pack.

 

[lizziedog1]

I dated a gal many years ago that had two Dobermans. She used to work at one of the animal theme parks, she was their orangutan and leopard trainer. Any way, these two dogs were so well trained that they wouldn't touch raw meat placed under their noses until she gave them the go ahead.

If you enterd her house with her permission, these two dogs were freindly. If you tried to enter her home with ill-intent, these two dogs were going to try to kill you. You would be in a fight for your life.

 

[heeler]

First since no one has asked this question is just how much experience have you had with dogs?
Whenever I hear descriptions of "mean" as for a dog I get the idea the person knows little about dog behaviour.
Also you are asking that a decent security dog that comes from the pound or shelter(an unwanted dog) but does not "attack strangers or is difficult to manage".
Listen,this is a tall order.
Then we have everyone else telling you to get a GS,Bulldog,Fila,etc.
And some of these breeds are not for dog owner beginners.
A lot of security breeds have very dominant traits and the owner needs a good knowledge of working dogs less he gets a dog that gives him no respect and the dog ends up as the pack leader instead of the other way around.
There are temperament tests that clearly will show for instances what puppies in a litter are likely to be good security dog candidates.
And lots of breeds no matter how much training they are given just wont put a full mouth bite on a human being due to years of breeding that was not put into that breed.
Then we have the AKC show dog set that's has bred down so many working dogs that what you get is an animal that is a shell of what the breed was 60 years ago.
A Boxer is a very,very good example.
Sure most American bred Boxers will growl oR bark at a stranger but few can actually do the work for what they were bred for.
To their credit most Boxers are very good with children.
There are fortunately a few American breeders of this fine breed that have done a lot to rectify this with European strains but they wont come cheap.
And this is not a Boxer rant,this applies to most American bred dogs that are of the working dog breeds.
There are breeds one can find in a shelter or pound that will look "mean" and will bark at strangers.
Just dont expect miracles from the animal.

 

[2WheelsGood]

It is suggesting that most "unsafe" dogs are a result of the way in which they were raised.

Millions of people own poodles. And millions of people own pitbulls. Yet what's the ratio of poodle attacks to pitbull attacks? It's not even close. So the two possible factors are the breed and the training. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that 99% of all dog owners have no idea even how to train a dog to attack someone. So I don't believe the majority of pitbull attacks are the result of training. You could maybe suggest that it's a LACK of training, but again why the difference between poodle attacks and pitbull attacks. Again, it's absolutely ridiculous to suggest that temperament plays no part. That was my point.

And yes, our Dutch Shepherd is aging me quickly! She is a full time job.

Here's a great video to show how unbelievably athletic Belgian Malinois can be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qre7e9z055M

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Definitely the Doberman. This is my family's 105 pound Dobie named Clovis. He is a wonderful family pet, gets along with all people and children, and absolutely looks the part.

Also, there is a difference between a guard dog and a watch dog. Dobermans were not bred to be watch dogs, they were bred to imprint upon a person and family and protect their people. Most Dobies don't give a lick about defending property. The original doberman was bred by a tax collector in Germany that just happened to run the city pound. He wanted a dog of manageabloe sixe to accompany on his rounds. He wasn't very popular as you can imagine.

 

[highlander 5]

I have had a couple of breeds,a Lab and right now 3 Shelties and a couple of muttsand my experience as limited as it is has shown me people don't want to find out if that 5 lb ball of fur or your 200 lb Mastiff bites. I myself worry more about the small breeds,I don't trust the ankle biters at all. Fellow I worked with,his 2 or 3 year old son was mauled badly by his mother's Maltese. BTW if you ring my door bell you'll swear you were goin to be next on the dinner menu.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Look into a Staffordshire Bull Terrior (do the research). You will find them to be very people, children and dog friendly. Very intelegent and easy to train. Wants to impress.

 

[xXxplosive]

Home Security = Male German Shepard............simply the best.

