I Need a Guard Dog (smarty gets serious here)

[Peters]

all dobermans ive met are awesome with the best personalitys of any dogs ive known!

[Jenn218]

We have a German and two labs (one lab is HUGE). They do not allow anything in the yard around the house (moles, squirrels, etc). They are EXCELLENT guardians! If a car comes down the drive, they meet it halfway and will circle it (all three) until I tell them to "come".....They are use to the mailman, and will allow him to get ouf of his car to leave a package in one of our cars...but if he tries to leave a package on the porch, they will not allow him to even get close to the steps. Thankfully, our mailman never pushes them too far and he loves the fact they are so protective of our home while we are away! Love them to pieces!

[Smarty Bones]

Thank you SO much for your advice and stories. I do want to go the rescue route -- I never knew that black dogs were less likely to be adopted b/c they look menacing I didn't know they made barking security devices. I'm going to look into that b/c it'll be sometime before I can get the actual dog....

That said, I am enjoying learning more about protective breeds. The Leonberger is so gorgeous! Another protective dog I just learned about is the Komondor. They look so sweet and funny in the first picture. Maybe slightly frightening in the second pic, where it looks like the huge brush that comes at you in a car wash

[Ichabob]

we have 6 dogs 3 of which were military dogs that were unable to return to their owners, long story short we have 3 labs and a jack russell beside 2 yorkies.

out of all these dogs the jack russell is the terror of the bunch, she will actually let the person walk by her and then jump and grab the person pants in the rear and hold on, all four feet dangling in the air. we have to make her let go. needless to say the people who know we have her always ask if she put up or mussel before they get out of their car or enter our house.

The delivery people will blow their horns and if the labs run out to meet them they will get out of their trucks if the Jack Russell with them they will not step out of their trucks.

[amandawash]

We have a big, black lab named Nitro, whom we adopted for our local shelter. The first weekend we had him we went camping.. We are sitting around our fire when we heard a truck pull up to the area we were in. As it was a secluded spot, I got nervous. Two guys started walking up and Nitro ran straight towards them, barking a HUGE bark. Those guys stopped in their tracks and I think held each other for a minute. The second we called him off he came over and stood in front of us.

The other day the sprinkler blow-out guy just walked into my backyard without any notice (thank God I had the little dogs inside) but Nitro and my golden were outside and he ran up to that guy with the same bark and scared the crap out of him. Serves him right for not knocking on the front door and warning me.

Anyway, I love big dogs, and will always have one, for the protection factor. Don't get me wrong, they are our pets. Nitro is on the couch right now, he gets fed raw, etc., etc. I think you should get one.

[JenniferLeigh]

I have 3 large breed dogs living at my house - they are all gentle but I pitty the fool who tries to break into our house. We have a doberman who is the sweetest dog. She is a chicken! She won't even go near my yoga ball. The 9lb yorkie is bravier than her. But if someone comes to the door, she'll make her presence known. Having large dogs definatly makes me feel secure and safe, especially when I'm watching scary movies at home alone

[JenniferLeigh]

Originally Posted by Smarty Bones

Please, I just wanted to share and ask if any of you have experience owning larger "guard" dogs. what breeds are the best in terms of guarding? (In terms of just "watching" I think yorkies are great b/c they bark at intruders, but I want a deterrent "guard" dog too). Thanks so much!

I don't think you necessary need a "guard dog". My golden retriever was very alert, and protective.

[Breezeaway]

We have an australian shepherd, Shes a great watch dog. Very protective of us but loves the yorkies and is very gentle with them. Most herding dogs are very good watch dogs. They are protective of there family.

[MyTrixie143]

I think a doberman would be a great breed to consider. They naturally have the instinct to protect their family. Plus they are really intelligent, sweet loving dogs but have a menacing look which that alone deters intruders.

[JenniferLeigh]

Originally Posted by MyTrixie143

I think a doberman would be a great breed to consider. They naturally have the instinct to protect their family. Plus they are really intelligent, sweet loving dogs but have a menacing look which that alone deters intruders.

Dobermans are great! They are very smart and require a LOT of exercise. You can expect a dobbie to really test the limits.

[Mitzis Mom]

Originally Posted by Smarty Bones

Thank you SO much for your advice and stories. I do want to go the rescue route -- I never knew that black dogs were less likely to be adopted b/c they look menacing I didn't know they made barking security devices. I'm going to look into that b/c it'll be sometime before I can get the actual dog....

That said, I am enjoying learning more about protective breeds. The Leonberger is so gorgeous! Another protective dog I just learned about is the Komondor. They look so sweet and funny in the first picture. Maybe slightly frightening in the second pic, where it looks like the huge brush that comes at you in a car wash

Exactly...LOL!!!!!

