Bad hips are a serious concern, while the demands of the show-bench have led to dogs that have sloping backs and weak back legs, and so are no longer fit for the purpose. Though once the dominant guard dog in the UK, its popularity has fallen in recent years, reflecting the numerous health problems now facing the breed. One of the GSD’s assets is its wolf-like appearance, which makes it an effective deterrent regardless of its guarding instinct. The wolf like appearance helps.įew of the best guard dog breeds can rival the intelligence of the German shepherd (GSD), which explains why it has long been a favourite with police, army and security forces around the world. The German shepherd is one of the most popular guard dogs. BEST GUARD DOG BREEDS: THE GERMAN SHEPHERD Modern, British-bred Weimaraners have largely lost their strong guarding instinct, but you can still find it in most German dogs. You can even get a German gundog – the Weimaraner – that doubles as a guard dog: it was developed in the Weimar Republic for both hunting and guarding. While we have just a single guard-dog breed, the Germans have many of the best guard dog breeds and, just as BMWs, Audis and Mercedes dominate the prestige car market, so rottweilers, dobermans and German shepherds are the dogs of choice for most people looking for reliable guard dogs. Like most big dogs, they are short-lived, seldom reaching double figures.Īgainst: slobbery and short-lived THE GERMAN’S HAVE CORNERED THE GUARD DOG MARKET Unfortunately, these dogs have to contend with numerous health problems, ranging from hip dysplasia to bloating, and are also prone to cancer.
It also has a sound reputation as a reliable family companion and loyal guardian. With the right sort of training, there’s no doubt that the bull-mastiff deserves its number-one ranking within the best guard dog breeds – it’s certainly not one I would want to argue with. Obedience-training is essential for bull-mastiff puppies, and owners will tell you they must be taught to walk to heel on the lead at an early age. Today the breed standard still insists on a “powerfully built, symmetrical dog, showing great strength, but not cumbersome”. A ratio of 40% bulldog to 60% mastiff was found to be the most satisfactory: an adult male might weigh as much as 18st and measure 27in at the withers. What was needed was a dog with a good enough nose to track an intruder through the woods at night and the ability to charge and knock him down, and then hold him until the keeper arrived. Pure-bred mastiffs were too slow, while bulldogs – very different in appearance from the dogs we know today – were ferocious and apparently a little too keen on getting stuck into the poacher. In those days poachers were a rough lot – the penalty for poaching was still hanging – so the keeper needed a tough dog to help him to carry out his job. It was developed in the mid-1800s, and originally bred to be the gamekeeper’s companion, helping him in his battle with poachers. As its name suggests, it’s really a mixture of two breeds, the mastiff and the bulldog. While we may have a rich variety of native gundogs, we can boast only one native guard dog, the bull-mastiff.
The mighty bull mastiff would deter even the craftiest of burglars. BEST GUARD DOG BREEDS: THE BRITISH BULL-MASTIFF Remarkably, the best guard do breeds have an instinctive understanding of the terms of their employment and most also make fine family pets. The latter is probably the best guard dog’s most important attribute: it is essential that any dog employed for guarding understands its job, and never frightens or threatens its master or mistress, family members or employees.
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So how to choose from the best guard dog breeds? Most have similar attributes: imposing size, impressive physique, intimidating appearance and, above all, intelligence. More information at the end of the article. But if something fearsome is not what you are after, then how about the ultimate country house dogs? However new legislation has come into force which affects dog owners. And you are unlikely to have to worry about dog theft prevention. Its bark may be even more of a deterrent than its bite, as all thieves like to work undisturbed. A big, powerful dog is a formidable adversary, and invariably equipped with a set of serious teeth. Burglars hate them, and even career criminals think twice before entering premises patrolled by suitably fierce dogs. The best guard dogs breeds are still top of the list for deterring burglars, even in the age of lasers and closed circuit television.