Watch/Guard Dogs

[zombienerd]

My parents have a Plott Hound. Bred for bear hunting, they are a very pretty dog, and can be fierce if pushed.

The upside, and downside is that they bark and howl at anything that moves. It can be a blessing or a curse.

Nobody gets within 30ft of the entrance to the long driveway without this dog going nuts.

With kids, she's a little puppy, and her tongue is a lethal weapon

 

[CDH]

Well, here's mine. The most vicious bunch of BG manglers a person could have.

Can you tell?
Post #13 at: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=419019

The Pit Bull especially can lick a person to death in no time. The Black Lab will sit on and smother a person, and the Doberman will stare you down and win every time.

 

[KarenTOC]

I have a 5-lb Maltese that hears every little sound, and lets me know it. At the same time, she's not a yappie-dog. Only barks for good reason. Very cheap to feed and easy to scoop after. And darn cute, too!

 

[XavierBreath]

She is known to me as Ilsa. She was known to those trying to enter my wife's car as el Diablo.

She's a great deterrent and a good watch dog, but the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is her alarm.

A Corgi is like a GSD with short legs. The heart and temperment of a big dog in a small dog package.

 

[manfromyard]

Rat Terrier types just seem to have a sixth-sense about "going off" only when appropriate. They make great perimeter-alarms.

I agree. I have 2 small terriers that the missus rescued. One yorkie terrier, and one pekinese/terrier mix. They are loyal, cheap to feed, and they hear anyone even coming up the neighbour's steps. Terriers were bred to hunt vermin. Any breed that was made to hunt rats and squirrels should have no problem detecting humans. Why spend money on some fancy breed when there are so many loyal dogs needing a good home who will defend you whole heartedly?

 

[rmmoore]

I realize this will sound cliche' to some degree, but i absolutely love my Rottweiler. Rotts can be awesome family dogs, if you spend time and socialize them. Our current female is our (my) 4th, and I don't have any desire to 'learn' another breed. She is playful, VERY protective of our kids, will let you know right quick when someone comes around, when ANYONE comes around, even if she knows them. And, the presence and sight of a strong dog has it's own deterrent value as well. One note, they ARE stubborn until you establish dominance, but a properly "trained" and socialized Rottie just can't be beat for an all around companion, watch dog, and protector.

 

[Oro]

Nothing beats a mini-mini-mini Doberman

Rat Terrier types just seem to have a sixth-sense about "going off" only when appropriate.

+2. And by my title I mean that a mini-mini-mini Doberman is a Dachshund (or it's cousin the Jack Russell and other Terriers). I have had Doberman's, and they are fantastic guard/watch and also family dogs. Loyal, friendly, loving - outstanding. Years later I was kinda forced into a Dachshund, and shortly afterwards was out looking for another one to keep that one company during the workday. Amazing animals. Well-bred ones are just like Doberman's in so many respects, just a portable variant. Intelligence is off the scale compared to almost any other breed.

The "watch" factor on these guys is off the scale. And, like mentioned, "appropriate." Quiet, loving and cute when home with the family, and then off the scale when a stranger shows up. And not just any intruder, they quiet down as soon as they recognize a friend, but they give hell to any stranger until you call them off. No stranger, even with a key and permission, has been able to enter my home with these guys around.

And they live forever (in dog years)... This guy is 15 and still pulling guard duty like a pro. Here he is pulling watch at a campsite on an Elk preserve in Central WA state last summer. His 14 year-old brother was off pulling perimeter duty, which they traded. Amazing watch dogs.

1) Protecting the edge of the Palouse, even at 15 years old...

 

[Girodin]

a properly "trained" and socialized Rottie just can't be beat for an all around companion, watch dog, and protector.

I love mine to death and inclined to agree. Mine is smart, well behaved, a sweetheart with children, and playful as can be, but has caused more than one shady and/or aggressive character to stop dead in their tracks. I can tell you from first hand experience that a the visual detterent of a rottie is very powerful. My friends Doberman has exhibited similar abilities a time or two as well.

In terms of small barky dogs they are the ticket for knowing that someone is around. I am not a fan of them if people are always going to be around. My dog rarely barks but when she does it is deep loud and I know something is up.

 

[chinpokojed]

It's great to see other dobe owners on here! This will be the third time posting these pics here in about 12 hours, but it's just gotta be done

While a small dog can be a good warning system, I prefer a dog that could legitimately eat a BG

Senna our red Doberman

Mojya our Doberman / Lab mix

Both are incredibly protective, especially when I'm out of the house and SWMBO is alone.

 

[regal]

Is it possible to keep a male dobe with other male dogs? Or do they fight too much?

 

[chinpokojed]

I've been told that male dobes will inevitably fight with other male dobes, but I honestly think it's very dog dependent.

Keep in mind some dobe breeders / rescues will not adopt out a male to you if (they know) you have another male dog in the house.

 

[bratch]

Both are incredibly protective, especially when I'm out of the house and SWMBO is alone.

My Malinois is like this. He behaves one way when I'm home and has a whole new level of aggression when I'm not home and the wife is alone.

 

[TheBigBulgarian]

Is it possible to keep a male dobe with other male dogs? Or do they fight too much?

That would depend on the situations I guess. Are you going to raise a few male dogs together or introduce a new male dog to the pack?
Is the new dog a puppy or an adult?

