Best breed for protection

[TrevTro]

Wanted a dog for years, now the time is right. I've had greyhounds, collies and lurchers.

I run and walk at least 2-3 hours a day, in a rural area. I was spooked the other day by a man when I was on my own running, and I would like a breed that would be protective, or at least just look intimidating, that would enjoy the amount I do outside.

So ideally active, affectionate, loyal. They would be very much loved and I have lots of time for training.

I'm not necessarily wanting a puppy, I be much happier getting a rescue dog but wondered if anyone had any breeds they would recommend?

Rottweilers are beautiful but I'd never have one because they can have so many health problems and sadly often have a short lifespan. I've known two beautiful bitches with bone cancer. One had a leg amputated but they couldn't save her.

You despair of him? 😢 he's beautiful.

A friend has a pair of Boerboels, they don’t look like running dogs though they are certainly protective.

It's true though that most dogs will bark rather than attack. I used to spar with a copper when I was kickboxing and he said a fair number of GSDs fail the training due to reluctance to bite.

Similarly, GSDs so often have back or hip problems. Nine years just isn't long enough.

Doberman, but I may be biased!

This is mine.

My lab will bark on demand and pretty sure she'd jump all over someone trying to attack me.

Damn photo won't attach 😞

We had German Shepherds as kids (mum worked with the police). Only house in the row not burgled!
Next a Doberman. Best dog ever. A great assistance dog to my elderly mum.
I choose a Jack Russell as my family dog. He loved me, could run for miles with the horses but would have anyone's hand off. Handle with care, the breed is for killing vermin.
I always have a dog not a bitch as the seem to protect women.
We have a cockerapoo now, couldn't knock the skin off a milk pudding!

Staffordshire bull terrier

Looks the park but actually a big pansy.

I have one I canicross with we just back from a lovely 8 mile trail run. Stafford's will go for miles and are very easy to train

Strong, healthy dogs with a long life expectancy. They are bullet proof.

Can be prone to dog aggression though , so something to keep in mind. Also I wouldn't advise one as a first dog. You need experience to own bull breeds.

So many of them looking for homes so you won't have a issue finding one. Although many are are actually STB crosses.

If you are doing that much running/walking you will roger the joints on most dogs in no time.

I would only touch a German shepherd if you can get a proper old school working bred one. Locally the police have stopped using them because they can’t get ones suitably bred anymore. All the ones I know have had the show conformations cause trouble, though if leaving them chained outside as a guard dog it’s less of a problem.

A working mallanois is probably what you want but you may struggle to find someone to give you one. A puppy will be 18-24 months before it’s skeletally mature enough to do that much exercise and without any experience you will struggle to get a rehoming one.

This is so true they are scared of their own shadows

Fortunately not everyone knows that

I'm not aware of any people who do the protection training themselves. You pay somebody like you'd pay a roofer to do your house

Which is rarely, if ever, a good idea if the dog is going to a pet home.

Firstly because you need to train yourself along with your dog, and secondly because very few pet owners can continue that level of training at home, which means the dogs go rogue.

Usually, you pay a professional and attend the training sessions. Obv a bit of a time commitment but nothing like an amateur trying to do all the training from scratch (which can be a disaster waiting to happen if you train a dog to attack without being properly attuned to the dog's reactions and body language).

Dutch Shepherd! Great runners (can go for ages), naturally protective, good temperament. Not as big as GSDs but they look threatening enough. Although ours is definitely on the larger side and we get asked if he has GSD in him but as far as we know he doesn't.

We had a Malinois too but they are much harder work, always 'on' and ready to go. Can be trained to do amazing things, amazing stamina though, they really are special but not for everyone.

GSD beautiful dogs, easy to train, loyal, protective and definitely look the part. Mine girl is old now, soft as anything but people still cross the road when we are out waking.
Or a Belgian Mallinois but think they require an experienced owner. I'd love one!

@PeanutButterSmoothie I don't think anyone except professional trainers should own dogs they've "trained to attack" tbh.

The vast majority of dogs will guard their owners and protect them if they're in danger - you don't need to buy a specific breed for that.

