looking for good family guard dog

[1911]

hey guys,
i am looking for a good family guard dog. i was thinking of the german shepherd. i have 2 small children. but the professional breeders were charging between 5000-20000 for a trained dog. anyone have any recommendations on a breed or know a reputable breeder for german shepherds?

i have a large fenced back yard so exercise should not be an issue. i plan on keeping the dog mostly in the house as i want it to be a part of the family as well. thanks in advance and happy birthday jahn. hahaha

 

[EricP]

I personally prefer large dogs for guard dogs. I have a mastiff and my girlfriend has a great dane, and both of them are everything we want in a dog: Loyal beyond words, docile and content to sit around, but fiercely territorial. Her great dane is just now starting to not tense up when I'm around, and we've been together for 2 years!

Nothing like 220 lbs of startled, angry mastiff to frighten off would-be intruders. Not that there's anything wrong with shepards, just that there's something raw and horrible to an intruder about confronting a dog that weighs more than they do. Beware of potential liability issues (yay for sue-happy criminals) though, as a mastiff could easily maim or kill a large grown man if so motivated.

My mastiff is terrific with kids, but only because I've spent a lot of time training him to do as I say. You really must get a weaned pup and raise it with the kids. It makes its "master" impressions within the first 6-8 months, and those are the people it will faithfully defend for the rest of its life.

The great dane is more pliable, it is really a big teddy bear that just happens to be very large. Terrific family dog, and though wary of new people, not nearly as hostile to new presences as is the mastiff.

 

[1911]

thanks for the input. may i ask how you and your girlfriend got your dogs?

 

[Jeff E]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 hey guys, i am looking for a good family guard dog. i was thinking of the german shepherd. i have 2 small children. but the professional breeders were charging between 5000-20000 for a trained dog. anyone have any recommendations on a breed or know a reputable breeder for german shepherds? i have a large fenced back yard so exercise should not be an issue. i plan on keeping the dog mostly in the house as i want it to be a part of the family as well. thanks in advance and happy birthday jahn. hahaha

Guard dogs are not suitable for most home situations. A good guard dog is a highly trained dog that has learned to threaten and to bite. Are you sure that is what you want? How will the parents of your kids' playmates feel about their children coming over to your house? How would you feel if something went wrong? How about a watch dog and an electronic security system?

 

[1911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff E Guard dogs are not suitable for most home situations. A good guard dog is a highly trained dog that has learned to threaten and to bite. Are you sure that is what you want? How will the parents of your kids' playmates feel about their children coming over to your house? How would you feel if something went wrong? How about a watch dog and an electronic security system?

my guard dog is your watch dog. i think we are asking for the same kind of dog but i probably used the wrong terminology. yes, i would not want an out of control dog especially around kids. the professional breeders have trained sheperds so well that they can turn on/off their aggression on command. but these dogs are very expensive. i am getting a alarm installed too.

 

[Tuberoller]

I don't own any guard dogs but I use a company that provides them at my shop. When I get there early,before the dogs are removed,I stay my ass in my car. These dogs are far from friendly and I'm sure they'd kill someone if given the opportunity. They are shepards and they seem to work as a team. There are four dogs and they actually petrol the large property my shop is on. I had to install a special motion detector system that the dogs use. The first time I saw it,I was amazed at how smart they are. The detector blinks a light indicating a specific area of the property and/or fence has been entered and two of the dogs will run to that area. Two other dogs hang back to keep an eye on the detector. I split the cost of these dogs with three other businesses that share a common property but the cost is still kinda stiff at $550 a month on my end. This after an insurance company forced us to increase security or drop us all after they had to pay a claim for a stolen overhead sewer truck($375,000).

I too think guard dogs might not be what you're looking for. In Chicago breeders are getting $3000 for any kind of decent German Shepard. I own a house in Benton Harbor Michigan and I know for a fact that they paid over $45,000 for a drug dog. Besides the high cost,I think they are far too agressive to have around kids.

