which is the best guard dog when its trained?

To the idiot that said Siberian Husky …. the army tried that during WWII and failed. Siberians don’t even make good watch dogs let alone be trainable as a guard dog.

No one in civilian life needs a guard dog – all that will get you is SUED. There are many protective breeds – GSD, Rotts, Dobes, Akitas, Chows, etc. They should always be well socialized and well obedience trained, but they are protective by nature and will aid you if YOU are in danger. They will intimidate and bark at strangers – that’s all most people need. Why would you actually want a dog to hurt someone? Look into personal protection training versus actual guard training.

If you have a guard dog professionally trained, then anyone knowing the right commands can give the command and get results. And once a dog is fully guard trained, it is EXTREMELY important to re-enforce and keep up that training or the dog starts remembering only parts and can attact family and friends. A friend bought a trained Doberman and everything was fine for a couple years but they didn’t understand guard training has to be kept up. Their 11 yr old daughter reached for a grocery bag from the mom while unloading the car and the Dobe interperted it as an attack and ripped the girl’s throat – several weeks in the hospital and several plastic surgeries. The dog had to be put down.

The most common breeds for guard training are GSD, Belgium Malinois, Dobermans and Rottweilers – all great breeds but you need to start with a VERY, VERY SOLID TEMPERAMENT and socialize the puppy well. NEVER, NEVER start with an agressive or off-tempered dog.

a Doberman Pinscher or a Rottweiler they can be very very mean, and everyone is scared of em, just dont take their food a way while their eating, Rottwielers are the dogs that police K9 units use that attack people

What do you want a "guard" dog for?

IMO, if you just want a "guard" dog so you have some "vicious" looking/sounding thing hanging round then you shouldnt get a dog at all.

Persoanlly, any breed can be a great guard dog with the right training.

GSD, Belgian Malinois, fila brasilero

Is this to be a true guard dog or just a status symbol?

Are you planning on training the dog yourself, and if so, do you actually know how?

Please don’t just train a dog to be vicious!

In terms of actual guard dogs, my father had two german shepherd guard dogs for his business. Both were wonderful friendly dogs, but very effective guard dogs.

German shepherds tend to be very loyal to their owner and very protective of their family.

So, you’ve read the other question that someone else has put and realised that we say that they must be "trained",

But you still haven’t got it right because we are talking professional training not WHEN YOU TRAIN IT.

The rest of you don’t help suggesting dogs that are commonly used WHEN TRAINED as guarding breeds like the rottweiler.

When a dog is used for this purpose then they are not finally selected until they are over 1 yr old and their true character is known. You need a really solid temperament for this, and a whole lot of knowledge from the owner as well and very few are chosen. Try talking to a police department and you will find they are so selective in their breed lines and even then don’t take many of the dogs through to the final stages.

So it is no good just going and buying a puppy and thinking you can train it as all you will have is a loose cannon that will end up biting somebody. And yet again some ignorant person will be the cause of a whole breed getting a bad name.

Any of you that recommend getting a rottie or similar to someone like this poster obviously hasn’t got a clue either and it is a very dangerous game recommending such a dog to someone that hasn’t even got the experience of the breed let alone what he is trying to do with it.

Sorry – but I get a little passionate about my breed.

Add on — Boo — you are still not listening …. nobody in the police is going to do that for you when you don’t know enough to handle a dog once trained, and as I said, they have such stringent temperament tests before training that NO police dog trainer would dare contribute to helping you. His job would be on the line if he did.

If you love a dog and it loves you, any dog will protect you. To ensure that it warns you of would be intruders, it must live in the house. If a dog lives outside it will be silenced before anyone attempts to brake in, consequently neither you nor your dog will be safe. When anyone knows that a dog is a so called guard dog, they come prepared.

Take it for long walks and create a bond. Go to obedience classes and practise what you are taught every day.

a rottweiler

Well….first, a "Guard" dog is something you throw in a yard to protect property. They don’t need any training…they just need to be agitated to a point where ANYTHING entering it’s territory is bit. If you want a "Protection" dog, the it will depend on what your needs are. The 2 best candidates are GSD and Malanois. If you have balls the size of Rhode Island…you might go with a Presa, Fila, Tosa of Kuvasz. If you want to be trendy, but don’t really care about abilities, get a Corn Queso. IF your whole concern is visual, get a Rottweiler…everyone’s afraid of them, but there are no working Rotties left.

Lastly, why go to all the trouble to find a decent dog…then give it to the cops to screw up? They couldn’t train a legless dog to lay down!