Yard dog options, a 'scary' type

malwhit said:
If I lived in the middle of knowhere, my choice would be between a show bred black Labrador ( they are chunky and bigger than the working ones) and a German Shepherd.
I used to own Mini Schnauzers, and if it wasn't for the grooming, a Standard or Giant Schnauzer would be perfect.
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I do live in the middle of nowhere malwhit and the feisty over protective lab I mentioned in my previous post above is exactly as you describe, except she really does mean what she says. Apparently her reputation has spread locally, nobody opens our gate anymore, they all hoot at the entrance and wait for us to give them the all clear! Just how I like it.?
 
Luna (husky) is the only dog of our three I can trust around the horses. Mum always said she felt better knowing I had her with me in the winter and dark. I didn’t have the heart to tell her at the first sign of trouble Luna would hide behind me!

I can’t have him loose around the horses as his herding instincts are so strong, but Bo the collie would see off anyone who came prowling around.
 
Thanks so much everyone!! Yes just to reiterate/confirm - I definitely do not want a trained protection dog, that's beyond my skill level and rightly or wrongly, I'd be scared in case it went rogue especially with having a novicey owner. I only want something as a deterrent and a bark on command would be amazing. I have done courses with IMDT so decent with training but definitely no expert.

Love collies but think they'd be too much for me energy wise? Weekdays I'd prefer to keep to about 1.5 ish hours of exercise max but can do more at the weekend. Our house is quite busy so hoping for a couch potato type when we're home, I don't have the mental capacity for much more chaos, lol.

Another thought I'd had is a Standard Poodle, not scary to look at of course but still a decent size and fairly loud. I'm a poodle girl through and through and have had standards in the past so know I love the breed. I also love St Bernards and Newfies, even Danes! ALWAYS wanted a Golden Retriever too.

This is turning into an excuse to justify getting another cute pup isn't it ?
 
Feeling a bit vulnerable, so get a dog to threaten people with. How is this not a job for the American Bully XL? It is after all what all the others were bought for.
 
throwaway2022 said:
Thanks so much everyone!! Yes just to reiterate/confirm - I definitely do not want a trained protection dog, that's beyond my skill level and rightly or wrongly, I'd be scared in case it went rogue especially with having a novicey owner. I only want something as a deterrent and a bark on command would be amazing. I have done courses with IMDT so decent with training but definitely no expert.

Love collies but think they'd be too much for me energy wise? Weekdays I'd prefer to keep to about 1.5 ish hours of exercise max but can do more at the weekend. Our house is quite busy so hoping for a couch potato type when we're home, I don't have the mental capacity for much more chaos, lol.

Another thought I'd had is a Standard Poodle, not scary to look at of course but still a decent size and fairly loud. I'm a poodle girl through and through and have had standards in the past so know I love the breed. I also love St Bernards and Newfies, even Danes! ALWAYS wanted a Golden Retriever too.

This is turning into an excuse to justify getting another cute pup isn't it ?
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Fabulous looking dogs. Are they very barky? I’d say get what you like/know and teach it to speak on command as I said earlier.
 
I wouldn’t count on a barky breed being barker anyway
You can train any dog to bark on command but my Samoyed
They’re supposed to be a very very vocal breed..not a peep unless I ask
 
There are a couple of standard black poodles round here. Beautiful dogs and a great bark on them. The owner does say they are a bit of a marmite dog - not always easy to train, but these are beautifully behaved. I don't think I'd argue with them though! If you know the breed and love it just get what you love.
 
misst said:
There are a couple of standard black poodles round here. Beautiful dogs and a great bark on them. The owner does say they are a bit of a marmite dog - not always easy to train, but these are beautifully behaved. I don't think I'd argue with them though! If you know the breed and love it just get what you love.
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The only poodles I have known have been small ones but they were very trainable. I would expect the standards to be similar.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
The only poodles I have known have been small ones but they were very trainable. I would expect the standards to be similar.
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The owner said they are not as trainable as the smaller ones - but once you "get" them they are great. She is always very chatty about them and says they are a bit of niche breed. I am not sure but I think they can be aloof. Stunning animals though, especially when they are chasing squirrels!
 
I am another person recommending geese. Mine were very vocal and people don't know what to do with them. My gander had a lot of attitude as well and loathed men. No idea why. They were fine with us but visitors had to watch out.
 
I find that raising a dog as a puppy is the best way to to get them to accept and behave around a cat. If you get an older dog that has already lived with cats and is fine around them, that could work too. It's not impossible to train an older dog to be ok with cats, but it's not always easy and can be quite stressful, especially for the cat.

Both my Cane Corso and Lab accept the cat has the boss, essentially, and he's quite comfortable with the Lab. The Cane Corso is still young but they have no issues. Of course I love the Cane Corso breed, and they're my preferred guardian dog, but I wouldn't recommend one for you.

I would go the Poodle or Retriever route, especially if that's what you like and feel comfortable with. You can train any of them to bark on command. Newfies are also alright, but they're big, with a lot of hair! They're basically huge derps, IME ? not my type, and my neighbor seems to have to groom hers often.
 
Alternatively...how about an Airedale? They are great clowns of dogs but take their 'work' seriously. Not completely non-shedding but pretty much and big enough and loud enough to do what you need. Newfies are utterly hopeless, have loads of health problems and ime (we had them at home when I was a teenager) couldn't give a stuff who turns up. Huge amounts of coat care needed and they don't really like living indoors either!! Very sweet temperament and great if you love swimming though...My BIL has a dobe who is lovely but definitely watchful and potentially rather scary; they are also nicely athletic.
 
I’ve found German short haired pointers very guardy, and they’re quite a formidable looking dog too. Not sure if it’s just the lines I’ve known.

It would be a ridgeback for me every time if I wanted that type of dog - but I know I haven’t got it in me for any of the guardy type breeds! Dog number four will be a more straightforward (thicker!) dog.
 
misst said:
There are a couple of standard black poodles round here. Beautiful dogs and a great bark on them. The owner does say they are a bit of a marmite dog - not always easy to train, but these are beautifully behaved. I don't think I'd argue with them though! If you know the breed and love it just get what you love.
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I had an aunt who always had them - they were not to be messed with/and not the stereotype people think of when they think of poodles. They lived in a slightly sketchy area and her husband ran a secondhand jewellers - think Snatch. They really are all dog.
 
misst said:
The owner said they are not as trainable as the smaller ones - but once you "get" them they are great. She is always very chatty about them and says they are a bit of niche breed. I am not sure but I think they can be aloof. Stunning animals though, especially when they are chasing squirrels!
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I have a friend who always says that Standard Poodles don't care what they're doing as long as they look good doing it! There are some that I've met that fit that! I also know a number who enjoy working with their owners.
 
Since 2005 I’ve had three st poodles and I’d say keep looking.
Even in a short clip it’s a wool coat that will still need lots of attention to avoid matting,if living in a rural setting.
Temperament wise all three of mine have been so different in Temperament there isn’t really a format to ensure you get a “ hard “protective dog.
the st poodle will be loyal to his owner but not so much to the property,if he is left as a “guard dog”.
Poodles are people dogs.
The schnauzer ,however ,is my second breed love..they are bred and born to the stable yard..their wire coats are easy to strip and remain relatively rugged and easy keep.
The schnauzer ( medium size ) is described as a personal protector..the giant is a property guard.. both would fit your bill.
Even my mini schnauzer is an alert barker..very vigilant,but too small for your brief.
 
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