Would you consider buying a dog for its gaurding purpose?

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tessybear

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Helping a family member look for a dog to adopt from a shelter she was after a staffie so should be no trouble finding one (sadly- poor things) but when searching we came across a business who breed and train dogs for the purpose of gaurding but market them for families, says this on many of their ads, I was merely curious if people would consider doing this ? I think if i was looking for a family pet its gaurding ability wouldn't be top of my list :o
 
Family pets/working dogs/guard dogs are not mutually exclusive.
I grew up with German Shepherds, who can be wonderful family guardians.
My 'dog of a lifetime' was perfect with kids and adults to whom she had been introduced properly but still had a natural suspicion of strangers, which is everything you would want of the breed.

It depends on what you are talking about, for a true 'guard dog' or 'security dog' that has legal implications and rules which you must adhere to, IE you need a license to own and handle the dog and someone has to be present on the premises at all times.

Some higher profile people would indeed source dogs which are both capable of being family pets and are also capable of defending person or property.
There are businesses out there who produce and train these dogs and do handovers to their new families where they set out commands and routines.

These dogs, naturally command quite a price and would not be a dog you would bump into every day.

To add, in answer to your original question, we did not select GSDs for their guarding ability (My mother was a Champion the Wonder Horse fan) but a natural suspicion of strangers is not a bad thing.
I like a GSD to stand their ground, they were after all bred to be an 'invisible fence'!!
 
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I have a Cane Corso and a Rottweiler, primarily as family pets, but also chosen for their guarding purposes. In short they make me feel safe - I never lock my door.

This comes naturally to them, ie to be suspicious of strangers. I do not need to nuture this instinct.

Don't get me wrong they are complete softies with anyone who is invited into our home whilst we are here.
 
My Mali is just such a dog,a misfit,but very well working bred,who was taken up by a guy who helps training police dogs.His sideline seems to be giving these potential pts dogs a purpose.Our boy was on EPupz as a giard dog/agility dog,he is what it said on the tin.My previous night dog was a misfit groen/GSD in rescue,and he went away to be trained up.Both dogs are/were wonderful forward going temperaments,who I trust totally.Years ago we had a burglery whith eight of our breeding dogs stolen,never again,the boys see to that and it is a nice feeling of safety.Obviously the property is securely fenced with warnings up at night,someone would have to make a real effort to get in once we are locked up,after that it is entirely their risk.
On the other hand I did go and look at a GSD who had been RAF trained,oh no,not for any use to me,he would just look,and launch for the back of the neck...thank God he was muzzled.In my opinion that dog was extremely dangerous living as he did on a crowded council estate.Far too sharp for general use.:eek:
 
CaveCanem said:
Family pets/working dogs/guard dogs are not mutually exclusive.
I grew up with German Shepherds, who can be wonderful family guardians.
My 'dog of a lifetime' was perfect with kids and adults to whom she had been introduced properly but still had a natural suspicion of strangers, which is everything you would want of the breed.

It depends on what you are talking about, for a true 'guard dog' or 'security dog' that has legal implications and rules which you must adhere to, IE you need a license to own and handle the dog and someone has to be present on the premises at all times.

Some higher profile people would indeed source dogs which are both capable of being family pets and are also capable of defending person or property.
There are businesses out there who produce and train these dogs and do handovers to their new families where they set out commands and routines.

These dogs, naturally command quite a price and would not be a dog you would bump into every day.

To add, in answer to your original question, we did not select GSDs for their guarding ability (My mother was a Champion the Wonder Horse fan) but a natural suspicion of strangers is not a bad thing.
I like a GSD to stand their ground, they were after all bred to be an 'invisible fence'!!
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Ah thank you for such an educational response :) I totally understand what you mean, our dog though not bought for the purpose of gaurding does the role if needed. Cannot beat a good GSD :) I was thinking more paying quite a lot to have a dog that is trained to guard as a family pet ?

