Protection Dog

[~Tucker&Me~]

Hi there everyone!

So I know I will be having a papillon and another BC in the future. That is for sure However, I am an anxious person. I am nervous of the dark (yes I know, pathetic, but I can't help it!) and don't feel comfortable being home alone very much. I know in the future, I would probably like a dog that I know will intimidate intruders and that has protective tendencies. The first dogs to pop into my head were German Shepherd, Doberman, Rottie, or Malinois. In terms of everything (temperment, energy requirements, grooming, etc.) what are the differences? Also, what breeders would you suggest?

I have done some research but the things I have read contradict one another so I am asking here because I trust you guys

I will be honest, I think at the moment I am leaning more towards Dobes and the Malinois. Dobes in terms of looks (for the record, I would never pick a breed based solely on looks ), and malinois because I think out of the lot, they are most similar to BC's.

I am open to other suggestions too, so if you think of something that I haven't considered, let me know!

Oh and also, I fostered an ACD mix a while back who was VERY protective of me. Is this typical for ACDs or is more of a hit and miss when it comes to them being protective?

Thanks in advance!

[~Tucker&Me~]

Oh and I forgot to mention the Dutch Shepherd

And I realize how long an answer it may seem to reply to this post. I am only looking for quick summaries though, unless of course you are WANTING to write me a novel I wouldn't complain :P lol.

[Laurelin]

Wow, we have insanely similar taste in dogs, lol! My plans for the future are a few papillons, a rescue bc, and a 'big scary dog'. I've been tossing around mainly another GSD, a dobe, or a rottie. I'm not a big fan of malinois. I like them and I think they're amazing protection and sports dogs, but they are really just one breed I am not sure I could handle. I have not known too many but the ones I have known put bcs to shame energy wise and many seem to have a short fuse and be reactive. I just don't know that I have what it takes to have a mal.

I've not had too much experience with dobes except for working with shelter dogs. I liked the ones I worked with pretty well, they were all very friendly actually. I'm kind of not considering rotties at this point because of various reasons. They're fabulous dogs though, my uncle had one we were around all the time as kids. She was very protective and great with kids, gentle yet tough when she needed to be. (I witnessed her take on a charging angry mama cow). She was just great.

I'm really leaning towards another GSD though. My issue with them is there are many many GSDs I absolutely don't like. It would be tough for me to find someone producing the type of dogs I do like. I see many in shelters that are simply unbalanced and have really shoddy temperaments. Also the health concerns are something I've thought of too. My shepherd ended up with bad hips and I know it's a real issue with them.

Based on the ACDs I know, all of them are very protective. Aussies are also protective, but you don't get that real visual deterrent with them like you would a dobe or a rottie.

[DanL]

It's very difficult to find a Dobie that has the right temperament for true protection work these days. (please don't yell at me Dobie owners, but I'm telling the truth!). Much harder than it is to find a good GSD and those are not easy to find either. I'm sure CP or other Mal owners can speak to their breed. I've seen some video of a Dutchie that a guy has on another dog board I belong to, it's a VERY hard core dog and probably not one that 99% of the population could handle. I don't know if they are all that way, but this dog is extreme. Check him out in this video, especially the 2nd exercise- as soon as the handler yells the dog is screaming to get at the bad guy. If the video doesn't come up because of the channel, it's the one that says Spike Van Leeuwen
YouTube - yeahya33's Channel

Pretty much any big dog like a GSD or Dobie is going to give you the intimidation factor, but when it comes time to go live, most won't get it done. It takes a lot of training with the right dog to do it right. For most people the intimidation factor is all they need, but you won't want to rely on the dog really doing anything if it becomes go time.

This topic comes up every so often and I know that people have examples of their dogs doing things to protect them but those are the exceptions, not the norm, and you don't know if they'd do it again or if in a higher pressure situation what would really happen.

[Laurelin]

For me, it's purely a want of a visual intimidation factor more than anything else. I don't expect my dogs to do anything but it would be nice again to have a dog that people are a bit leery of. The paps, sadly, don't give off the same sort of vibe my shepherd did.

[Brattina88]

My vote is for GSD, or even a GSDmix. If you spend some time with a dog (unless you Go the puppy route) you can find a great temperment in many shelters/pounds. Missy is a pound dog, but people are always asking us what lines she is from, and if she's being shown I think you'd be really hapy with a shepherd. The level of responsibility these dogs have is awesome jmho

[BostonBanker]

Pretty much any big dog like a GSD or Dobie is going to give you the intimidation factor, but when it comes time to go live, most won't get it done. It takes a lot of training with the right dog to do it right. For most people the intimidation factor is all they need, but you won't want to rely on the dog really doing anything if it becomes go time.

