Our terrier is useless for this-- her barks sound like old lady wheezes and she just wags her tail and licks everyone indiscriminately.

Anonymous wrote:May sound odd, but our westie has amazing instincts (knows the difference btw the ups lady, mailman and a stranger without seeing them). When he barks though - man, he sounds vicious!!! He's otherwise very sweet and a wonderful addition to our family - I adore him.

Westies weigh what, 7 lbs? And yours can bark discriminately, I'm sure, but the sound isn't going to scare anyone...Too high pitched.

We have 2 - a german shepard/boxer mix and a german shepard/sharpei mix. Both look mean when they are barking at strangers outside of our house. I usually get overdramatic when I have to open the door to the pizza guy or a maintenance worker - "back boys, back...oh,hold on a sec, the dogs are strong (as I try to hold them back)."

I'm always cautious of any dogs around kids, but mine have been sweethearts with my 2.

May sound odd, but our westie has amazing instincts (knows the difference btw the ups lady, mailman and a stranger without seeing them). When he barks though - man, he sounds vicious!!! He's otherwise very sweet and a wonderful addition to our family - I adore him.

Second the German Shepard recommendation, but not a Rottie. Some home owner's insurance companies will increase your rates if you buy certain dog breeds because they come with increased risk of harming someone.

My weimaraner gets pretty vicious when someone approaches but this isn't a trait for this breed. What you'll find is a lot of these qualities vary from dog to dog rather than breed to breed.

German shepherd or a rottie. Great family dogs and protective

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am not going to train a dog to do anything. I just know that some breeds are more likely to do the appropriate barking when strangers approach than others. We have and Austr. Shepherd and I believe that the dog can bark, but I have heard it only once or twice.

Are you sure you have an Aussie? Mine could melt metal....that said, put the barking on cue. When you hear her bark, click and treat. If she barks when someone approaches the door, praise her. She will catch on.

Anonymous wrote:Golden Retriever. Great family dog, very protective, but gentle and loving to kids.

I second this. My best friend has a golden and my kids are terrified to go up to her door.

Golden Retriever. Great family dog, very protective, but gentle and loving to kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a breed that will bark at strangers approaching the house. We want a breed that is not known to attack, but to know when to stop. I don't want a yappy dog that barks at every squirrel. Someone recommended a standard schnauzer, we are looking into that.

Any dog trained as a guard dog will attack, even a poodle, I have had a schnauzer and they are very friendly dogs. You should never have a guard dog around children because a child could do something to put the dog into attack mode. Get motion sensor lights, a good burgular alarm or the best alarm system ever, Guinea hens.

Alarm systems are a waste. The best thing a home owner can do is get a dog. I say this a person who lost a family member in a home invasion/burglary gone wrong. The alarm comapny was useless.

OP here, I am not going to train a dog to do anything. I just know that some breeds are more likely to do the appropriate barking when strangers approach than others. We have and Austr. Shepherd and I believe that the dog can bark, but I have heard it only once or twice.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a breed that will bark at strangers approaching the house. We want a breed that is not known to attack, but to know when to stop. I don't want a yappy dog that barks at every squirrel. Someone recommended a standard schnauzer, we are looking into that.

Any dog trained as a guard dog will attack, even a poodle, I have had a schnauzer and they are very friendly dogs. You should never have a guard dog around children because a child could do something to put the dog into attack mode. Get motion sensor lights, a good burgular alarm or the best alarm system ever, Guinea hens.

Our labradoodle is gentle and sweet and great with kids but man, she's a scary barker when strangers approach the house.

We are looking for a breed that will bark at strangers approaching the house. We want a breed that is not known to attack, but to know when to stop. I don't want a yappy dog that barks at every squirrel. Someone recommended a standard schnauzer, we are looking into that.