LJR said:
I have a Cane Corso and a Rottweiler, primarily as family pets, but also chosen for their guarding purposes. In short they make me feel safe - I never lock my door.

This comes naturally to them, ie to be suspicious of strangers. I do not need to nuture this instinct.

Don't get me wrong they are complete softies with anyone who is invited into our home whilst we are here.
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Sound lovely :) oh yes i bet the look of them is enough to deter people :D

EAST KENT said:
My Mali is just such a dog,a misfit,but very well working bred,who was taken up by a guy who helps training police dogs.His sideline seems to be giving these potential pts dogs a purpose.Our boy was on EPupz as a giard dog/agility dog,he is what it said on the tin.My previous night dog was a misfit groen/GSD in rescue,and he went away to be trained up.Both dogs are/were wonderful forward going temperaments,who I trust totally.Years ago we had a burglery whith eight of our breeding dogs stolen,never again,the boys see to that and it is a nice feeling of safety.Obviously the property is securely fenced with warnings up at night,someone would have to make a real effort to get in once we are locked up,after that it is entirely their risk.
On the other hand I did go and look at a GSD who had been RAF trained,oh no,not for any use to me,he would just look,and launch for the back of the neck...thank God he was muzzled.In my opinion that dog was extremely dangerous living as he did on a crowded council estate.Far too sharp for general use.:eek:
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:) bless, the second dog does sound more dangerous than anything else :eek:
 
There *are* some cowboys out there who as East Kent has mentioned, will tell you an unstable lunatic is good guard dog, or who will tell you that a dog that has been trained to bark is an 'elite protection dog' but as with all things, go and have a look and actually meet the dog and don't fall for the hard sell.

A lot of dogs who sellers say are 'police dogs who didn't make the grade' or who were 'trained for the services' etc are nothing of the sort.
 
tessybear said:
I was thinking more paying quite a lot to have a dog that is trained to guard as a family pet ?
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Well if you run a business and the wife and the kids are home, and you want a dog that will play nicely with the kids but would also scare away an armed robber, but don't know a lot about breeding or training, it makes sense to pay someone else to select and train a stable dog which will fit well into your home, rather than doing it yourself when you don't know what you are doing, or buying an untrained dog and expecting it to know exactly what to do.

For some of the prices, I would expect the dogs to crap precious metals :p but each to their own.
 
CaveCanem said:
Well if you run a business and the wife and the kids are home, and you don't know a lot about breeding or training, it makes sense to pay someone else to select and train a stable dog which will fit well into your home, rather than doing it yourself when you don't know what you are doing, or buying an untrained dog and expecting it to know exactly what to do.

For some of the prices, I would expect the dogs to crap precious metals :p but each to their own.
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Yes that is very true :) some lovely looking GSD on there, a black one don't think i have ever seen a black Gsd, stunning girl.
 
CaveCanem said:
I see a black one every day!!!

And he likes barking and is sometimes for sale, depending on how much of a brat he is being :p :p :p
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Pictures :D;) I have fallen in love with her colouring, have met a white GSD and apart from being extremely cute it was also very dirty :P
 
Tell her to get a Staff anyway- gobby enough to scare away any unwanteds!!

No, guarding would not be on my wish list if I were looking for another dog.
 
lexiedhb said:
Tell her to get a Staff anyway- gobby enough to scare away any unwanteds!!

No, guarding would not be on my wish list if I were looking for another dog.
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Oh we are looking for the old, been there a long time type :) She has no other animals and works from home perfect situation now the controlling ex-partner out the way she can offer a little staff a lovely home :D
 
My parents bought their first Ridgeback as a guard dog (15 years ago) but she quickly became a house dog. She was a fantastic dog, soft as muck with family (inc young children) but wary of strangers and looked the part enough to deter anyone.

She died at 12 and they shortly got another RR bitch to fill the role of deterrant. Their current ridgie is about to turn 3 and is pathetic, no guard instinct at all. NEVER barks (not even one woof) and welcomes strangers with licks and a waggy tail.