 

[Krusty783]

A college friend's parents had a male German Sheppard Lab mix and it was an excellent watch dog. During daylight hours at their farm it was constantly on watch and would periodically patrol about 50 yds away from where we were gathered. At night, they'd light a bonfire and the dog would post up just beyond the edge of the firelight.

 

[Just One Shot]

ColtPythonElite: I've had 3 boxers over the past 20 years and will likely never own another breed. They define what a working breed dog should be. They are happy to please you. Mine have all been very protective of home and property. As pointed out above, they are great with kids.

I also have fell in love with the Boxer breed and I am currently on my second one. My male Boxer (Rocky Balboa) was around when my first 2 grand daughters were born. He became very attached to the point he didn't want them to leave after my daughter came over to visit. He would nip at your pant leg as you tried to take them out to the car. When they would cry as babies, he would rush over as if he wanted to help correct what ever problem there was. When they got older he would sit and let them hug him, pull on his ears or do whatever they wanted and never once did he even hint at get angry or upset with them.

I have a female (Sugar Rae) and she is the same way with my other daughters twins (one girl one boy). She will sit around while my oldest grand daughters play dress up with her. They put on hats on her and various types of clothing while she sits by eating up the attention.

The Boxer breed are gentle and mild until they sense somethings not right then they go on full alert. They are also very smart. I live in the city and I could let Rocky (as well as Sugar) out the back door to do their business without using a leash. If a rabbit or squirel comes around all I have to do is raise my voice a little and give them the NO command and they stand at attention staring at the little critters as they run away.

The only incident I had with either where someone almost got bit was when Rocky was alive. My wife and I walked to the store and I waited outside with Rocky on a leash. A stranger came around the corner of the building and proceeded to reach out as if he wanted to pet him without saying anything. This startled Rocky and he lunged at the man as if he were going to take his arm off. I pulled on the leash just in time preventing Rocky from latching onto the mans hand.

The man spoke up and said: That dog is vicious. I just looked at him and didn't respond, I figured the guy had a huge brown stain in his tighty whities and that he learned a valuable lesson about how to approach dogs as a stranger.

 

[bowl443]

I trust my home and family to an Akita. and here.

Doesn't bark unless necessary. Very cerebral. Cleans after himself. Gets along well with my kids and other dog and cats. Aloof with strangers, but has never presented himself to be a danger to anyone that I've allowed into my home.

Bad side; the hair. Lots and lots of hair twice a year.

A good, natural guard dog, will not need the 'guard training.' It will come natural. Obedience traing? Yes. Recommended for all dogs, but not guard training.

 

[UKarmourer]

Well over he we are seriously limited to what we can have for HD.
My first line of defense is a 26kg Boxer called Tazzee.
We got him at a year old froma family who couldnt cope, a year later my son was born.
We worried, as new parents do about how the dog would react, he was fine, anytime stvie cried, straight there, or coming up and staring at us til we got up.
At home he is quite lazy, however, he hears a noise out of the ordinary, bam, straight at the door.
When my son and I play fight (he's almost 5 now) the dog goes nuts, he has even tried grabbing my arm before. No-one is going to get away with hitting my boy!
I left my door key at home a while back, when I climbed over the back fence I thought he was going to come through the french door the way he was throwing himself at it!
When he passes I'll be devastated, but I'll have another boxer for sure

 

[Fred Fuller]

It's been mentioned before on this thread, but now is a good time to reiterate. Certain breeds require firm leadership from their humans to establish a proper pack order- a pack order with humans at the apex. This is a very important aspect of owning the natural guardian breeds.

From the discussion of Akita temperament, linked above:

The Akita is docile, intelligent, courageous and fearless. Careful and very affectionate with its family. Sometimes spontaneous, it needs a firm, confident, consistent pack leader. Without it the dog will be very willful and may become very aggressive to other dogs and animals. It needs firm training as a puppy. The objective in training this dog is to achieve a pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in their pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined. You and all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. - http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/akita.htm

The natural guardian breeds are rarely a good choice for a dog owner who hasn't had experience training and handling powerful dogs that can sometimes be strong willed. One friend of mine who used to breed Akitas stopped working with the breed because she found it so difficult to find appropriate placements for her puppies.

