If you was to recommend a ‘guard dog’ which breed would it be?

[Chezacheza]

I’m separating from my husband but he isn’t moving out till new year. Me and my two dc under ten will be moving quite rurally and I’m a bit worried about being in my own with the two kids at night.

The dog will be a house dog, we will have lots of space outside. I don’t want it to actually attack people just put people off thinking about breaking in.

Growing up abroad we had pit bulls but I know they are banned here. We never had any issues with them and found them really intelligent, loving funny dogs which I still feel really fondly about.

What dogs have you got that look like they would be a problem but are actually daft idiots

Thanks

We have a bull lurcher who scares the shit out of everyone when he barks to greet them.

He’s the softest dog ever, but he’s massive and very athletic looking.

@TheDogsMother 😆

Wholly agree with you.

It amazes me how ours guards even when asleep.

The hackles up are terrifyingly effective too (not really!)

We had a mongrel when I was younger, think he was half-pointer type dog/half unknown. Looked a bit like a big black fluffy Labrador. The softest, most loving dog I have ever met.

We got burgled one night, we were all woken up by his big, deep barking. We were stood at the top of the stairs and could see the front door wide open. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, our dog was greeting us with a waggy tail and a squeaky toy.

The burglars hadn't taken a thing so must have been scared off by his barking.

An English Mastiff. Perfect for what you want.

Don’t laugh - I have a large F1 labradoodle. Dad a huge male standard poodle and mum a labrador. Absolute softie with the kids. Great family pet: doesn’t bark a lot. Protective of me and let’s any visiting male know that. Scared off burglars at 2am when we lived in the city with a volley of wild barks. Great dogs

A friend has a German Shepard and a collie. She reckons the collie is the more useful as a house dog as hears/senses first and barks a warning.

@DarkHelmet how on earth do you get them to cudddle? Mine is essentially a cat. He comes to you when he wants and the most you get is a lean or a nuzzle. You get a full 3 mins of pure joy and excitement when you come home from even ten mins away.

This is him.

And here as a kitten! 😂😂😂

I have 4 massive dogs and none of them would protect me. In fact I worry more about them encouraging people to break in to steal them than my house or my family getting attacked

The leonbergers are the perfect family dogs. Easy in every single way and so loving towards everyone. The only bad point really is that they attract a lot of attention.

My german shepherd is also a great family pet but much more neurotic and high drive. She needs a lot more exersise and stimulation than the leonbergers and causes me the most trouble of all the dogs! I can’t trust her 100% with strangers or strange dogs and she can take dislikes to people quite easily despite extensive socialisation. She would never actually attack but I dont take her on family day’s out etc as she’s too stressy. She’s always been perfect towards family though!

If I had the choice again I would go leonberger every time.

@Chezacheza
We had a weird little person living in our house until April this year when he went to the great dog basket in the sky aged 15. I miss him terribly but he was a noisy little bugger.

@Els1e

A friend has a German Shepard and a collie. She reckons the collie is the more useful as a house dog as hears/senses first and barks a warning.

But collies are not generally good with smaller children. They can herd them and nip. They also need a LOT of stimulation and work otherwise they get bored. However will agree they are excellent guard dogs and will alert you to the smallest unusual sound at the neighbour's 200 yards away.

A springer spaniel might be a good choice, usually great with kids but do have a big dog type bark.

@AbyssusAbyssumInvocat your boy is stunning!! That's what my youngest pup will be like. My eldest akita (almost 3) thinks he's a lap dog, he'll try to climb directly onto your knee and it's like a bear laying across you. He's an absolute baby He's done that since he was 8 weeks and never grew out of it! We recently got a kitten and she thinks he's a big warm bed because he lets her curl up on his back to sleep 😂

My girl loves a cuddle before bed and she loves to bring random toys and objects and pop them on your knee. The weirdest so far was a rather large beetle, alive and perfectly intact, that she kindly gifted my mum when she was here for a visit 😂

My puppy wants to be carried around for cuddles, which is becoming a task at 3 months old as you'll know how big akita pups are! He also likes climbing into bed with my DD so it looks like he's chosen his 'person'.

As a single mum I like the idea of having something big and woofy around, sshhh just don't let on how soft they really are 😂

Sorry to hear about your divorce OP. Another Leonberger owner here and as an upside I’d swap one for a husband any day 😉. Deffo the best breed as described above. Main disadvantages of a Leo is definitely the attention they attract (I also worry about mine being stolen), medication is about 3 or 4 x normal dog dose at the vet so large bills, £££‘ to feed - they eat A LOT, they are also giant fucking Velcro’s so expect to bring back with you most of the wood/beach etc 🤣 I also spend more grooming my dog than I do on myself ( boy can they stink if you don’t keep on top of it) I also very much doubt they’d be good as a ‘guard’ dog (more lover not fighter) but they are imposing so off-putting to your average intruder... and they do prefer to be outside and cold - not so tricky in the summer, but in the winter you’ll find you are washing floors and paintwork every day. And the moulting. Like no other breed...! They are very single-minded and stubborn so recall when they want something else is an issue. And boy can they whinge until you just give in..!! they are also natural hunters so generally not great with Cats/foxes or anything else that appears in the garden. They are also surprisingly fast...Mine has managed to catch rabbits on our land (not sure who is more surprised the dog or the rabbit..) however, that said, they are the BEST dogs. Not aggressive, Not licky, not greedy (mine won’t steal any food) not needy (mine spends 75% of his day sleeping) happy with one good walk for an hour or so a day, easily toilet trained with the bladder control of a camel and if you keep them mentally occupied they are not destructive. They are very family oriented and as long as you are firm at the start, they understand where they fit into the pack of a household. You do need to be rigorous with training as they are physically massive (mine can weigh anywhere between 65-75kgs depending on season and coat) so a dog of that size out of control can be frightening to other dog owners/people and also Very difficult to control on a lead. Speak to a breeder before thinking about one to get great advice. I do wish you all the best for your new home and dog.

