Guardian type breeds?
- Thread starter Laurelin
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How about an American Bulldog? I think it fit everything you mentioned. If you are honest with the breeder you can find ABs that are fine with Opposite sex dogs.
But if you are willing to get a shelter dog. Anything big and black will scare people away. There is a lady in my area who has a 115lb lab that is friendly but most of the local people are afraid of him because he lunges and barks a lot.
But if you are willing to get a shelter dog. Anything big and black will scare people away. There is a lady in my area who has a 115lb lab that is friendly but most of the local people are afraid of him because he lunges and barks a lot.
I'll just send you Rage when she breaks the other window out of the back side of my apartment trying to get at my landlord... :wall:
she's not actually *aggressive* (he actually came in and put her in her crate, growling, howling and carrying on...), just oddly fearful/protective of home when strange men are involved. she's infinitely better if I'm home, but still intimidating. someone asked if she was a pit bull the other day, because of "that coloring" :rofl1:
she's not actually *aggressive* (he actually came in and put her in her crate, growling, howling and carrying on...), just oddly fearful/protective of home when strange men are involved. she's infinitely better if I'm home, but still intimidating. someone asked if she was a pit bull the other day, because of "that coloring" :rofl1:
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My story is that when we had a convience store and my daughter was a baby, we had a robbery. Our employee was shot. We went to look for the 'gaurd' type dog and ended up with a puppy from our vet's dobie mom.
He told us that dogs don't really need to be trained, if they bark, that is usually enough, in fact you *don't* want a dog trained in the 'killer' type training, they will go 'off' on ya with just the wrong gesture. He told us about dobies and how they could scare people, yes, but that they were just basically pussy cats. OMG how true. The sweetest things, gentle and awesome for our daughter as well as us.
And he was right. We went on to have two more over the years, a total of 3. 2 of them long lived 17 years and 18 years each. Priceless luv bugs they are.
People can be weird, face it. Any dog can scare anyone, part the idiocy of the person when the dog is just playing, and part the "you wouldn't say that on *this* side of the fence" that my weenie girl says. And nobody is gonna be afraid of my weenie girl. But if she sniffs anything amiss, you would be wise to.
My middle size girl can scare em with her persistance. But honestly, what is scary? To most, it's that persistance. A dog doesn't have to have the muscle, just that persistance.
My large boy is truly beautiful. He is harder to be afraid of, tho he can act pretty snarly, but most people let the beauty fool em or at least delay a reaction.
Honestly, you can count on people's ignorance. That can be used to your gain in a confrontation no matter what dog you have. I have always said, people with any brain would be afraid of a small dog over a large one any time. All the large ones I know are the most gentle giants. Having had em all, I come from that experience.
But hey, that's just me.
Hope this helps someone besides me.
Ruth
He told us that dogs don't really need to be trained, if they bark, that is usually enough, in fact you *don't* want a dog trained in the 'killer' type training, they will go 'off' on ya with just the wrong gesture. He told us about dobies and how they could scare people, yes, but that they were just basically pussy cats. OMG how true. The sweetest things, gentle and awesome for our daughter as well as us.
And he was right. We went on to have two more over the years, a total of 3. 2 of them long lived 17 years and 18 years each. Priceless luv bugs they are.
People can be weird, face it. Any dog can scare anyone, part the idiocy of the person when the dog is just playing, and part the "you wouldn't say that on *this* side of the fence" that my weenie girl says. And nobody is gonna be afraid of my weenie girl. But if she sniffs anything amiss, you would be wise to.
My middle size girl can scare em with her persistance. But honestly, what is scary? To most, it's that persistance. A dog doesn't have to have the muscle, just that persistance.
My large boy is truly beautiful. He is harder to be afraid of, tho he can act pretty snarly, but most people let the beauty fool em or at least delay a reaction.
Honestly, you can count on people's ignorance. That can be used to your gain in a confrontation no matter what dog you have. I have always said, people with any brain would be afraid of a small dog over a large one any time. All the large ones I know are the most gentle giants. Having had em all, I come from that experience.
But hey, that's just me.
Hope this helps someone besides me.
