^ and zero shedding, fantastic with children (probably the best family dog I've ever had)

My sheepadoodle is a great guard dog in that she barks when strangers or other animals come on to the property. I'm not sure she would physically attack anything/anyone if needed (she's a fluff ball) but she definitely alerts us of any potential danger. She is full size (not a mini), so she scares delivery people and others who come to the door and can see her very large self in the window. Her bark sounds scarier than she really is.

I think you've got three basic choices if safety with kids is important.

1) Get something that barks a lot, and assume that it will wake you or get your attention, and you will deal with issues. Lhasa Apsos were bred for this purpose, but lots of terriers or hounds will probably do it too.

2) Get something that looks big and intimidating, but is really just a teddy bear. Like a black lab. Assume the "bad guys" will be scared away.

3) Get one of each. Little dog draws attention to the problem. Big dog walks over to say hello and scares the bad guy away.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a hound. They’re great with kids, the shelters are full of them, and they’re loud as f&@k.

This. My hound barks SO loudly “protecting” the house but is the biggest docile baby otherwise. The best dogs with kids ever too.

We have a beagle that doesn't bark when strange people enter our house. Unless she sniffs or licks them to death we wouldn't know if anyone enters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dachshunds bark and are very alert.

They also shed and pee all over the place!

Stereotypes

I think boxers have frequent neurological issues. My family member’s boxer went crazy in a bit of a dangerous way and my vet friend said she’s seen lots of issues with them.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Mastiffs can turn into murderous lunatics - I’ve seen it.
Not a good choice.

Irish Wolfhound? Sweet but do large people can only be afraid upon seeing them.

The very concept of "guard dog" is not desirable if you wish to entertain, have guests over and generally interact in a friendly way with your neighbors.

My large dog barks when he senses people on the sidewalk (or closer, although that's never happened when we were all home) in front of our house after the sun sets. In reality he wouldn't hurt a fly, but a stranger wouldn't know that.

Anonymous wrote:Get a hound. They’re great with kids, the shelters are full of them, and they’re loud as f&@k.

This. My hound barks SO loudly “protecting” the house but is the biggest docile baby otherwise. The best dogs with kids ever too.

OP, are you American, or new to the country? Do you come from a culture that values dogs?

I ask before I'm familiar with cultures that don't value dogs. If you're looking for a guard dog that you're going to stick in a kennel all day long and then release onto your property to guard it at night, that's not a fair life for a dog. I urge you to reconsider getting a dog.

If you're getting a dog, make sure you treat it fairly. Make sure it has companions, and company - be it your family, or at least another dog. It's very cruel to isolate a dog and treat it like a machine, not a living, sensitive, feeling creature.

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

You have obviously never met an Alaskan malamute.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regular Golden is great for barking if someone is approaching the house too. Sheds like the MF though.

We’ve had two Golden’s and neither barked, or was remotely a guard dog. Our 10 year old cane home late last weekend and he hid behind the couch because someone came to the door after dark. Not a golden.

Big dogs like Pyrenees or Newfoundland’s have really intimidating barks but are generally very friendly and good with kids. They shed though.

Mine will bar if someone is at the front door. More like a growl. He used to bark, I trained him to stop. But, no he would not be a guard dog.

We have a little white fluffy dog that barks up a storm whenever strangers walk by or approach the house. To me, she is a guard dog. She wouldn't hurt a fly, but the people who approach her don't know that. I think that is what you want in a guard dog. You don't want a guard dog that could bite off your kid's face.

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

No, my herding dog mix would welcome anyone into the house, encourage them to make themselves at home, and cuddle silently with them on the couch. On two occasions workmen have come into my apartment when I was asleep and both times he did nothing to alert me. I think he loves me and wants he best for me. But the idea that a human could be a threat has never crossed his mind.

On the other hand, the sweet lab I grew up never barked or growled, but he also never let a stranger between him and my mother. He just quietly moved his body between the two people and repositioned himself as needed. He was very attuned to her voice and would know instantly who was a friend and who was unfamiliar. But that was just her. If I was home alone and a repairman came he would run and hide under the bed.

I agree that a black lab is a good choice for a loyal dog that’s good with kids.

Anonymous wrote:Dachshunds bark and are very alert.

They also shed and pee all over the place!