I would also suggest a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Very intelligent, a good size, very trainable, and ours has a bark that would put anyone off trying to break in. She's also brilliant with kids, my 9 month old dd decided to bash her with a watering can attachment the other day, and the dog just lay there and snored. Shes a fab family pet, and makes me feel that bit more secure. I also think they are beautiful dogs.

I have a doberman cross, and he is incredibly protective of me - he can't settle if we are in a park sat down as he has to be watching my back quite literally. He also has a very big bark. But he is a soppy, angst ridden oaf, and much as I like dobies I would never buy one as their health record is awful.

TBH though, if you will be newly separated, moving somewhere new with the kids, I wouldn't rush into getting a puppy. You'll need the time to settle the kids in, get your new life together, and putting in the time for a puppy, especially a guard type, probably isn't going to be the best idea.

If its very rural, get some geese. You can't bribe them or tell them to sit, they make a complete racket, and a gander coming for you is enough to make anyone run. My dads cousin had them guarding his rural business, and often he'd hear the geese start and then the swearing and running as thieves tried to get back over the fence

@QueenCT that’s such a great story. He’s so beautiful.
The German Shepherd I grew up with was the same. My parents still talk about when I was 3 and reached into his mouth to take out a ball lol.
We got a female from a rescue last week...she’s already so loyal to us.

Don’t get geese. My parents had them as guards (our Labrador was useless), and 1) they poo everywhere, and the poos are large, sloppy and generally disgusting, 2) foxes are partial to them, necessitating locking them up at night, and once in bed they no longer honk, 3) they are not friendly. It was my job to put them to bed and the above maybe slightly clouded by teenage resentment, but despite having always lived in the countryside, on farms, I have never felt the need to have geese.

When first married we had two GSD, and they were wonderful, friendly to all but seemed to have a 6th sense and would place themselves strategically between us and “danger”. If I was looking for a benign guard dog that is what I’d go for. My DD3 has a Pomeranian and he guards but is absolutely not benign, known locally as the “sabre-toothed powder puff“.

@DarkHelmet I'm shocked. Yours sound so different to mine. He tricked us on the viewing and was all snuggly. Never since 😂

@Yesbutisittouching I forgot about the wall washing. My friend once asked why I have to wash my walls daily when she does hers a few times a year...
Because I have an upside down leo covered in mud leaning on the wall for 23 hours a day

I’d be very wary of any dog breed with a reputation for being ‘guardy/possessive’ around loud kids that play fight truthfully.

Tbf, I’d be wary with dogs and loud playfighting fullstop as I think most dogs would be uncomfortable but I’d be especially wary with a guarding breed.

I would be impressed if a dog could accurately differentiate between genuine aggression and playfighting 100% of the time.
Especially if we are talking about friends so children not ‘known’ to the dog.

@wheresmymojo

Surely a burglar wouldn't be put off by a Lab though?

They're as soft as butter and while they bark they aren't territorial enough to pose any actual threat. Plus they can really sleep through a lot!

I'd be going for a GSD.

My old lab (God I miss you) was very territorial and one day DH sent his young apprentice into the utility for a tool whilst he was busy working on his van. Came back disgruntled to find him pinned against the wall by a softly but determined labrador

The most protective dogs I have come across are the shepherd breeds. They often have a herding instinct and don't like it when the family/pack split up
I would agree with this too
I've known three Belgian Shepherds and one Swiss Shepherd and all of them would run back and forwards between the family group when we were out. Small children stepping out of line or getting too far ahead were circled and stayed with and if they were got too far out of line, were gently nudged closer to the bigger people
I have a working lines collie, she doesn’t circle and nudge people, but then she has never been allowed to demonstrate any form of herding behaviour towards people.
But she does get very upset if out and we are split.
Taking a family walk together and having someone break off to get a drink or something from the shop she gets incredibly agitated and whines incessantly unable to relax.
Soon as they come back she’s fine!

That should say softly growling

@Bergerdog you know it 😉🤣🤣🤣

There is a Boerbel puppy not too far from us. At 4 months she was the size of a full grown labrador. She almost knocked me over when playing at that age. I am hopeful she will be trained and will be a big softie etc but every time I see her she puts herself between her owner and anybody else, which apparently is a breed trait. I do worry about how much experience her owners have because when she reaches 14 stone plus and anticipates threat even if not there, how much control could they have? She could do some terrible damage in the wrong hands. The owners got the breed for protection at home but in reality the crime rate is so low that they dont need that level of protection. But they do need to really ensure that she grows up to be safe and very well trained, that's a lot more commitment and liability than a good burglar alarm, cctv and a loud bark which doesnt come with a serious threat.
She worries me when I see her. The couple who have her said they thought they would get her before they had a baby. I feel that her possibility if not in experienced hands is more of a threat than possible breaks in.