Recommending these guarding breeds is all well and good but OP has no experience of them and it could so easily go wrong. As unpalatable as it is to many people, there's a reason these dogs end up in the news for attacking people rather than golden retrievers or spaniels.

They are not novice dogs. As well as a good amount of exercise they need careful socialising, constant training and a good amount of daily mental stimulation to be balanced and content.

Not many "pet owners" have the time or skills to dedicate to that.

We have a doberman, I feel do safe walking her anytime of the day or night and pretty much anywhere. However, she is a complete love bug, she may look intimidating and scary but she would, most likely, do sweet fuck all if anything happened. She slept through a break in last year while we were all home asleep!

You can get doberman dogs (and others) that have had specific training in personal protection, although I'm sure it costs a pretty penny!

Thank you @elm26 🙂 I absolutely love him, and he is such a character, but never again. Every single thing is a drama with him 😐

Have you considered one of the larger terriers? When triggered an Airedale or Irish terrier would definitely fit the scary-looking part. And wouldn't hesitate to protect you in a dicey situation. Like any other working dog, they do, however, require a lot of serious training

I have a bull lurcher, large and pretty muscley and he's brindle too which seems to scare people. I have no doubt that if I called him or he saw a commotion he'd sprint so fast you'd be terrified even if he's not aggressive.

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts I really disagree that most breeds will defend their owners. There's a good reason we have different breeds of dogs bred for hundreds of years to have different characteristics. If you want a dog that will truly stand it's ground than any of the soft mouth gun dogs/retrievers aren't a good choice. When I used to travel alone a lot for business I brought my Ridgeback. He slept the day away in the hotel. I walked him before work, came back at lunch and then we went for a run in the evening. He was so lovely I truly didn't think he would properly defend me but one night just as the sun was going down I ran into two drunk men who immediately came toward me when they saw me running and my heart just sank. My Ridgeback jumped out of the corn field and bared his teeth with his hackles up and it gave me a chance to leg it. After that he was a different dog. It was as if he grew up and he was far more aloof with men. A soft lab would have run up to them for cuddles. The breed really does matter.

I wouldn't get a GSD because it's so hard to get a good one with a stable temperament. They have major hip issues as well.

A Rottweiler is a great choice but not if you run lots. A Doberman would be better but I don't like their temperaments as much and they tend to be more nervy. A malinois really isn't a pet. They're a lifestyle.

@piggijg of course breed matters - but that doesn't change the fact that most people don't have the set up for genuine protection dogs and tbh, most wouldn't know how to train one safely anyway.

A protection dog in the wrong hands can be incredibly dangerous - unfortunately that's why they often end up in the news for attacking other dogs/people and why so many end up in rescue.

As a dog walker I walk a huge number of breeds and the ones who protect me are not the breeds you'd necessarily expect - the "best" ones being a border collie and beagle, and the softest being a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd mix.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, don't get a dog based on the fact that you want it to protect you on a walk. If you don't train and socialise it properly you could end up with a reactive, large breed dog that doesn't allow guests into your house. Of course that's an extreme but it happens - there have been numerous threads on here recently from owners in exactly that situation.

Get a dog that fits in with your lifestyle - the likelihood of them ever needing to protect you from genuine danger is small - so what you actually need is a dog you can train and handle safely no matter what.

I mean breed matters if you’re wanting an actual trained protection dog, but, that’s a lot of work and commitment if a dog is mostly going to be a pet.

I’ll happily give someone an untrained dog of undetermined breed that’d protect you, not just from people, but from everything, he’s currently barking because a car drove past too closely when I took him in the garden for a pee 😐 we also can’t have visitors without managing him so he doesn’t protect me from them too - it’s not much fun though, and I’m slightly insulted that he resource guards me like I’m a blooming biscuit....

My Rottweiler on the other hand, did chuff all when we got burgled.

So breed alone for a pet that’ll protect you is not hugely relevant and getting a dog that would do that is not exactly a fun time.

You either want something that just not little and fluffy and even better you can train to bark on command if needed, that’s really all it’d take to scare off someone you were unsure about and still leaves you loads of choice of breeds.

We had a lab bitch that was very protective when required. I’d probably go for a Jack Russell they nip round the back grab an ankle and don’t let go.