They did pick the breed for guarding purposes... it clearly went tits up with the young bitch!
 
YES, I love a dog with a good natural guarding instinct, when Im loking for a new dog I take whatever is in our rescue with the ability to guard and look menacing:p
I have kept a male dog back (not a breed I would usually take) but he is/looks ferocious when locked behind somewhere (esp in the car) and you attmpt to get near it he has a better guarding instinct than my rottie:eek: (who I initially took for guarding purpose) I work lone shifts and feel also more secure with 2 big menacing mutts (I never attempt to tame the guarding behaviour) infact I encourage it and this is possibly why the male I kept is a beast to look at if you are on the other side of the fence:p otherwise he is lovely.
When I get another rottie I will look for one that looks like a beast behind bars:D (no softies here please) some of the rotties we have had in have been soft as ******.
 
I have lived surrounded by GSDs since the day I was born, so have never consciously looked for a dog to have a as a guard, they have all done it naturally, whilst also being best friends to me as a child, and more recently to my own children.
Having said that, I know someone who trains dogs as guards for families, it could well be his adverts you have seen. He is a top competitor in IPO and has represented Britain at the World championships, his wife also shows in the breed ring. He has supplied quite a few famous people , pop stars and football stars, and does go to a lot of trouble to place the right dog with each family.
 
I boarded one of these "guard dogs" many years ago,a GSD bitch;it`s proud owner had paid £1000 for it some 20 years ago,and was convinced her wonder dog would do the business if needed.It was put in the wrong kennel ,so I needed to move it...it backed into a corner shrieking and emptied it`s bladder as I went in.Do hope it was never tested out!!
 
My Dobes are natural guards and living where I do I want something that looks the part and hopefully do the business. They are naturaly suspicious and alert me to anyone about, they have lots of different sounds so I can tell by listening if its anything to be concerned about. The Lancashire Heeler is also good for alerting but being the size she is would not be considered as a threat. What I like about Dobes is they just seem to have an innate sense when something is not quite right, all my Dobes have had this ability and its something I do love about them.
 
I got a Doberman rescue as I wanted a dog that looked the part but wasn't actually aggressive. TBH the look of the big black and tan barking dog is enough to keep you very safe in most scenarios. Our Dobie is a dopey doughnut in reality but the dodgy types never risk getting close enough to find that out.

One thing I really enjoyed when we were down south was that with the Dobie I felt perfectly comfortable walking him at night in the dark nights by myself,which was a great feeling of freedom. Walking past a load of youths with motorbikes under a railway bridge, instead of hassle/ concern you instead get a callous of 'that dog is well cool' :-)))

I would never get a dog that was actually aggressive either to strangers or anyone else.
 
It took me 40 years to get something I always wanted, a GSD off working stock. I'm a pensioner farmer who lives alone in a relatively isolated situation so several visits from undesirables made me nervous. So, yes, I did buy the dog primarily for guarding.

The decision was prompted by a visit from travellers intent on stealing my new IW trailer. I was a bit worried the dog would be a head case intent on biting the postman and any other visitors to the house. But that hasn't happened. Postman and dog are the best of friends! She's OK if she is properly introduced but otherwise makes it clear she doesn't like strangers, which is fine with me! I had one visit from tinks since and they've never been back!:D

I have trained working dogs (a lot!) all my life and controllability was definitely a worry. But I was told the better bred dogs are highly trainable -- otherwise they would be dangerous! I've since found that to be a gross understatement! I can honestly say this is the smartest dog I have ever owned. Tell her something once and she's got it.

She is a good guard but as soft as butter when we play fight. BUT I did have to teach her not to bite me, and I have the scars to prove it! She is with me 24/7. She seldom wears a collar because she is on the farm all day and in the house at night.

