Which breeds are good guard dogs but gentle enough to have around children

[Pea-n-Me]

I also think that most dogs who bark are a good deterrent because thieves do not want noise. Of course, if your dog barks all the time then nobody will notice much there might be a problem, so it behooves us all to have well behaved and well socialized dogs who know the difference between friend and foe, blowing leaf and intruder on property, etc., and are quiet unless making noise is warranted. Neighbors used to a relatively quiet dog would likely know the difference between a play bark and a frantic bark. I read of a case in my neck of the woods not too long ago where neighbors reported a family dog had made a sound "nobody had ever heard before", like a wail, during the commission of a crime on the property. Not surprised.

Don't forget that dogs not only use hearing, but also their other keen senses. Their sense of smell is phenomenal, and they can detect the scent of stress hormones that someone up to no good gives off, even through a wall or door. They would also feel a vibration of someone walking on a porch or even in a yard, up stairs, etc. Dogs are generally way more in tune to their environment than people are.

My family got our first German Shepherd back in the 60s in the days of the Boston Strangler when police told everyone to get dogs. German Shepherds were everywhere where I grew up. As long as they are well trained and socialized they are great watchdogs who likely won't do harm. An unstable one can be a liability, though, as can any type of unstable dog. My Cairn Terrier is an excellent watchdog, too. He's not as intimidating as a large dog, but his tenacity and intelligence make him a dog that people wouldn't want to mess with, really. Overall, though, I'd say German Shepherds and large dogs like that are the most intimidating to most people. You just have to weigh the benefits and risks when getting one for "protection". (And whatever you do, don't try to make it "mean" - they know naturally how to protect their families without learning dangerous habits like biting!)

All that said, it's a good idea to have an alarm system in this day and age as well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My big boy GSD died yesterday, very unexpectedly,it was awful.

He was a barker, i hated that, but it is so quiet today.

my dd recently had a baby, my big boy would lie next to her bassinett. the father of the baby came over and he went to pick her up and Del got in between , but i said its ok and he was fine after that.

Oh no, Delgado! What happened?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

And btw dog bites can differ depending on the type of dog it is. German Shepherds tend to bite when the "warnings" they've given off haven't been heeded, often by children or adults unfamiliar with or unattuned to their personalities. If you watch them they will stare, give off a low growl or curl their lip a bit before they bite, and the bite itself can be an "I told you so" type bite that is swift and powerful. They don't tend to maul, but may if the threat continues. They also "herd" instinctively by nipping heels or lower body parts which can be mistaken for a deliberate bite. It's good to know these types of things for each dog you're considering before you make the commitment to own one. Other dogs have different "types" of bites.

 

[wishesuponastar]

We found our rescue through petfinder.com. My inlaws had a dog that was really good with the family and protective too so I did a search for his breed at petfinder for spaniel. Found our Brittany spaniel/retriever mix who was 6 months old. He is now 7 yrs old and been a great family dog. He will bark if someone comes to the door or if he hears people talking too close to our house. Oh, and everyday he barks at the mailman. I don't know if he would actually attack an intruder but his bark would scare them off probably.

 

[Maxpowers]

I have a pit bull/boston terrier mix and she is great with my 2 kids (2 & 4). I don't know what she would do if someone actual broke into our home, but she charges the door barking whenever someone comes in or knocks. That's about it though, no biting or attacking. Just barking. However, she looks pretty scary running up to you while she is barking.

For a dog that's a great family dog and has some deterrence factor, I'd say a pit bull is spot on. There's a reason they used to be called Nanny dogs.

As others have already said though, it highly depends on that individual dog.

 

[Nancyg56]

My friend has a bloodhound. The biggest old baby you ever want to meet. She had to watch him to make sure the girls did not play too rough and hurt his big kind self. Well we have a pretty safe neighborhood but you never know. Some guy comes to the door and this dog who never barked at anything that did not have a tail went berserk. He got in front of her, refused to move and used a bark that she had never heard in 7 years. My point is that ost dogs have a pretty good sense and will protect the family in their own way.

 

[Nancyg56]

Rottie or GSD.


My big boy GSD died yesterday, very unexpectedly,it was awful.

He was a barker, i hated that, but it is so quiet today.

.

I am so very sorry for your loss. It is hard to lose a furry friend.

 

[katie01]

"]Rottie or GSD.


My big boy GSD died yesterday, very unexpectedly,it was awful.

He was a barker, i hated that, but it is so quiet today.

my dd recently had a baby, my big boy would lie next to her bassinett. the father of the baby came over and he went to pick her up and Del got in between , but i said its ok and he was fine after that.

We also have a Basenji mix, no barking, not a big dog, thinks she is a cat.

We had a rot/husky mix, one of the best dogs ever.[/QUOTE]

I am so sorry for your loss

 

[hereyago]

Thanks for the condolences.

Pea-n-Me: I dont know, it was quick, but no symptoms until late the night before, he threw up, but he seemed better a little bit later. the next morning he was with dd and the baby and went into kitchen and his legs.seem to get stuck like in a.freeze kind of way, then he lost balance.
she yelled for me and he was lying on the floor, but he couldnt lay straight up.
his gums were blue gray and his foot pads were cold .dd was about to get him a blanket and i was goingto take him to vet, but he had 3'seizure like and he was gone.

he would have been 7 on Valentines day.

 

[WeLuvWDWx5]

Doberman.

Couldn't agree more. We recently acquired our 4th doberman and have had them since my 1st, who is now 21, was born. They certainly are a deterrent to strangers approaching the house, but they have been great with all 3 of my kids from the time they were babies, toddlers and older. We had a lab also, and while we loved her dearly, there were times that I didn't trust her with my kids when they were little. Never felt that way with any of my doberman's.