 

[jbauch357]

We've had all sizes/mixes of dogs, and by far the dachshund is the best watch dog. Ours will typically sit and watch the property out a large front bay window, alert if somebody even slows down in front of the house - and if they come up to the house she'll run out to them and run circles around their feet yapping her head off. So not only does she alert immediately, she lets you know where the person is at all times. The other breeds would make lots of noise when people came to the house, and then either go back to their dog houses or go rollover for the person to get a belly scratch.

 

[expvideo]

Based on what you have described, I would recommend an Australian Shepherd. They are medium size dogs, but their bark sounds bigger. They are very social, and silly but also very smart, so they will get along well with all of your guests and be very charming, but they know when they are supposed to be serious. They are not attack dogs. To me personally, a dog alerts me of a problem and I deal with the problem. I don't expect the dog to deal with the problem because that's not its job.

Anyway, I think that Australian Shepherds are about the best dogs out there, especially if you want to have a dog that enjoys hiking, playing and socializing. They are very good family dogs, and wonderful pets.

We've had all sizes/mixes of dogs, and by far the dachshund is the best watch dog. Ours will typically sit and watch the property out a large front bay window, alert if somebody even slows down in front of the house - and if they come up to the house she'll run out to them and run circles around their feet yapping her head off. So not only does she alert immediately, she lets you know where the person is at all times. The other breeds would make lots of noise when people came to the house, and then either go back to their dog houses or go rollover for the person to get a belly scratch.

Dachshunds are about the best alarm system there is. They are yappy and stubborn, but they sure are alert!

 

[Noxx]

Y'all seen my dogs plenty of times by now, so I'll skip the pics. I think any Pitty mix can be an excellent watchdog.

A pure pitbull, well, as CDH stated, he might make some noise but he's more likely to lick anyone to death than anything else. The caveat to that is that he'll defend *you* like a tiger, but your property? Eh, not so much.

Then with a mix it depends on what you're mixed with. Our little one (55lbs) is a Pitn / Boxer, and we love her but she's dumber than a bag of hammers, eats bees recreationally, and is prone to barking at nothing at all.

Now Big Dog (90lbs) is a Pit / Rott Mix and lemme tell you, if you ever find one of these guys at a shelter or a rescue, take him home on the spot and love 'em forever. I've owned many, many dogs and I'll say, if I could clone Jim I'd make a million dollars in nothing flat.

He's got the family dog friendliness of the pit breed, with the perfect amount of the Rotties aloof intellect. He's alert to what's right and whats not, mellow around kids, and smart.... too smart sometimes. Plus he's got that pit bull heart, once it's in his head to do something, he's gonna do it or die trying.

I love that dog like family, he'll be twelve this summer, dunno what we're gonna do without him, I try not to think about it too much.

A note, both of these breeds are *very* protective of the women of the house, so probably not a good call for a single lady if you have "friends" over from time to time, they're likely to decide you need to be saved from your boyfriend and become aggressive.

 

[Noxx]

Ok I lied, turns out I am unable to resist a chance to post my mutts.

 

[Opsboss]

And, as an added benefit, they hunt.

Best, Ops

 

[regal]

That would depend on the situations I guess. Are you going to raise a few male dogs together or introduce a new male dog to the pack?

I have three Dachshund-x-Terriers. Two males and one female. I really want to add a male Doberman to the pack but afraid he wouldn't stand the heiarchy.

 

[Noxx]

I have three Dachshund-x-Terriers. Two males and one female. I really want to add a male Doberman to the pack but afraid he wouldn't stand the heiarchy.

If you get him as a puppy and he's raised in that pack, he'll be fine. An adult male would almost certainly not fit in.

 

[chinpokojed]

I wouldn't say that an adult definitely won't work, but it'll sure be a bit harder. We had our little dobe / lab mix since he was 2 months old, and when he was about a year and a half we adopted his big sister Senna (she's got ~15 lbs on him), and she was already two years old. She is completely submissive to him and get along just like a brother and sister should.

Bring the Dachshund-x-Terriers to meet the potential dobe and see how it goes. If they get along okay in the beginning that's a great first step.

When you get them home however, you really need to emphasize the pack order and ensure the dober knows that he is submissive to everyone in your pack. He must eat last, come in the door last, and not be allowed any special treatment you wouldn't give the little guys. If he gets too rough or bossy you need to put him on his back and let the other dogs stand over him so he knows the score.

Dobermans assume alpha roles very easily, and are very stubborn, let them think they can lead the pack, and they'll be running your house!

edit: Almost forgot to mention Senna's best doggie friend is a long haired Dachshunds that's 14 years old!

 

[schadenfreude]

Yeah jibjab a Saint Bernard is the worst watch dog there is. Mine is a 4 year old female 160lbs and if someone broke in she would probably show them where are the valuables are. lol......

I think she was 2 before I ever heard her bark! Of course when she did I nearly **** my pants. Scary friggen bark.

 

[joneb]

Yeah jibjab a Saint Bernard is the worst watch dog there is.

He's actually a English Springer, for a watch dog I'd put him pretty far down the list. Now if a covey of quail were to break in...............

 

[schadenfreude]

He's actually a English Springer, for a watch dog I'd put him pretty far down the list. Now if a covey of quail were to break in...............

No kidding? Looks just like my St. when she was 4 months old. Beautiful dog you have though.

 

[ShunZu]

Rescue from the pound. Fully grown, 1 year old and of all the dogs I've owned throughout my life (including a fully trained doberman, 3 german shepherds, several beagles and two dachsunds) this little dog wins the smart & good alert dog category. Mix of german shepherd and corgi welsh. Her 24 pounds doesn't take up much room in the bass boat either.