 

[Bleed]

for a house dog, you dont need them to be a trained guard dog. the dog will instinctly protect you when you are in danger. its not advisable to have a fully trained guard dog inside the house. just have it trained with the basic commands.

 

[gsferrari]

Get a cuddly lab that will be safe around the kids. most dogs are NOT kiddy safe. The Great Dane is friendly around known people BUT it often forgets it's own weight and size and crashes down on your lap like a small lap-dog would. The great-dane also has a frightening tendency to run full-tilt into you when you are walking around. If you have kids and old people - dont get a large friendly dog LOL

Get a lab...Dye his hair light brown in strategic areas and you now have a Rottweiler wannabe

enough to frighten off doggie n00bs.

 

[cpw]

I agree that most dogs will protect the family and home out of instinct. My Golden Retreiver's bark is likely to frighten off most potential intruders and I know she'd step up if the sh!t came down.
That said, I think people should always get the dog they think they want. I've known some great German Shepherds.
CPW

 

[RYCeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Get a lab...Dye his hair light brown in strategic areas and you now have a Rottweiler wannabe enough to frighten off doggie n00bs.

LMAO,
Btw back to topic, I don't think you need a specially trained dogs. IMO just get a pet quality dog from a reputable breeder and get it signed up for basic obedience training. Most dogs know how to protect his master, they do need training how to attack though. If a thief/robber does not afraid after seeing a german sheperd growl then it won't matter if it attack, you'll most likely end up being robbed and having a dead dog. It probably different though if you got 3-4 dogs but do you really want 3 dogs? Get a good security, learn to protect yourself (buy a gun) and have the dog as your back-up.

Be aware though some insurance company will cancel your homeowners policy if you got rottweiler, pitbull, chowchow, doberman, etc. You might want to check w/ them first what is their policy toward a specific breed.

Do not buy from a petstore, that's a big no no. Get a recommendation from friends, try to look at akc.org, interview your breeder, get all the health checks, see the parents of the puppy.

Lastly, try to be a responsible dog owner. Please leash your dog when you are in the park, I really hate a pitbull owner who let their dog loose in the park w/ the owners nowhere to be seen or too far away to prevent anything from happening. Yes, I'm aware that not all pitbull are bad however when you're in public place, seeing a pitbull loose, you can only pray that pitbull is not the worst one.

 

[oldears]

There has been lots of good advice given in this thread already, but I still want to add my 2 cents. I used to have a job which required me to work nights, leaving the wife home alone. After much research we decided on a Rottweiler and subsequently ended up owning 3 of them over a period of about 24 years. We never had a single problem, but I also never worried about my wife's safety when I was not home. All 3 dogs lived in the house and never left it without being on leash. We had no problems with kids, friends, relatives, neighbors, or visitors. In short, they all were GREAT dogs. I attribute this to the fact that we put in the time necessary to train the dogs and to properly care for them. Between myself and my wife that came to about 2 hours per day. When our last boy died (of cancer) we decided that we no longer wanted to put in the amount of time we felt was necessary to have the kind of dog we wanted. And, I had stopped working nights, so we didn't feel we needed a big dog any more.

When we got our first Rottie the breed was virtually unknown. There were no insurance or liability issues. Of course all of that has changed. If I was in the market for a large dog I probably wouldn't get a Rott--due strictly to liability issues. I WOULD research the idea thoroughly and check with my insurance company. I WOULD carefully research any of the breeds that I was interested in--looking especailly at the "personality" of the breed and at known genetic health issues such as Hip Dysplasia. I WOULD only buy from a reputable breeder with known expertise in the breed. Finally, I would ONLY buy a dog if I was willing to make the commitment in time and money necesasry to properly train and care for it. If you are willing to do ALL of the above, you will probably not have any problems regardless of which breed you finally choose.