The dog cost me about £1,000 which is actually quite modest. I've been looking around for another pup as she is now 5yo. A top kennel quoted me £2,000 - £3,000 for a pup at 14 weeks with endorsements on the pedigree, which is too old for me though I would not flinch at the price. Like a lot of specialist breeds, the well bred ones are expensive but, as CC has said, the badly bred ones are cheap enough. The trouble is these could have defective temperament and so be unreliable.

I won't be breeding my bitch because, frankly, I don't think an average pet owner could handle one of these dogs. I would feel guilty, both for the purchaser and the dog, having to sell to an inexperienced home. Which is why I am on the look out for a new pup off top working breeding.
 
Another rottie owner here … we bought him for a family dog but again guarding instinct is natural and we have never ever had to teach him ‘to guard’.

I was going to say the same, never lock my front door (the growl you’d get if you came anywhere near it at night would be enough to send shivers through your spine ;)) and as Im home alone until husband gets home he makes me feel very safe. Also at the farm (quite secluded) theres only me and another young girl – we keep him with us and again never fear of early dark evenings/mornings.
x
 
My rott was a natural guard dog - it really was instinctive.

With people he knew he was a (very) oversized puppy but he was very protective of me and funnily enough because I don't have any, children. I deliberately didn't encourage guarding when he was a pup but as he hit 2 years old he, almost overnight became standoffish with strangers and would deliberately stay between me and anybody who was behaving in what he say as a threatening manner. I spent a lot of time on my own and lateish at night at the yard where the summer field was 40+ acres and a full mile from top to bottom so was always very reassured that if he saw a stranger (usually kids climbing trees and dog walkers trespassing!) 'hiding' behind a tree or a bush he would bark but come straight back to me and stay with me until I knew who it was/or they bogged off.

As far as house guarding was concerned, he put a twist on that. He'd let people in but they weren't allowed to leave until I got back :) I still smile when I remember the call I got from the window cleaner asking if I was nearly home one day - I thought that they just wanted paying at first until he told me that there was two of them up stuck up a ladder and could I please hurry. They had been warned to never try and do the back unless I was home and unlocked the gate but since they had seen all three dogs curled up on the sofa they decided to use the ladder to hop the (locked) back gate and get the windows done. Well, my older bitch was obviously failing in her duties in her late teens ( in her heyday of good sight and hearing nobody would have got past the gate without being eaten) but the rott let them go over the gate and set up the ladder before strolling out and growling - cue 2 blokes scrambling up the ladder. The old girl woke up and came out howling like a banshee trying to get at them. The younger JRT and the cat hid under the sofa ;) but the big dog just sat there, watched them and growled if they tried to come down the ladder... As soon as I came in, he was bouncing around thrilled with himself, going 'look, look what I found AND kept for you' :D. The old JRT girl was the one had to be shut away before they would come down. He also trapped a farrier in my YO's house - he was looking for the YO and walked past the dog (who he knew well) but she was out on the yard and the dog wouldn't let him out - let him make himself a cup of tea though until somebody came back to the house 20 minutes later.

He was very against anybody he didn't know well going near any of 'his' kids (yard brats) even their fathers - again he'd just get between the child and person and stay there until what he saw as a safe person arrived. Mind you, that didn't stop him using small children as skittles and sitting on their laps if they sat on the ground which didn't always go down well...

I miss him.
 
Lol @ cbmcts wow, what a character - sounds so funny :D

My mums friends rottie did something similar when their friend was babysitting their new baby (few months old) the babysitter was holding the baby and the rottie actually puinned her up against the wall - not growling just not letting her leave - the pooch really didnt want her touching 'his baby' who he apparently followed eveywhere and was very protective over ha :rolleyes:
 
It's interesting to read of those dogs which have developed their own guarding techniques. I've known of a disproportionally high number of GSDs, and nearly always bitches, which have taken on a serious guard role over their human children. Sitting on a sofa, once, an irritating child of 4 or 5 needed a serious tickling, to sort him out, or so I thought. The GSD bitch which was in the kitchen, heard the child shrieking with laughter, and came through at me, and she meant it. She didn't make contact, but that was because I saw her coming at me, and stopped. Her owners, the child's parents were staggered, and apologetic, having never seen the dog behave like that before. I dismissed their apology and assured them that they had SOME dog, and so they did, she was a delight. Strangely, she never really forgave me, even though I tried with her.

