what guard dog with MY CHILDREN?

[cannagrower]

Moresntoil, you have made a good choice.

I have owned and trained (as a hobby) a variety of dogs over a period of forty years. Terriers, poodles, lab, rott and shepherds. No dobe yet.

The very best advice I found regarding a family guard dog is to get a dog that is naturally family and guard oriented. The only dogs that fit that bill are german shepherd and doberman.

My precious Rosha (german shepherd) has been gone these many years, but she was THE BEST DOG EVER!

When I brought my first child home from the hospital, she immediately took up residence in the baby room. That was her job. If I didn't answer baby's cries fast enough for Rosha, she would come get me with a scolding look.

When baby no. 2 was born, I would take the stroller and go for a walk. My then two year old would walk Rosha (no training was ever needed with this beautiful dog) while I pushed the stroller. You could hear people in their yards as we walked by "Look at that little child walking that huge dog!"

More than one person got the scare of a lifetime if they ever reached out to shake my hand or to give me something. Quick as a flash rosha would have their outstretched hand in her jaws. NOT biting, just restraining (shepherd smarts at work). You do not touch her family without permission. Period, not negotiable.

I remember a time in the house when she wagged her tail and knocked over something on the coffee table. She looked around, startled, to see what happened. When she realized it was her tail, she lowered it. She never again knocked anything over with her tail. She knew she wasn't supposed to do that and never did it again.

I could go on and on about how wonderful the german shepherd breed is.

Edited to add:

I have heard some GREAT stories about dobies, too. They are "velcro" dogs. One story I read on a forum a couple years ago was from a lady who was having trouble keeping her two dobes inside her fenced (6 ft stockade fence) yard. The dobes were so smart, they were undoing the latch and getting out.

So she moved the latch to the outside of the fence. Guess what?

They teamed up. One dog stood a little back from the fence. The other dog took a running jump off the back of the other dog and then undid the latch from the outside so they could escape and have their great adventure.

Great choice for family protection, congratulations.

 

[Guest3498]

Lotta breeders selling dogs for protection purposes based on how big they are or by breed reputation alone with no work being put into their lines whatsoever. I'm assuming this is the reason you suggested German lines instead of US, and more than likely the exact problem the op will run into with a dobie. As I've heard that the breed is little more than a show dog now.

Yeah, american show lines have messed up the hips of german shepherds pretty badly. The look they go for is an extreme slope downwards towards the rear. Makes hip dysplasia common. Working lines (german, czech, etc) are old school working dogs, hip problems are much less common with them although you still need to watch out. Like paladin said make sure you know where your dog is coming from and if the parents have good hips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIaM3hYFszc&feature=player_embedded

 

[Yah`mon]

I'm with the great dane voter!

They are the most loving loyal dogs in the world. Even more so then any lab I have owned.

They can and will protect a family member if need be. I thought my girl wouldn't do much, but a dog lunged at me before while walking her, and she turned into a different dog then I had known!

Not to mention if she's left outside to lay and roam freely. ( we live on property) Not 1 single person who pulled up, be it UPS/Fed EX/ Random person / Meter man, has ever gotten out of there vehicle ( they even roll windows up) until I come out and assure them they are safe.

So if you want the biggest lap dog in the world, great dane all the way. Nothing more intimidating then 120-200lbs of huge dog to sway someone.

Also just there bark from inside the house sounds super loud/intimidating. Any would be robber would be thinking... next house.

They are great around kids, they will let your own kids pull on their ears, ride them like a horse, all the good stuff kids want to do with dogs, as long as they know your kids.

Dogs sense things unlike humans, they will behave based upon your emotions.
When they feel the love you have towards your children, it will only make them that much more protective over your children.

I don't know of any dog raised in the right home, that will attack a stranger, just because he is a stranger unless trained to. Unless you or someone else in the pack has a very uneasy feeling.
Yah`mon

 

[kaneboy]

golden retreivers are very faithful had 2 and newfoundland dogs would surprize how much they will protect kids ,faithful,huge bears and wont leave your side

 

[Tuggo]

Wow Vado that vid bout turned my stomach. To think that there are god knows how many of these people getting paid and respected as proffessionals. A head judge for an org. as large as cruft's has the audacity to open his mouth and say that shepherds that can't even fucking walk let alone run is better for the breed. Fucking insane!! I knew it was bad but dayuum.

 

[Phillthy]

to be honest, what you need is a good watch dog. not a guard dog. you need a dog to alert you if there is trouble and scare off the trouble. not so much a dog that engages someone. there are way too many liabilities with a dog like that especially around children. yes i have experience and yes i have rained guard dogs.

pit bull/amstaffs/staffy bulls make horrible guard dogs. it is not in their nature nr is it what they were bred to do. thy do however make great guard dogs and i trust them around my children any day. there isnt a pit bull that you couldnt steal though. they just love people. 20+ years experience with the breed.

your mals, dutch shepherds are man stoppers. dont really need that intensity around kids. accidents do happen and none of us want to see it happen to a child. show line german shepherds are useless as guard dogs but can be great docile watch dogs.

no matter what dog you select please remember that no matter the breed, never leave a dog unattended with a child.

