https://www.google.com/search?biw=1024&bih=501&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=hfPcXaAb4dTmAoyZnMAF&q=American+eskimo+with+cats&oq=American+eskimo+with+cats&gs_l=img.3..0i24.24402.25140..25388...0.0..0.69.396.7......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i8i30.RJFA6Zc-_zU&ved=0ahUKEwjg8cCWy4fmAhVhqlkKHYwMB1gQ4dUDCAY&uact=5

My advise, you can learn a lot on youtube, you can see the dogs in action, and you can get the best feel of
the breed watching different dogs in action. It is next best thing to seeing them in person.

Anonymous wrote:Op here- thank you everyone for sharing. I wanted to clarify that I am not going to get the dig right away, im just starting my research now as this will be a long process so I can learn all I need to know before the breed and dog care before getting one. I am okay getting a dog that is not necessarily a protection dog as long as it will be a deterrent. Im also planning to walk on trails around the house with the dog hence the imposing stature request. Ideally the main traits would be friendly and loyal to the family and my 10 year old and 2 cats. I will be working remotely a lot but wanted to learn more about dog care if im in the office. Do people hire dog walkers when they go to work? How many times a day? Thank you all

Good approach. You need to learn a lot before deciding. My vote is for Eski (American Eskimo dog) as he sounds
like best fit from what you described, your needs, kid, cats, deterring enough but also super loyal, fun and loving.
You need to take him first thing before work and right when you came back. You also can have a back door with
a dog door in the house and he can have a collar and can get out by himself to the back yard.
yes, you can get a dog walker. Sure.

While I am all for adopting pets, in your specific situation I would not. For the sake of everyone's well being I would much rather
get a puppy and have it blend into family seamlessly. Especially with dog and a kid. A puppy will have much easier job to
adjust, so will a cat. With older dog he already has habits formed and it would be tough on him to
compromise much. Also as far as your safety needs you can teach puppy from scratch what
to react and what not .

I would strongly suggest STAY AWAY from Saomyed and any dog that is very friendly towards
anyone and everyone. They will lead a bad guy straight to your jewlry .

I would get some German work dog, they have built in discipline. You don't really need
to teach them much, just to tweak to your needs. They are very alert, very friendly
towards family and will be friendly to whoever and when you will want to but can
also turn their warning signs towers anyone you will want them not to be friendly
to if needed. They don't really make friends with others outside t he family but
they will definitely behave very friendly per your command and with your approval.

German Shepard is great dog, he also takes initiative when and if needed.
However is very big and eat a lot, that translates into cost and also medical
bills and handling if sick if you need to carry dog of that size, it might be a big
problem. Great with kids and great wit cats though.

Rottweilers are also great protectors and genraly good with kids but also
have greater capacity for harm if mishandled. Alsow ith cats, it can be tricky.

If you want smaller dogs you can get a Dobrman but that would dpend on breeder,
some breed dogs that would chase small animals till they catch and that would
be not safe for your cat.

American Eskimo that is in an essence German Spitz, is also an amazing
choice. They are in their regular size almost as big as German Shepard's.
They are white. Very friendly to the family, and great with kids, very tolerant
and very forgiving very tough dogs, no nonsense kind of a dog. Great with
cats. Easy to train, very smart. They are respected for their guarding traits.
Wonderful happy attitude and great personalities. Extremely faithful dogs.

There are other good breeds with kids and animals:
Labrador, Australian Shepard etc. But those dogs are not as great guard
dogs as the ones above. Still very forgiving and very happy and friendly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom about to move in a much bigger house and suburban area. I would like to adopt a dog for protection so one who is imposing in stature and also ready to defend but as well a good family dog, great with kids and cats. Ive never had a dog before so looking for breed recommendations. ( we have a cat). Thanks

You don't need a 'big' dog to deter burglars, any dog that barks will do the same job. If you don't demand perfect obedience and want an energetic companion for your kids, a beagle might work.

