Thanks for the recommendations. There are several breeds I didn't think about before.

Anonymous wrote:German Shepard.

Nope, sheds a ton. Plus, while our German Shepherd is great with our kids and has a super scary bark, he is very protective and not great with guests.

Anonymous wrote:Any dog that lives with your family will be a good watch dog.

This. You want a dog that barks an alert, not a "guard dog" that bites. The latter is a huge liability.

Any dog can alert. A decent sized dog, like a lab or hound, will be sufficient to scare off burglers even if it doesn't bark.

- owner of a barky 50 lb mutt

We have a boxer, he is amazing. Not a guard dog, but loves people and definitely kids.

I have a lab that barks and a shepherd mix that barks. Both v friendly and great with kids but if you didnt know that you would be scared. We also got a sign that says " beware of dog" and put it on our fence. Jus to make them seem more intimidating.

Our standard poodle definitely sounds the alarm when strangers approach, and she's big enough to give them pause. She's the most docile, tolerant animal with our toddler. We got her as a puppy right before the baby was born so they are basically growing up together. Bonus is that she doesn't shed either.

Any dog that lives with your family will be a good watch dog.

I have a doberman mix. Great dog. They're called "velcro dogs" because they're so loyal, loving and want to be around you all the time. Very sweet, but has the most menacing growl you've ever heard if somebody comes to the door. Dobermans were bred to guard accountants in Germany in the 1800s and fought alongside soldiers in WWII, so they are loyal and brave.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just get a dog that is good with kids that will bark at strangers. You just want them to alert you but not full on attack dog, right? Because that is actually special training. Get a lab.

Yes this is what I want. However when I think of Labs, I think of them being friendly to everyone... including strangers

No, they bark.

Get a black lab and people will be scared of it.

Anonymous wrote:Just get a dog that is good with kids that will bark at strangers. You just want them to alert you but not full on attack dog, right? Because that is actually special training. Get a lab.

Yes this is what I want. However when I think of Labs, I think of them being friendly to everyone... including strangers

German Shepard.

Anonymous wrote:Any guard dog that is good with your kids will not be good with any other kids. Reconsider.

+1
We had a mastiff who was amazing with our kids, but I constantly worried about strangers.

Just get a dog that is good with kids that will bark at strangers. You just want them to alert you but not full on attack dog, right? Because that is actually special training. Get a lab.

Any guard dog that is good with your kids will not be good with any other kids. Reconsider.

Can you please reccommend a breed like this? Bonus points for minimal shedding. Thank you!