What is the most effective guard dog?

[Sgt Stevo]

max is my three girls dog. He was at the park on a down stay with us for an hour tonight.

Kids crawled all over him. there are the owners kids at the kennel all the time. Unless you are a professional trainer. You have no idea what you are talking about. we have never had a mishap. Fear should not be motivator. I guess if it was, the liability of owning guns would overwelm us all. A well trained protection dog can save your life. And has saved the lives of two of our clients and one cop.

People who are not able to handle to dog, gun, car, should not have one. But I have not met the person who is motivated, that can not handle well trained dog.

Anything else is fear based, biased, and without merit. I always get this, "" would not own that is protection because of kids." Nope, our dogs only bite on cammand, your lab is more likely to bite your kid. But, we dont sell to just anybody either. If someone does not seem right, no sale. No matter what the money.

And unless people are exposed to the type of training that we do, and Baden K-9, etc do. They think the dogs are like area gaurds. Our dogs are as safe as a dog can be. we had an akita up here a few days. we train a lot of problem dogs.

As far as the best. german shep, from working lines, Malinois if you want to step it up a knotch or two, Dutch sheps.

 

[Kestrel]

Valkman,

Akitas are larger than GSDs and more of a handful. They have a very different temperment and require really learning how to control the dog. They are dog aggressive and can kill other dogs quickly. They are very powerful dogs.

As P35 said, they can often run ~120-130 pounds. The good thing about them, is they don't have as strong a "dog" smell as some other breeds.

In addition to a Malinois, you might also look at Dobermans.

P35 - nice looking dog!

 

[Sgt Stevo]

I use tag body spray on my Malinois. My wifes idea. Solves the problem. so does washing them.

 

[cmidkiff]

Here's my pack of 'guard dogs'...

They'll bark like crazy if a stranger is anywhere near my house... and lick them to death if they come in the door.

 

[p35]

Kestrel-

Thanks. He was a great dog. Both my vet (who said he was the only Akita he trusted unmuzzled) and some breeders wanted to breed him. Too bad I got him neutered young. Still miss the big guy. One more picture- my wife, who doesn't like having her picture out on the Internet, is about 5'3" for reference:

 

[Jeff]

p35,

Awesome dog. Too bad he is no longer with you.

p.s.-- I love that quote from Webster. That's a gem.

 

[loandr.]

The Character of a BoerBoel.........

"The Boerboel is the only breed in the world specifically bred to guard and protect without being aggressive. They are loving, calm, obedient and intelligent, with strong guard-dog instincts. Boerboels are self-assured and fearless, requiring a dominant owner. They are loving pets and always ready to play. You should purchase a Boerboel for his even character. This was and always should be his main quality.
Your Boerboel should qualify himself as your best friend. He should know what you are thinking, when you feel threatened, he should know when you approve or disapprove of a stranger and share your feelings. Boerboel are protectors and they will guard their family, friends, and home with their life. When you are out of the house they will not let anyone enter unless they are very familiar with them. However if you have visitors around they will be fine as long as they have been introduced, once a guest arrives that they are unfamiliar with they will keep a watchful eye on them. He should be able to recognise your fear. Any Boerboel owner should be able to confirm this. These traits will show when the Boerboel is about 7-12 months old. The more you bond with your Boerboel, the more he will want to please you and protect you.

He is definitely a child's friend and playmate. He does not only accept one person as his master, but accepts the protection of the whole family as his duty and is affectionate to all of them. Many a story has been told about a Boerboel spending hour after hour guarding a little baby in a pram. He feels the whole family belongs to him and his sole purpose is to protect them.

The first owners of Boerboel's required them to: During the day the dog must go to the fields with the children to guard the sheep. There he should catch a hare for them to cook for lunch. He should also protect them against all danger that may threaten them. At night he should lie in front of the fire at home and protect the whole family against anything that may be lurking in the dark. "

 

[loandr.]

a bit of BB history.....

