If you want details on Mastiffs, Mominator raises them and would be a good source to ask questions regarding them...

We have a Yorkie (4 lbs), my son has an American Staffordshire (Pitbull) who visits on school breaks (my son is in college) and will be living with us for six weeks while the boy is in Germany this summer - he weighs 40 lbs, and we have a boxer who weights 70lbs... one of every size... and the friendliest is the pitbull followed by the boxer. The Yorkie only likes the immediate family...

Good luck in your puppy search!

 

I have looked some at boxer's as well. Any issues with them or concerns? Not real familiar with them but they are nice looking animals.

 

I have owned all kinds, I had a love of labs until I ended up with healers pretty much a one person dog put a tremendous protector and smart ). currently I go for muts becuase you seem to get the best of all worlds. The 2 very best dogs I had wereborder collie/ healer, 2nd best was healer,border collie and bit bull. Border collie is extremely good for family.

Just a note: my little border collie mix was constantly whooping not just one of the nieghbors chesapeke bay retrievers but many times all three of them, he was very protective and they weren't very smart or they would have stayed home, fred did.

 

most vicious dogs i have ever seen.loud enough to wake up e dead.

 

I've seen one of these little buggers bail up my rather large (Olympic wrestler) Uncle, while he was in his Police uniform. Same guy has no problems with big dogs.

 

scale down your expectations of the dog as you don't and wont train the dog.get a natural like a gsb or any other high alertness dog thats good with kids. corsos, boerboel and such will engage their targets with little barking.................leaving you with a huge bill

 

You can't go wrong with a Rhodesian Ridgeback. I would have another one in a heartbeat.

 

We love our Turbo. He is a year and a half old. Great with the kids, great with little dogs (like our Yorkies - we had another Yorkie who died last fall who Turbo thought was his Dad - was so funny watching that little 3 lb ball of energy tell him what to do!).

They are really goofy and love to play. Your kids would have a blast with a boxer. Very high energy and love to chase balls and fetch. Turbo is not a "digger" nor does he chew on things that he isn't suppose to. On the other hand, he is also great at laying around when it is time to go "night" as we call it. He loves car rides and camping and going places and experiencing new things.

Also very good at "guard dog" in that he will bark if someone comes in the front yard or to the door and will stand "at guard" until we tell him that the person is okay. Once we do that, he is their best friend.

The only problem that we had was when we first got our chickens because I kept calling them babies and telling him that he had to be gentle with the babies and leave them alone. Then one day, I told him to go get one of his babies and play while I was on a conference call. I found the chicken upstairs, sopping wet with slobber, checking out the daughter's closet - I don't know how Turbo got her up there without injury but I learned not to call them "babies" since that is what he also call his collection of stuffed animals that he loves to play with... oops.

He sleeps with us... after he first puts the girl to bed (he rotates through everyone in the house until they are asleep since they all go down at different times) and makes sure that everyone is safe before he goes down for the night.

I would get another boxer in a minute if my husband wouldn't divorce me if I got another dog.. My avatar is a picture of Turbo and one of his "babies" - a cow that he had just gotten..

 

+1 on almost everything describing my boxer, Dexter. Great with kids and playful as all get out, but if some strange noise or person appears, he's alert and barking and huffing and puffing through his floppy lips...which look funny when bouncing up and down while running around the yard. Matter or fact, those are really the only times he makes noise quiet as a church mouse.

 

We have a lab/Irish Terrier mix that is the greatest dog I've ever had. Great bark, good protector...but would probably let the perps rob us blind if no one was around and was good with dogs.:xeye: Still. I love this dog.

Our next dog will a German Shepard, though their life spans are relatively short, great dogs.

Dogs do have traits inbred...but I'm also a believer that these creatures are a result of their masters and their environment.

 

Look into a Weimaraner. Males can get fairly big (75lbs). They are good hunters/pointers/trackers/retrievers, good with kids, protective, and respond well to good training. Very smart dogs!