 

[indimom]

We currently have a Lab and a Dachshund/Terrier mix. They both bark when people come to the door, so great for alerting. A lot of people are intimidated by the size of the lab (even though he's actually small at only 60 pounds).
Our smaller (20 lb) dog looks a lot scarier when she barks/growls. Even in play she shows her teeth and it looks pretty intimidating. lol

We've got in-ground fencing so our dogs have the run of our entire property when we let them out. I've gotten mail a day late with a hand-written note that said "Dogs out" on the front of it. So, apparently, some of our mail carriers are intimidated by the pair. I had two boys, about 6th grade, show up at my drive yesterday selling poinsettias for their bowling team. It was the dogs that let me know they were out there (the drive is at the back of my house), and the kids didn't step off the sidewalk until I came out and the dogs settled down.

I'd just go for a dog that fits your family/kids/lifestyle. If you think there is a real risk of break-in in your area. I'd get the dog AND the home security system. The combination would probably be your best deterrent.

 

[eliza61]

Another family of German sheppard lovers here. I had them my entire life as my dad was a nyc policeman and got 2 of the "recruit dogs" lol, that did not make the cut.
I have a sheppard/lab mutt. Hobbes is a great dog but I'm going to repeat with others have said, my dog is first and foremost a family pet. He is a good deterrent as he hears a bunch of sounds at night way before any of us do and he growls and barks when he hears noise.

He also is great in that he knows when it "sleep" and that the house should be quiet. that being said we also have a security alarm. LOL, our main problem is htat we some times forget to turn it on at night. but we have been making a conscious effort to do so.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks for the condolences.

Pea-n-Me: I dont know, it was quick, but no symptoms until late the night before, he threw up, but he seemed better a little bit later. the next morning he was with dd and the baby and went into kitchen and his legs.seem to get stuck like in a.freeze kind of way, then he lost balance.
she yelled for me and he was lying on the floor, but he couldnt lay straight up.
his gums were blue gray and his foot pads were cold .dd was about to get him a blanket and i was goingto take him to vet, but he had 3'seizure like and he was gone.

he would have been 7 on Valentines day.

Aww. I'm sorry.

 

[CPanther95]

Greater Swiss or Bernese Mountain Dog.

Extremely loyal and affectionate to family and kids while being very protective when approached by strangers.

 

[aaarcher86]

Another GSD vote. Ours is amazing with the kids - including a special needs child who is frequently more aggressive during some of her episodes.

Our goal was similar to yours when we chose the breed - wanted a second dog, loyal, loving, and being naturally protective of family was an added bonus quality that we were hoping for. We used to joke all the time that our GSD is defective and wouldn't give a hoot if someone was trying to break in until my brother in law walked into the house (just walked in on his own without one of us answering the door). She'd never met him before and she really didn't like it. She didn't attack him since I was obviously there chatting with him, but her growls and demeanor were super protective. I figured from there on out she'd know what to do when I needed her to do it.

She still doesn't like him very much lol.

 

[katie01]

I would suggest a shih tzu. Sure, they aren't imposing..but they are yappy with strangers. They are good family pets and don't bite but sure do raise a fuss when a stranger comes around. At least, that's how ours is. I HATE that he barks at leaves and a pot boiling on the stove but I don'tind when he barks when someone knocks at the back door. I never get mad at him for that because I want him to alert me of that.

Funny you should say this, and how timely. Our current dog is actually a shih tzu mix (bichon is the other half). She is such a sweet girl, she just loves kids, adults, other dogs, you name it. Last night though I came downstairs and she didn't recognize me when I sat on the staircase in the dark. She went absolutely nuts. Barking, growling, snarling, I've never seen her act like that. Once she realized it was me, she went crazy with excitement and jumped into my lap lol. Obviously she'd be unable to scare anyone off if they saw her, but at least I know now that she is alert to anything unusual going on.

 

[katie01]

Greater Swiss or Bernese Mountain Dog.

Extremely loyal and affectionate to family and kids while being very protective when approached by strangers.

I love these dogs. Our neighbor has one, but unfortunately theirs is in need of 10K surgery due to hip problems I'm a little scared of all the other health problems they have to with high rates of cancer and a shorter life span.

 

[kimblebee]

Funny you should say this, and how timely. Our current dog is actually a shih tzu mix (bichon is the other half). She is such a sweet girl, she just loves kids, adults, other dogs, you name it. Last night though I came downstairs and she didn't recognize me when I sat on the staircase in the dark. She went absolutely nuts. Barking, growling, snarling, I've never seen her act like that. Once she realized it was me, she went crazy with excitement and jumped into my lap lol. Obviously she'd be unable to scare anyone off if they saw her, but at least I know now that she is alert to anything unusual going on.

I wonder why that is. Ours will sometimes not recognize one of us either. It usually happens if he's woken up by us or if it's dark.

 

[piglet too]

I love these dogs. Our neighbor has one, but unfortunately theirs is in need of 10K surgery due to hip problems I'm a little scared of all the other health problems they have to with high rates of cancer and a shorter life span.

My parents used to breed Berners, and yes there can be health issues. However, any reputable breeder will do their best to make sure their lines are "clean". My parents had all their dogs hips checked, and even put in the contract, that the people purchasing a puppy, had to do the same. They keep records of the hips, and any time a dog from their line gets cancer (only 3 dogs in 23 litters, over 100 dogs) or some other disease. The breed does have a shorter life-span, as do most large breeds.

 

[georgina]

I won't approach my friend's front door if her boxer is out in the yard. She is fine with children in the house, but very territorial outside.