by Ms Dark

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

While reading all of the articles in this thread, I am dismayed that anyone would promote certain powerful breeds as guard dogs to the average human being. Dobermans, Rottweilers, Pit bulls, German Shepherds, Dogue de Bordeaux...the list goes on and on. All of these breeds were bred for certain reasons, reasons that (unfortunately for some) are practically null and void this day and age.

Rottweilers were referred to as Butchers' Dogs, meaning they would accompany the cattle owner to market, then protect the profits which were placed in a bag around its neck, then would return home, generally without incident.

Pit bulls were bred for the sports of dog fighting (in pits, hence their name), bull-, bear-, and boar-baiting. They maintain that dog aggression at certain levels for the rest of their lives, but are great family dogs. The problem with Pitties being used as guard dogs is the fact that an owner would have to keep a dog practically unsocialized it's entire life to make it human-aggressive, which goes against its genetic code. The most common saying regarding Pitties is that "they've never met a stranger."

Mastiffs were originally bred for fighting and guard work, but have been bred over the years to be gentle and human-oriented. Granted, around strangers they can be a little stand-offish, but there are just some things that cannot be bred out of the genetics.

I've had the pleasure of many different breeds of dogs over the years, and I've always found that the most paranoid guard dog is a small dog. I had a 20-pound mixed mutt named (appropriately) Mutsy, who would sound the alarm should someone step onto the porch or come near the car. She disliked men and children, both results of being abused the first 2 years of her life by a little boy. When we rescued her, she was not leash-trained, house trained, or car trained. It took us a week to train her. She was the best watch dog I've ever had, followed closely by a Chow Chow named Cudo, a Rottweiler named Hamlet, a Pit bull/Lab mix named Draco, and a Pittie named Brad. None of those powerful breed dogs ever matched that 20-pound mutt in trainability and sheer guts.

So, when it comes to selecting a dog for guard duty, I would suggest just about ANY dog out there, providing the time is being taken to train that animal (for dogs are animals, above and beyind anything else) properly. If you're searching for a dog used ONLY for protection, then I would strongly suggest purchasing one that has already been properly trained in Schutzhund by a certified trainer. Yes, this is costly, but it saves in the long run.

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