[SheGUN]

I have a "deterrent" dog! She's an American Staffordshire Terrier that looks real mean, but is an absolute baby! She adores kids, and is a very loyal family member, but she scares the heck out of anyone that comes to my front door.

I tend to agree with JoeLee, that most dogs that are family pets will automatically defend their "territory" when faced with a situation. The question is: do you want a dog that will do the work for you, or one that will keep the bad guy at bay until you can get the cheesemaker?!?!?

[Spartan]

for starters, a dog like that costs between 10 grand and 35 grand. ive looked into it, there is a place in washington and a place in toronto and one other place i dont remember where, the breed german shepherds specifically for defense, its just pricey.

[robocop10mm]

I am partial to the Rottweiler. You have to find a GOOD one. Proper breeding. Look for happy, healthy, proper sized parents (no 120 pounders)that interact with children on a daily basis. The breed can go wrong (like any other breed). They are naturally protective of their "family" so no need to teach them to be mean. An 80 # female or 95 # male is a substantial deterrent to any bad guy. If raised the right way they will be the worlds largest lap dog and fight to the death for their family.

[Spartan]

yea ive had rots, five of them they are great animals, i loved them. smart as hell, very food driven, which has its pros and cons.

[FALPhil]

Originally Posted by RONSERESURPLUS

While I agree that some Large breeds are not good Guard dogs, I challenge anyone to come to my yard and test My Chow/Mutt, You can try and Act Nice, try to feed him, try to be his friend, you'll end up Hurt or hurting him!

I will take that challenge. I never met a dog I couldn't co-opt. PM me with the location and I will show you how its done. At the most, it will take me 8 days.

[pioneer461]

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters,
it's the size of the fight in the dog."

Mine is a 75 pound Shepherd / Chow / Wolf.

[RED]

I have a Rat Terrier mixed breed mutt that alerts me anytime anybody gets close but only after dark. I have a 1/4 mile driveway and just last week my little buddy woke us up at 3:00AM. I hit the floodlights and sure enough there was a pick up easing down the drive with no headlights. When the lights came on he slammed it into reverse and cut a chogie. By the time I could get my garage door open he was gone.

[Fatal-Limit]

I breed rotties and have had several Presa's, The Presa is a formidable dog and like any other purchase you get what you pay for.

Our Rotts are bred for size and for temperament, I disagree with those who claim a guard dog doesn't make a house pet and vs a versa. May I suggest this,
With any dog the key to making them a guard type dog is socialization, if you keep your pet behind your gate or in your house and limit his access to strangers he/she will naturally become more aggressive to strangers. I walk several our dogs on a daily basis, I do not allow at anytime a stranger to pet my dogs, even the pups. When a neighbor stops me on the street to chat I make my dog sit or lie behind me and ignore whomever I am engaged with. By limiting the animals exposure to outside people and animals they will naturally become more territorial. When I have visitors or non-family members come to my home the dogs are put away. I also suggest if you are considering a large breed dog you owe it to yourself and the dog to have some professional training in obedience. My 4 year old granddaughter can walk my 160lb rott with no problem, he has been trained to know his role a faithful friend, a protector of his family and his environment.

[SabreArms]

I personally grew up with Dobermans and have found that they make excellent family friends as well as guard dogs. In my house the dog is part of the family so I do not own one that is expected to do the work. I do own one to help out in a situation and thats all I expect from them. All the Dobermans that I have grown up with were extremely friendly with the family and kids and at the same time very protective of the family and kids.

I am not advocating a breed but I am just saying that it is my belief that if you treat a dog properly it will return the favor.

Currently I own an English Mastiff and a Chinese pug. Both are extremely protective of the house and their yard. On a few occasions the police have come to our house on an alarm call and noone had been able to get into the back yard. I constantly get greeted at the door when I come home late at night and neither dogs have had any formal training (not that you could do much good with the pug, stupid little creep )

And by the way I got both dogs at the pound.

[Bear_Down]

Perhaps I can shed some light on some myths and facts on guard dogs.
First off, Before some one presumes I am just popping off. I am a K-9 schutzhund trainer and decoy for prison and police dogs.

Dogs associate everything. More mail men paper carriers and meter readers get bit because the dog viewes them as an unwelcome guest, Because they come to the door but are never allowed to cross into the DEN.
The quickest way to make a dog aggressive towards others is to De socialize them.(confine).
Some breeds are bread for guard and that's all one has to do is to encourage it ,But becarfull what you wish these are weapons with a mind of there own.
The presa canero to those who do not know is known as the cane corso they were bred in Rome to fight Lions for sport in the coliseums. The breed itself is loyal to family and have a need to be with them. But strangers BEWARE.
My all time favorite guard dog is the caucasian mountain dog .
average 36" at the shoulders 200Lb's. No guard training needed .They know no fear and dislike every one and every thing except the pack.