If I was looking to buy today, I would probably avoid the breeds with reputations as guard or protection dogs--but still look for a dog which was large in size. There are plenty of them. Good luck in your search.

 

[Jasonharkin]

Hi Guys

Whooaa dogs in general seem to cost alot in the States. Here in Ireland German Shepards cost around £80.00 ($140) for a full pedigree dog. Rottwelliers, Dobermen cost between £100-200 ($180.00-$360.00). English bull terriers cost around a $1000.00. Hope you find the perfect dog. Personally I love German Shepards, my family had one for 13 years, we also had (Dobermen, Lakeland Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, English Bulls, Highland Terriers, Labradors and Wheaten Terriers, some of these dogs probably cost an arm and a leg in the USA). Oh by the way if you want a really really really big dog check out the Irish Wolf Hound (I think it is the biggest dog in the world, I once took my friends brothers for a walk, it took me for a walk instead and be prepared to clean up some enorumus amount of crap)

Regards Jason

 

[greenhorn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 hey guys, i am looking for a good family guard dog. i was thinking of the german shepherd. i have 2 small children. but the professional breeders were charging between 5000-20000 for a trained dog. anyone have any recommendations on a breed or know a reputable breeder for german shepherds? i have a large fenced back yard so exercise should not be an issue. i plan on keeping the dog mostly in the house as i want it to be a part of the family as well. thanks in advance and happy birthday jahn. hahaha

You might wish to read some stuff about the Airedale Terrier.

 

[KYTGuy]

OLDEARS has it right - any breed will serve the in-house duty, and with a lot of love and attention, will love and protect his/her family...

I have had two Labs, and they both were gentle around kids, friendly to all they meet, smart/easy to train, and healthy/tough in adverse situations.
My first Lab was a real lover, wagging tail and asking for attention from any who approached the family/house, but on two separate occasions, he went into another world when a salesman tried to prop the door open with his foot while wife was trying to close it...he went into a hair on end, snarling, biting at the shoe, digging at the shoe with his claws fully out, teeth and barking frenzy - totally unexpected by us until we saw it. It happened again much later in his life, and it was clear that if the door was opened just a little more, he would be on the salesman like a cheap suit, claws and teeth.

Now that our second Lab is getting old, and we are too, I think I would go with alarm dogs, not guard dogs - Litle Pugs or a long-hair Daschundt would do fine - they bark and alarm sooner than Labs, and stay away from most threats, just barking their fool heads off while hiding under furniture. They are lightning quick when personally threatened, and will fight to the death if pushed. Remember, small dogs are easier to transport with you, they eat less, they make smaller less-offensive turds, and they need less exercise area.

The cost of a small dog, and a good Mossburg Shotgun is much less than the trained, high-cost, high-liability dogs you are mentioning. With the alarm dog/shotgun method, you get to make the liability decisions, not a dog brain.

If you are stuck on a defense/guard dog, Rhodesian Ridgebacks are really tough, totally fearless (they fight lions in Africa) big, and strong. They are loyal to the family, and pretty good with kids, but are a little awkward inside the home.

 

[EricP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1911 thanks for the input. may i ask how you and your girlfriend got your dogs?

We started our search by going to our vet and asking her for reputable breeders. They will generally know the breeders in your area, since most of the time those breeders end up using the vet's services. If they don't know any breeders offhand, vets have a large social network of other doctors and can usually use them to find someone reputable.

Someone else stated another big difference between the mastiff and the great dane: how they carry themselves. Great danes are "gentle giants", they are like that kid on the playground who is so much bigger than all the other children but doesn't know their own strength. Since my girlfriend's great dane doesn't interact with children, I had forgotten about that. The dog would never in a million years do intentional harm to its family but you may occasionally find that it runs into people in its excitement to get attention because it doesn't know its own size. The mastiff on the other hand knows that it's a brute. It carries itself very delicately around small folk, well, delicately around anyone really short of the "man of the house", who they will get playful around at times.