Except the beagle will roam. You want a dog you can let out of the house without fear of him opening the gate to escape. Beagles are too smart.

I'm a single mom with three kids who adopted a rescue beagle. We love him, but he is nuts. Do not get a beagle. First of all, they love anyone who gives them food, including burglars. Second, they are STUBBORN and nearly impossible to train. Our trainer gave up on our beagle. They are so smart and will figure out how to climb up on your counters, get into your closets to eat your shoes, and dig under your fence to go on adventures. Neighbors and strangers will ring your doorbell after dragging your dog back to your house - beagles LOVE strangers and will follow them anywhere. They are not good guard dogs at all.

We LOVE our dog despite everything I wrote above. He makes up laugh nearly every day. He's all love. But he would not deter any robber or attacker for a second, and, he's a real handful compared to the labs that I had growing up. If a burger came into our home, our beagle would be so happy, just hoping to get some food. I honestly don't think he would help much either if I was mugged in front of him. If I dropped the leash, he would be thrilled and take off, following his nose - most beagles can't be left off leash ever.

I do think that dogs are great deterrents though. I think a larger dog could be a great companion to you too. German shepherds are loyal and smart dogs and great if trained properly. But I have had some real second thoughts about getting a dog while working and divorced. Dogs really are so much work, and your dog will be with you for nearly two decades. It's a huge decision, and I probably would hesitate if given the choice again.

Good luck to you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here- thank you everyone for sharing. I wanted to clarify that I am not going to get the dig right away, im just starting my research now as this will be a long process so I can learn all I need to know before the breed and dog care before getting one. I am okay getting a dog that is not necessarily a protection dog as long as it will be a deterrent. Im also planning to walk on trails around the house with the dog hence the imposing stature request. Ideally the main traits would be friendly and loyal to the family and my 10 year old and 2 cats. I will be working remotely a lot but wanted to learn more about dog care if im in the office. Do people hire dog walkers when they go to work? How many times a day? Thank you all

Yes, you definitely need a dog walker. A puppy needs to pee more often, but after a year, you could get by with first thing in am, right before leaving for work, mid day, right after work, bedtime.

In terms of trails, don’t wear headphones and take a self defense class. Or find a buddy to walk with. Being attacked by a random stranger is rare, but I still get the fear. There are places I wouldn’t hike even in the middle of the day but it made me uncomfortable.

A dog isn’t necessarily make you less of a target, especially if it isn’t trained. I don’t mean like an attack dog, but one that actually obeys commands like sit stay come.

Thank you! I try to be as safe as I can but would love to have a dog with us when it’s just may daughter and me. I will not do this at night so its an added measure during the day. I’d also prefer a mellow dog I guess because my daughter gets scared when a dog is too wild or loud. What breeds would you say are more mellow? My friend said a plott hound would be good but dont know much about the breed

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom about to move in a much bigger house and suburban area. I would like to adopt a dog for protection so one who is imposing in stature and also ready to defend but as well a good family dog, great with kids and cats. Ive never had a dog before so looking for breed recommendations. ( we have a cat). Thanks

I just got German pointer retriever puppy hes almost a year. I can’t stop sneezing and my kid is not over our last dogs death. He really is a lovely dog. Let me know if your interested.

Would love to but not ready to make a decision til we are settled and get enough information about the breed to see if it would be a perfect match. Sorry to hear about your dog’s death Isnt he bonding with your son?

Anonymous wrote:Op here- thank you everyone for sharing. I wanted to clarify that I am not going to get the dig right away, im just starting my research now as this will be a long process so I can learn all I need to know before the breed and dog care before getting one. I am okay getting a dog that is not necessarily a protection dog as long as it will be a deterrent. Im also planning to walk on trails around the house with the dog hence the imposing stature request. Ideally the main traits would be friendly and loyal to the family and my 10 year old and 2 cats. I will be working remotely a lot but wanted to learn more about dog care if im in the office. Do people hire dog walkers when they go to work? How many times a day? Thank you all

Yes, you definitely need a dog walker. A puppy needs to pee more often, but after a year, you could get by with first thing in am, right before leaving for work, mid day, right after work, bedtime.