"This in itself demonstrates the total suitability of the Boerboel for the role for which it has been bred and employed in South Africa since 1652; namely, home and family protection. The Boerboel has traditionally been used for homestead defence, against intruders both two and four-legged. Home and family protection implies protection from within as well as without; thus the Boerboel proper is a wonderfully affectionate and protective member of the family, and will tolerate all manner of abuses from small children. Over-aggressiveness is in fact one of the disqualifying factors which will bar a dog from registration in terms of the Associations's regulations.


It is recorded that Van Riebeeck brought a "bullenbijter", which was a large and strong variety of the mastiff type of dog, with him to the Cape in 1652. This dog and its descendants doubtless interbred over the centuries with other local and imported varieties of large dogs, and natural selection will have played its part in establishing the ideal breed for the local conditions.

The British 1820 settlers also imported the mastiff and bulldog types. Following the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the century, the locally bred dogs were further cross-bred with various imports, possibly including early varieties of the English Bulldog, the Great Dane, the Saint Bernard and the Bull Terrier. This cross-breeding was undertaken both to enlarge the gene pool and to introduce various desired characteristics; the results may still clearly be seen today in certain examples of the breed.

In 1938 authenticated bull mastiffs were imported from Britain by De Beers to serve as guard dogs on the South African diamond mines of the time; the characteristics of these animals were doubtless incorporated into the boerboel breed as we know it today, thereby consolidating the mastiff component of the breed mix which was already present.
The development of the boerboel is therefore a true South African success story; today's boerboel is as ideal a home protection dog as were his or her ancestors. The definition of the breed has been achieved since the establishment of the South African Boerboel Breeders Association (SABT) in 1983, and the first nationwide appraisal of dogs which took place in 1990; the refinement of the breed has been underway since then, and many challenges lie ahead for those involved in the breeding of these magnificent dogs."

 

[loandr.]

Enjoy and thanks for your time!

LD

 

[Sgt Stevo]

those Boerbols are awesome. If I did not have two dogs at teh house and one threeyear old. I would buy one as a demo dog in a second....

 

[Valkman]

This is a great discussion! The pics are priceless too.

This is a whole new world to me. I'd like a dog trained by Steve but do not know if I can afford that much for a dog. But we have some stuff going on and may run into some money before we move to Pahrump and if that's the case then I want a good one - and frankly those Boerboel dogs look perfect.

You guys are great and I appreciate the info!

 

[loandr.]

our pleasure...the kids and I thank you SO!

LD/Russ

 

[Sgt Stevo]

I have my ways Don. you can afford it.

 

[Vermonter]

'Nother vote for GSD. I've had Scoob almost 12 years now, and will always have a GSD. I treasure every day with him, even though he's healthy I know at his age it could change quick. Very loyal, very smart, very gentle with family and children. Aloof to others, he won't listen to someone he doesn't know. Can sense fear. When I enter a house he goes and checks each person, then goes and finds all the entrances, then sets up in a good spot to watch it all. When he was younger he could grab sticks 7 or 8 ft in the air. Just the sight of him is a major deterrent.

 

[Buddy Rabbit]

Is the Boerboel a "drooler" ? ? . . . it's kinda hard to tell from the pics. Looks like a very stout breed.

My boy Xhangi . . . he's an intelligent, gentle, yet vigilant companion.

 

[loandr.]

The BIG boy IS a drooler (we call it Glisten here The little one and the female arent bad at all, guess its case by case. Check the Glisten out here running down the side of the couch. Like all good things in Life there are SOME pro's and some con's.

LD

 

[Kestrel]

Vermonter - beautiful dog!

I've been trying to decide between a GSD or a Doberman. My main concerns is how much shedding does a GSD have and how much "dog smell"? It would be inside most of the time, so those concern us.

(I don't think the Doberman's shed much, but I think the GSDs do?)

 

[tellner]

One of our GSDs is 1/4 collie. She sheds enough hair every year for us to knit a new dog. The other one sheds moderately.