Last one I had seemed to issue out levels of clearance to different folks. Those proven family were treated like such, even when distant family would be away for months but show up unannounced. Utility men wearing uniforms (once identified to him) could hop the fence and work outside but would get growled at if they went to areas they weren't supposed to. Unknown folks hopping the fence during the day would get chased off. At night you simply didn't want to hop the fence. Dog would lie silent and then attack. Only happened once and it wasn't pretty because these dogs only know one way to attack. Had to rescue the moron from the dog. They pull you or any large game down by the groin and then they go for the neck. Weimaraners were bred to hunt elk in pairs exactly that way. One to rip them down from behind and the other tore the throat out. *Shudders*

They are tons of fun too. Give them some sport and they go for it with real gusto. Need an exercise program? Get this breed. Not a good dog to be left alone a lot though. They either need a buddy pet or one of the owners around a lot.

The Vizla breed is a close cousin to the Weimeraner and worth looking into as well.

 

You don't mention the ages of your children and that will be upmost importance to any charity or breeder you get the puppy from. Most here in the UK wont allow one of their dogs to be rehomed with children under say 4 years with a question on any of 6 and below. Also you need to be aware most children of 10 years old and below need constant supervision with dogs and should never ever be left alone together no matter how trusted either of them are.

Most of the shepherding breeds are natural guarders but they do nip ankles, poodles are highly intelligent and apparently it matters not the size. Mastives maybe too big with small children, they may knock them over accidently and wont like being ridden on.

For children I do love the labrador as I was brought up with one from the age of 6, but in any breed you can get the rogue it is after all about training and socialising the dog well.

Personally I would research your ideal breeds and take notes,don't rely on your memory, then go along and speak to the appropriate breed rescue. They are usually run by people who are passionate but realistic about the breeds. They would not only be able to help you with knowledge/experience but also providing details of good breeders or even rescue dogs ideal for your family and situation.

 

I've had experience with an Irish setter, German Shepard, a collie, and a Jack Russell Terrier.

The purebred Irish setter was the stupidest dog I have ever seen or heard of, bar none. My dad got it when I was a kid thinking he would turn it into a bird hunting dog. We couldn't train it to stop knocking over its own water bowl then howling in thirst for the rest of the day. Or train it to stop jumping up on me and knocking the new water bowl out of my hand before I had a chance to give it to him. It was a daily struggle for years just to get food and water to her. It wasn't that she was unfriendly. She was just so big and uncontrolled in her movements that she would lunge at you repeatedly every time you came near and knock you down or at least knock the stuff out of your hand. We never had the money to try giving her professional training. And my dad lost interest in her after realizing she would be a chore rather than an asset so finding a way to keep her alive became my job.

The mixed-breed collie was smart, great with kids, fiercely protective of the property but no danger of biting someone. Taught herself to hunt and treed a number of opossums and racoons. My dad used to gather and sell furs anyway so that was a good help to him. The dog was also smart enough to realize that our cats were supposed to be there. She never bothered our cats and seemed to me to even be protective of them.

The German Shepard was a stray who had been dumped in the country by idiot city people who thought they were giving the dog a home in the country. We got more than a dozen of those coming through a year but the collie did an excellent job of running them off before they got the idea that they might stay with us (and most of the time before we could see the intruder, just a big loud dust up with the other dog leaving and our collie coming back looking pleased with herself). The German Shepard was an exception to the rule. From what it looked like he had gotten his foot caught in a barbed wire fence then twisted, tore the skin off of it and broke it getting loose. Our collie took pity on the dog and so did my dad in his own way. He let the dog stay but did nothing to help the dog's medical condition. Understand, my dad didn't take me to the doctor when I was sick (I went completely 100% deaf in both ears one time before my dad first noticed I was sick). There was no way he was going to spend money we didn't have for medical treatment on a stray. The dog healed eventually and learned to run on three legs. Good companion pet. No hunting skills at all. Our guard dog slot was already filled and the German Shepard never tried to compete for it. But in general German Shepard are supposed to be good guard dogs.

