Best Guard Dogs to Protect Your House and Family

Guard Dog Vs. Protection Dog Vs. WatchDog

Many people think that guard dogs are protection and watchdogs, which is wrong. Since all of them share their responsibilities to some extent, usually they are considered the same. But, they differ in some significant ways.

A guard dog is a specifically trained dog that usually works for police and military and assists them in their various operations. These dogs may not make good family pets and emotional support animals because once trained in a certain way, it will be very difficult to change it. However, these police dogs may make good livestock guard dogs.

Protection dogs are usually family dogs that protect the house and the family. These dogs are also trained to protect the house from any kind of intruder. These dogs should be intelligent enough to know when to attack and know the difference between intruders and family.

Watch Dogs bark and alert the homeowner about the intruder. These dogs do not bite or attack and this is why any dog could be a watchdog. These dogs come in different sizes and any small or large breed could be a watchdog.

What Dogs make the Best Guard Dogs?

All dogs are lovely but there are some that are specifically bred to guard and protect. These dogs are used in different places like in the military, to guard the house and look after property and livestock. Usually, people like to choose a dog breed that is healthy and fit to do the job properly.

Having one of these healthiest dog breeds means fewer visits to the vet and significant savings on your dog’s healthcare.

As per the American Kennel Club, below are the top 10 breeds of best guard dogs.

• Anatolian Shepherd Dog
• Akita
• Appenzeller Sennenhund
• Australian Shepherd
• Beauceron
• Belgian Laekenois
• Boxer
• Bouvier des Flandres
• Black Russian Terrier
• Bergamasco Sheepdog

All of these dogs are bred to be guard dogs are known for their protective instincts and qualities.

Best Family Guard Dogs

• German Shepherd
• Rottweiler
• Doberman Pinscher
• Bullmastiff
• Boxer
• Great Dane
• Giant Schnauzer
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Great Pyrenees
• Saint Bernard

Best Small Guard Dogs

• Beagle
• Chihuahua
• Pomeranian
• Jack Russel Terrier
• Boston Terrier
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Miniature Bull Terrier
• Dachshund
• Lhasa Apso
• Shi Tzu

Best Medium-Sized Guard Dogs

• Shar-Pei
• Chow Chow
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Standard Schnauzer
• Australian Cattle Dog
• German Shepherd
• Kuvasz
• Rottweiler
• Chow Chow
• Boxer

Best Guard Dogs for Home

• Akita
• Australian Shepherd
• Bullmastiff
• Catahoula Leopard Dog
• Caucasian Shepherd Dog
• Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
• Doberman Pinscher
• Belgian Malinois
• Estrela Mountain Dogs
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Best Guard Dogs for Apartments

• Doberman Pinscher
• Bullmastiff
• Puli
• Boxer
• Giant Schnauzer
• Great Dane
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Shar-Pei
• Rottweiler
• German Shepherd

Best Farm and Livestock Guard Dogs

• The Great Pyrenees
• Maremma Sheepdog
• Akbash
• Kuvasz
• Pyrenean Mastiff
• Komondor
• Polish Tatra Sheepdog
• Anatolian Shepherd
• Kangal
• Tibetan Mastiff

Best Hypoallergenic Guard Dogs

• Giant Schnauzer
• Komondor
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Argentine Mastiff
• Airedale Terrier
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Poodle
• Wheaten Terrier
• Samoyed
• Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

Best Large Guard dogs

• Neapolitan Mastiff
• Fila Brasileiro
• Tibetan Mastiff
• Great Dane
• Anatolian Shepherd
• Cane Corso
• Caucasian Shepherd
• Central Asian Shepherd
• Boerboel
• Moscow Watchdog

Best Guard Dogs for Single Females

• American Pitbull Terrier
• German Shepherd
• Doberman Pinscher
• Rottweiler
• Boxer
• Akita
• English Bulldog
• Jack Russel Terrier
• Golden Retriever
• Great Dane

Best Guard Dogs for Senior and Elderly

• Standard Schnauzers
• Poodle
• Boston Terrier
• Cairn Terrier
• Weimaraner
• Chihuahua
• Lhasa Apso
• German Pinscher
• Cocker Spaniel
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Best Guard Dogs for First Time Dog Owners

• Rottweiler
• Doberman Pinscher
• German Shepherd
• Chow Chow
• Border Collie
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Komondor
• Akita
• Kuvasz
• Bullmastiff

What are the Qualities of a Good Guard Dog?

‘What should I look for in a guard dog?’

When finding a guard dog, look for the following qualities:

• A guard dog must be intelligent enough to identify the difference in a threatening and unusual but harmless situation.
• Choose an immensely loyal dog. Some dogs are very welcoming for everyone and may not make good guard dogs. Dogs like German Shepherd and Rottweilers are loyal to their owners.
• It should be brave and courageous to face any kind of situation and protect you.
• The dog should be able to identify its home and family and the possible intruders and should be able to protect their human family and house.
• Your dog should be a gentle giant. He should be fearless and courageous in the face of danger but he should be loving, caring, and affectionate for his human family members.

Moreover, a great guard dog should be according to your family and nature. People having allergies prefer having hypoallergenic dogs that shed less and cause fewer allergies. These hypoallergenic dog breeds are ideal if you want to bring a canine home but afraid of allergies.

Besides pets and emotional support animals, dogs also do a great job protecting their loved ones. However, while for pets, you may not need ay official dog letters, to have an ESA, you will need an ESA letter to live and travel with it.