The male Leonberger have a mane like a lion and are even more massive...

I found those pics on the web...

[charmed239]

I have heard the same thing before about the black dog thing,,,,,I dont know why this is,,but black dogs are supposed to be very good guard dogs for some reason.....if I were you I would consider getting a larg breed PUPPY, becasue you have a small breed dog already...(you do right?) and I have had big dogs in the past,,and as far as being a guard dog, the best ones were, my Rotweiller, and my Alaskin Matamute, I actually had to get new homes for both of them,,,due to the fact that I was 6 months preg, and my husband and I had split up for awhile,,,and the Malamute, WOULD NOT let me have company,,,He wouldnt let ANYONE step foot in my house,,even if I tried to let them in,,,and I was afraid someone was going to get hurt,,,and being pregnant, I couldnt hold him back anymore..OHHH my brother in law came on one day without knocking,,,,and I was in the livingroom, and all I heard was Lisaaaaaaa come get your dog,,,,Im telling you that dog NEVER barked at him..he just snuck up on him and cornored him in the doorway,....he never even heard the dog coming...And the Rotweiler was a very good watch dog as well,,,normally if someone sees You have a Rot,,,,they tend to keep on going,....lol.....I would consider getting a male tho,,just besause they get bigger and look more threatening....The Rot got very protective of me when my got preg as well,,,,and my 8 yr old son,(at the time) got scared to death of him....so we let him go live on a farm with my uncle,,(the Rot not my son..lol),,,Huskys are also known for their guard dog abilities too, and others have talked about Akieatas,,and there right m My cousin has one,,and he is very gental,,,,but dont walk in uninvited!!!!,just remember the prettier the dog the less serious people take them,,,,Oh on the other hand,,,,Dont bohter with a Golden Retreiver,,,,mine would hold the door open for a bergualr..and then point out what they forgot to take...lol...If you have a small dog now,,I would most deff get a big puppy, you dont what to get suprised to find out the new dog has past dog aggression.!!! at least with a pup, you know what your getting into,, and that way the little dog will be able to lay down the law, that it was here first,,just be careful, big dogs like to play too,,and they dont realize that they can seriously hurt a small dog my stepping on it,,,..Go get you a guard dog!!!! just never leave the big one and the little one alone together..Good luck girl.

[TresCutePiggies]

A bullmastiff! I had no idea they were the top ranked breed as a guard dog. I'm sorry to hear you are so uncomfortable in your own place. That is a miserable feeling.

I'll be upfront and say the only downside is their life expectancy is so short, but this is fairly common for most giant breeds. I lost my big boy to cancer just before his 8th birthday, and he was originally diagnosed at 6. His sister Starsky passed away from bloat when she was only 4. This obviously isn't the case for all bullmastiffs, but it is heartbreaking nonetheless.

The other gross thing is the slobber. I honestly didn't notice it, but I'm sure I became somewhat immune. I will mention I lived in an apartment, and he did just fine with his exercise, etc. They are honestly not very active, which makes them ideal if you live in a smaller space. He was the family dog until I graduated from college, when he came to live with me. No period of adjustment...we were just meant to be.

I love my little Rory (yorkie), but I miss my Hutch every single day. I certainly felt safer walking him than I do Rory. He probably appeared slightly more menacing than Rory dressed in a frilly dress with hair bows!

Hutch was very much a part of my family, extremely loving, and eager to please. He was also very protective of us too - I was never scared when he was around.

Here is a tribute video I made after he passed (it's LOOOONG, but I had to do his life justice):

HPN.wmv

You can see he was a very loved member of the family.

[PANAMA69]

A black (dark) German Shepperd they are so gorgeous

[dianethomas]

Originally Posted by amandawash

We have a big, black lab named Nitro, whom we adopted for our local shelter. The first weekend we had him we went camping.. We are sitting around our fire when we heard a truck pull up to the area we were in. As it was a secluded spot, I got nervous. Two guys started walking up and Nitro ran straight towards them, barking a HUGE bark. Those guys stopped in their tracks and I think held each other for a minute. The second we called him off he came over and stood in front of us.

The other day the sprinkler blow-out guy just walked into my backyard without any notice (thank God I had the little dogs inside) but Nitro and my golden were outside and he ran up to that guy with the same bark and scared the crap out of him. Serves him right for not knocking on the front door and warning me.

Anyway, I love big dogs, and will always have one, for the protection factor. Don't get me wrong, they are our pets. Nitro is on the couch right now, he gets fed raw, etc., etc. I think you should get one.

I LOVE your picture. The lab looks like he is guarding the baby!