by Elizabeth J Baldwin

Created on: November 20, 2006   Last Updated: January 31, 2009

Dogs tend to be protection animals regardless of breed. Even a quite timid dog can and will come to the defense of its person under certain circumstances. That being said, if someone does have a need for a serious protection dog, some breeds are more suitable than others.

Breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottiweilers immediately announce here is a serious threat to anyone attempting to invade this property. The appearance of this type of dog can make a miscreant decide to pass on the place they live and go find an easier mark. One of the best protection breeds I know of isn't a good visual deterrent. Dalmatians were originally bred to travel with carriages and protect the occupants. This required a high degree of intelligence (as well as stamina) because while you wanted the dogs to protect your carriage from a highwayman you did NOT want them savaging the grooms when you changed horses on your journey. Their spots and amiable appearance plus the movie have diluted the image factor. Yet they are still protection dogs and if you get one you'd best remember this at all times.

Another important thing to know is groups of dogs are a better deterrent than a single dog. Three is probably the best number because while it might be possible to take out two dogs managing three becomes a great deal more difficult. Especially if one of those dogs is a Terrier. Terriers are tenacious and aggressive; one of them, with a couple of larger dogs, can make anyone invading a property decide never to do such an insane thing again. With rare exceptions a dog does not need training as a protection dog. What it needs is good basic training and better yet to obtain its K-9 Good Citizenship test. If you or your property is threatened your dog will defend you. This is its basic nature. It is far more important that it have training to be a well mannered member of your family than any specialized training. That is unless you happen to have special needs for protection then that is a very different field. Those types of dogs require special training and handling and are NOT for the average person.

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