In his later years my dad had a purebred Jack Russell Terrier he got for free from a dog breeder when the dog got too old to have more pups. It was an excellent companion dog but had been kept in a cage for its whole previous life and had to rediscover whatever hunting instincts she had. She became interested in hunting moles but that's about it. She wasn't much of a guard dog as far as warning of visitors coming onto the property but then she hadn't had the normal life experiences of a dog.

A normal Jack Russell Terrier which hadn't been emotionally stunted and kept in a cage her whole life is supposed to be good at ferreting out any burrowing creatures from foxes and rabbits to badgers and is a very energetic small dog. If I were looking for a small dog which I could allow indoors, this is what I would get.

 

Rottweiler. They've been protecting since ancient Rome. They are intelligent, very trainable, bond with your family and don't bark much.

But with any similar dog, you must be the boss.

 

I have (2) German Shepards and can't recommend them highly enough. They are normally quiet, if there is barking I need to check it out, and they are natural protectors.

 

I have a German Shepard as well. He is the best dog I've ever had, very smart and protective. If someone was to come in at night they would be in trouble real quick...

 

I have a german shepherd and a lab-border collie mix. The shepherd is an excellent guard dog. She is very protective and very loving to the people she knows. If you try and enter her domain, she turns very aggressive. These are the traits I wanted in a german sheperd.

The lab-border collie is without a doubt the most intelligent animal I have seen. I've actually seen her problem solve. However, she doesn't have the guard trait. She will alert if someone approaches though.

Take your time and find the right puppy for your family and needs. Good luck!!

 

I have what I think is a lab/border collie mix. He is smarter than I am and only barks when alerted to something. The cat is useless but cute.

 

I like Labradors - they are really smart, and pretty Low-Key, unless His/Her Tribe is being attacked - then they can turn into Hair-On-End Snarling, Digging and Bared Fang Monsters! At Least Both the Labs I had were that way...

If I was sure it was SHTF Time, though, I might rather have Rhodesian Ridgebacks - Buddy of Mine has had several, and they are Formidable to OpFor, but Kind to Family, and Pretty Darn Smart, too.

 

I would get a GS. You have owned one you say, so why do you not want to get another one? I have previously owned a pitbull mix ( mean as hell, not good with kids, rescue dog) and a border collie which was a great dog, but not really big enough to hurt anyone if he had to. Love our GS puppy. So far she's not much of a guard dog , but loves everyone. But they are very intelligent and easy to train, and large enough to protect you and your family

 

Have you looked into the Standard Poodle? They are big dogs and very active. Most people think of them as froo-froo dogs, but that is far from the truth. They are water dogs, first and foremost, but were also used to guard homes and I think you can use them for hunting.

If I ever buy a dog, this is the breed I will go with because they're intelligent, strong, active and they don't shed.

 

Dog breeds and sizes are almost infinite...
2 lbs up to 245 lbs.
How much time do you have to train them yourself?
Your monthly food budget for em? (Size will matter)

I have 4 blue-nose Pit bulls. Great dogs for me my wife and our lifestyle. Super athletic and active dogs. Not for everyone. The Mrs and I love em and they're like family!

If u have space n room I would suggest looking at Cane Corso and Dogo Argentina breeds. Instinctively protective of its pack (your family) and very loyal pets.

Good luck in your search and please keep us posted on your selection!!!!

 

I would add Fila Brazilio very protective of family and children, very little training need to do its job but also head strong so know what type of temperament you want from a dog before getting a dog. Right now we have a cane corso, running 192 pound of muscle and drool yes lots and lots of drool. For those who never had canes they tend to talk to you when they want something and it looks so funny. Bad thing about them is they eat a lot and are very strong not a dog you can just pick up and move around as you please.

