Over the centuries, humans have bred dogs to take advantage of a huge range of natural characteristics, allowing them to take on a variety of jobs for their owners. Some of those characteristics make these breeds ideally suited to the role of guard dog, an important part of many home security systems. Here we look at a few of the breeds that are best equipped to protect your home and your family.

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is one of the best known guard dog breeds, and with good reason. The Rottie is a very strong a powerful animal with a commanding presence guaranteed to make any intruder think twice. Significantly though Rottweilers tend to be very calm animals (despite their rather fierce reputation) and they are intelligent and fairly easy to train.

A well trained Rottweiler will be an asset to anyone seeking security; these dogs show great loyalty to their pack (which is what your family will be), are incredibly protective and display an extraordinary lack of fear. Proper training and socialisation is imperative though; in the wrong hands a Rottweiler can be a very dangerous weapon.

Boxer

Loyal, intelligent, quick to learn and physically strong, the Boxer makes an excellent guard dog. Take into account its happy and playful nature, and its deserved reputation as an excellent breed to have around children and it becomes clear that the Boxer could be just the animal to protect the family home.

Boxers bond very closely with their families and will protect them fiercely; they will quickly become used to friends and other regular visitors, welcoming them into the family home. Their instinct to protect is strong, however, and intruders will be tackled fiercely. Properly trained, the Boxer makes both an excellent guard dog and a lovely family pet.

German Shepherd

The German Shepherd is one of the most popular breeds of dog; it is used in a variety of working contexts, most notably in the police force, and is also a popular family pet. German Shepherds combine a generally tranquil nature with obedience, courage and fearlessness. They bond very strongly with their human ‘packs’ and will lay down their lives to protect them, without a second thought.

German Shepherds are generally quiet dogs, only barking when they really feel it is necessary, which makes them adept at alerting their owners to the presence of intruders. They need interaction with their packs and should be treated very much as one of the family.

Doberman Pinscher

The Doberman Pinscher is a tremendously athletic and elegant dog, with extraordinary strength and energy. Dobermans need a lot of love from, and interaction with, their family groups. Consequently they do not thrive if left alone outdoors in backyards. However, if you bring them into your home and make them part of your family, their natural instinct makes them perfectly equipped to guard and protect you. They are very intelligent dogs and training them is very easy. They require assertive owners who can establish leadership early on, but as long as this is achieved they make good family dogs and their reputation for aggression is unfounded.

These are just a few of the many breeds that you might consider as guard dogs for your family. Whichever one you choose, there are two very important points to remember. Firstly, training your dog is imperative. If you don’t, not only can you not expect it to protect you but you also run the risk of unleashing a dangerous animal on the world. Secondly, owning a dog can be expensive. Make sure that you take out pet insurance to cover unexpected eventualities such as vet’s bills.