Another one would be Pub dogs. They can come around to the customer side of the bar, and be everyone's friend. Behind the bar, and anyone who leans over, tends to be repelled!! They do it without training, it's just a skill which many seem to acquire.

I often wonder if those of us who fancy ourselves as dog trainers, don't inhibit our dog's natural expressions, which is why when dogs are with children, who have no control over them, they are free to express themselves as they see fit. And so they do. As a small boy, I was once physically attacked by an adult man, and his own dog attacked him, and put a stop to his behaviour. He didn't draw blood that I could see, but certainly ripped his shirt. The dog didn't really know me, and I've never quite understood why the dog acted as it did!

Alec.

ETS, and to answer the original question, I would advise caution to the inexperienced, when considering the guard dog qualities of any breed. Without knowledge, some of the guarding breeds can become a liability. a.
 
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What I find strange is that my rottie (male) would know who could come into the house and who couldn’t. Me or my husband could come in late after a night out, my friends come round (both day and night) and you don’t hear a peep from him and he’ll be fast asleep in the house until he sees you yet when you’re in bed and he hears the slightest noise he makes the most blood curdling noise (Id say like a lion a deep raw growl very unlike his playful (but very loud) bark … He did this from about 6 months old (hes 18 month now)x
 
tessybear said:
Helping a family member look for a dog to adopt from a shelter she was after a staffie so should be no trouble finding one (sadly- poor things) but when searching we came across a business who breed and train dogs for the purpose of gaurding but market them for families, says this on many of their ads, I was merely curious if people would consider doing this ? I think if i was looking for a family pet its gaurding ability wouldn't be top of my list :o
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I've seen Boerboels advertised on this kind of basis and they are not dogs to be taken lightly.

In this day and age of litigation I'd be very wary of buying a dog for its
' guarding' ability. Most dogs are sold as family dogs and dogs naturally have a guarding / protection instinct so I'm not sure we need dogs specifically bred for guarding.
 
Dogs have been bred specifically for guarding for centuries, its nothing new. And those bred properly would also have been bred for their ability to be safe with family, even if not to be a fun pet, just from a practical view. I certainly like dogs who have an inherent guarding instinct. When my daughter was a toddler, my friends husband, who my dog adored & had known before daughter was born, was playing with her one day along the lines of I'm coming to get you. Daughter was giggling away, but the dog still planted himself between them, & made it very clear getting closer would be a bad idea. He never bothered though if it was a game involving non scary body language though. I really don't view being a guard dog, & a family pet as mutually exclusive.
 
My old girl definitely knew the difference between me and my friend doing horseplay in the garden and when my mum's friend (an older man) picked me up and was pretending to throw me in the sea, she nearly had him!!
GSD owners will know THE LOOK!!

It can go the other way, I've mentioned my Mum's old dog who would have guarded us both with his life but he was getting far too extreme and would have hurt someone perhaps behaving completely innocuously (he did flatten a door-to-door collector when my mum went to get her purse.)
He was the grandson of a working police dog who produced two show champions (a total fluke) one of which was a very heavily used stud dog, but males from that line were notoriously sharp.

My young dog is for sport, I don't want him taking lumps out of people, he is social, has an on and an off switch but he is a brave little thing and he does wuff when the door goes or when someone goes into the yard.

BBH there is a need for dogs to have guarding bred into them in terms of the services/working purposes but not every pup makes the grade. But as Alec says these dogs are not for the inexperienced. Dilution of natural instinct for the pet market has good and bad sides, which can definitely be seen in my own breed.
 
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