 

I have a boxer and a GSD. The GSD made herself my dog, she is protective of the kids and is patient with them. However the boxer made herself part of the family. She is the more vocal of the two when it comes to people of vehicles passing the house. They compliment each other well. They have both pinned unwanted visitors against trees and vehicles. In fact the GSD would not allow a good friend of mine in the house to work on the AC when I wasn't home. He had a key, and has known her since the day I bought her home.

 

Ask 50 people about dogs and you will get 50 different responses. I had a Doberman, Rott/Lab mix, and two mini Dachshunds. Scariest was the Dobie. Loudest and best watchdog was one of the Doxies. Go figure. All depends on the space available, kids, and minimum expectations. Smartest was the Rott/Lab mix. We would always joke that if she had thumbs, she'd probably take the car to town.

 

Love Them All

I am a dog lover across the board, all breeds are welcome at my house.

I've owned a lot of different breeds, but not sure of a breed that will actually attack to protect life or property if not provoked by the intruder unless trained to do so. Most breeds will bark, show teeth and look quite vicious when facing an intruder, but not sure if they'll actually attack unless trained for it.

There are exceptions of course. If a dog stays penned up in a fenced yard and not socialized with people or animals outside the family, then they will certainly attack due to built up anxiety issues, but those dogs are not living in a healthy state of mind in the mean time.

If you have the money for a trainer, then I believe the breed doesn't matter as they can all be trained to be protectors. For a visual deterrent, large dogs are preferred, because as they say, "to secure peace, prepare for war". And you want a dog that is strong enough to get the job done if the need arises.

 

If you want a big loyal guard dog,
Caucasian ovcharka for you!

 

Great Pyrenees. Very large, loyal, and great guarders with a decent lifespan. 10-12 years is pretty good for a dog that could be well over 100lbs. They've been guarding people and livestock since the 1400's.

 

To respond to a couple of different things... my children are 19,11,10, and 7. I have owned a GSD before and found them to be a wonderful dog still considering one....I really appreciate the feedback so far about the different breeds that you guys have. Trust me I am doing alot of reading and asking different people that have first hand experience so I can find the best breed for us as well as the dog. We have regular local obedience classes so I will definetly try and get the dog into them. When I mentioned protection I don't want a dog thats trained to attack, nor do I want a dog that is prone to attack. I want a dog that as another poster will help me "secure peace, by preparing for war" and that if a problem arises they are strong enough to offer my family some manner of protection. this dog as our other dogs have in the past will go just about everywhere with us and will be socialized to large groups of people and children. that said if I am not home i want a dog that will stand between my children and the danger in the night. Once again thank you all so much for your input on your dogs so far please keep it coming. It really helps.

 

To respond to a couple of different things... my children are 19,11,10, and 7. I have owned a GSD before and found them to be a wonderful dog still considering one....i did realize that if I ask 50 different people I would bet 50 different responses that was the point, to get some different lines of thinking and experience that I may not have....I really appreciate the feedback so far about the different breeds that you guys have. Trust me I am doing alot of reading and asking different people that have first hand experience so I can find the best breed for us as well as the dog. We have regular local obedience classes so I will definetly try and get the dog into them. When I mentioned protection I don't want a dog thats trained to attack, nor do I want a dog that is prone to attack. I want a dog that as another poster will help me "secure peace, by preparing for war" and that if a problem arises they are strong enough to offer my family some manner of protection. this dog as our other dogs have in the past will go just about everywhere with us and will be socialized to large groups of people and children. that said if I am not home i want a dog that will stand between my children and the danger in the night. Once again thank you all so much for your input on your dogs so far please keep it coming. It really helps.

I've been around Shepherds for about 45 years, and to be honest they're labs in wolves clothing

Easy to train, but a little tough to keep entertained, with a few kids though they'll fit right in.

No matter what breed, as long as you make them part of the pack, and educate them to the fact that they're the bottom of the pack, you won't go wrong.