Doberman.

Stop and think: if you have kids, a protective dog will have trouble with normal kid rough and tumble play.

My Aussie is a therapy dog and has sat patiently to be mauled by special needs kids. She stands between the stroller or the baby and any stranger. She will greet people nicely, but barks to warn strangers around the baby----I will say that strangers include the baby's aunt.

Anything without a yippy, annoying bark - anything over 50 pounds, OP.

Our lab actually has a scary bark. Once we greet the person, she is on her back for a belly rub. But, I think her bark would be enough for many trouble makers to just move on to another house. When my husband is away, the lab sleeps with me instead of in her crate. Although we've never had an issue, I feel better with her around.

White German shepherd

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Our westie is 23lbs and he's not fat. He sounds as fierce as the Rot i had growing up. I thought the OP wanted more of an alert dog than anything. Excuse me for sharing my personal experience and trying to be helpful. I'll try not to comment in the future.

Westie bark = strong desire to kick yappy dustmop into the corner
Dottie bark = puckered asshole and images from The Omen

What's a Dottie? And westie owner: woah, wtf butthurt?.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Our westie is 23lbs and he's not fat. He sounds as fierce as the Rot i had growing up. I thought the OP wanted more of an alert dog than anything. Excuse me for sharing my personal experience and trying to be helpful. I'll try not to comment in the future.

Westie bark = strong desire to kick yappy dustmop into the corner
Dottie bark = puckered asshole and images from The Omen

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Our westie is 23lbs and he's not fat. He sounds as fierce as the Rot i had growing up. I thought the OP wanted more of an alert dog than anything. Excuse me for sharing my personal experience and trying to be helpful. I'll try not to comment in the future.

Rhodesian ridgeback

We have a coonhound. I think her barking likely deterred a break in. We returned home to find our back gate open and things moved on the deck one day. Our neighbors had a break-in on the same day. Her bark is fierce and very, very loud.

We also have a shepherd/chow mix. He is very timid and doesn't usually bark without prompting from our other dog. I love that he is all about playing, snuggling, etc, but I wish he wasn't afraid of everything.

We've owned both dogs for roughly 10 years; neither has ever shown aggression.

We have a coonhound, and he is the sweetest, gentlest dog who loves everybody (unless you're on a skateboard, because they're apparantly evil). But he's got a crazy loud bark, and anyone who comes to the door hears it. He'll lay in front of the open door (with the screen door closed) and watch the world go by without barking, but if you come into our yard, the barking starts.

Of course, once you get inside, he just wants to follow you around and love you, but would be burglers don't know that.

I agree with the PPs who have said it really depends on the individual dog. I have had 2 male Labs who were great watch dogs (as in they would bark when strangers approached the door; they weren't trained guard dogs or anything), but another male Lab who never barked and would have let anyone in our house. I've had 2 German Shepherds -- one male and one female -- and the female never barked and was afraid of everything. We currently have the male Shepherd, and he is SUPER protective. I would hate to be the person who attempts to get in our house . . . We don't worry about it at all with our dog around. That said, I don't think most people would have tried anything even when we just had the scaredy-cat female shepherd, because she looked like she could hurt someone. And sometimes the visual deterrent is all you need. I really like both breeds, for what it's worth. Good luck!

Weimeraners were originally breed for companionship and for hunting, so they need a lot of exercise. The ones I have owned have been very good family dogs and good protectors. Had workman come into house unannounced, with a spare key, not according to there policies and agreement with us. My runt in the litter Weimaraner (adult but small for breed) pinned 2 workers in the corner until I gave her a 'release.'. I had not trained her to do that, but is consistent with hunting instincts. Surprised the workers as they had been around her daily for a month and they did not expect her to see them as outsiders. Also have a very loud bark.

OP, you may want to read The Home and Family Protection Dog by Karen Freeman Duet. She is an awesome lady and she is well respected in the protection dog world. It will give you a lot of insight into how dog's think and how you go about training a dog for family protection.

That being said, if you want a fully trained home protection dog, be prepared to spend in the neighborhood of 20K depending on what you want. Some dogs go for more if titled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My French Ring III Belgian Malinois can make it from the front door to the gate in under 3 seconds. My gate is clearly marked as such. Like the mastiff folks, no one comes on my property. Should you get past the Mali, the Rottweiler will pick up the slack.

Yeah, these dogs and mastiffs should be banned from civilized countries. Don't come crying to DCUM when it tears the throat out of one yours or your neighbors children. Why would you want a dog that makes your property totally unsafe for guests?

Learn something about dogs and dog sport then come back and talk about my dogs. Your half trained dog is far more dangerous than mine. Dogs that successfully compete at the top levels of dog sport are highly intelligent, stable and safe. My guests have nothing to worry about. Does your dog obey your every command immediately, completely and without fail off the leash and collar? Mine do. Does your dog resist any food that is place under his nose, tossed in his direction or offered to him without fail? Mine do. Learn what you are talking about then come back and have a rational discussion.

I am the poster who has owned 3 Rottweilers. My current dog has achieved the AKC Utility Dog title, Tracking Dog title, and is working on his agility champion title. His pedigree is full of ScH dogs from Germany and the Netherlands; he is no slouch. He absolutely fulfills the criteria you outline above. That being said, he is not the appropriate dog for the average "pet owner" household.

Most people cannot/do not want to train to this level. And that is FINE, but they need t realize that and get the appropriate dog.

18:01-STFU

PP, you are correct. I am the "crazy" person from above. I have trained dogs as a hobby for over 30 years and have achieved several titles including the first French Ring title ever obtained on a North American bred Rottweiler. I would never recommend a Malinois to the average home. The average dog owner cannot handle a Mali. Or a Rott for that matter, but certainly not a Mali. I really posted to give folks a laugh but of course, this is DC, so someone's sphincter tightened. You are right on the money, most people barely teach their dog to sit, stay and come so breed selection is important.