We have Filas, and like Akitas they are not a breed that's well suited for the novice dog owner. Every Fila breeder we know screens would-be puppy purchasers carefully to make sure the new owner really knows what they are getting.

Choosing a dog is not something to be taken lightly- they aren't a machine like a burglar alarm that can be switched off and on as needed. Your dog needs to be a valued member of the family if it is to do its job.

lpl

 

[Girodin]

Yet what's the ratio of poodle attacks to pitbull attacks?

Surely if you are going to assert that you know anything about dogs or pitbulls generally then you are aware of the the reporting problems that are rampant in any measure of dog bite per breed.

Lets examine just a few:

Incentive to report: when a big athletic dog bites someone there is likely to be more serious injury. This itself results in an increased incentive to report. Also if one seeks medical attention they will report it. When a small dog bites there is a much better chance there will be no noteworthy injury and therefor no report

Identification problems: Many people cannot accurately ID the breed of a dog. I still vividly remember watching a news report about two Rottwielers that attacked a man. When the news showed the dogs in question I didn't know whether to yell or laugh. They were not rotts and I doubt they were even Rottie mixes. This link helps to illustrate the problem

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

The most prominent "studies" on bites by breed, ones often used in support of breed specific legislation, have been discredited,

Again, it's absolutely ridiculous to suggest that temperament plays no part. That was my point.

I've not suggested it plays no part. If anything was suggested it is that it is not the proximate factor it a dog that bites someone. If you know anything about pitbulls as a breed. Breeds have tendencies and some are much better suited to certain tasks than others. Individual dogs in the same breed vary greatly, for example many GSD, Rotties, etc are not suited to be trained as protection dogs how the dog turns out in the end is largely a matter of how it is raised, which includes: socialization, training (or lack there of), and the dog having a proper place in its pack.

You'll note I suggested much earlier that not every breed is for every owner. Breeds and individuals differ. Training and keeping a working dog is not like training and keeping a hound for example.

What is absolutely ridiculous is to suggest the temperament of pitbulls make them more likely to bite someone than a number of other breeds. Consider what the breed was engineered for. Dog fights. Do you understand how a dog fight works? If you did you would know that there is a lot of handling of the dogs. Dogs were washed by an opposing handler (a stranger) prior to a match. Doge were seperated and taken behind the scratch line repeated while in the midst of fighting. A do that would bite people was unacceptable. Dogs that had any inclination to human aggression were seen as not being game and were culled on the spot. Now this nature can be overcome through the way the dog is raised. Abuse a dog (and if you go volunteer at a shelter you will see that pitts are probably one of the most widely abused and neglected breed out there, which I attribute to the types of people they tend to attract as owners) and see how it turns out. Chain it up in your yard and just leave it there and see how it turns out.

The whole premise of your last post is flawed.

 

[2WheelsGood]

when a big athletic dog bites someone there is likely to be more serious injury. This itself results in an increased incentive to report.

Again you're going to try to spin this. Pitbulls aren't even what I'd call a large breed. They're more of a medium-sized breed, so I guess that's not the reason they're demonized by the media. I completely agree that the news reporting is PART of the problem, but AGAIN, some dogs have traits that make them PREDISPOSED to perform certain tasks WITHOUT needing to be trained to do it. Border Collies tend to nip at ankles. Not all of them do it, but many do. Australian Shepherds NATURALLY tend to be herding dogs. Certain BUILT-IN, NATURAL traits are built in to pitbulls that make them good and extremely agressive fighters. It's NOT because they've all been left in backyards by careless owners. Believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want. It's funny, though. If you're right, why is it that when you get a pitbull from our local pound they have a warning that states the breed is not a good choice for inexperienced dog owners? Because OF ITS NATURE.

What is absolutely ridiculous is to suggest the temperament of pitbulls make them more likely to bite someone than a number of other breeds. Consider what the breed was engineered for. Dog fights.

