best guard dog

I have a german shepard and an australian shepard. Aussies have a reputations as unfriendly, not exactly vicious, but very VERY cautious around strangers. GSD's can be like mine (would gladly show someone who gave her a treat the combination to the safe) to the protection type dog - if I could only have one, it would be the GSD.

Survival minded ideas should include how hardy the dog is, if they have hereditary factors that are going to shorten their useful lifespan. My aussie has never been to the vet for a problem, she's about 10 now, and neither has my GSD. A grehound, for instance, has a very thin skin and wounds easily - other dogs are more prone to GI problems or vision problems. I'd stick with a herding type dog, having been bred to WORK, little was tolerated in making them 'pretty' and thus somewhat more prone to injury and hereditary illness.

I am an old man and a dog lover. So over the many years I have had occassion to live with a great many dogs of different breeds. Where you live (town, country, or surburbs), how you intend to keep your dog (inside or outside), how you intend to confine your dog, how much time you intend to spend with your dog, how much training you intend to give the dog, your own temperament and personality - all these should be considered when selecting a dog.

Breeds do have very distinct characteristics. This is the only really good argument for buying a purebred rather than a mongrel. With a purebred you can have a fairly good idea of what to expect of your dog. But first you must determine just what role you want your dog to play then you can go about selecting the breed that meets your needs.

I have had extremely good luck with my dogs over the years. I've had only one that was a mistake. This dog (great dane) was a year old when I bought him. But he was so attached to his former owner that he was never able to bond with anyone else. I kept him for eight years and during that time the two of us merely tolerated each other. I had to admire that dog's undying loyality to his former owner.

Perhaps my best dog was a Rottweiller. He wasn't trained as a guard dog. He just knew that he was a guard dog and he was very serious about his job. But I lived in the country. He wouldn't have been as good a choice had I lived in town. He was a splendid dog.

Currently I have a little twenty pound mutt. She is a good early warning system but she figures it is my job to protect her rather than vise versa. But she is a great alarm dog. And a great companion I might add.

By all means get a dog, but understand that owning a pet is a commitment to the animal that you will give it the love, care, and attention that it needs for the life of the animal. That's a big commitment so you should seriously consider whether or not you will be able to do your part.

Siberian huskies are very friendly, sociable dogs... THey can be a pain in the ass to train, but for as great with kids as they are, a big black & white husky-malamute mix is one of the most intimidating dogs you'll ever come across, particularly one with a darker colored face.

I don't know if any of you have ever lived in Aurora, Illinois before, but the place is the largest of the Chicago suburbs with one of the highest murder rates in the state. When I used to live there, my family started off with this big, brown German shepherd that made a good guard dog, but once he got old, he got neurotic and was no longer safe around our other dog. Of course, the husky we got shortly thereafter as a companion for the aging female we had already, was by no means a normal dog. He was a 95-pound dog, about 50% heavier than most Siberians will ever get. MASSIVE dog... Not fat, just big.

Hard to imagine anyone without a gun and balls the size of kiwi-fruit wanting to mess with something like that.

If your children are older, a Shepherd is probably a better choice, since older kids can exercise better judgement around animals, and they're easier to train.

DrewDrew said:

Rotweilers and Pitbulls are often known to be vicsious animals but it is all in the way you train and raise them. I know some of the sweetest Rotweilers and Pitbulls.

Click to expand...

I gotta call BS on this one. I used to raise pitbulls a long time ago. They will not "normally" bite humans, but if they want to then the damage will be substantial. They will bite other dogs like Rots will bite humans - can't trust them at all.

And this is coming from someone who knows these dogs - not a tree hugger that just sees it on TV and thinks they know everything and wants to kill all rots and pits.

Rots? The most worthless piece of crap ever bred. This breed I would eliminate from the face of the earth.

Get a couple of Chihuahuas. They'll bark. Thats all you need. If you let the animal guard your house and it bites an intruder while you are not there, then it could be contrued as "setting a trap" for a burgler and you will get sued (except perhaps in Texas where you can shoot them). Especially since you came on here and asked about one for guarding your house.

I like the Mother-in-law idea. Or maybe a lawyer. They'll scare the be-jeesus out of anybody.

To answer the original post and address some of the other opinions expressed about specific breeds of canines.

If you are in an environment,( rural, very few visitors, in control of your surroundings, and yourself) get a Fila Brasileiro. No other canine can compare to the dedication, loyalty, and protection/early warning of this animal. In my opinion all other canines pale in comparison.

A canine is a pack animal, it will follow whatever it believes to be it's superior.
Hence the reason purebred pitts, dobbies, sheperds, rotts, get a bad rap. They get contained without the social/pack structure that they require. One day the alpha mail (the man of the house) is in control. the next day the alpha female has gone crazy ( that time of the month) and the alpha mail is cowering.
What's a pitt or Rott to do but come unglued and snatch the weakest in the pack.
Whoops, 2 yr old Johnny is dead now because there was a struggle in the pack.

Know your canine and choose accordingly.

I agree with the Shepard suggestions. German or australian. Preferably australian because they are so much larger. Sometimes just the size of your dog can keep would-be intruders away. We currently have a flatcoated retriever that weighs around 95lbs and about 60% of the people who come around seem to be terrified of him and he does nothing but wag his tail and slobber. He's a super family dog but he's no guard.

I had an aust Shepard in the 80's and he was very easily trained and seemed to have a lot of self control and intelligence. People were also intimidated by his size as well but they had more reason to be. If he didn't know you, you wanted to be real careful how loud you spoke to us. I remember when people would come to the house, he'd just sit and watch them like he was just waiting to be a good guard dog. lol. It was hilarious.

If I had the money, I'd get another one in a heartbeat. He interacted well with us, never snapped or barked at us and never actually had to bite anyone else.