In terms of trails, don’t wear headphones and take a self defense class. Or find a buddy to walk with. Being attacked by a random stranger is rare, but I still get the fear. There are places I wouldn’t hike even in the middle of the day but it made me uncomfortable.

A dog isn’t necessarily make you less of a target, especially if it isn’t trained. I don’t mean like an attack dog, but one that actually obeys commands like sit stay come.

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom about to move in a much bigger house and suburban area. I would like to adopt a dog for protection so one who is imposing in stature and also ready to defend but as well a good family dog, great with kids and cats. Ive never had a dog before so looking for breed recommendations. ( we have a cat). Thanks

I just got German pointer retriever puppy hes almost a year. I can’t stop sneezing and my kid is not over our last dogs death. He really is a lovely dog. Let me know if your interested.

Op here- thank you everyone for sharing. I wanted to clarify that I am not going to get the dig right away, im just starting my research now as this will be a long process so I can learn all I need to know before the breed and dog care before getting one. I am okay getting a dog that is not necessarily a protection dog as long as it will be a deterrent. Im also planning to walk on trails around the house with the dog hence the imposing stature request. Ideally the main traits would be friendly and loyal to the family and my 10 year old and 2 cats. I will be working remotely a lot but wanted to learn more about dog care if im in the office. Do people hire dog walkers when they go to work? How many times a day? Thank you all

Miniature Schnauzers are fantastic as an alarm system. They are smaller dogs, but VERY intelligent, so they are easier to train. Great family dogs, but will need a firm and consistent owner who is willing to give them the stimulation they need, as well as socialization while young. They also don’t shed, but will need grooming every 6 weeks or so. I don’t think I will ever own another breed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom about to move in a much bigger house and suburban area. I would like to adopt a dog for protection so one who is imposing in stature and also ready to defend but as well a good family dog, great with kids and cats. Ive never had a dog before so looking for breed recommendations. ( we have a cat). Thanks

You don't need a 'big' dog to deter burglars, any dog that barks will do the same job. If you don't demand perfect obedience and want an energetic companion for your kids, a beagle might work.

Except the beagle will roam. You want a dog you can let out of the house without fear of him opening the gate to escape. Beagles are too smart.

OP my mini labradoodle is fantastic protection if what you want is a dog who barks when someone is approaching the house. My mailman hates her.

You don't need a "security" dog if all you want is an alarm system/deterrent. You just need a dog.

Anonymous wrote:Im a single mom about to move in a much bigger house and suburban area. I would like to adopt a dog for protection so one who is imposing in stature and also ready to defend but as well a good family dog, great with kids and cats. Ive never had a dog before so looking for breed recommendations. ( we have a cat). Thanks

You don't need a 'big' dog to deter burglars, any dog that barks will do the same job. If you don't demand perfect obedience and want an energetic companion for your kids, a beagle might work.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, don't get a German Shepard as a first-time dog owner. They are for advanced owners. They are very smart and if bored, will destroy stuff. Same goes for practically all working dogs.

Try the AKC breed selector for assistance: https://www.akc.org/dog-breed-selector/

Or, if you're on reddit, the r/dogs community will help you out.

+1

We have a Collie, and while he fits your criteria, he's also an enormous PITA if not exercised physically and mentally, more so than most dogs.

Rescues can be great, and they can also have pretty significant trade-offs. Get settled, and go from there. I think you're smart to get a dog; pretty much any security expert with any credibility would recommend it, alarm system or no.

I agree with the folks who are counseling that you get settled first before getting a dog, OP. But also I want to emphasize that you don't have to get a dog that is "imposing" in stature and trained to protect you. Just having a dog at your house deters people from trying to break in. Of course, if someone really wants to mess with you, no dog is going to stop them but for most people the fact that there is a dog there would cause them to look at a different home to break into.