 

[Tonatiuh]

philth i hear ya but brother...i gotta say,id pay you if u could get my pitt to go with you.cant steal her,shed eat yo ass up on GP.shes trained to never eat from a stranger,and she dont trust noone but me and mine.she wasnt raised to be friendly or to be greeting people at my door.u come in,shes gonna check you out,thn leave you alone.after tht its up to you to keep it real still,and dont be raisin ur voice too much.shes quick to post up and check a mf tht gets too loud or rowdy around me....daddies little girl.....like i said,u have to train them to be what u want them to be...me i want somethin thats gonna take a mf out if i need to...atleast buy me tht extra second it takes to reach over and grab the glok...me and my bitch will protect this house till the death.
peace-T-

 

[Lone Wolf]

I have had labs my whole life. I had a fox red lab that was bad ass and could sniff out a shady character from 20 feet away... he knew who was good people and who was bad people.... even when questionable people would come around, he would make it well aware to everyone that the person was questionable.....

aside from being a great judge of character...

this lab was GREATEST of friends with my one and only young nephew. He was freakishly attatched to my nephew from the age of 2 on up until my nephew was 12 or so and the lab became too sick to live. Anyways this lab would literally be at my nephews side from the moment he came to the house until the moment he left (everyday my nephew was with our dog because nephew lived with us). The lab would NEVER leave his side. Playing in the yard as a kid, my nephew would run the yard with all of the other kids, and guess who was right at his side literally up his ass ?? u guessed it! the lab! this lab was insane... even when my nephew would play wiffle ball, the dog would NOT leave his side and my nephew would swing the bat and accidentally hit the dog with it and it did not phase the dog and it still stood at his side... i personally witnessed it happen a few times, but i can only imagine that the number of times he was hit accidentally was much higher SIMPLY BEACUSE THE DOG WOULD NOT LEAVE HIS SIDE.... if we attempted to move the dog from my nephew, the dog would have horrible panic attacks.... these two were inseperable.... my nephew didnt even realize the dog was next to him because he was ALWAYS next to him....

the dog even knew when my nephew would be arriving home from school... around 3pm on the dot he would be sitting in the front bay window waiting for the bus, and as soon as nephew hopped out, lab was going CRAZY.... the lab would sit outsde the bathroom door waiting for nephew, he would sit at his side during dinner, and he would NOT give it up.....

other kids would come over, and the lab didnt care about any other kid other then my nephew, and just stood at his side... one time the kids got into an arguement while playing a game and with my own two eyes and ears i withness this lab stand at my nephews side and bark and snarl at the kid who was in disagreement with my nephew....

we wrote letters to cesar milan (dog whisperer) because we thought it was such an amazing case.

even when the lab was on his last days of life, he lost control of his back legs and he would try so hard to stay around my nephew. it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. This lab was loyal to the kid.....

since that fox red lab passed, I picked up another one and he is quite the badass himself... loves kids... loves puppies... labs are good dogs, and they are loyal,protective dogs that wont scare your friends and family away when they come over to visit.

having to lock a dog up when visitors come over is no way to live. If you properly train a dog, they will know how to interact with friends and family that they sense you have good feelings about. If a stranger comes into my house that I personally do not have good feelings about, my dog picks up on my energy and makes it known to that person that they better watch the fuck out and not slip up or they will get hurt...

any dog can be a guard dog.

it just boils down to YOU, and how much time you want to put into training it. Get some books. Read about some training methods. Dont just make shit up in your head. There are tried and tested methods out there that are readily available to you especially in this day of the internet.

I would personally go with a lab.

as a grower, a german shephard just arouses too much suspicion. Same with rots, pitts, dobermins....i was actually reading around on the internet somewhere and there was a police manual given out to officers and one of the bulleted statements about "Tell tale signs of marijuana growers" was something along the lines of " -grower will use german shepard as a way to guard their crop" or something along those lines.... i know someone else had to of seen that because the link to the listing was from this website thats how i found out about it....

a lab is low key......

i like to stay low key...



if you really want to fuck some people up and have ur kid protected, go get a WOLF.... wolves have raised babies before....... havent they?

 

[moresntoil]

thanks for the advice brother

thanks for the advice brother

to be honest, what you need is a good watch dog. not a guard dog. you need a dog to alert you if there is trouble and scare off the trouble. not so much a dog that engages someone. there are way too many liabilities with a dog like that especially around children. yes i have experience and yes i have rained guard dogs.

pit bull/amstaffs/staffy bulls make horrible guard dogs. it is not in their nature nr is it what they were bred to do. thy do however make great guard dogs and i trust them around my children any day. there isnt a pit bull that you couldnt steal though. they just love people. 20+ years experience with the breed.

your mals, dutch shepherds are man stoppers. dont really need that intensity around kids. accidents do happen and none of us want to see it happen to a child. show line german shepherds are useless as guard dogs but can be great docile watch dogs.

no matter what dog you select please remember that no matter the breed, never leave a dog unattended with a child.

