It is obvious that protecting yourself and your property has become more important than before due to the increasing home invasions, theft, and other crimes surging in our country. So, it is inevitable for you to take protective measures. One of the smartest and the most amiable ways to do so is to have a trained dog for home protection that can promptly guard you and your home from intruders. Yes, these dogs not only protect humans but also their properties such as home and car.
This is where you need a guard dog that monitors what is happening in your presence or absence even if you are unconscious of your protection at some point in time. Such dogs are capable of sensing any looming danger, which is a life-saving act especially at times when you are unaware of it. They not only sense peril, but will also alert you about it and fight courageously for defending you.
Indeed, a well-trained dog can reverse the impact of a powerful plot of an intruder simply to make him face nothing but only disappointment and failure. Well, these abilities of guard dogs are especially useful for survival in tough times such as crisis caused by social upheaval.
Which Dogs are Guard Dogs?
Now, you might be eager to know about the dog breeds that are the best guard dogs for not only personal but also property protection. Are there different dog breeds to rear, one for human protection and one for property protection?
Well, it is not so! As a fact, not all dogs are capable of giving such dual protection. Even if you train these dogs hard, they simply cannot help when you are in need. There are only a few types of dogs that can help you with their own dedication in this domain.
By nature, a majority of dog breeds are just pets who are raised for companionship. Only a few are such that they give both personal and home protection. Of these, many are natural guards but they need some kind of obedience training so that they act excellently when that risky time comes.
At the same time, a few of these breeds were originally reared for acting as personal protectors. Of all the guard dogs, some are certainly more reliable than others. Over the years, several breeds have replaced others following close supervision.
The dog breed that you should get will actually depend on your requirements. A few people only require a dog that appears to be intimidating or just barks, while some people require a dog that can fight in case the need arises. So, no single guard dog is the best! There are many other types that can give personal and home protection!
Note: Some states have implemented strict rules for such dog breeds. Further, homeowner associations do not take kindly of a few guard dog breeds.
Top 10 Dogs for Home Protection and Personal Defense
1. The German Shepherd
For those who do not know, this dog is a popular protector of military people on the site and police personnel. Well, that is because they are strong enough to protect us from harmful situations with stable efforts. Its high level of acumen as well as higher level of flexibility to get trained makes it reliable for patrolling, hazard sensing, and rescue operations.
The German Shepherd is also one of the beloved family pets all over the world. This is because it is quite friendly with kids and tolerates their mischiefs well. Thus, you can consider them even for protecting small children. This breed is also loyal and obedient due to which it also assists the differently-abled people at home or the surroundings.
At full maturity, it is fully responsive, large in size, and weighs up to around 90 pounds. Apart from regular brushing, there is no special demand of this breed. Thus, it is easy to raise a German Shepherd for personal and home protection.
2. The Doberman Pinscher
An obedient family pet, a strong and determined athletic, and an assertive attitude describes the Doberman best. Although now not so commonly used due to the evolution of other dog breeds, this breed is still in use for personal protection by fighting if there is a need to do so.
Being known for a strong muscular look, the Doberman has matchless stamina and energy to sustain in unfavorable situations. Although it is easy to train, it needs an all-embracing obedience training apart from regular exercises.
This training becomes mandatory if you wish to leave the dog with smaller kids. With older ones, the Doberman is a reliable pal. Overall, the Doberman prefers tying up bonds and interacting with humans. It’s sharp, energetic, and brainy attitude makes them useful in canine sports and protection tasks.
At the same time, its sensitive nature makes it aloof with strangers who are usually afraid of this breed. It is also sensitive to cold weather. Regarded as the fifth cleverest dog breed, the Doberman is loyal, alert, responsive, and fearless.
Related article: Tips on How To Survive A Dog Attack
3. Great Dane
With a great height and quick running speed, the Dane is a great fighter and an obedient follower of its trainer! For those who do not know, the Great Dane is the tallest dog in the world with the ability to raise high at the time of running.
This unique aspect makes this breed most reliable for putting off the strangers and other dogs. It is also known for its passionate and clever attitude, active personality, and loyal bonding with the trainers.
It loves to be around kids, other dogs, and adults. This is evident from the indication of no barking and no aggressive response towards any dog or person.
In case you want it to become more aggressive and barking more often towards strangers, it is possible to train the Dane for this purpose. However, doing so has a risk of making it aggressive towards all canines as well. However, a good training for socializing the Dane is likely to make it brave and caring. You can easily train this breed to make it a good pal for the entire family as well as a reliable guard.
4. Bullmastif
If you wish to have the most courageous dog for protection, the Bullmastif is the only breed to consider. Due to its fearless attitude, this dog can go up to any extent to defend its owner as well as its family in an awful situation.
Its colossal size is capable enough of hitting and bringing down any invader on the ground. Just as its size, the weight is also more than usual, which is over 100 pounds in adulthood. However, this does not obstruct the Bullmastif to be an agile and a quick protector.
