I have a black mouth cut (it’s an unrecognized breed from Texas, bred to hunt wild boar). He kind of looks like a lab or Rhodesian ridgeback.

He is an amazing guard dog- deep scary bark. But he doesn’t bark at people he knows (so our neighbors, my parents, friends who come over regularly) and is great with our young nieces when they come over.

There are a ton of black mouth curs or mixes for rescue around here- if you google it to see what they look like you will see them. A lot of rescues either don’t know or don’t advertise that way since other people don’t know the breed. But they are great.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1, this sounds like an individual quirk. My Aussie used to try to go through the mail slot (not a positive for us). Any dog can be trained to bark and most do it without training. OP should get a good family dog and train.

As for size, my squat 50lb mutt is more than big enough to give people pause. Anything too big to pick up will be sufficiently scary.

This is what you want. Lagotto Romagnolo. We have one. He loves children and enjoys adults, but if he does not know you he barks. Wary of strangers. His bark is forcefully and is that of a dog much bigger. We had our college age nephew staying with us. He came back at 2 am once and the dog woke everyone up. My nephews said the dog started barking as he walked up the drive.

The Lagotto Romagnolo is a very loving dog that is devoted to its owner. They are also extremely affectionate and gentle with children and make excellent family pets. Lagottos have excellent eyesight and are extremely alert. They will quickly alert their owners to any intrusions into the family property and often make excellent guard dogs.

https://www.petguide.com/breeds/dog/lagotto-romagnolo/

Aside from being exceptional water retrievers and truffle searching dogs, the Lagotti is also a most valued home companion. For centuries, these dogs were kept by peasant marshmen in Italy to serve as guard dogs. These are not yappy dogs and when they bark it is to warn the owners of intruders. Having a Lagotto Romanolo in your landing is just like having a security guard. You can be assured that no intruder can gain access to your home. It is believed that this dog sleeps with one eye open. Its acute sense of hearing makes it an excellent guard dog.A Lagotto would get along well with other dogs and with smaller pets too if properly socialized.

https://www.sarahsdogs.com/breeds/lagotto-romagnolo/

Anonymous wrote:Any dog that lives with you in your house has guarding instincts.

The instincts may be there, but our beagle could never have done and never even tried to do what a Belgian Malinois can do.

Any dog that lives with you in your house has guarding instincts.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I know this thread is old but have been so impressed with the intelligence, power, and speed of a Belgian Malinois as they help our military in combat and police apprehend criminals. Quite the amazing breed! And, no, I wouldn't want to try to access your home/premises without permission!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gEgMj5glGA

Anonymous wrote:I have a German Shepherd and he is FANTASTIC protection for both our house and when I'm out with him (I'm a woman)

I have a female German Shepherd and she is a lovable goofball, EXCEPT when someone is in our yard or on our porch or in our house. She hates the mail carrier, plumbing repair guys, and the UPS guy with a violent, abiding hatred. She scared the crap out of me when some Jehovah's Witnesses came to the door and I was in the garden. She sounded like she would go through the door to kill them.

At the same time, she walks and runs with me daily and is super-friendly with strangers when we are out.

Anonymous wrote:Eh, my pit bull barks when someone comes to the door....but sometimes she is too lazy to even get up off of the couch or the bed and will just bark from afar! Of course, if someone actually did break in, she'd likely sit on their lap and lick them. Not the greatest guard dog, but does at least usually bark and is wonderful with young kids and other dogs. So much personality and a good family dog. Eager to please you and therefore incredibly easy to train. I"m sure her instincts would kick in if one of us was being hurt.

That's how my pittie was, too. She was such a lovebug. I miss her dearly. She sure sounded/looked scary, though!

I've got a pointer mix now who's much more ferocious sounding, even, and, is a lot less lazy about getting off the couch.

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.

Hounds bark when the grass grows. Loud.

But are sweet family dogs. Best of both worlds if you want a barker.

My pug is pretty scary

We love our boxer. A real sweetheart and good with kids but people think he is tough and are scared of him!

I have a German Shepherd and he is FANTASTIC protection for both our house and when I'm out with him (I'm a woman)

here are three that look awesome!

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26392795/
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/28191053/
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/28069311/

All good with cats and kids, and none too terribly big.

We used to have a Great Dane + Lab mix. Best dog I ever had. Great mix of fun and playful (Lab), and mellow (Dane), and protective (Dane). If you're open to considering a big dog, a Great Dane mix might be a good option. Ours was big, but not gigantic (a little over 100lbs).

Just another option to consider.

Also, get an adult dog from Petfinder! You can avoid all the difficulties of puppies, often find one that's pre-trained, and save a life! After we adopted ours, we discovered she already knew a ton of hand signals - very cool!

Anonymous wrote:2nd golden retrievers. They will bark if someone is at the door. Not to attack but to play but the burglar doesn't know this. They are not good guard dogs otherwise as anyone who is comfortable with dogs can make friends fast.

This is my experience with my golden also. She barks like crazy when someone comes to the door. But what her bark really is saying is "oh how I wish I could manage that dang doorknob to let you in so you can lavish me with love" Like a pp said, the person just hearing her crazed bark doesn't know this. It works well.