And now you want it both ways with this statement alone. On one hand you say they're bred to fight, yet you suggest their breed doesn't make them anymore likely to bite. How does that make any sense at all?

 

[Magichelmt]

I have had German Sheppard and love them. My current mutt is a boxer/ great Pyrenees mix. 115 pounds of barking, intimidating, cat/bird eating yard protecting love. He does not want anything in his yard. Scares the hell out of anyone that comes here to deliver/sell anything as well. I got him from an animal rescue organization.

 

[gaijin6423]

I will also jump on the Boxer wagon. I've had mine since 2007, and he's an integral part of the household. He's protective, without being overly aggressive, but man does he play the part when something's amiss. I have noticed, though, that he needs to patrol the house once an hour or so, and he absolutely hates closed interior doors.

Once, at a Christmas party for my detachment, he herded all the kiddies into a corner while the adults were busy with some secret Santa nonsense, then sat with his back to them, watching us. All the while, my boss' son hung from his jowels. He was rewarded with a freshly barbecued haunch of bear that one of my Marines had shot earlier in the week.

Believe it not, my wife's chihuhua makes a good teammate for my boxer. She barks like hell before even he can hear something, and gets him awake and on target.

 

[Girodin]

Again you're going to try to spin this. Pitbulls aren't even what I'd call a large breed.

Larger relative to a small poodle; did that really need to be explained?

I completely agree that the news reporting is PART of the problem, but AGAIN, some dogs have traits that make them PREDISPOSED to perform certain tasks WITHOUT needing to be trained to do it. Border Collies tend to nip at ankles. Not all of them do it, but many do. Australian Shepherds NATURALLY tend to be herding dogs. Certain BUILT-IN, NATURAL traits are built in to pitbulls that make them good and extremely agressive fighters. It's NOT because they've all been left in backyards by careless owners.

Do you really not understand the difference between dog aggression and human aggression. Yes breeds have traits and things they were bred to do. Pitbulls were specifically bred not to bite people and they were bred for gameness.

If you're right, why is it that when you get a pitbull from our local pound they have a warning that states the breed is not a good choice for inexperienced dog owners? Because OF ITS NATURE.

Well I have never seen that and suspect it is peculiar to that shelter. As to why, IDK lawyers? Or it could be the fact that they often do have dog aggression issues. Or it could simply be that the APBT is unparalleled in athleticism and if someone does not train a dog that is that powerful and athletic it can be problematic and new owners are generally not as good at training dogs.

On one hand you say they're bred to fight, yet you suggest their breed doesn't make them anymore likely to bite. How does that make any sense at all?

Re-read the part about how a dog fight works and about human and animal aggression being different things. That is how it makes perfect sense.

Its the same reason a Dogo can "catch" a 400lbs boar and then curl up next to the kids at night. The same reason a sight hound or lurcher will kill viciously kill a hare or a fox and be pleasant as can be with anyone that comes to the house. Same reason a terrier will kill ruthlessly kill animals and then happily play with the kids.

The fact that you think animal aggression, or specifically dog aggression, correlates to human aggression speaks volumes about your ignorance.

Believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want.

I'll believe what is well established and you keep believing what you like.

 

[Black Butte]

I went with a German Shepard from the pound, They are very intelligent, loyal, and protective.

 

[macadore]

I never cared for small dogs, but after my children grew up and moved out, my wife got a couple of ankle biters. Over the last two years I have warmed up to the idea. As far as home protection goes, they're fuzzy bugler alarms. We would definitely know if someone attempted to come in the house, and due to their size and the fact that they can run under furniture, they would be hard to hit. They might annoy and distract an intruder, but I can't imagine anyone fearing them. However, I like the idea of them alerting me to the danger and letting me decide how to deal with it rather than having to deal with the consequences of them inadvertently hurting a an innocent person. While they might be able to hurt a child, they won't go near a child if they can avoid it. They see children as things that pull hair, ears, etc.