Search how much as you can but no single dog will have all the required qualities for personal and home protection. However, the Bullmastiff proves this wrong. With its superb intelligence and a gratifying temperament, this breed is an active protector as well as a companion who is useful for swift tracking, hauling, and therapy work.
By its very nature, temperament, and size, this breed is a bodyguard. However, this shall only sustain if it gets a basic docility training.
5. The Hungarian Sheepdog or Komondor
Featuring a big body and weight of almost 125 pounds in adulthood, the Komondor is popular for its ability to protect herds and humans from wild animals, including bears. Although huge, this dog is agile and quick in doing the tasks.
With its natural ability to guard, this breed can be a devoted and protective pet if proper obedience as well as socialization training is given. This breed is active, loyal, daring, strong, and seems to have a sense of self-respect.
Unlike other dogs, it has a powerful immune system due to which it is very rare for it to suffer from a health issue. Its appearance is quite authoritative, which is perhaps due to the cover of uncommon fur. The only thing you need to take care is consistent training, which should stretch over a long period or else the dog will get bored easily.
6. Puli
This dog is a superb overseer due to its prominent suspicious nature. This nature keeps it alert all the time during which it even briskly barks to make you alert about anything that is unusual or dangerous.
While the Puli is an active dog who loves to run, hike, and participate in outdoor tasks, it needs constant companionship due to its friendly and cheerful attitude. This is the reason why it is a great pet for countless families.
This smart and energetic dog responds promptly to training but needs regular bathing. This can be a bit challenging, as its coat of highly thick fur is similar to the Komondor although the size is relatively smaller. The fur may consume much time to dry, which can be almost two days for natural drying and two hours if a dryer is used. However, there is no need of brushing.
Related article: 10 Survival Strategies For An Urban Prepper
7. Rottweiler
An ideal personal protector, extremely loyal, and quick learner are the features of the Rottweiler. An erstwhile protector of cattle is now a guard for personal protection. This is because of its right temperament level and a sturdy build wrapping the ability of astonishing muscularity.
After all, it has a solid history since the Roman Empire times and is considered a successor of the Italian Mastiff. This breed is quite serious by nature and does not entertain anything unusual or unknown. This is evident especially when the owner senses a lurking danger.
Although having a large body and a weight of almost 130 pounds, the dog is powerful, energetic, and a fast runner. Surprisingly, the Rottweiler can consistently run quickly for a long time due to which invaders cannot escape easily.
Just as the Puli, even this dog is alert and barks whenever something unusual or strange is seen or sensed. However, with known people, other pets, and even kids, it is quite friendly. At times, the properly trained Rottweiler can be too hostile towards other canines.
8. Rhodesian Ridge-Back
Did you know this lapdog is originally recognized as the lion chaser? Well, for personal and home protection, this means that the Rhodesian Ridge-Back features a solid prey instinct and has an independent approach in doing so.
By nature, this loyal dog is a reliable guard. Unlike other dogs, this one is very picky when it comes to barking. In simple words, it means that you should take its barking seriously. However, at the same time, it is not at all an obedient guard, which means you need to give proper training.
9. Kuvasz
This one is a traditional guardian with a possessive and intrinsic aptitude towards protecting both the owner and its home. Formerly a cattle protector, it is now one of the beloved pet dogs found at home. While it demands affection from family members, it remains total aloof with strangers. However, it is polite with people invited as guests.
This well-muscled dog is quite powerful, cultured, and clever. You can easily leave them with children with whom they seem to play well. For most people, this dog has a movement that is analogous to a wolf but with a powerful stride.
10. Staffordshire Terrier
Despite having a sturdy body and weight around 65 pounds, this dog is not a natural watch guard. However, it has the main quality of being a watchdog, which is to sense the harmful encounters quickly. Based on this, the dog does not hesitate in fighting selflessly for your protection. It is even more hostile if someone threatens it. So, you cannot afford to do so even teasingly.
Another quality of this dog useful for personal and home protection is its ability to learn quickly due to a high level of intelligence. However, you should be careful in this matter, as this breed can also learn bad habit quickly.
And last but not least, remember to equip your dog properly. You may have all the gear you need to survive an emergency situation, but how about your dog? Think about buying a tactical dog vest and other gear for your trustworthy companion.
Conclusion
With this list, it is clear that there are many other good breeds apart from the Mastiff and the Rottweiler, which can guarantee personal and home protection. You need to only ensure proper care as well as training to make any of these dogs watch your surroundings, alert when a risk lingers, and fight back for your protection if required.
Other Useful Resources:
Find Out What’s the Closest Nuclear Bunker to Your Home
Survival Lessons from the 1880s Everyone Should Know
Plott Hounds are good too. Generally unknown but a great breed for such work in multiple ways.