What Dog - Family, Guard, Low Moult
Discussion
Hi,
Just bought a place in the country and want a guard dog as IME they are a lot better than an alarm.
I have young kids and already have a small lab/collie cross
I grew up with German Shepherds so they are my instinctive choice but I wondered if there was something that moulted less as it will primarily be an indoor family pet.
Thanks
Just bought a place in the country and want a guard dog as IME they are a lot better than an alarm.
I have young kids and already have a small lab/collie cross
I grew up with German Shepherds so they are my instinctive choice but I wondered if there was something that moulted less as it will primarily be an indoor family pet.
Thanks
Depending on how much room you have a Great Dane?
Family had one in SA donkeys years ago as a guard dog/pet - admittedly the most racist dog going - but on 2 occasions cornered burglars, the best one was for 2 days!
Being SA they got beaten up with a cricket bat and kicked out but 'Tiny' earned his keep.
When relaxing he liked nothing more than sleep or curling up - don't shed too much hair IIRC
Family had one in SA donkeys years ago as a guard dog/pet - admittedly the most racist dog going - but on 2 occasions cornered burglars, the best one was for 2 days!
Being SA they got beaten up with a cricket bat and kicked out but 'Tiny' earned his keep.
When relaxing he liked nothing more than sleep or curling up - don't shed too much hair IIRC
If you want a 'proper' true guard dog.. Do some research and get yourself a Central Asian Ovcharka..
They are gentle giants and will protect your property/family with their lives.. They are great with kids and do not require much attention.. Best of all, they do not require any guard dog training at all, they are natural guard dogs and you will see the guard dog behavior in them from around 2 months of age
Their bark is much louder than an alarm and sound more like a lion than a dog, so trespassers so 99% of intruders will just turn away at the sight and sound of such a beast..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmTuwlFXN8Q
Heres a pic of mine;
They are gentle giants and will protect your property/family with their lives.. They are great with kids and do not require much attention.. Best of all, they do not require any guard dog training at all, they are natural guard dogs and you will see the guard dog behavior in them from around 2 months of age
Their bark is much louder than an alarm and sound more like a lion than a dog, so trespassers so 99% of intruders will just turn away at the sight and sound of such a beast..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmTuwlFXN8Q
Heres a pic of mine;
Try beating an ovcharka with a cricket bat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXiB_6A3JBg
And the one in this video is just a puppy
lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXiB_6A3JBg
And the one in this video is just a puppy
lolI'd stick with what you know and get a GSD, there is a reason they are the police dog of choice the world
But whatever you get, training will be the key, don't just expect it to be a top draw guard dog straight out of the box. You will need to train yourself and then the dog.
That said a good guard dog is no good as a deterring to the real criminals (as apposed the opportunist scum bag thief), as they trick is to poison the dog the day before, and while its at the vets that's when they break in.
ETA: Have you checked out the local crime figures, do you really need a guard dog. I've lived in both the country (Cheshire) and in a built up area near London, and only had trouble in (ok near) London.
But whatever you get, training will be the key, don't just expect it to be a top draw guard dog straight out of the box. You will need to train yourself and then the dog.
That said a good guard dog is no good as a deterring to the real criminals (as apposed the opportunist scum bag thief), as they trick is to poison the dog the day before, and while its at the vets that's when they break in.
ETA: Have you checked out the local crime figures, do you really need a guard dog. I've lived in both the country (Cheshire) and in a built up area near London, and only had trouble in (ok near) London.
Edited by KrazyIvan on Monday 24th February 13:56
otolith said:
I believe the long haired GSDs shed less than the short haired. Ours is short haired, and is a fur machine.
You believe wrongly, I'm afraid. Our long-haired GSD sheds all over the place, even after I've given him a good going-over with a Furminator. They are great dogs though, I wouldn't mind another one. I do like Rottweilers - but is their hair like a Jack Russel's - so wiry that you cannot remove it from fabric as it jabs itself into it ?
We never trained our GSD to guard - even our cross bred mutt lies between my wife and any visitor and starts nipping me if the girls scream when I'm play fighting with them.
My Dad lives up the road and he's had a burglary and several cars / trailers / tools stolen over the years.
I'm in no way wealthy enough to be the victim of a targeted attack - all my money's been spent on the house !
My wife would also feel safer with a big dog at home.
We never trained our GSD to guard - even our cross bred mutt lies between my wife and any visitor and starts nipping me if the girls scream when I'm play fighting with them.
My Dad lives up the road and he's had a burglary and several cars / trailers / tools stolen over the years.
I'm in no way wealthy enough to be the victim of a targeted attack - all my money's been spent on the house !
My wife would also feel safer with a big dog at home.
SGirl said:
You believe wrongly, I'm afraid. Our long-haired GSD sheds all over the place, even after I've given him a good going-over with a Furminator. They are great dogs though, I wouldn't mind another one.
Does yours have a thick undercoat? I believe some of them don't. This is my puppy in the autumn with a couple of his friends. The longer haired dog apparently dries out really quickly, because he's only got a single coat, while the other one takes ages to dry. I think mum's long haired black dog has a single coat too, he does shed but she says not to the extent that the short coated ones do.
I furminated ours the other week, got almost another dog off him
otolith said:
Does yours have a thick undercoat? I believe some of them don't. This is my puppy in the autumn with a couple of his friends. The longer haired dog apparently dries out really quickly, because he's only got a single coat, while the other one takes ages to dry. I think mum's long haired black dog has a single coat too, he does shed but she says not to the extent that the short coated ones do.
No, he's single-coated. He dries out very quickly too, which is a big plus. The disadvantage is that any mud left on him comes off onto carpets and his bed very easily too. otolith said:
I furminated ours the other week, got almost another dog off him
LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds this. Where does it all come from? I was planning to stuff a cushion with the resulting hair, but then I sniffed it and decided not to bother. Your dogs are gorgeous! Here's ours, after he's been playing and leaving toys everywhere. As usual.
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