And I'll be honest, I think it's a good thing. While I totally understand wanting an intimidating looking dog, it makes me a bit nervous when people (not so much here, where I know people put work into their dogs) say "I get scared easily so I want a dog that will protect me". Because however scary this world may be getting, MOST of the time, our fears will turn out to be unjustified. And the last thing most people need is a hair-trigger protective dog that turns on every time their pulse races in fear.

As I said, not quite as nerve-wracking here, where we have good dog people who I know aren't looking for that out of control attitude and who can train well. It's just something I see in the real world too much.

I personally feel that, with the exception of some sort of serious personal revenge based attack - any dog is a really good deterrent. Simply put, if someone is looking to randomly attack you and you have a dog of any sort with you - I think they are going to move onto an easier target. They don't want dogs barking and attracting attention, or risking any sort of bite. I feel safer with Meg around, who I seriously doubt would ever actually bite, than with the very protective Pit/BC I used to house-sit for, who I know from experience would bite to protect either the house or "his" people from strangers...any strangers, even non-threatening ones. Walking him, I knew nobody was going to have a chance to touch me, but I was worried frequently that someone would walk up to ask something and get bit "by accident".

[corgipower]

The first thing I would suggest is to assess you needs/wants. Do you want a dog who will just be a deterrent ~ look intimidating, growl and show teeth, bark ~ but won't actually bite? Do you need a dog that will take down anyone and everyone? How high is the risk of you needing protection and against what? A dog isn't going to do well against a gun. Do you need the dog to be warm and fuzzy towards a lot of friends and family? What are your abilities to train/contain a dog?

Malinois are kinda hit or miss. If you decide to get a mali, let me know and I can point you to some good breeders that really know the breed and their lines and can pretty much get you exactly what you want. There are many lovely malinois out there who will absolutely get the job done. There are also a lot of flakes who are nearly impossible to live with (Nyx ) and would run and hide if the wind blows. There are malis who fall anywhere in between.

Malis don't make for a great deterrent. They're small, they're light colored and they tend to not be growly/teeth baring. Tyr's idea of a warning is to plant himself in front of me and be very still and silent and stare. I've seen a number of other mals that do the same.

Originally Posted by ~Tucker&Me~

Oh and also, I fostered an ACD mix a while back who was VERY protective of me. Is this typical for ACDs or is more of a hit and miss when it comes to them being protective?

As far as I know it's not at all uncommon in ACD's. Actually almost all of the herding breeds will be protective to some extent. It kind of goes hand-in-hand. I've seen some Australian Shepherds that can put the best GSDs to shame.

Originally Posted by Laurelin

For me, it's purely a want of a visual intimidation factor more than anything else. I don't expect my dogs to do anything but it would be nice again to have a dog that people are a bit leery of. The paps, sadly, don't give off the same sort of vibe my shepherd did.

Big dark dogs are the best visual deterrent.

[corgipower]

Originally Posted by BostonBanker

While I totally understand wanting an intimidating looking dog, it makes me a bit nervous when people (not so much here, where I know people put work into their dogs) say "I get scared easily so I want a dog that will protect me". Because however scary this world may be getting, MOST of the time, our fears will turn out to be unjustified. And the last thing most people need is a hair-trigger protective dog that turns on every time their pulse races in fear.

I do get scared easily. I have anxiety disorder and shadows and things that go bump in the night make me nervous. I definitely sleep better at night having a mali with me. I know if there's anything to worry about, he'll be on it and if he's not worried, I know it's safe for me to fall asleep.

[elegy]

Originally Posted by corgipower

I do get scared easily. I have anxiety disorder and shadows and things that go bump in the night make me nervous. I definitely sleep better at night having a mali with me. I know if there's anything to worry about, he'll be on it and if he's not worried, I know it's safe for me to fall asleep.

i feel that way about my pit bulls, and they're *not* protective dogs at all. but they look scary (especially mushroom- 55 pounds of muscular dark-colored dog), and i know that luce, at least, is an extremely sensible dog. if something goes bump in the night and she puts her head up, looks around, and goes back to sleep, i know it's nothing.