Gaurd dog

ORIGINAL: Aina



I think something like a pit or pit mix that is past adolecence with a steady tempermant would actually work best. No one messes with them, and from what ya'll have told me they are really sweet and good with kids. But it would also have to be good with their little dog and a dog savvy cat.

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NOOOOOO, they are the worst guard dogs EVER!!! Not to mention they would much rather be sleeping in your bed, they do not do well it 100 degree weather nor cold, they dont even have fur on their tummies and require a lot of obediance. They would also be to busy looking for a way to escape instead of guarding the property. They would probably howl to get inside with the family. I say a Great Mountain Dog, Mastiff, or a German Shepherd

Pits actually do not make that great of guard dogs.  First of all, they LOVE to be with their people.  Being a pit owner and seeing what a cuddle bug mine is (and she was not raised that way from puppyhood, we got her at a year) I can tell you that if the dog they get is anything like mine it would be truely miserable.
 
Secondly, people steal pits.  This happens all the time, in rural and urban areas.  They are also often victims of other crimes.  There was one guy whose three pits were hung to death in his own *fenced* yard while he was working in his house.
 
Finally, they are not all weather dogs.  Their coats do not stand up to winter weather, and I can tell you that Sally begins to wilt in anything much over 80 degrees.
 
Just to give you an idea of how much they are NOT natural guardians--dog fighters used to use rots, dobes, and GSDs to guard their fighting dogs from theft.

You know, there are so many different variations of temperment in every breed I dont think your going to be able to give them a specific breed of dog that is going to work for them. Off the top of my head I would recommend a well bred and well trained GSD, or maybe a great Pyreneese. Depending on how little their kids are and how dog savvy they are, I'm not sure I would recommend any of the the working dogs. I would guess that their best bet is to look for a large size dog of any breed or mix of breeds that has a medium hair coat, is known to be good with kids, and then just make that dog a part of the family. They aren't really going to want a dog that is overly protective because that is just more trouble than it's worth and with little kids that just spells disaster, so something that is big enough to make someone think twice and who will bond with it's family is really all they need. Maybe GSD mixed with something like lab or golden, that would be a decent sized dog with probably a loving but slightly protective personality.

edited to add: I third the opinion that Pitts make terrible guard dogs, they love people more than anything (including complete strangers) and could care less if someone stole "their" stuff or broke into their house. Although they tend to be great with kids they often are not great with cats and other small animals.

Ok, so pits arn't a good idea.  

The problem with fencing is it is a lot of acreage to fence with anything that would actually keep animals out, and a road, runs like 5 yards in front of their house through their property (It is never used except by them, but it is still considered a road) Their grandma also lives next door and they would like to have her property enclosed with it, but then if grandma dies or moved to a nursing home they are left with two properties sharing a fence. And, to add to these dificulties, their land isn't suited for a fence that would keep anything smaller than goats out.

I think they should just get a gsd, but they want a shorter coat. They are afraid the gsd's long coat wouldn't be good for our weather. I also think they will have it inside sometimes, and gsds shed alot.

Now that I think about it, I guess what they want is more of a large watch dog, more than a gaurd dog. They want a dog that will give a few warning whoofs when any human comes around, and that won't let animals in their garbage or other things they have.  But it has to have the territory thing down so packs wont think about coming into his 'hood. Right after their old dog died, a pack of strays got ahold of one of their cats and killed it. They also started terrorizing their grandma's chickens.

What about a Collie?  Not normally dog aggressive, usually protective of its family, and a great alarm barker.  Easy to housetrain, easy to train.  Just needs lots of socialization as a pup to avoid it becoming overly shy or fearful.  Beautiful in either variety.  But, if you get a merle with blue eyes, I can tell you from experience that people are put off by a dog with blue eyes that's barking at them LOL.  My little Aussie pipsqueak is very intimidating when she sounds the alarm!

Of course, the other thing that might keep intruders out is geese.  Honest. []

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

Of course, the other thing that might keep intruders out is geese.  Honest. []

 
Very true, we have a navy school in town and thats what they use. Peacocks as well....ooh those guys are mean, you should see my bad A** pit bull turn tail and run from them its hilrious!

I actually thought about geese, but those things are MEAN! They would sure keep me away.
A collie sounds good. I wonder if I could talk them into getting a merle collie, I like the merle coloring, and love blue eyes.
 (I also love aussies. Don't think an aussie would be a good dog for them? The one down the street can look pretty intimidating... but then I'd have to make my mom to let me go 45 minutes away every day so I could see the pup and she wouldn't like that.)

If the dog will be a "yard dog" then an Aussie or similar herding breed would probably be a disaster - they need directed exercise and mental stimulation daily.

Yeah, I was joking about the aussie. I have read a bit about them, and they need much more mental and physical stimulation then my friend would be able to give I think. They are pretty dogs though...

I think thier expectations are a bit much for any dog.  They want a dog that's territorial, but not aggressive.  Wary of strangers but good with kids and small animals.  Oh and the dog can't wander off of the property because the neighbor might shoot it.  There are packs of strays and wild animals that come onto the property and this poor dog would have to fend all of these things off.  It's a tall order for any dog.  I also worry that it the dog would just be left loose at all times in an area where there are potential dangers.  If they just want a dog to give a couple of barks any dog from the pound will do really.  And remember the potential thief can just shoot the dog no matter how scary it is.  It would be safer to have good locks and a taser.

Being from rural West Texas, I know tons of people who relate to your friend's situation. My boyfriend grew up out in the country on several acres of land that needed to be guarded from coyotes and the occassional criminally minded migrant worker. They had no fences and, even to this day, do not lock any of the doors to the house or take the keys out of their cars. Their solution was to get a Great Pyrenees. They've had several and never had a problem. Their size is intimidating & they're not overly friendly (or aggressive) towards strangers, but they're extremely gentle and patient with the family children. As a small child, he would use the dog as a pillow and watch the stars. The pyre they have right now is mixed with anatolian shepherd & doesn't seem to be affected by weather of any type. Great dogs, but not for everyone.
A good website to help in your research (if you haven't already found it) is [linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com]www.dogbreedinfo.com[/link]   I'm really glad you're helping your friend with all this--it is definatately a major commitment. Good luck!

I can vouch for the geese.  We didn't have dogs when I was growing up, we had geese.  NOBODY went in our back yard!  I have a scar on my thumb from one of our geese who didn't want to go in the shed one night.  He bit me and ripped my thumb open.

Another option are Guinea fowl. They are NOISY--nothing gets by them!

I alomost forgot about geese's wings.  I used ot have bruises allover my legs from being hit by their wings.  These were geese who didn't fly--I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have a geese who flies hit you!  Triple OUCH.

Perhaps they could consider a Catahoula Leopard Dog? Short, easy to care for coat. Excellent at being watch dogs, and they are great with kids when raised with them. They better described as assertive than aggressive. We believe Lucy is all or part Catahoula and she is excellent at letting us know if we have someone in the driveway or at the door, but has never been aggressive. They are pretty high energy, but mine is happy with a couple short walks a day and two or three runs out at the farm a week. This link has a wonderful description of the breed's traits [linkhttp://www.donabney.com/information.shtml]Abney Catahoulas[/link].

They aren't terribly common except in the south and southeast but there is an excellent rescue with fosters that can help them pick out the best dog for their situation. [linkhttp://www.catahoularescue.com/]Catahoula Rescue[/link]