Thank you for reminding me to never leave the kids alone with the dog, I will be stressing that to the wife too. Great point!

I do have a great watch dog, hes a yorkypoodle. let me tell ya he sits in the window all day long and NOTHING gets past him. We can really tell by what bark he is using if its someone near the house or just an animal. Problem is when we tell him "its ok" the little fucker will keep barking as long as the person is in site. Hes been watching the mailman for 2yrs now and still freaks out every day.

 

[Bobby Stainless]

Winner!

 

[walt cunningham]

boxers are amazing with the family, especially children. mine is very protective of our property and can be scary, but a total goofball clown under normal circumstances.

 

[Frostynugz]

I know it's not what you want to hear but there is no better dog with children than a Bull Terrier aka Pitbull..........

I couldn't agree more as I have 2 of my own, and the family friends children will sometimes play hotwheels on them and the dogs could care less.. However a Bull Terrier and an American Pitbull Terrier are 2 different breeds I looked around for a Bull Terrier for my 2nd dog but could not find a reputable breeder. Also, the "cheaper" ones are like 2k. I think they're cute as hell with their football heads lol. Maybe one of those whippets with the mysostatin gene mutation? Now we're talking pound for pound muscle lol

Nugz

 

[IE2KS_KUSH]

Re: what guard dog with MY CHILDREN?

I vote a brother and sister pair of Doberman. My son was 4 when we got them. I also had a pair to grow up with....love them.

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

Akita

mgk

 

[deacon69]

If your looking for the best in personal protection get a swinford bandogge,they are a bred line of male pitbull of good quality (huge head ect.)crossed to a tight jowl working female neopolitan mastiff. The result is a larger,smarter pitbull with even more menacing look! Who wouldnt shit themselves if they saw this staring u down? Not my pic btw this is diablo from a good breeder hes an F3.

Ive wanted one for years...Its that or presa canario of good quality.

Deac

 

[RidgeRebel]

I'd consider a pack of 3-4 german shephards. That really would be your best bet for guarding. If you'd like a "family" dog that would fsu, I'd consider looking into Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) breeds.
These dogs bond, and well, with whatever you want them to. you get them "young" and have them spend time with what you want them to guard and they do. to the death. whether it be cattle, goat, sheep, chickens (yes they will protect and never kill your chickens, even. i challenge anyone else's dog to do that without taking a bite of, or even just playing to rough with them), your kids, your plants, you... all of the above. against everything, any intruding animals or unwelcome people. all the while never appearing threatening or intimidating, with mellow dispositions.
I personally like Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherds, Akbash and Maremma. But I own a pitbull and she's cool and all, she's warned me of a bear that crept up behind me while mixing up some fish ferts, and chases the deer. but as far as people go... They're all great, and the more the merrier.... fuckin' bitch..

 

[Strainhunter]

This is Buddy.

Not for sale though.

 

[TwistedTommy]

You wouldn't be disappointed with a dobey. i'd recommend a female and that you lock her away when company is around. This way, when someone is on your property and you're not, it triggers a defensive impulse response. Pits are great dogs and generally ward off "would be" robbers just at sight. However, they have a rather modest temperment towards people and, from experience, they'll let someone you know walk in and take your shit. More often than not, its someone you know that pulls a B&E.

 

[Strainhunter]

......

Pits are great dogs and generally ward off "would be" robbers just at sight. However, they have a rather modest temperment towards people and, from experience, they'll let someone you know walk in and take your shit. More often than not, its someone you know that pulls a B&E.

See the pic a couple posts above?

Mine is a pit.

I guess he's one of those with a rather "not so modest" temperament.

 

[imnotkrazy]

I know it's not what you want to hear but there is no better dog with children than a Bull Terrier aka Pitbull they are absolutely excellent and very safe around children provided they are raised with the family and not some previously mistreated rescue dog from the street that has been abused. There really are not many better options although a Golden Retriever or Lab are two other good choices. A Pitbull is not as much of a guard dog as it is a personal protection dog. They can be very aggressive if they are defending their family or "pack" but they may very well watch a robber walk out with your TV while they stand there and wag their tail if you are not home because they don't know better and they are such loving dogs. Now if the person shows fear or aggression towards the Pit then it may react violently but it's really a 50/50 guard dog wise. A darker colored one is best to get as people perceive them to be far more dangerous just from the color.

People who have not grown up with Pits and have not owned them are generally scared shitless of them though and that alone is usually enough to scare off would be robbers. Tell you what though if someone came into your house and tried to hurt you or your family and the Pit caught them doing it they are fucked because it will fight to the death to protect you. They do not feel pain and they do not give up, they will full on attack a grizzly bear head on and not give two shits about the danger if they are protecting you and they love to protect their own. They treat kids like their own but they could lick them to death though possibly so be careful of that!

My childhood pit broke the back door down a few times to keep my mom from spanking us kids - would grab her wrist the way a retreiver softmouths a bird.

He was useless as a guard unless family was home though.