 

[Sgt Stevo]

All dogs shed. But sheps shed more. Brushing helps. Malinois have less hair. If you get Dobie, It is hard to find a good working line. I only know of One or two, and there dogs are marginal. Dobies dont tend to be as hard as they used to be. Bred to walk in circles by the dog destroying AKC show breeders.

This is a shame. My boss used to breed them in the sixties and they were really tough.

Airedales can be tough, and there coat is not a problem. I heard Baden K-9 is breeding them. If they are, they will be tough. They are about the best in the world for working dogs. We are good, for sheps and Rotts, they are they end word in Malinois. I own one, he is very bad ass.

 

[tellner]

I saw a beautiful Dobe at PETCO a couple months ago. He had a deep chest, broad (for a Dobe) head, strong hips. He was calm alert, and taking in the surroundings.

I asked the owner if he was a recent import from Europe. She said no, but breeders and vets have tried to buy him from her because he's such a throwback to the days when they were real working dogs.

 

[ArmandTanzarian]

The most commonly used dogs for shutzhund and police

are ones with good hard bites (powerful jaws), natural protective and aggressive instinct, good obedience/teachability/intelligence, and lots of determination in a fight. Roughly from best on down, some of the most common breeds are:

1. Belgian Shepherds (Malinois, Turvuren, Groenendael)
2. German Shepherds
3. Rottweiler
4. Dobermann Pinscher
5. Bouvier De Flandres
6. Boxer
7. Even some Retrievers (golden, lab, etc.) and Border Collies and the like, of certain breeding, are good at protection, IF well-trained - they not naturally very protective, but they're SO danged trainable that they can be taught to attack on command, and they're very determined in a fight.

Breeds like Akitas and American PitBull Terriers are aggressive and thus good home guard dogs, but they're far less trainable, so you have to spend more time to get the same result as some of the other breeds. Any dog that is trained to be aggressive MUST also be trained to immediately STOP an attack when ordered to do so, so that it can be called off of an 'innocent'. And obviously, a high fenced secure yard & home is a must with these aggressive breeds with a high prey drive and territoriality. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble.

Belgain Malinois's are the number 1 police dog in Europe, and I think maybe even in America now. They typically have a harder bite and more agility (slightly) than a German Shepherd. Plus the short fur is a bonus in terms of cleanliness and an attacker not being able to grab the dog's hair with his hands. German Shepherds are better at Shutzhund because they are typically better at scent tracking, one component of shutzhund. But a strictly protection or police dog does not need to track, so that takes away that advantage, relative to a Belgian. But German Shepherds of good breeding are an extremely close second place to Belgians, and obviously, a German of good breeding is superior to a Belgian of so-so breeding.

Oh, and ALL of these breeds are susceptible to the scourge of backyard breeders (poor breeding), so you MUST carefully research and find a good breeder that loves the breed and breeds for health, working ability, and non-vicious temperament.

with a porkchop on a cat

Hmmm, never tried that one, Xavier.... so you just tie the porkchop TO the cat? I have to admit, that DOES sound like the ultimate dog lure. Or did you mean to say "OR a cat"?

 

[Sgt Stevo]

Another dog dude, Cool. I keep a Mal as my personel protection dog. The only thing you did not mention is the third and most important type of training. Personel protection. Not Sch, or Police. But a dog for the family to bite if needed. But fit into the world and not be a threat otherwise.

This is what we mostly do. I am working a shep from cz now for Sch. Just to have a presence at the trials.

 

[Kestrel]

How are Belgian Malinois, as family dogs? From a good breeder, but not trained for protection - just obedience?

Also, is it a good or bad idea to have a dog trained for protection, if it's a family dog (ie: not being used professionally as a police dog)?

Thanks.

 

[Sgt Stevo]

They are much more high strung then GSD dogs or others. But good over all.

And they will be watch dogs with or with out training. probly just barkers though.

Not a bad choice; They love kids.

 

[indiancowboy]

miniature pinschers. Hands down. 10lbs of idiotic fury.