Ruth
I've not read all the replies but I had to add that my Maggie was a great visual deterrent despite being just 33lbs - I taught her to bark on cue ("Steady", sounds more threatening than "Bark" lol) just in case and that herding breed ability to pick out inconsistencies in the environment meant that she'd alert me to strange stuff on walks.
Just having a medium sized dog who will give you plenty of warning and can act menacing without actually being menacing will go a long way for your personal safety.
Kes has also started showing some of the same behavior - alert to changes in the environment and has a nice stare when he sees something unusual lol. I should really work on a bark cue with him as well. He has even started putting himself between me and possible threats at night - just the kind of dog I need: looks kinda like he could do something not so nice but really is a mushy boy when you meet him.
Just having a medium sized dog who will give you plenty of warning and can act menacing without actually being menacing will go a long way for your personal safety.
Kes has also started showing some of the same behavior - alert to changes in the environment and has a nice stare when he sees something unusual lol. I should really work on a bark cue with him as well. He has even started putting himself between me and possible threats at night - just the kind of dog I need: looks kinda like he could do something not so nice but really is a mushy boy when you meet him.
Oooh I like the way that sounds! They are such fun dogs. It makes me happy and sad all at once that I have to import to get one, stops me from having 20
Oy! I'm not sure what kind of border collies you've met down there, Renee, but most of the ones I'm familiar with (actual useful, working dogs - not just dogs that circle trained sheep until the sheep walk into a pen for AKC "trials") aren't fluffball pushovers.
In my opinion, Laur, if you want a dog that will be able to effectively protect you, you shouldn't get a stockdog-type dog. You either want a herding breed or a guardian breed. There is no perfect balance of the two, no guardian-stockdog that is bred to work closely with a handler and still bond with and fiercely protect its herd/flock.
If you mostly want a visual deterrent and a loud bark, then go on with your plan to get a Border Collie or whatever dog you want. Just about any dog will bark at strangers. My only concern with border collies is the fact that they aren't as barky as other breeds like Aussies, Corgis and ACDs. Eve makes all sorts of noise when we're at home and she thinks there's an intruder afoot, but none of it really sounds like a bark. She wuffs, roars, trills and throws herself against the door, but I hardly ever hear a real "bark" from her.
I haven't read this thread all the way through so I don't know if this has been suggested, but a breed that tends to be far more "forward" than BCs/Koolies/Kelpies/ACDs/Aussies etc is the Catahoula. They're short coated, larger than your average stockdog, and they work cattle and pigs with brute force and grips. They're gutsy, sometimes clumsy, but overall intelligent dogs who tend to think less and act/react more than most breeds in the herding group. Perhaps, if you want a dog that has a tougher look and disposition but still retains some of the loyalty and handler-awareness of a herding breed, you'd consider a catahoula.
In my opinion, Laur, if you want a dog that will be able to effectively protect you, you shouldn't get a stockdog-type dog. You either want a herding breed or a guardian breed. There is no perfect balance of the two, no guardian-stockdog that is bred to work closely with a handler and still bond with and fiercely protect its herd/flock.
If you mostly want a visual deterrent and a loud bark, then go on with your plan to get a Border Collie or whatever dog you want. Just about any dog will bark at strangers. My only concern with border collies is the fact that they aren't as barky as other breeds like Aussies, Corgis and ACDs. Eve makes all sorts of noise when we're at home and she thinks there's an intruder afoot, but none of it really sounds like a bark. She wuffs, roars, trills and throws herself against the door, but I hardly ever hear a real "bark" from her.
I haven't read this thread all the way through so I don't know if this has been suggested, but a breed that tends to be far more "forward" than BCs/Koolies/Kelpies/ACDs/Aussies etc is the Catahoula. They're short coated, larger than your average stockdog, and they work cattle and pigs with brute force and grips. They're gutsy, sometimes clumsy, but overall intelligent dogs who tend to think less and act/react more than most breeds in the herding group. Perhaps, if you want a dog that has a tougher look and disposition but still retains some of the loyalty and handler-awareness of a herding breed, you'd consider a catahoula.